2001 Toyota Avalon

AVALON XLS V6 AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION 46,000 MILES I HAD JUST BACKED OUT OF MY GARAGE AND I STOPPED TO LOWER THE GARAGE DOOR. THE CAR WAS IN STILL REVERSE AND I WENT TO ACCELERATE AND THE GAS PEDAL WENT TO THE FLOOR AND THE CAR WENT BACKWARD IN REVERSE ALL THE WHILE I WAS TRYING TO STOP IT WITH THE BRAKE PEDAL. I WENT IN A FULL 20 FOOT CIRCLE AND WAS ABOUT HALF WAY THROUGH A SECOND CIRCLE WHEN MY HUSBAND REACHED OVER AND TURNED THE KEY 1 CLICK TO KILL THE ENGINE. WE TRIED TO FIGURE OUT IF I HAD PUT MY FOOT ON BOTH THE BRAKE AND ACCELERATOR BUT IT WAS ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE TO DO IT WITH MY SMALL FOOT. WE LOOKED UNDER THE HOOD AND FOUND NOTHING OUT OF ORDER. FINALLY, WE STARTED THE ENGINE AND CAREFULLY MOVED THE CAR BACK INTO THE DRIVE WAY AND CONTINUED ON OUR ERRAND. MY 2001 AVALON NOW HAS 47,000 MILES WHICH IS LESS THAN 500 MILES PER MONTH. WE DAMAGED THE FRONT DRIVER FENDER AND WHEEL RIM WHEN WE WENT UP AGAINST OUR HOUSE AND WE HAD IT REPAIRED. *TR

1. MY WIFE WAS DRIVING INTO A PARKING SPACE AT THE LOCAL COSTCO STORE. 2.AS SHE WAS SLOWING INTO THE SPACE, THE ACCELERATOR SEEMED TO JAM AND THE CAR RACED FORWARD,JUMPED THE CONCRETE BARRIER,HIT THE PARKING POLE AND COLLIDED WITH A ROW OF SHOPPING WAGONS. 3. WE HAVE NOTIFIED OUR TOYOTA DEALER,THE TOYOTA HEADQUARTERS,OUR INSURANCE WHO HAVE SAID THEY MAY HAVE TO TOTAL THE CAR, THE CAR WAS TOWED TO OUR DEALER'S AUTO SHOP.

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 TOYOTA AVALON. SHE NOTICED THAT THE ENGINE BEGAN SURGING WHENEVER THE BRAKES WERE ENGAGED ON 25 OCCASIONS SINCE NOVEMBER 2000 INTERMITTENTLY. SHE WOULD DEPRESS THE BRAKE PEDAL AND THE RPMS WOULD RAPIDLY INCREASE; HOWEVER, SHE WOULD SHIFT THE VEHICLE INTO PARK AND TURN IT OFF. SHE TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER MORE THAN TEN TIMES BUT THE DEALER COULD NOT DUPLICATE THE FAILURE. SHE PROVIDED DETAILED INFORMATION TO A TOYOTA REPRESENTATIVE. THE DEALER STATED THAT THEY COULD NOT REPAIR THE VEHICLE SINCE THEY COULD NOT DUPLICATE THE FAILURE. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 41,390. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 441. UPDATED 03/04/10. *LJ UPDATED 09/16/10

LET ME EXPLAIN FIRST, I CAN'T SUBSTANTIATE THE CLAIM I AM MAKING ABOUT THE POSSIBLE CAUSE OF THE ACCIDENT THAT KILLED MY WIFE WHEN DRIVING A 2001 TOYOTA AVALON. THE REASON THE ACCIDENT OCCURRED IS THAT SHE DID NOT STOP AT AN INTERSECTION CONTROLLED WITH A STOP SIGN. THE ACCIDENT OCCURRED IN CALLAHAN COUNTY, TEXAS AT THE INTERSECTION OF FM 1750 AND HIGHWAY 36 ON APRIL 9, 2007 AT APPROXIMATELY 8:30 PM. SHE DROVE UNDER THE TRAILER OF AN 18 WHEELER, WAS KILLED INSTANTLY AND DRAGGED UNDER THE TRAILER FOR 800 TO 900 FIT. IT TOOK THE ABILENE FIRE DEPARTMENTS EXPERTISE TO REMOVE HER BODY FROM THE WRECKAGE. THE LOCAL VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPARTMENTS DID NOT WANT TO ATTEMPT IT. THERE WERE NO SKID MARKS. SHE HAD DRIVEN THIS ROUTE COUNTLESS TIMES AND WAS AWARE OF THE STOP SIGN. I CHECKED CELL PHONE RECORDS AND THERE WAS NO EVIDENCE THAT SHE COULD HAVE BEEN ON THE PHONE. ADMITTEDLY SHE WAS UPSET. SHE WAS DRIVING FROM ABILENE TO MEXIA, TEXAS TO BE WITH HER ELDERLY MOTHER WHO WAS IN A DIABETIC COMA WHEN SHE LAST SPOKE TO SOMEONE. HOWEVER, SHE WAS A GOOD DRIVER. I CAN'T BELIEVE THAT SHE WAS SO DISTRACTED TO ALLOW THIS TO HAPPEN. IN LIGHT OF THE RECENT RECALL BY TOYOTA, I BELIEVE THAT HER AVALON SUDDENLY ACCELERATED OUT OF CONTROL. NO SKID MARKS WERE AT THE SCENE ONLY CUTOUTS IN THE PAYMENT THAT WERE CAUSED BY HER CAR AS IT WENT UNDER THE TRAILER. WHY NO SKID MARKS? AS SHOWN ON CONSUMER REPORT INTERNET VIDEO, THE BRAKES ARE NOT ABLE TO SLOW THE CAR DOWN AS IT IS ACCELERATING AND SKID MARKS WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN POSSIBLE. THERE IS NO OTHER EXPLANATION IN MY MIND AS TO HOW SHE COULD HAVE MISSED THE STOP SIGN. THE CAR WAS OUT OF HER CONTROL AND IT KILLED HER. IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO HAVE THE VIN, PLEASE CONTACT ME. I WILL PULL IT OUT OF THE RECORDS I HAVE. THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION AND ANY RESPONSE. THIS IS SUCH A TRAGEDY THAT UNTIL THE RECALL LEFT ME WITHOUT ANY EXPLANATION THAT WAS BELIEVABLE. I NOW BELIEVE I KNOW WHAT HAPPENED. *TR UPDATED 03/08/10 *BF UPDATED 07/06/10.*JB

2001 TOYOTA AVALON XLS: VIBRATION FELT IN STEERING, TYPICALLY ABOVE 60 MPH ON INTERSTATE OR BRAKING GOING DOWN A HILL. ALIGNED FRONT END, RE-BALANCED TIRES/WHEELS, REPLACED TIRES, REPLACED FRONT ROTORS TWICE WITHIN A FEW THOUSAND MILES, BRAKE PADS, CALIPER PINS, REGREASED CALIPER PINS WITH APPROPRIATE PIN GREASE, ENSURED PROPER AIR IN TIRES - NONE OF THIS HAS ADDRESSED THE VIBRATION. NOTED A FAIR NUMBER OF OTHER AVALON OWNERS SEARCHING THE INTERNET ON THE WORDS '2001 TOYOTA AVALON VIBRATION'. VEHICLE HAS NOT SUSTAINED ANY DAMAGE, SUCH AS JUMPING A CURVE OR BEING STRUCK BY ANOTHER VEHICLE. NO OTHER SUGGESTED REPAIRS FROM TOYOTA. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 TOYOTA AVALON. THE VEHICLE HAS MICHELIN MXV4, SIZE P205/65R15 92VMS TIRES. WHILE DRIVING 70 MPH, THE REAR PASSENGER SIDE TIRE BLEW OUT. THE CONTACT STATED THAT HE DID NOT DRIVE OVER ANYTHING THAT MAY HAVE CAUSED THE FAILURE. THE TIRES ON THE VEHICLE WERE REPLACEMENTS THAT WERE PURCHASED FROM COSTCO MORE THAN A YEAR AGO. HE STATED THAT ALL FOUR TIRES WERE LEAKING AIR, CAUSING HIM TO PLACE MORE AIR IN THEM EACH WEEK. THE FAILURE CAUSES THE VEHICLE TO WOBBLE WHILE DRIVING. THE DEALER ROTATED AND BALANCED THE TIRES, HOWEVER, THE FAILURE PERSISTS. THE LATEST REPAIR ON THE VEHICLE WAS PERFORMED ON AUGUST 27, 2007. THE DOT NUMBER AND SPEED WERE UNKNOWN. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 54,000.