2008 Toyota Avalon Other / unspecified Problems

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 TOYOTA AVALON. WHILE DRIVING 50-60 MPH, THE VEHICLE SHOOK DRASTICALLY WITHOUT WARNING AND WOULD NOT STOP. THERE WERE NO WARNING INDICATORS ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHO DIAGNOSED THAT A FRONT END ALIGNMENT WAS NEEDED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED, BUT THE FAILURE RECURRED MORE THAN TWICE. DUE TO THE FAILURE, A NEW RACK AND PINION NEEDED TO BE INSTALLED. THE DEALER AND MANUFACTURER WERE NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 102,000.

NHTSA ID

11197002

Incident

Apr 11, 2012

Mileage

102,000 mi

MY LASER CRUISE CONTROL BECAME UNRELIABLE TOWARD THE END OF 2013. I HAD USED IT ON A DAILY BASIS FOR OVER 5 YEARS AND AM VERY FAMILIAR WITH THE WAY IT SHOULD PERFORM. WHEN TRACKING A VEHICLE DIRECTLY AHEAD OF ME ON A STRAIGHT AND LEVEL ROAD, THE LASER CONTROL SHOULD MAINTAIN A SAFE DISTANCE AND A SPEED THAT IS ESSENTIALLY IDENTICAL TO THE "LEAD" VEHICLE. THIS HAS NOT BEEN THE CASE FOR THE PAST 7 MONTHS. MY CAR WOULD OFTEN CONTINUE TO MAINTAIN A SPEED THAT WAS FASTER THAN THE "LEAD" CAR,AS IT WAS SAFELY SLOWING DOWN, AND COME SO CLOSE THAT I WOULD HAVE TO JAM ON MY BREAKS. I BROUGHT IT INTO THE DEALER, WHO INSISTED THAT THE LASER CRUISE CONTROL HAD BEEN DAMAGED IN AN ACCIDENT (THEREFORE MY EXTENDED WARRANTY WOULD NOT APPLY) AND I WOULD HAVE TO MAKE A CLAIM ON MY CAR INSURANCE. MY INSURANCE COMPANY AS WELL AS MY REPAIR SHOP COULD SEE NO DAMAGE THAT WOULD HAVE CAUSED THE MALFUNCTION. EVENTUALLY MY INSURANCE COMPANY AGREED TO PAY FOR THE "REPAIR". AFTER THE DEALER REPAIRED THE CAR WITH A NEW LASER CONTROL SENSOR THE PROBLEM HAS CONTINUED, ALTHOUGH NOT AS OFTEN. I'VE HAD IT BACK TO THE DEALER SEVERAL TIMES AND THEY INSIST IT MEETS ALL SPECIFICATIONS AND IS PERFORMING TO MANUFACTURER'S SPECS, AND THAT THERE IS NOTHING MORE THEY CAN DO FOR ME. CORPORATE TOYOTA BASICALLY WASHES THEIR HANDS OF THE INCIDENT BY SAYING EVERYTHING RELATED TO THIS MATTER IS AT THE DEALERS DISCRETION. ALTHOUGH I HAVE NOT HAD AN ACCIDENT YET, THIS MALFUNCTIONING "SAFETY" FEATURE PUTS ME AT JEOPARDY. I FEAR FOR MY LIFE EVERY TIME I USE IT. IT WOULD SEEM TO ME THAT OTHERS HAVE HAD SIMILAR PROBLEMS, AND MAY HAVE HAD SIGNIFICANT ACCIDENTS AS A RESULT. I HOPE YOU WILL LOOK INTO THIS MATTER. *TR

NHTSA ID

10609290

Incident

Dec 18, 2013

Mileage

54,000 mi

I HAVE A 2007 TOYOTA AVALON. THIS IS IN REFERENCE TO A PREVIOUS COMPLAINT "10308589". IT HAPPENED AGAIN. ON SUNDAY, MAY 16TH, 2010 I "FLOORED" THE ACCELERATOR AFTER TURNING INTO TRAFFIC BECAUSE THE CAR ON THE ROAD WAS GOING MUCH FASTER THAN I EXPECTED. THE ACCELERATOR GOT STUCK SO I PUT IT IN NEUTRAL, HEARD AND SAW HIGH RPM ON THE TACK AND TURNED THE MOTOR OFF WITH THE KEY. I WRESTLED THE CAR INTO THE NEXT TURN-OFF (NO POWER STEERING). I LOOKED DOWN AND MY GAS PEDAL WAS STUCK ALL THE WAY DOWN BY THE FLOORMAT. THIS IS A FLOORMAT THAT I PUT IN FROM WALMART. IT IS MADE OF HEAVY RUBBER TO PROTECT MY NICE FLOORMATS. IT IS NOT LATCHED INTO THE FLOOR LIKE MY NICE FLOORMAT UNDERNEATH. THIS WAS MY FAULT, NOT TOYOTA. THAT FLOORMAT IS NOW IN THE TRUNK OF MY CAR. THIS IS THE THIRD TIME UNCONTROLLED ACCELERATION HAS HAPPENED IN THIS CAR. IT WAS IN FOR RECALL REPAIR AFTER THE SECOND INCIDENT. DRIVER BEWARE! THIS TOOL IS REQUIRING ME TO SELECT A MODEL NUMBER ON EQUIPMENT WHICH DOES NOT MAKE SENSE SO I JUST SELECTED ONE AT RANDOM - THAT IS A FLAW IN THE REPORTING PROCESS. *TR

NHTSA ID

10332064

Incident

May 16, 2010

Mileage

33,000 mi

2008 TOYOTA AVALON BRAKE OVERRIDE. I JUST HAD ALL MY AVALON RECALL FIXES PLACED ON MY CAR, AND THE BRAKE OVERRIDE FIX DOES NOT WORK. I CHECK MY BRAKE OVERRIDE TO SEE HOW IT OPERATED BEFORE THE FIX, AND AFTER GOING TO THE DEALERSHIP TO GET THE REPAIRS IT STILL DOES THE SAME THING. WHEN THE GAS PEDAL IS PRESSED, AND SPEED IS AROUND 45MPH STEP ON THE BRAKES WHILE CONTINUING TO PRESS ON THE GAS, AND YOU CAN HEAR THE ENGINE STILL TRYING TO ACCELERATE. THE SERVICE ADVISOR TOLD ME ON THE PHONE BEFORE GOING THERE THAT THE BRAKES WOULD OVERRIDE THE GAS PEDAL WHEN THE BRAKE PEDAL IS PRESSED. I STILL WILL NOT ALLOW MY PREGNANT WIFE, AND 2 YEAR OLD DAUGHTER RIDE IN THE CAR UNTIL A BETTER FIX IS PUT INTO PLACE. *TR

NHTSA ID

10317939

Incident

Mar 4, 2010

Mileage

257,773 mi

2008 TOYOTA AVALON WAS RECALLED TO REPLACE A GAS PEDAL. THE CAR WAS TAKEN IN TO THE TOYOTA DEALER FOR THE SAID REPAIR. IT TOOK 4 HOURS. A FEW DAYS LATER THE CAR WAS IN REVERSE AND WAS SLOWLY BACKING OUT OF A RESIDENTIAL CARPORT WHEN IT ACCELERATED ON ITS OWN AND THE CAR DID ABOUT 3 LOOPS AROUND THE GARAGE AREA OF THE HOME CAUSING DAMAGE TO THE CAR, BENCHES, TREE, BUSHES, LAMP POST, ETC. THIS HAPPENED AFTER THE RECALLED DEFECT WAS REPAIRED. OWNER OF VEHICLE PUT IN CLAIM TO HER OWN INSURANCE COMPANY, PUT IN A CALL TO THE 800 TOYOTA NUMBER AND HAD CAR TOWED TO WHERE SHE PURCHASED THE CAR. EVERYONE SEEMS CONCERNED, BUT ONLY WANTS TO REPAIR THE DAMAGE TO THE CAR RATHER THAN GET TO THE ROOT OF THE PROBLEM. WE THOUGHT TOYOTA HAD THE FIX, BUT APPARENTLY NOT SINCE ACCELERATING AND GOING OUT OF CONTROL ON AN ACCELERATED PACE. *TR

NHTSA ID

10315232

Incident

Feb 25, 2010

Mileage

5,000 mi

THIS IS NOT A COMPLAINT BUT SOME INFORMATION REGARDING THE TOYOTA RECALL. I GOT A 2008 TOYOTA AVALON IN OCTOBER OF 2007. WHEN SELECTING OPTIONS FOR MY CAR, I ASKED FOR FLOORMATS WHICH WERE CLEARLY SHOWN IN THE AVALON'S PROMOTIONAL MATERIAL. WHEN THE AVALON CAME (OCT 2007) IT DID NOT HAVE THE REQUESTED FLOOR MATS. I ASKED THE DEALER ABOUT THIS AND HE SIMPLY SAID THEY WERE NOT AVAILABLE. I POINTED OUT THAT THEY WERE IN THE AVALON BOOKLET AND HE AGAIN SAID THEY WERE NOT AVAILABLE. I THEN DID WHAT MOST PROBABLY DID, BECAUSE THEY WANTED TO PROTECT THEIR NEW CAR, AND THAT WAS TO PURCHASE FLOORMATS AT AN AUTO SUPPLY. MY CONCERN IS THAT THE AUTOMAKER CLEARLY KNEW THAT THERE WAS A PROBLEM WITH FLOORMATS AT LEAST 2 AND A HALF YEARS AGO AND DID NOT WARN ME OF THIS NOR ANYONE ELSE. THIS RESULTED IN TRAGIC CONSEQUENCES FOR SOME. I THINK THEY NEED TO BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE FOR WITHHOLDING THIS INFORMATION UNTIL AFTER THERE WERE DEATHS RELATED TO THIS PROBLEM. *TR

NHTSA ID

10312047

Incident

Oct 15, 2007

MUSTY WET SMELL INSIDE CAR WHEN HEATER OR AIR CONDITIONER FAN IS TURNED ON. OFF AND ON SMELL OF OVERHEATED ELECTRICAL WIRES. *TR

NHTSA ID

10310714

Incident

Dec 1, 2008

2008 TOYOTA AVALON - COMPUTER DEFECT - CRUISE CONTROL IS ERRATIC SOMETIMES WORKING OK OTHER TIMES ENGAGED & NOT WORKING - SUDDENLY SPEEDS UP, ERROR CODE E2. AUTO DOES NOT SLOW DOWN PROPERLY. REPORTED TO DEALER W/NO PROBLEM FOUND IN 2009. 12/14/09 CAR DEAD, DASH LIGHTS INDICATE CHECK ENGINE, CONTROL SYSTEM FAILURE, BRAKE, BATTERY FAILURE , TOWED TO DEALER. PARTS 10 AMP ETCS FUSE/I7.5 AMP -DOME FUSE/7.5 AMP AND AM2 FUSE. (OP CODE-190011 COMBO A T1/71 T2/99. 1 #00544-24F60-575 TRUESTART BATTERY) LABOR $92. THANK YOU! *TR

NHTSA ID

10306630

Incident

Dec 14, 2009