1998 Toyota Avalon

1998 TOYOTA AVALON - WITHOUT WARNING, THE AIR CONDITIONER/HEATER & FANS QUIT WORKING. THIS IS INTERMITTENT. YOU NEVER KNOW WHEN IT IS GOING TO GO OUT. THIS CAN BE A SAFETY ISSUE IF WE ARE DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY, OR ANYWHERE FOR THAT MATTER, DURING A COLD SPELL AND THE DEFROSTER SUDDENLY GOES OFF. SEARCHING THE INTERNET THERE ARE NUMEROUS PEOPLE WITH THE SAME PROBLEM.....AND WHAT IS TROUBLING IS THAT TOYOTA IS AWARE OF IT AND HAS ISSUED A TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN BUT EVEN THAT YOU HAVE TO PULL TEETH TO GET A COPY. IN FACT TO GET THEM TO TELL ME THERE WAS AN ISSUE I HAD TO TELL THEM THE TSA NUMBER I HAD FOUND. THEY ORIGINALLY TOLD ME THEY HAD NO INFORMATION. THEY ARE NOT MAKING THIS KNOWN TO THEIR CUSTOMERS. *TR

ON A 98 TOYOTA AVALON XLS: THE A/C AND HEATING SYSTEM SHUTS DOWN COMPLETELY OCCASIONALLY. THE FRONT AND REAR DEFOGGERS FAIL ALSO. WHEN THE SHUT DOWN OCCURS, THE AIR VENTS EMIT VERY HOT AIR, EVEN THOUGH THE THERMOSTAT IS SET FOR A/C. I ALMOST HAD AN ACCIDENT WHEN IT STARTED RAINING AND THE DEFOGGERS FAILED TO OPERATE. IT APPEARS TO BE AN ELECTRICAL WIRING DEFECT FOR WHICH I HAVE APPEALED TO TOYOTA TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY,BUT WITHOUT ANY SUCCESS

INTERMITTENT OPERATION OF AUTOMATIC CLIMATE CONTROL SYSTEM. NO AIR CONDITIONING, HEATER OR FAN OPERATION. COMPLETE SHUTDOWN OF SYSTEM. WILL SOMETIMES WORK AFTER THE CAR IS TURNED OFF AND RESTARTED. THIS BECOMES VERY SERIOUS BECAUSE FRONT WINDSHIELD WILL NOT DEFOG. TOYOTA RELEASED A TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN ON DEC. 3, 1999. BULLETIN AC005-99 THEY KNEW THAT THE SYSTEM HAD A FLAW SO THEY REDESIGNED AND UPDATED THE (ECU) A/C AMPLIFIER. ITS THE BRAIN FOR THE COMPLETE HEATING AND A/C SYSTEM. I PLEAD MY CASE WITH THE DEALER AND THEY SAID THAT THEY CALLED TOYOTA AND TOYOTA REFUSED MY REQUEST TO HAVE THE PARTS AND LABOR COVERED BECAUSE OF A BAD DESIGN. *NM

AN ALLDATA TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN ISSUED 12/03/1999: "A/C - ATC SYSTEM INTERMITTENTLY FAILS/BECOMES INOPERATIVE. AUTO A/C SYSTEM IMPROVEMENT. INTRODUCTION: A PRODUCTION CHANGE HAS BEEN MADE FOR THE 1998-1999 AVALON A/C AMPLIFIER. THE INTERNAL LOCIC HAS BEEN CORRECTED TO ELIMINATE EXCESSIVE AIR INLET SERVO MOTOR TRAVEL, WHICH MAY EFFECT THE MOTOR AND/OR THE SERVO LINK. VEHICLES WITH AUTOMATIC A/C MAY INTERMITTENTLY EXPERIENCE ONE OR MORE OF THE FOLLOWING CONDITIONS: 1)THE AMBIENT TEMPERATURE DISPLAY MAY GO BLANK; 2)FRESH/RECIRC INDICATOR LIGHT INOPERATIVE; 3)MODE INDICATOR LIGHT INOPERATIVE; 4)BLOWER INDICATIOR INOPERATIVE. NOTE: A/C SYSTEM MAY RESTORE TO NORMAL CONDITION UPON CYCLING THE IGNITION SWITCH. ALL APPLICABLE VEHICLES: ALL 1998 MODEL YEAR AVALON XLS PRODUCED BEFORE VIN:4T1BF18B*WU273780." I FIRST EXPERIENCED THIS PROBLEM IN SUMMER OF 2003. A LOCAL TOYOTA DEALER DENIED KNOWLEDGE OF THE PROBLEM. EVENTUALLY ISOLATED THE PROBLEM AND ALLDATA BULLETIN WITH THROUGH AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC. NOTIFIED TOYOTA CORPORATE, WHO IS AWARE OF THE PROBLEM AND UNWILLING TO COVER THE COSTS TO CORRECT: $800 PER INDEPENDENT MECHANIC & $1,000 PER LOCAL TOYOTA DEALERSHIP. DURING THE SUMMER, THE ATC FAILURES CREATED POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS DRIVING CONDITIONS AS WINDOWS QUICKLY FOGGED AND VISIBILITY DROPPED TO ZERO. CURRENTLY, THE ATC SYSTEM HAS FAILED AND HAS NOT RESTORED BY ALLOWING THE CAR TO SIT AND CYCLING THE IGNITION SWITCH, CREATING INABILITY TO DE-ICE AND DE-FOG THE CAR WINDOWS. ALL EVIDENCE INDICATES: 1)PROBLEM IS CAUSED BY INCORRECT INTERNAL LOGIC OF THE A/C AMPLIFIER, NOT NORMAL USE/WEAR OF THE VEHICLE; 2)TOYOTA IS AWARE OF THE PROBLEM AND IS UNWILLING TO BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE; 3)THE PROBLEM QUICKLY AND UNPREDICABLY HAS CREATED DANGEROUS DRIVING CONDITIONS FOR THIS AND OTHERS DRIVERS, AS INDICATED BY THEIR NHTSA COMPLAINTS. PLEASE INITIATE AN INVESTIGATION AND RECALL, HOLDING TOYOTA ACCOUNTABLE FOR THE DEFECTIVE NATURE AND FAILURE OF THIS PRODUCT. *AK

A/C CLIMATE CONTROL SHUTS ITSELF OFF AUTOMATICALLY AFTER A SHORT PERIOD USAGE. THE OUTSIDE TEMPERATUR EINDICATOR,FAN SPEED,VENTILATION DIRECTION, AND OUTSIDE AIR RECIRCULATION CONTROLS ALL GO OUT. ALMOST GOTTEN INTO AN ACCIDENT WHEN THE WINDSHIELD A/C DEFROST DID NOT WORK DUE TO THIS PROBLEM. STILL UNDER THE MILAGE WARRANTY(>36000), AND WENT TO TOYOTA DEALER AND WAS QUOATED $900 TO GET THIS PROBLEM FIXED. WILL CONTACT TOYOTA CUSTOMER SERVICE NEXT. *AK

A/C CLIMATE CONTROL SHUTS ITSELF OFF AUTOMATICALLY AFTER A SHORT PERIOD USAGE. THE OUTSIDE TEMP.INDICATOR,FAN SPEED,VENTILATION DIRECTION, AND OUTSIDE AIR RECIRCULATION CONTROLS ALL GO OUT. ALMOST GOTTEN INTO AN ACCIDENT WHEN THE WINDSHIELD A/C DEFROST DID NOT WORK DUE TO THIS PROBLEM. STILL UNDER THE MILAGE WARRANTY(>36000), AND WENT TO TOYOTA DEALER AND WAS QUOATED $900 TO GET THIS PROBLEM FIXED. WILL CONTACT TOYOTA CUSTOMER SERVICE NEXT. *AK