2008 Toyota Avalon Problems

Because my instrument panel is alway illuminated, I was unaware that I was driving one night without my lights on. Now I know why I see more cars at night without their lights. Manufacturers need to fix this problem. Older cars would not turn on the panel lights if the headlights weren't on. You would think this would be an easy technology fix with since we have self driving cars now.

OEM high beam bulbs continuously explode. I’m not saying they just burn out, these bulbs shatter, and send shards of glass on the inside of the headlamp housing. I believe it’s a big safety risk, because for me, it happened while I was driving late at night in the dark where there are deer nearby. Brights are essential to see far and when you’re driving through hills, going up a hill you need your brights to extend higher than your normal lights do. This is a commonly complained about problem for the 2008-2010 models of this Toyota Avalon. Toyota has issued a technical service bulletin back in 2011, but it is a major defect and I believe it should be fixed regardless of whether a customer pays for a warranty or not. A mechanic told me also that they are not sure why Toyota has not warrantied vehicles with this issue. The solution is replacing the headlight housing. So there is clearly a material defect, and I believe it affects safety. Vehicles are required to have high beam headlights for a reason, and the high beams on this vehicle burn out commonly on certain vehicles, and replacing bulbs does NOT solve the problem. It is a very expensive repair as well. What kind of car manufacturer doesn’t recall or acknowledge a material defect or design flaw in such a crucial safety feature or a vehicle such as headlights? It’s an expensive, annoying, and dangerous issue that continues to happen. There are so many complaints about this high beam issue for the 2008 year. In my mind this really reduces Toyotas reputation and credibility since they did not and will not recall these headlights. We just have to deal with their faulty design. Fix your mistakes instead of making customers foot the bill for your poor craftsmanship. This is pathetic.

NHTSA, I WOULD LIKE REPORT AN INCIDENT OF 'SUDDEN UNINTENDED ACCELERATION' WHEN DRIVING MY 2008 TOYOTA AVALON. I WAS DRIVING WITH MY WIFE, [XXX], ON SUNDAY, 10/23/16 TRAVELING WEST ON WALKER ROAD IN BEAVERTON, OREGON AT 11:05AM (ADDRESS: [XXX]) . I WAS STOPPED BEHIND (2) CARS WAITING AT A TRAFFIC LIGHT WITH MY RIGHT FOOT ON THE BRAKE. THE CAR WAS IN DRIVE. SUDDENLY THE CAR ENGINE QUICKLY REVVED UP. MY CAR SURGED FORWARD AS I DEPRESSED MY RIGHT FOOT ON THE BRAKE FURTHER. THANKFULLY MY CAR ONLY SURGED FORWARD A FOOT OR TWO AND THEN THE ENGINE RETURNED TO IDLE. NO CONTACT WAS MADE TO THE CAR IN FRONT OF ME. THIS INCIDENT WAS VERY SCARY FOR ME AND MY WIFE AND I AM VERY CONCERNED THAT THIS 'SUDDEN UNINTENDED ACCELERATION' IS A SAFETY HAZARD AND WILL CAUSE HARM TO ME, MY FAMILY AND OTHERS. [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

TAKATA RECALL MARCH 9TH 2016 9:30PM I WAS ACCELERATING ONTO THE HIGHWAY FROM THE ONRAMP TO ABOUT 70MPH WHEN THE CAR KEPT ACCELERATING AFTER PRESSING THE BRAKE SO I CONTINUED TO PRESS THE BRAKE BUT THERE WAS NO RELEASE OF ACCELERATION SO PUT THE GEAR IN NEUTRAL AND I FOUND ROOM TO PULL TO THE RIGHT SIDE AND TURN THE ENGINE OFF AND PUT THE VEHICLE IN PARK. I GAVE IT 15 SECONDS AND RE-STARTED BUT IT WAS STILL ACCELERATING, I REPEATED THIS AGAIN WITH THE SAME RESULTS. I LEFT ITHE ENGINE OFF FOR A FULL MINUTE AND RE-STARTED TO FIND IT HAD RESET. I THEN CHECKED THE FLOOR MAT AND FOUND IT INTACKED AND PINNED TO THE FLOOR PINS.

OEM high beam bulbs continuously explode. I’m not saying they just burn out, these bulbs shatter, and send shards of glass on the inside of the headlamp housing. I believe it’s a big safety risk, because for me, it happened while I was driving late at night in the dark where there are deer nearby. Brights are essential to see far and when you’re driving through hills, going up a hill you need your brights to extend higher than your normal lights do. This is a commonly complained about problem for the 2008-2010 models of this Toyota Avalon. Toyota has issued a technical service bulletin back in 2011, but it is a major defect and I believe it should be fixed regardless of whether a customer pays for a warranty or not. A mechanic told me also that they are not sure why Toyota has not warrantied vehicles with this issue. The solution is replacing the headlight housing. So there is clearly a material defect, and I believe it affects safety. Vehicles are required to have high beam headlights for a reason, and the high beams on this vehicle burn out commonly on certain vehicles, and replacing bulbs does NOT solve the problem. It is a very expensive repair as well. What kind of car manufacturer doesn’t recall or acknowledge a material defect or design flaw in such a crucial safety feature or a vehicle such as headlights? It’s an expensive, annoying, and dangerous issue that continues to happen. There are so many complaints about this high beam issue for the 2008 year. In my mind this really reduces Toyotas reputation and credibility since they did not and will not recall these headlights. We just have to deal with their faulty design. Fix your mistakes instead of making customers foot the bill for your poor craftsmanship. This is pathetic.

I HAVE BEEN PULLED OVER NUMEROUS TIMES DUE TO HAVING A HEADLIGHT OUT. HOWEVER IT'S NEVER BLOWN. ONCE I SHOW THE OFFICER BY TURNING THE LIGHTS OFF FOR A FEW SECONDS THEN BACK ON THE LIGHT IS ON. FROM READING MANY TOYOTA FORUMS AND GOING TO A TOYOTA DEALER, IT IS A FAULTY WIRING SYSTEM AND TO REPAIR IT WILL COST AT LEAST $1300.00 OR MORE. IT IS A HASTLE AS WELL AS A SAFETY HAZARD. THE LIGHT DOESNT STAY ON ONCE TURNING THE LIGHTS OFF THEN ON. WITHIN A FEW MILES IT GOES OFF AGAIN AND IT IS CONSTANTLY BLOWING THE LIGHT BULBS. IN THE 3 YEARS I HAVE HAD MY CAR I HAVE REPLACED THE LIGHTS AT LEAST 7 TIMES. THE LIGHT WILL ALWAYS BE OFF WHEN I START MY CAR WITH THE REMOTE STARTER AND WHEN I START IT WITH THE IGNITION IF IT'S ON, WITHIN A FEW MILES OF DRIVING IT GOES OFF AGAIN.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 TOYOTA AVALON. THE CONTACT NOTICED THAT THE DASHBOARD WAS CRACKING AND MELTING. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO ELK GROVE TOYOTA (9640 W STOCKTON BLVD, ELK GROVE, CA 95757, (916) 405-8000) WHERE THE GENERAL MANAGER OBSERVED THE DASHBOARD, BUT COULD NOT DETERMINE THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE CONTACT CALLED THE TOYOTA CUSTOMER SERVICE EXPERIENCE CENTER AND WAS INFORMED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS OUT OF WARRANTY. THE CONTACT WAS PROVIDED CASE NUMBER: 1909100691. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 27,000.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 TOYOTA AVALON. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE DASHBOARD WAS STICKY AND MELTING. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE IMAGE OF THE DASHBOARD WAS REFLECTED ON THE FRONT WINDSHIELD. THE CONTACT STATED THAT IT WAS DIFFICULT TO SEE ONCOMING VEHICLES OR PEDESTRIANS DUE TO THE REFLECTION. A DEALER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED. THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE WARRANTY PERIOD FOR REPAIRING OR REPLACING THE DASHBOARD WAS EXCEEDED AND NO ASSISTANCE WOULD BE OFFERED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 110,000. *TT CONSUMER STATED HEADQUARTERS ADMITTED THERE WAS MANUFACTURER DEFECT. UPDATED 12/04/18*JB

The telescopic steering wheel lever comes loose which will cause the wheel to lurch forward if the brakes are pushed in hard. This could be dangerous. This has happened twice in 2 months.

TILT STEERING COLUMN LOCK DOES NOT STAY IN PLACE AND WILL DROP DOWN ANY TIME. THE STEERING WHEEL CAN CHANGE POSITION ANY TIME AND MY KNEE HITS THE LOCKING LEVER.

OEM high beam bulbs continuously explode. I’m not saying they just burn out, these bulbs shatter, and send shards of glass on the inside of the headlamp housing. I believe it’s a big safety risk, because for me, it happened while I was driving late at night in the dark where there are deer nearby. Brights are essential to see far and when you’re driving through hills, going up a hill you need your brights to extend higher than your normal lights do. This is a commonly complained about problem for the 2008-2010 models of this Toyota Avalon. Toyota has issued a technical service bulletin back in 2011, but it is a major defect and I believe it should be fixed regardless of whether a customer pays for a warranty or not. A mechanic told me also that they are not sure why Toyota has not warrantied vehicles with this issue. The solution is replacing the headlight housing. So there is clearly a material defect, and I believe it affects safety. Vehicles are required to have high beam headlights for a reason, and the high beams on this vehicle burn out commonly on certain vehicles, and replacing bulbs does NOT solve the problem. It is a very expensive repair as well. What kind of car manufacturer doesn’t recall or acknowledge a material defect or design flaw in such a crucial safety feature or a vehicle such as headlights? It’s an expensive, annoying, and dangerous issue that continues to happen. There are so many complaints about this high beam issue for the 2008 year. In my mind this really reduces Toyotas reputation and credibility since they did not and will not recall these headlights. We just have to deal with their faulty design. Fix your mistakes instead of making customers foot the bill for your poor craftsmanship. This is pathetic.

This car has a rear window shade that started going up on its on when it is hot outside. I could not locate this feature in the owners manual. I did read that a safety feature for the shade is that when car is placed in reverse the shade is automatically closed. This feature has stopped working, in fact the shade now will not even lower. I used to be able to manually assist the shade down while someone would press the switch but down it raises back up almost immediately. I checked with Google and apparently this is a common problem. I have finally pulled the fuse to keep the shade down permanently.

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.

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

DRIVER WAS PULLING INTO A PARKING SPACE WHEN THE CAR HAD UNEXPECTED, SUDDEN ACCELERATION AND HIT A CONCRETE WALL. DRIVER WAS WEARING A SEAT BELT; AIR BAGS DEPLOYED. THE PERSON WAS UNINJURED EXCEPT FOR CHEST BRUISES. THE CAR HAD BEEN TAKEN IN WHEN IT WAS RECALLED AND WAS " FIXED" IN RESPONSE TO 2 RECALL NOTICES BY THE DEALER ON MARCH 4, 2010. THE FRONT OF THE CAR IS BASHED IN, HOOD IS BENT UPWARD, RADIATOR DAMAGED AND THE FRONT DOORS JAMMED. MEN HAD TO FORCE THE DRIVER SIDE DOOR OPEN TO GET THE DRIVER FROM THE CAR. TOYOTA AND THE INSURANCE COMPANY HAVE BEEN NOTIFIED BUT NEITHER HAVE HAD TIME TO EXAMINE THE CAR. *KB

06/12/10-I STARTED MY CAR AS USUAL WITH MY BRAKE DEPRESSED AND ATTEMPTED TO PUT THE CAR IN REVERSE---IT WIGGLED BUT WOULD NOT MOVE FROM THE PARK POSITION TO THE REVERSE POSITION. AFTER NUMEROUS ATTEMPTS I WAS ABLE TO DO SO AND TAKE CARE OF MY SHOPPING TRIP. UPON COMPLETING MY ERRANDS THE SAME EVENT OCCURRED WITH THE SHIFT LEVER ONCE AGAIN. SEVERAL WEEKS BACK THIS HAPPENED ONE TIME AND I DID NOT GIVE IT THE ATTENTION I SHOULD HAVE. WITH TODAY'S HAPPENING OF TWICE IN LESS THAN AN HOUR I AM REALLY CONCERNED. ON MONDAY 06/14/10 I WILL TAKE THE VEHICLE TO MY LOCAL DEALERSHIP (DAVE EDWARDS TOYOTA) TO SEEK A REPAIR REMEDY TO THIS PROBLEM AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. *TR

Car was rear ended by semi truck, crushed trunk into vehicle rear seat. Car was the pushed forward into truck in front crushing right fender. Pelvic fracture in right rear passenger. Air Bags did NOT DEPLOY.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNED A 2008 TOYOTA AVALON. AFTER LEAVING THE DENTIST AND DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 65 MPH, THE CONTACT FELL ASLEEP AT THE WHEEL. WHEN THE CONTACT WOKE UP, HE REALIZED THE VEHICLE WAS HEADED TOWARDS THE MEDIAN. TO AVOID THE MEDIAN, THE CONTACT TURNED THE STEERING WHEEL AND DROVE INTO A DITCH ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. THE VEHICLE FLIPPED OVER SEVERAL TIMES, BUT NO AIR BAGS DEPLOYED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED AND DEEMED TOTALED. THE CONTACT RECEIVED INJURIES TO THE NECK, ELBOW, LEG, AND HEAD. MEDICAL ATTENTION WAS NEEDED. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE MANUFACTURER AND DEALER WERE NOT AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE WAS NOT DETERMINED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 130,000.

POWER SUNSHADE IS STUCK IN THE UP POSITION BLOCKING THE BACK WINDSHIELD AND CHECK ENGINE LIGHT TURNS ON WHICH DISABLES TRACTION AND STABILITY CONTROL. THESE MAKE THE CAR DANGEROUS TO DRIVE

ON NOVEMBER 2018 I NOTICED THAT MY REAR DECK MOUNTED BRAKE LIGHT WAS OUT. I THOUGHT IT WAS A BULB BUT THE VERY NEXT DAY IT WAS BACK ON AGAIN. THIS CONTINUED FOR ABOUT A WEEK SO I TOOK IT TO THE TOYOTA DEALERSHIP AND THEY TOLD ME IT WOULD BE ABOUT $400 TO TAKE OFF THE REAR DECK JUST TO SEE WHAT THE ACTUAL PROBLEM WAS. I HAVE SEEN MULTIPLE AVALON'S WITH THIS SAME UNSAFE ISSUE. THE VEHICLE ALSO WILL NOT PASS STATE SAFETY INSPECTIONS WITH THIS ISSUE.I THINK AN INVESTIGATION SHOULD BE CONDUCTED ON THIS HIGHLY UNSAFE ISSUE.

I have an 08 Avalon xls and was driving and out of no where it started to shudder and it happened as I was bending a curve. I almost ran off the road. No indicators came on my dash! Because I am mechanically inclined I do know a little about vehicles! So I pulled to inspect the bottom of the transmission pan was wet! And due to the seal transmission there was no way for me to check the fluid! I believe the shudder could be from the torque converter or transmission! I took the vehicle to a friend shop and was told how to add the transmission fluid! And end up putting in a whole court of transmission fluid in before it started to show coming out where it’s supposed to be checked! By not being able to check the transmission fluid and with the shudder like it did it could have caused an accident! I still don’t know what the problem is due to the lack of money to be able to take it to a dealer to find out the true cause! And now my car shudder at 30mph and 45mph if I cruise up to the speed limit but if I accelerate faster then nothing!

1. HIGH BEAMS AND DAY RUNNING LIGHTS INOPERABLE (DISCOVERED JANUARY 2018). 2. TRANSMISSION OVERHEATED AND CAUSED CAR TO DECELERATE IN APRIL 2018.

SOON AFTER PURCHASING THE USED CAR, WHEN DRIVING ON THE INTERSTATE, THE DRIVER'S SEAT STARTED HEATING UP. OUTSIDE TEMPERATURE WAS 100 DEGREES SO HEATER WAS NOT TURNED ON. IT KEPT GETTING HOTTER AND WAS ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE TO SIT ON WHILE DRIVING TO DESTINATION. WHEN CONTACTING A DEALERSHIP WAS TOLD THERE WAS NO SERVICE BULLETIN ON IT. IT FINALLY QUIT ON IT'S OWN AND HAVE NEVER USED IT AGAIN.JUST READ IN CONSUMER REPORTS THAT THERE IS A RECALL ON SEAT HEATERS. HAVE ONE RECALL NUMBER ON SEAT HEATER PROBLEMS THAT WERE IN THE ARTICLE (SET16B). HAVE BEEN UNABLE TO FIND ANY ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON THIS PROBLEM.

I WAS READING YOUR RECALL NOTICE 14V-743 I CALLED MY TOYOTA SERVICE DEPT AND THEY SAID THIS ONLY APPLIED TO VEHICLES THAT WENT THRU THE SOUTHEAST TOYOTA DISTRIBUTORS, I BELIEVE MINE WENT THROUGH GULF STATES TOYOTA IN HOUSTON. MY WIFE NOTICED A BURNING SMELL WHEN I USED MY SEAT HEATERS SO I HAVE QUIT USING THEM. WOULD THIS PROBLEM APPLY TO ALL CARS LISTED IN THE SOUTHEAST TOYOTA BULLETIN OR ONLY CARS THAT WENT THRU THEIR FACILITY? *TR

WATER PUMP WHILE DRIVING FAILED AT 62,902 MILES ON 06/23/14, WAS REPAIRED UNDER WARRANTY BY TOYOTA. CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AND CUT OUT ENGINE WHILE DRIVING ABOUT 2 WEEKS LATER ON LIE I-495 IN NYC, HAD TO BE TOWED TO TOYOTA, TOLD AIR WASN'T BLED PROPERLY AFTER WATER PUMP REPAIR. AGAIN FAILED IN MAY, 2016 AT 86,000 MILES WHILE DRIVING AND REPAIRED AT PRIVATE SHOP. AGAIN FAILED 07/08/16 AT 87,175 WHILE DRIVING AND REPAIRED BY TOYOTA.

CASE # 1509281592 COMPLAINT OF ENGINE FAILURE DUE TO LEAKING "SOFT PLUG" TYPE PART ON VALLEY OF ENGINE. INSTALLED AT THE TOYOTA ASSEMBLY PLANT. THIS PART LEAKED AND ALLOWED ANTI-FREEZE FLUID TO ENTER THE VALLEY AND MIX WITH THE OIL. OVER TIME THIS CAUSED A HARD COATING ON ALL PARTS. THE VALVE GUIDE SEALS WERE RUINED AND THE PVC AND PICK UP TUBE WERE ALMOST COMPLETELY BLOCKED. THIS CAUSED THE ENGINE TO BURN OIL AND SMOKE. TOYOTA'S FIX WAS TO BUY A NEW ENGINE FOR $6,826.97. THEY DID NOT WANT TO FIX MY ENGINE. JUST SELL PARTS AND LABOR. I TOOK IT TO A SHOP AND THEY FIXED MY ENGINE FOR LESS THEN HALF OF THAT. TOYOTA IS AT FAULT FOR NOT INSTALLING PARTS IN THE ENGINE CORRECTLY.

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

I WAS DRIVING MY 2008 TOYOTA AVALON IN TRAFFIC NORTH OF HOUSTON AND FLOORED IT TO GET ON AN EXIT RAMP IN FRONT OF ANOTHER CAR. WHEN I TOOK MY FOOT OFF THE ACCELERATOR THE ENGINE CONTINUED TO RUN AT HIGH REVS AND I HAD TO PUSH HARD ON THE BRAKE TO KEEP THE CAR FROM CONTINUING TO ACCELERATE WHILE GOING UP A STEEP RAMP. AFTER ABOUT 3 SECONDS THE REVS DROPPED AND EVERYTHING CONTINUED AS NORMAL. THIS HAPPENED ON JULY 17, 2009. THEN, IN DECEMBER OF 2009 I WAS DRIVING ON A SIDE STREET WHEN A TRUCK RAN A STOP SIGN AND WAS GOING TO HIT ME. I FLOORED IT TO GET OUT OF THE WAY AND AGAIN THE CAR CONTINUED TO ACCELERATE AFTER I TOOK MY FOOT OFF THE GAS. I REMEMBERED HEARING A REPORT ABOUT THE POTENTIAL OF FLOOR MATS CAUSING THE PEDAL TO STICK SO I HIT THE BRAKES, PUT THE CAR IN NEUTRAL AND REACHED DOWN AND PULLED ON THE FLOOR MAT. THE OUT OF CONTROL ACCELERATION AGAIN LASTED ABOUT 3 TO 4 SECONDS. I DON'T KNOW IF THE FLOOR MAT WAS CAUSING IT TO STICK OR NOT. I HAD A RUBBER MAT ON TOP OF THE MAT THAT I BOUGHT WITH THE CAR THAT HOOKS INTO THE FLOOR BOARD. I DON'T THINK THAT MAT EVER INTERFERED WITH THE PEDAL. I LOOKED AT IT CLOSELY AND IT DOES NOT SEEM POSSIBLE. BUT I TOOK IT OUT ANYWAY. I HAVE A 2007 TOYOTA TUNDRA CREW CAB AND THIS HAS NEVER HAPPENED TO IT BUT I HAVE NEVER FLOORED THAT TRUCK EITHER. THE CAR HAD ABOUT 20,000 MILES ON IT WHEN IT HAPPENED THE FIRST TIME AND ABOUT 24,000 THE SECOND TIME. *TR

PREMATURE WEAR ON BRIDGESTONE TIRES NOT DUE TO MISALIGNMENT. MANUFACTURER REP REFUSES TO REPLACE BECAUSE IT IS NOT DOWN TO 2/32. SUPPOSED TO BE 80000 MILE RATED, BUT ACTUAL MILEAGE IS ONLY 40000. THE TIRES ON PASSENGER SIDE ARE EVENLY BUT MORE SIGNIFICANTLY WORN COMPARED TO THE DRIVER SIDE. SAY I NEED TO CONTINUE TO DRIVE UNTIL ONE TIRE REACHES 2/32 DESPITE THE DANGER IT REPRESENTS. CLAIM IT IS MANUFACTURERS GUIDELINES. NO INJURIES YET, BUT AM I SUPPOSED TO DRIVE ON THESE TIRES UNTIL A CRASH OR SOMEONE IS KILLED?

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 TOYOTA 4RUNNER (NA). THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE ACTIVE HEAD REST SAFETY SYSTEM DID NOT ACTIVATE WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS REAR ENDED. THE DEALER STATED THAT THERE WAS NEVER A HEAD REST SAFETY SYSTEM INSTALLED IN THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT ACCORDING TO THE MANUFACTURER'S DOCUMENTATION, ALL 2008 TOYOTAS SHOULD HAVE THE FEATURE INSTALLED. THE DRIVER SUSTAINED NECK AND BACK INJURIES AND THE FRONT SEAT PASSENGER SUSTAINED INJURIES TO THE ARM, NECK, AND BACK. AS OF NOVEMBER 19, 2007, THE MANUFACTURER HAD NOT RETURNED ANY PHONE CALLS. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE SPEED WAS UNKNOWN. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 2,100 AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 2,750.