Toyota Avalon Complaints (2009)

91 consumer complaints on file.

#10440267December 17, 2011
STEERING
THE STEERING WHEEL ON MY 2009 AVALON LIMITED AUTOMOBILE COLLAPSES WHILE DRIVING WITH NO APPARENT REASON. MY VEHICLE IS EQUIPPED WITH AN ADJUSTABLE TELESCOPING STEERING WHEEL WHICH ONE CAN ADJUST FOR COMFORT & THEN LOCK INTO ITS SET POSITION. A LEVER BELOW THE STEERING COLUMN ON THE LEFT SIDE IS MADE TO LOCK SUCH POSITION. IN MANY CASES THE LOCKING LEVER DIS-ENGAGES SUDDENLY CAUSE THE STEERING WHEEL TO COLLAPSE WHILE ONE IS DRIVING. I HAVE TAKEN THE VEHICLE TO MY DEALER BUT TO THIS DATE, THEY HAVE NOT DUPLICATED THE SAME ISSUE. MY OCCURRENCES HAVE BEEN SPORADIC; HOWEVER, IT SHOULD BE A MAJOR CONCERN OF ANY DRIVER WHEN THEY LOOSES CONTROL OF A MAJOR STEERING ABILITY OF ANY VEHICLE. *TR
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#10412708July 12, 2011
EXTERIOR LIGHTING
HIGH BEAM BULBS FAILED. THESE ARE DAYTIME RUNNING LIGHTS AS WELL. THESE MAY HAVE FAILED MUCH EARLIER AND NOT BEEN NOTICED.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#10405439June 7, 2011
EXTERIOR LIGHTING
MARCH 2011 NOTICE HIGH BEAM LIGHT OUT ON MY 2009 TOYOTA AVALON. WENT TO REPLACE IT & FOUND NO BULB JUST ELECTRICAL CONNECTION. AFTER REVIEW OF BULB AREA I NOTICED THE BULB HAD DISAPPEARED WITHIN ITS CONFINEMENT AREA. BULB MUST HAVE MELT AWAY. *TR
Crash:
No
Fire:
Yes
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#10383236February 18, 2011
EXTERIOR LIGHTING
2009 TOYOTA AVALON XLS [XXX] IN SERVICE 10/31/2008; MILEAGE AT FAILURE UNKNOWN, BUT LESS THAN 42,000. BOTH HIGH BEAM BULBS EXPLODED ON THE VEHICLE. BASED ON INTERNET RESEARCH, THIS SEEMS TO BE A KNOWN PROBLEM. TOYOTA ISSUED A TSB 0044-10 ON THIS FAILURE 1/27/2010, YET THEY REFUSE TO TAKE OWNERSHIP OF THE ISSUE. THE BULBS FAILED DESPITE A CUMULATIVE USE OF LESS THAN 2 HOURS ON THE HIGH BEAMS IN THE LIFE OF THE VEHICLE (I LIVE IN A METROPOLITAN AREA). IF THE BULBS ARE REPLACED, THEY WILL FAIL AGAIN DUE TO THE DESIGN OF THE HOUSING. IS THIS PURELY A SAFETY ISSUE, LIKELY NOT BECAUSE THE DRIVER STILL HAS LOW BEAM HEADLIGHTS. HOWEVER IT FURTHER ILLUSTRATES TOYOTA'S RELUCTANCE TO ADDRESS A KNOWN FAILURE. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C . 552(B)(6) *LN
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#10350536August 19, 2010
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
TL* THE CONTACT TEMPORARILY RENTED A 2009 TOYOTA AVALON. WHILE DRIVING 65 MPH, THE VEHICLE ABNORMALLY ACCELERATED. THE CONTACT DEPRESSED THE BRAKES AND THEN SHIFTED INTO NEUTRAL AS HE COASTED OFF THE ROADWAY. THE CONTACT THEN SHIFTED INTO PARK AND SHUT OFF THE ENGINE. HE WAS ABLE TO RESTART THE VEHICLE AS IT RESUMED NORMAL OPERATION. THE CONTACT DID NOT INFORM THE RENTAL FACILITY OF THE FAILURE. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 25,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#10335817June 11, 2010
EQUIPMENT ADAPTIVE/MOBILITY, VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
MY 2009 TOYOTA AVALON HAS TWO RECALLS. FLOOR MAT INTERFERENCE & STICKY ACCELERATOR PEDAL. TOYOTA SAID I CAN HAVE A REDESIGNED ACCELERATOR PEDAL INSTALLED IN APRIL 2010. IT'S NOW 2.5 MONTHS LATER AND I'M STILL WAITING. TOYOTA HAS BEEN INSTALLING THE REDESIGNED PEDAL ON NEW CARS COMING OFF THE MANUFACTURING LINE FOR SEVERAL MONTHS WHILE NOT INSTALLING THEM ON CURRENT CUSTOMER CARS. THEY KEEP HOLDING ME OFF. THEY PREFER TO SAW MY CURRENT PEDAL. I WATCHED THE DEALER DO THIS ON A CUSTOMER'S CAR. A HAND HELD HACK SAW IS USED TO SAW THE PEDAL FOLLOWED BY A HAND HELD METAL GRINDER TO SMOOTH THE CUT. I PAID $35,000 FOR A NEW CAR, NOT ONE HACKED. I AM FILLING THIS COMPLAINT FOR YOUR RECORDS. TOYOTA STILL IS NOT PROPERLY FOLLOWING THROUGH WITH THIS RECALL FROM NOV. 2009. *TR
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#10335915June 8, 2010
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL:ACCELERATOR PEDAL
2009 TOYOTA AVALON. CONSUMER STATES ACCELERATOR HESITATION CAUSING A CRASH *TGW THE CONSUMER STATED SHE WAS STOPPED AT A STOP SIGN, PREPARING TO MAKE A LEFT TURN. WHILE STOPPED, SHE NOTED THERE WERE THREE CARS DRIVING WESTWARD AND SHE LET THEM PASS. THERE WERE NO OTHER CARS TRAVELING THAT DIRECTION AT THE TIME. SHE WAITED FOR TWO CARS TO PASS DRIVING IN THE EASTWARD BOUND LANES AND NOTED ANOTHER CAR TRAVELING IN THE SAME DIRECTION. THAT CAR WAS IN THE LANE NEAREST THE MEDIAN AND SHE DETERMINED THAT SHE HAD SUFFICIENT TIME TO MAKE A LEFT TURN AT THAT TIME BEFORE THE CAR WOULD BE NEAR HER. WITH HER FOOT ON THE BRAKE, SHE RELEASED IT TO PRESS ON THE ACCELERATOR TO GO FORWARD, THE VEHICLE EASED INTO THE INTERSECTION, BUT DID NOT RESPOND TO HER FOOT PRESSURE ON THE ACCELERATOR AND THE ONCOMING VEHICLE CRASHED INTO HER. THE CONSUMER WAS SEVERELY INJURED. SHE BELIEVED THE CAUSE OF THE ACCIDENT WAS ACCELERATOR HESITATION. SHE RECEIVED A RECALL NOTICE PRIOR TO THE ACCIDENT REGARDING THE FLOOR MAT ISSUE AND THEY WERE DEEMED TO BE SECURELY HOOKED. THE RECALL NOTICE REGARDING THE ACCELERATOR PROBLEM WAS RECEIVED AFTER THE ACCIDENT, NOTING THAT ONE OF THE PROBLEMS WITH THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL INVOLVED A HARD TO PRESS ACCELERATOR PEDAL. *JB
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
1
Deaths:
0
#10331055May 18, 2010
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 TOYOTA AVALON. WHILE TRAVELING AT 75 MPH WITH THE CRUISE CONTROL ENGAGED, THE CONTACT NOTICED THAT THE CRUISE CONTROL HAD DEACTIVATED. THE DEALER WAS UNABLE TO DUPLICATE THE FAILURE. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 16,000. UPDATED 7/20/10 *CN THE CONSUMER STATED WHEN THE CRUISE CONTROL STOPPED FUNCTIONING, THE VEHICLE SLOWED DOWN. UPDATED 07/23/10*JB
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#10327756April 27, 2010
STEERING
THE STEERING COLUMN TELESCOPIC LOCK WON'T STAY LOCKED. YOU CAN BE DRIVING ALONG AND THE STEERING COLUMN WILL COLLAPSE AND BECOME VERY LOOSE. I HAD IT HAPPEN WHILE TURNING A CORNER AND IT CAUSED ME TO LOOSE TEMPORARY CONTROL. I REPORTED IT TO THE DEALER BEFORE IT WENT OUT OF WARRANTY BUT THEY ADVISED THEY COULD NOT FIND ANYTHING WRONG. AT 36,800 MILES I CONVINCED THEM THERE WAS A PROBLEM. AT THAT TIME THEY AGREED TO REPLACE THE DEFECTIVE PART AT 1/2 PRICE. SINCE THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE IT SHOULD BE REPLACED NO CHARGE. *TR
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#10320584March 17, 2010
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC
WE HAVE A 2009 TOYOTA AVALON, WHICH WE PURCHASED IN MID-NOVEMBER OF 2009. WE HAVE BEEN THROUGH TWO RECALLS ALREADY. EVERYTIME WE USE THE BREAKS AND RELEASE THEM IT MAKES A "THUD" NOISE. I TOOK IT TO THE DEALER WHO SAID HE DIDN'T KNOW WHY IT OCCURRED. MY WIFE AND I ARE NOT HAPPY WITH TOYOTA OR NHTSA WHO SHOULD OF RELEASED TO THE PUBLIC THE MANY ISSUES TOYOTA WAS HAVING WITH THEIR AUTOMOBILES IN 2009. I WOULD NOT HAVE PURCHASED THIS PROBLEM AUTO IF NHTSA HAD NOTIFIED THE MEDIA OF THE ISSUE IN OCT. OR THE 1ST OF NOV. I DID SEE AN NBC NEWS INTERVIEW WITH MATT LAURER AND THE PRESIDENT OF NORTH AMERICAN TOYOTA WHO STATED THEY WERE AWARE OF THIS PROBLEM IN LATE OCT. OF 2009. I GUESS THE BRAKES WILL BE THE NEXT ISSUE. IF YOU CAN LET ME KNOW WHY MY NEW TOYOTA (ONLY 5200 MILES) MAKES A THUD NOISE WHEN I RELEASE THE BRAKES I WOULD APPRECIATE IT, SINCE MY TOYOTA DEALER DOESN'T KNOW! *TR
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#10318940March 11, 2010
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
TRAVELING ON INTERSTATE I BEGAN THE PROCEDURES TO CORRECTLY PASS A VEHICLE IN FRONT OF ME. WHEN I STARTED TO PASS MY TOYOTA AVALON ACCELERATED BEFORE I COULD CHANGE LANES. I HAD A DIFFICULT TIME REGAINING CONTROL TO PREVENT HITTING THE VEHICLE IN FRONT OF ME AND TO KEEP FROM HITTING A CONCRETE WALL DIVIDING THE NORTH/SOUTH LANES. I WAS BEARING HARD ON THE BRAKE AND I WAS ABLE TO REGAIN CONTROL. I THOUGHT OTHERS ON THE INTERSTATE WOULD BE CALLING POLICE ABOUT MY IRRATIONAL DRIVING. THIS HAPPENED ABOUT TWO WEEKS BEFORE THE PROBLEM WAS ANNOUNCED. I TRADED THE CAR ON FEBRUARY 4, 2010 BECAUSE I DID NOT FEEL CONFIDENT DRIVING THE CAR. *TR
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#10318285March 9, 2010
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
I BELIEVE THE TOYOTA ACCELERATION ISSUE HAS TO DO WITH THE CRUISE CONTROL. I BELIEVE THE CRUISE CONTROL IS BEING INVOKED BY A SOFTWARE BUG AND ALSO THE ACCELERATE FUNCTION OF THE CRUISE CONTROL SOMEHOW GETS ACTIVATED. I WAS DRIVING A TOYOTA AVALON USING THE ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL. I DECIDED TO BUMP UP MY SPEED TO I TAPPED "ACCEL" A FEW TIMES. BEFORE I KNEW IT THE CAR WAS AT 85 MPH ON THE CRUISE CONTROL DISPLAY. I DO NOT THINK I WAS ACTUALLY TRAVELING 85 MPH, THOUGH. I HIT THE BRAKE AND IT CANCELLED THE CRUISE CONTROL AND THE CAR SLOWED DOWN. *TR
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#10318309March 9, 2010
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL, FUEL SYSTEM, OTHER
WHEN SLOWING DOWN TO STOP AT A STOP SIGN THE CAR SURGED. *TR
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#10316993March 5, 2010
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL, SERVICE BRAKES, ELECTRIC
I'M THE OWNER OF A 2009 AVALON. TOYOTA'S WEB PAGE HAS A CUSTOMER SERVICE PHONE NUMBER, 1-800-331-4331, FOR ASSISTANCE WITH THEIR RECALL FOR STICKY PEDAL AND FLOOR MAT ENTRAPMENT. I'VE CALLED TWICE. EACH TIME I WAITED FOR 1.5 HOURS, THEN DISCONNECTED SINCE THEY NEVER ANSWER BUT KEEP YOU ON HOLD. THIS DEMONSTRATES THAT ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER THAN WORDS. TOYOTA IS NOT SERIOUS ABOUT THIS RECALL. NHTSA NEED TO INSIST THAT TOYOTA RESPOND TO PHONE CALLS REGARDING THEIR RECALLED CARS. *TR
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#10316807March 4, 2010
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL:ACCELERATOR PEDAL
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 TOYOTA AVALON. THE CONTACT WAS DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 35 MPH ON NORMAL ROAD CONDITIONS. THE CONTACT EXPERIENCED AN INCREASE OF UNINTENDED ACCELERATION. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER FOR INSPECTION. THE CONTACT STATED THE TECHNICIAN MODIFIED THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 19,200.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#10316343March 3, 2010
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
ACCELLERATION OF VEHICLE. *TR
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#10314344February 26, 2010
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
2009 TOYOTA AVALON RECALL*CW THE CONSUMER WANTED TO KNOW WHY NO ONE IS DOING ANYTHING TO HELP THE PEOPLE WHO OWN DEFECTIVE TOYOTA'S?
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#10314147February 25, 2010
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
WHEN BRAKING TO A STOP, JUST AS THE CAR FINALLY COMES TO A STOP, THE ENGINE REVS KICK UP BY A FEW HUNDRED RPM. THIS IS NOT ON EVERY OCCASION, BUT MANY OF THEM ( 50% OR MORE). GIVEN THE RECENT CONCERNS RAISED REGARDING TOYOTA THROTTLE CONTROL AND BRAKE SOFTWARE, I AM BECOMING CONCERNED. *TR
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#10312990February 23, 2010
POWER TRAIN
WE PICKED UP OUR NEW 2009 AVALON LIMITED ON 7/31/09. ON 9/7/09, AFTER RETURNING FROM A DRIVE, THE CAR ACCELERATED INTO THE GARAGE DOOR AS IT WAS OPENING. WE HAD STOPPED ABOUT 6 FEET FROM THE DOOR TO OPEN IT. AS WE RELEASED THE BRAKE PEDAL THE CAR SHOT FORWARD INTO THE DOOR. DAMAGE TO THE CAR AMOUNTED TO $1500, AND ANOTHER $1000 FOR THE GARAGE DOOR. I DID NOT FILE AN INSURANCE CLAIM. TOYOTA LATER RECALLED THE VEHICLE TO PUT A SPACER ON THE GAS PEDAL AND TO "RE-FLASH" THE COMPUTER. I BELIEVE THIS IS AN ELECTRICAL PROBLEM WITH THE GAS PEDAL CONTROL SYSTEM AND NOT A MECHANICAL PROBLEM. THE DEALERSHIP SAID THE SPACER WAS THE SOLUTION. I'VE ALSO RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF A PROBLEM WITH THE FLOOR MATS; BUT HAVE NOT RECEIVED A RECALL NOTICE TO FIX IT. THE DEALER INDICATED THAT AN OVERRIDE ON THE BRAKE PEDAL (TO CUT OUT THE GAS PEDAL) WAS SUPPOSED TO BE PART OF THAT RECALL. THAT MIGHT HELP, BUT I'M STILL WAITING. THE PROBLEM OCCURRED ONLY ONCE. ONCE WAS ENOUGH! *TR
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#10312589February 22, 2010
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL, EQUIPMENT ADAPTIVE/MOBILITY
MY 2009 TOYOTA AVALON HAS TWO RECALLS. FLOOR MAT INTERFERENCE & STICKY ACCELERATOR PEDAL. I RECEIVED A RECALL LETTER 4 MONTHS AGO FROM TOYOTA BUT HAVE NEVER RECEIVED A FOLLOW-UP LETTER FOR REPAIR. I HAVE CONTACTED TOYOTA SEVERAL TIMES BY MAIL BUT THEY NEVER RESPONDED. TOYOTA IS INSTALLING BRAKE OVERRIDE SOFTWARE ON NEW AVALONS, HOWEVER IS NOT AVAILABLE AT MY DEALERSHIP FOR MY CAR. MY COMPLAINT IS TOYOTA IS INSTALLING THE SOFTWARE ON NEW CARS BUT IS NOT MAKING IT AVAILABLE FOR MY CAR. THAT IS A SERIOUS MISHANDLING OF SAFETY. TOYOTA NEEDS TO BE FORCED TO TAKE CARE OF CARS ON THE ROAD BEFORE NEW PRODUCTION AVALONS. *TR
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0

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