What's Wrong with the 1st Generation Solara?

Front 3/4 view of a Toyota Solara

The 1st generation Solara runs from the 1999 to 2003 model years and ranks 12th out of 81 eligible generations in reliability with a cumulative PainRank™ of 0.67.

PainRank™ is a relative complaint analysis of the 16 complaints made by owners over at CarComplaints.com A majority of the complaints are about body problems.

You can compare it with other Solara generations.

The Worst 1999-2003 Solara Problems

Oil Sludge in Toyota Engines

Updated on

Toyota settled a class-action engine-sludge suit in 2007 that covered an estimated 2.5-million Toyota and Lexus vehicles made between 1997 and 2002. In that case, Toyota agreed to repair 'sludged-up' engines for up to eight years from the t…

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Melting Dashboards

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One of the automotive world's worst science projects is coming to an end. Toyota dashboards have long been known to melt under the heat of the sun. The melted dashes warp and extrude a strange, goo-like substance that is oddly shiny and sti…

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What Owners Complain About

Sometimes it helps just to tally up the complaints and see where the biggest stacks are. Use this information to learn about troublespots or to run for the hills.

Worst Issues

Worst Topics

Worst Years

1st Generation Solara in the News

By the Numbers

  1. 5 model years

    Grouping all models by their year can reveal some baddies.

  2. 16 complaints

    Running tally of owner grievances filed to CarComplaints.com.

  3. 12th in reliability

    Overall reliability rank out of 81 eligible generations.