1999 Toyota Avalon

WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS AT A REPAIR FACILITY FOR AN UNRELATED ISSUE THE MECHANIC NOTICED AN ODOR OF BURNING PLASTIC FROM THE DRIVERS SIDE DOOR PANEL. UPON EXAMINATION THE MECHANIC FOUND THE FRONT PASSENGER WINDOW SWITCH ON THE DRIVERS MASTER WINDOW CONTROL PANEL HAD MELTED AND A HOLE FUSED THROUGH THE SIDE OF THE SWITCH CONTROL UNIT. THE MECHANIC REMOVED THE PART HOWEVER UPON REPLACEMENT OF THE PART THE REPLACEMENT PANEL BEGAN TO MELT. *TR

ON OR ABOUT THE DATE BELOW, I WAS TRAVELING ON THE I-405 N FREEWAY IN LOS ANGELES WHEN MY SUNROOF GLASS PANEL FLEW OFF OF MY CAR. THE SUNROOF WAS CLOSED AT THE TIME, BUT I HAD NOTICED INCREASING WIND NOISE OVER THE LAST 12 MONTHS OR SO. AFTER CONDUCTING SOME ONLINE RESEARCH, IT APPEARS THAT OTHER SUNROOFS (E.G., THE WEBASTO MODELS 600/700 AND 900) THAT ALSO USED GLASS PANELS MANUFACTURED BY VERMEULEN HOLLANDIA ALSO EXPERIENCED THIS SAME PROBLEM. I PURCHASED MY 1999 TOYOTA AVALON USED IN 2004 WITH ABOUT 16K MILES ON IT. I AM UNSURE WHETHER WEBASTO IS THE MANUFACTURER, BUT AM LISTING THEM IN THE FOLLOWING PAGE SO THAT I AM ABLE TO FILL OUT ALL THE REQUIRED INFORMATION TO FILE THIS REPORT ELECTRONICALLY. THE GLASS PANEL INDICATES THAT VERMEULEN HOLLANDIA BV IS THE MANUFACTURER, AND THE SN IS 361607. *TR

DRIVING MY DAUGHTER TO SCHOOL ABOUT THE 17TH OF DECEMBER 2013, I ATTEMPTED TO BRAKE THE CAR TO A STOP. INSTEAD THE CAR LURCHED FORWARD SUDDENLY OUT OF CONTROL AND MOUNTED THE SIDEWALK. IT TRAVELED ABOUT 20 FEET BEFORE I WAS ABLE TO BRAKE IT TO A COMPLETE STOP. THERE WAS NO OBJECT OR PERSON IN THE PATH OF THE CAR AND NOBODY WAS INJURED. THIS IS THE THIRD SUCH INCIDENT. THE FIRST WAS ON JUNE 3, 2006; THE SECOND WAS ON 3 FEBRUARY 2010. ALL INVOLVED THE CAR EITHER BEING STOPPED OR COMING TO A STOP. I DOCUMENTED BOTH, WRITING TO TOYOTA FULL ACCOUNTS OF EACH INCIDENT. I HAVE COPIES OF THESE LETTERS. PLEASE NOTE THAT THE FIRST INCIDENT OCCURRED ON JUNE 3, 2006 LONG BEFORE THE WIDELY PUBLICIZED DEATH OF 4 PEOPLE IN AN ACCELERATING TOYOTA VEHICLE. *TR

TL*THE DRIVER OWNS A 1999 TOYOTA AVALON. THE CONTACT STATED THE VEHICLE EXPERIENCED A RECURRING FAILURE IN WHICH THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WOULD INTERMITTENTLY ILLUMINATE ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL. THE CONTACT ALSO STATED THE ALARM SYSTEM WOULD INTERMITTENTLY TURN ON INVOLUNTARILY. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER WHERE THE CONTACT WAS TOLD THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL ASSOCIATED WITH NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER 98E035000 (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION:ANTI-THEFT CONTROLLER). THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 170,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 190,000.

THERE WAS NO SPECIFIC "EVENT" CAR JUST SPONTANEOUSLY CAUGHT FIRE. CAR WAS PARKED, DRIVER AWAY FROM THE CAR, WHEN DRIVER RETURNED AND GOT INTO CAR NOTICED A SMELL, THOUGHT IT WAS COMING FROM OUTSIDE, PUT THE WINDOW UP AND SMELL WAS STRONGER. LOOKED DOWN AND FLAMES WERE SHOOTING OUT FROM UNDER THE RADIO. FIRE DEPARTMENT CALLED, FIRE EXTINGUISHED. *TR

ON AUGUST 9, 2009, MY WIFE WAS DRIVING HER AVALON WITH OUR 8-YEAR-OLD DAUGHTER IN IT, TO GRAB A BITE TO EAT IN WALNUT CREEK, CA. WHEN MY WIFE TRIED TO STOP THE CAR AND TURNED OFF THE ENGINE, THE CAR WAS SHAKING AND THE ENGINE KEPT RUNNING EVEN THOUGH THE KEY WAS OUT OF THE IGNITION. SINCE SHE COULD NOT TURN OFF THE ENGINE, SHE DECIDED TO DRIVE BACK HOME THAT WAS ONLY MINUTES AWAY. BUT ON HER WAY HOME, THE CAR LOST POWER AND ALL OF THE SUDDEN, WHITE SMOKE WAS ERUPTED OUT OF THE ENGINE. LUCKILY, THEY WERE TRAVELING ON THE RESIDENTIAL STREET AND MY WIFE WAS ABLE TO STEP ON THE BRAKE TO STOP THE CAR IN TIME BEFORE IT CAUGHT FIRE. EVEN PEOPLE FROM NEARBY RESIDENCE SAW THIS INCIDENT AND CAME OUT TO OFFER HELP. I COULD NOT IMAGINE WHAT WOULD HAVE HAPPENED IF THEY WERE TRAVELING ON THE FREEWAY. NEVERTHELESS, MY WIFE WAS UNABLE TO RESTART THE CAR AFTERWARD DUE TO THE COMPLETE FAILURE OF THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM. NOW THE CAR WAS DEAD!! I ORDERED AAA TO TOW THE CAR TO WALNUT CREEK TOYOTA DEALER THAT DAY FOR REPAIR. ON AUGUST 10, 2009, I WAS INFORMED BY TIM LUBECK, A TOYOTA ADVISOR THAT MY CAR STARTER STUCK ON THE 'ON' POSITION THE WHOLE TIME AFTER THE ENGINE WAS STARTED AND RUNNING, CAUSING THE COMPLETE FAILURE OF THE ENGINE AND ELECTRICAL SYSTEM. THEY HAD EVENTUALLY REPLACED THE STARTER AND THE MELTED POSITIVE & NEGATIVE BATTERY TERMINAL CABLES FOR TOTAL REPAIR COSTS OF $922.04, WHICH I THOUGHT IT WAS EXCESSIVE ' ESPECIALLY THE LABOR COST THAT WAS $475.87. I'VE MAILED A LETTER ALONG WITH A COPY OF REPAIR INVOICE AND IMAGE OF DEFECTIVE STARTER ON 3/4/2010 [XXX] TO REQUEST FOR THE REIMBURSEMENT OF MY REPAIR COSTS THAT I DO NOT THINK I SHOULD BE RESPONSIBLE FOR SINCE THIS WHOLE PROBLEM WAS CAUSED BY THE DEFECTIVE TOYOTA STARTER. SO FAR, TOYOTA DOES NOT EVEN HAVE A COURTESY TO RESPOND TO MY LETTER. I DO HAVE THE OLD PARTS, REPAIR INVOICE AND IMAGE OF THE DEFECTIVE STARTER AND MELTED WIRES. *TR

1999 TOYOTA AVALON. UNINTENDED ACCELERATION CAUSING AN ACCIDENT. *TGW THE CONSUMER STATED SHE WAS AT A CAR WASH WHICH WAS NEARING THE END OF THE WAS ON THE CONVEYOR BELT WITH THE VEHICLE IN NEUTRAL GEAR AS REQUIRED. AT THE END OF THE WASH CYCLE, THE GREEN LIGHT CAME ON WHICH WAS HER SIGNAL TO PUT THE VEHICLE IN DRIVE AND EASE OFF THE BELT ONTO THE LOT. AT THE GREEN LIGHT, THE CONSUMER PUT HER FOOT ON THE BRAKE TO CHANGE THE GEAR FROM NEUTRAL TO DRIVE. ONCE IN DRIVE GEAR, THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY AND INSTANTLY ACCELERATED AT A TREMENDOUSLY HIGH SPEED. THE CONSUMER STOMPED ON THE BRAKES CONTINUOUSLY WITH NO RESULT. THE VEHICLE CROSSED THE EAST SIDEWALK AND THREE EMPTY SOUTHBOUND LANES. IT THEN COLLIDED INTO THE THREE NORTHBOUND-LANE CARS; CROSSED THE WEST SIDEWALK AND CRASHED THROUGH A SIX FOOT COMMERCIAL CHAIN LINK FENCE; HIT A PARKED PICK UP TRUCK AND CRASHED INTO A WALL. THE WALL WAS THE FINAL OBJECT THAT STOPPED THE VEHICLE WHICH HAD MAINTAINED EXCESSIVE SPEED. PRIOR TO THE ACCIDENT, THE CONSUMER COMPLAINED TO THE DEALER ABOUT A STRONG SMELL OF GAS. *JB