Camry And Avalon 1997-99 Front End Thumping Noise

Do you own a 1997-1999 Toyota Camry or Toyota Avalon? Are you hearing a strange thumping noise coming from the front suspension? If so, you may be dealing with bad strut mounts.

This was a common problem with these vehicles back in the late 1990s. The culprit turned out to be bad strut mounts. In January of 2000, Toyota came out with a new set of strut mounts that corrected the problem. These mounts had a much thicker rubber bushing that eliminated the thumping sound.

If your car still has the original strut mounts, you really should replace them. It's also possible that your car has newer strut mounts, but they wore out over time. The first thing you want to do is check your strut mounts.

How To Check The Strut Mounts On A 1997-1999 Toyota Camry Or Avalon

Camry avalon maintenance

Each strut has two mounts: a top mount and a bottom mount. You want to check all four strut mounts on the front of your 1997-1999 Camry or Avalon. To check the top mounts:

  1. Open the hood.
  2. You'll find the mounts on the left side and right side of the engine bay.

To check the bottom mounts:

  1. Lift the front of your car and secure it with jack stands.
  2. Remove the front wheels.
  3. At each wheel, turn the brake rotor. You'll see the strut mount attached to the control arm.

When you inspect the strut mounts, look for the following signs of wear and damage:

  • Loose nuts and bolts
  • Cracks
  • Cracked or missing bushings
  • Bent, broken, or loose struts

Other Causes Of The Thumping Noise

If your strut mounts look good, then something else is causing the noise. Here are some common causes of a thumping noise coming from the bottom front of your vehicle:

  • Irregularly worn tires
  • Bad wheel bearing
  • Ball joint issues
  • Axle issues
  • Loose lug nuts
  • Bad control arm

Shocks And Strut Replacements Are Pretty Easy to Do At Home

If you find that your shocks and struts need replacing, you can take care of the job at home if you have:

  • The right tools
  • Quality replacement parts (we offer genuine OEM Toyota replacement shocks and struts)
  • Easy tutorials to follow

We have shock and strut replacement tutorial for a variety of Toyota models: