2006 Toyota Avalon Other / unspecified Problems

When vehicle needed to abruptly stop to avoid an accident it failed twice resulting in collision

NHTSA ID

11517215

Incident

Apr 15, 2023

---BUYERS BEWARE.--- TIRES PURCHASED: 215/55R-17 CONTINENTAL PURECONTACT LS SL PURCHASED THESE TIRES ON TIRE RACK AND HAD THEM PROFESSIONAL PLACED ON BY FIRESTONE PERSONNEL (APPROPRIATE TIRE PRESSURE CHECKED). IN JUST A LITTLE OVER A MONTH, LESS THAN 100 MILES, AND WITHOUT ANY TRAUMA (NO POTHOLES, CURBS, ETC), THE REAR PASSENGER TIRE HAD A MAJOR, SIDEWALL BLOWOUT ON THE HIGHWAY (70 MPH) WITH NEAR CATASTROPHIC CONSEQUENCES. CONTINENTAL WILL NOT ALLOW A REFUND BUT WILL ONLY PERMIT ME TO PURCHASE TIRES IN THEIR LINEUP ACCORDING TO THEIR 60 DAY POLICY. HOWEVER, THIS SHOULD BE AN EXCEPTION DUE TO THE NEAR MISS THAT COULD HAVE CAUSED SERIOUS BODILY HARM OR DEATH. I DO NOT TRUST THESE TIRES GIVEN THE EXTENSIVE DAMAGE FROM SUCH LITTLE USAGE (PLEASE SEE PHOTOS). THEY HAVE DENIED ANY CLAIM OF DEFECT IN THEIR TIRES BUT I AM PERPLEXED ON HOW SUCH EXTENSIVE DAMAGE TO A TIRE CAN HAPPEN WITHOUT ANY TRAUMA OR INCITING EVENT. PLEASE DON'T PUT YOUR FAMILY OR LOVED ONES IN HARM'S WAY AND HIGHLY CONSIDER AN ALTERNATIVE BRAND OF TIRE THAN GENERAL OR CONTINENTAL.

NHTSA ID

11210507

Incident

May 27, 2019

Mileage

110,000 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 TOYOTA AVALON. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT APPROXIMATELY 50 MPH, THE TIRE ON THE FRONT DRIVER SIDE BLEW OUT, CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO VEER INTO A COTTON FIELD. THE VEHICLE FLIPPED FOUR TIMES AND LANDED ON THE PASSENGER SIDE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE AIR BAGS HAD NOT DEPLOYED. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE CONTACT SUSTAINED INJURIES TO THE NECK, BACK, AND LEG. THE PASSENGER SUSTAINED INJURIES TO THE RIGHT EAR THAT DETACHED FROM THE HEAD, INJURIES TO THE NECK, AND A CONCUSSION. BOTH OCCUPANTS REQUIRED MEDICAL ATTENTION. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A SALVAGE LOT AWAITING AN INSURANCE APPRAISAL. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 12,000.

NHTSA ID

10779762

Incident

Oct 3, 2015

Mileage

12,000 mi

COULD NOT CHANGE FLAT TIRE BECAUSE LUG NUTS HAD SWELLED SO WRENCH WOULD NOT FIT, HAD TO BUY A SIZE BIGGER WRENCH TO REMOVE LUG NUTS. ALSO ALL THE LUG NUTS ON THE CAR WERE SWELLED. WHEN I ASKED ABOUT THIS I WAS TOLD THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM. *TR

NHTSA ID

10550024

Incident

Oct 29, 2013

Mileage

88,883 mi

VEHICLE WAS STOPPED ON AN UPHILL GRADE. WHEN I BEGAN TO ACCELERATE ON THE GRADE THE CAR WOULD MOVE A ABOUT THREE FEET INTO THE INTERSECTION BUT WOULD NOT GO FURTHER. A LOUD RUMBLING SOUND AND THE CAR VIBRATED BUT WOULD NOT MOVE.. ANOTHER CAR TO MY RIGHT HAD TO STOP TO AVOID HITTING ME. T THINK THE TRACTION CONTROL IS DESIGNED POORLY AS I HAVE READ SIMILAR COMPLAINTS ONLINE. *TR

NHTSA ID

10483996

Incident

Nov 10, 2012

Mileage

131,000 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 TOYOTA AVALON. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC FOR AN UNRELATED REPAIR WHEN THEY NOTICED THAT THE FRONT DRIVER'S SIDE LUG NUTS EXPANDED THEIR NORMAL SIZE DUE TO WATER CONSUMPTION WITHIN THE WHEEL HUB COVERING. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 115,200. UPDATED 10/11/12*LJ THE CONSUMER REPLACED THE LUG NUTS AT HIS EXPENSE. UPDATED 10/17/12

NHTSA ID

10471597

Incident

Aug 16, 2012

Mileage

115,200 mi

THE TRACTION CONTROL SYSTEM IN OUR 2006 TOYOTA AVALON WILL NOT ALLOW THE CAR TO DRIVE IN SNOW. ONCE A WHEEL STARTS TO SLIP THE BRAKE IS APPLIED AND THE CAR WILL NOT MOVE. AS WE LIVE IN COLORADO THIS IS A SERIOUS PROBLEM. *TR

NHTSA ID

10362836

Incident

Mar 10, 2010

Mileage

30,000 mi

ON A TRIP FROM FLORIDA TO OHIO THERE WAS A HUMMING THAT STARTED BETWEEN 40 AN 60 MILES PER HOUR. WHEN IT WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER THEY IDENTIFIED IT AS A RIGHT FRONT WHEEL BEARING THAT WAS DEFECTIVE. THE VEHICLE IS A 2006 TOYOTA AVALON WITH 44,500 MILES ON IT. I TOOK THE VEHICLE TO ANOTHER SERVICE SHOP TO VERIFY THE DEFECT AND THEY CONFIRMED THAT IT WAS THE RIGHT FRONT WHEEL BEARING THAT WAS DEFECTIVE. THEY REPLACED THE PART AND GAVE ME THE DEFECTIVE ONE. *TR

NHTSA ID

10324550

Incident

Mar 19, 2010

Mileage

44,500 mi

THE DAY AFTER MY CAR HAD 3 RECALLS CORRECTED, I WAS DRIVING AROUND 20 MPH WHEN THE CAR STARTED TO TAKE OFF. I PUT THE BRAKE ON REAL HARD AND GOT IT STOPPED AT ABOUT 35 MPH. NEEDLESS TO SAY MY PASSENGER AND I WERE SCARED TO DEATH. *TR

NHTSA ID

10319212

Incident

Feb 24, 2010

Mileage

28,510 mi

I OWN A 2006 TOYOTA AVALON. BEFORE THE RECALLS THERE WAS ONLY TWO OCCASIONS WHERE MY VEHICLE ACCELERATION MALFUNCTIONED SLIGHTLY. ON THURSDAY FEBRUARY 25, 2010 I HAD THE RECALL REPAIRS COMPLETED, AND NOW MY VEHICLE ACCELERATION MALFUNCTIONS EVERY TIME I DRIVE IT. I ALMOST HIT ANOTHER CAR MOVING UP AT A STOP SIGN BECAUSE MY VEHICLE TOOK OFF WHEN I PRESSED SLIGHTLY ON THE PEDAL. THE BRAKES ARE NOW MALFUNCTIONING, WHERE IT DOESN'T STOP UPON PRESSING THE BRAKES. *TR

NHTSA ID

10317367

Incident

Feb 25, 2010

ON SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2009, MY MOTHER WAS DRIVING MY 2006 TOYOTA AVALON WHEN SHE WAS INVOLVED IN A CRASH DUE TO AN ACCELERATION PROBLEM WITH THE VEHICLE. SHE WAS ALSO INVOLVED IN A CRASH IN MY GARAGE WHEN THE FLOOR MAT GOT STUCK ON THE ACCELERATOR AND CAUSE HER TO RUN INTO THE WALL OF THE GARAGE. I ALSO HAVE EXPERIENCED SEVERAL INSTANCES OF ACCELERATION AFTER TAKING MY FOOT OFF THE GAS PEDAL WHEN ATTEMPTING TO BRAKE WHICH CAUSED ME TO HAVE TO SLAM ON THE BRAKES TO STOP THE VEHICLE. THE INSURANCE COMPANY DEEMED THE CAR A TOTAL LOSS AND IT WAS ONLY WHEN I RECEIVED THE SETTLEMENT PAPERS FROM THE INSURANCE COMPANY DID I FIND OUT THERE WERE PROBLEMS WITH THE AIRBAGS AS TOYOTA NEVER SENT ME ANY CORRESPONDENCE REGARDING THE PROBLEM WITH THE AIRBAGS, THE FLOOR MATS OR THE ACCELERATOR. *TR

NHTSA ID

10311160

Incident

Sep 6, 2009

Mileage

31,000 mi

MY 2006 TOYOTA AVALON HAS BEEN GIVING ME PROBLEMS WITH THE FLOOR MATS AND ACCELERATOR GETTING STUCK FOR OVER TWO YEARS AND NOW THE ACCELERATOR GETS STUCK ON ITS OWN. I AM AFRAID TO DRIVE IT BACK AND FORTH ON THE HIGHWAY AND HOPE THAT TOYOTA WOULD REPLACE IT WITH A RENTAL CAR UNTIL IT CAN FIX IT. *TR

NHTSA ID

10303121

Incident

Jan 5, 2010

Mileage

165,342 mi

THIS IS NOT A COMPLAINT, BUT A FOLLOW UP TO COMPLAINTS REGARDING THE TOYOTA AUTOMOBILE THAT THEIR THROTTLE STICKS OPEN CAUSING UNWANTED ACCELERATION. MARCH 2006 I BOUGHT A NEW TOYOTA AVALON XLS FROM DAVID BRUCE, BOURBONNAIS, IL. ABOUT SIX MONTHS FOLLOWING THIS PURCHASE, I WAS PULLING AWAY FROM A RED LIGHT ACCELERATING RATHER QUICKLY. WHEN I LET UP ON THE ACCELERATOR, THE CAR CONTINUED TO ACCELERATE. WHILE APPLYING THE BRAKE WITH THE LEFT FOOT, I PUT MY RIGHT FOOT UNDER THE ACCELERATOR PETAL IN AN EFFORT TO RAISE IT. IT WAS NOT STUCK IN A DOWNWARD POSITION AND I WAS ABLE TO RAISE IT UP AND DOWN WITH MY FOOT WITH THE CAR STILL ACCELERATING. AT THIS POINT I STOMPED ON THE ACCELERATOR PETAL MANY HARD TIMES WITH MY RIGHT FOOT. FINALLY THE PROBLEM RESOLVED ITSELF AND THE ACCELERATION STOPPED. I TRIED TO DUPLICATE THIS PROBLEM MANY TIMES AFTERWARDS WITHOUT SUCCESS. I LOOKED AT THE ACCELERATOR PETAL, FLOOR MAT, AND THE AREA AROUND IT TO MAKE SURE THAT THERE WAS NOTHING THE MIGHT HAVE CAUSED THIS PROBLEM. I TALKED TO DAVID BRUCE ABOUT IT AND FIGURED IT WAS A FREAK OCCURRENCE. OVER THE PAST TWO YEARS I NEVER THOUGHT ABOUT IT AGAIN UNTIL THE NEWS MEDIA AND TOYOTA BEGAN AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE PROBLEM. WHEN THIS PROBLEM OCCURRED, I DID NOT THINK OF USING THE START/OFF BUTTON TO SHUT OFF THE ENGINE, BUT AM AWARE OF IT NOW. THE REASON FOR THE LETTER IS THAT TOYOTA IS LOOKING AT THE DRIVER SIDE FLOOR MAT AS A POSSIBLE PROBLEM AND I FEEL THAT THIS IS NOT THE AREA WHERE THE PROBLEM IS OCCURRING. IN MY CASE I AM 95 PERCENT CERTAIN IT WAS NOT A FLOOR MAT THAT CAUSED THE ACCELERATION AS I WAS ABLE TO PUT MY FOOT UNDER THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL WITHOUT THE DECREASE ITS ACCELERATION. BUT, IN ALL FAIRNESS TO TOYOTA, THERE COULD HAVE BEEN AN UNKNOWN REASON WHY MY FLOOR MAT INTERACTED WITH THE ACCELERATOR PETAL THAT I DID NOT SEE. *TR

NHTSA ID

10292075

Incident

Sep 1, 2006

Mileage

5,000 mi