2003 Toyota Avalon

I RECEIVED A RECALL NOTICE FOR MY 2003 TOYOTA LAST YEAR. THIS IS MY FLORIDA CAR AND WHEN I RETURNED TO FLORIDA LAST NOV./DEC. I TOOK IT IN FOR RECALL SERVICE TO TOYOTA OF STUART. (5101 SE FEDERAL HWY, STUART, FL TELE. 772466 8300). AT THIS VISIT ,I WAS TOLD PARTS ARE NOT IN AND THEY WOULD CALL ME WHEN PARTS ARRIVE. AFTER WAITING A FEW MONTHS AND NO CALL, I WENT BACK. I THAN WAS TOLD I HAVE TO BRING CAR BACK AGAIN SO THEY CAN MEASURE FOR REPLACEMENT PART. THEN THEY WILL CALL ME BACK FOR RECALL REPAIRS AFTER MEASUREMENT VISIT WHICH THEY NEED TO SCHEDULE. NEVER CALLED AGAIN FOR SCHEDULE--AM I GETTING A RUNAROUND??? *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 TOYOTA AVALON. THE CONTACT RECEIVED A RECALL NOTIFICATION FOR NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 14V147000 (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM), BUT THE PART NEEDED TO REPAIR THE VEHICLE WAS UNAVAILABLE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE. THE CONSUMER RECEIVED AN AIR BAG RECALL. HOWEVER, SHE WAS INFORMED THE PARTS WERE NOT AVAILABLE . UPDATED 01/21/15. *JB

ELECTRONIC CONTROL MODULE (ECM) ISSUE: PROBLEM W/ INTERMITTENT WARNING LIGHTS FOR AIR BAG SOME TIME AGO (RESEARCHING DATE)- TOOK VEHICLE TO DEALERSHIP. NO MORE LIGHT, BUT VEHICLE BEGAN STALLING/LOSING POWER WHILE DRIVING- RARELY, BUT BECAME MORE FREQUENT OVER TIME. INSTRUMENT PANEL/CHECK ENGINE LIGHTS WILL ILLUMINATE- NOW EVERY MINUTE OR SO WHILE DRIVING. OTHER PEOPLE HAVE SAME PROBLEM- NHTSA ID 10605681. TOOK VEHICLE TO DEALER LATE MAY. DEALER ON PHONE W/ TOYOTA MULTIPLE TIMES + HAD TECH FROM ANOTHER DEALER COME AND LOOK AT VEHICLE - COULD NOT FIGURE OUT WHAT WAS WRONG. DEALER NOW SAYS THE ECM FAULTY. NOT REPAIRED, BUT DEALER WANTS TO CHARGE 8HRS OF DIAGNOSTIC TIME AND NOT REPAIRED - CAN DEALER CHARGE IF RECALL ITEM? MY CONCERN IS THAT PROBLEM IS MORE THAN AIR BAGS- FAULTY ECM RESULTS IN LOSS OF POWER/CONTROL WHEN ENGINE SHUTS DOWN, STALLS OR EXPERIENCES INTERMITTENT LOSS OF POWER- VEHICLE NO LONGER SAFE TO OPERATE. I CANNOT DRIVE IT; I CANNOT SELL IT. CALLED TOYOTA, ASKED FOR PART # OF RECALLED SRS/ECM- WAS TOLD ONLY LOCAL DEALER HAS PART NUMBERS. THEY TOOK INFORMATION AND TRANSFERRED ME TO "TOYOTA CORPORATE"- OPERATOR ID'D AS TOYOTA CORPORATE ASKED QUESTIONS, INDICATED THEY HAD DOCUMENTED MY FILE. WHEN I ASKED OPERATOR TO CONFIRM ITEMS OPERATOR HAD CHOSEN TO DOCUMENT, OPERATOR REFUSED TO RESPOND TO MY REQUESTS FOR CONFIRMATION- I ASKED FOR SUPERVISOR- WAS TOLD "NO SUPERVISOR" THERE. OPERATOR THREW ME ON HOLD (ON HOLD FOR OVER 30 MINUTES W/ CORPORATE THEN TRANSFERRED ME TO NHTSA W/OUT OPERATOR EVER COMING BACK ON THE LINE PRIOR TO TRANSFER (NHTSA CONF # AVAILABLE). "CORPORATE" INDICATED THAT TOYOTA HAS NO CONTROL OVER DEALERS- THEY CAN CHARGE WHATEVER THEY WANT TO DIAGNOSE EVEN IF RELATED TO RECALL NOTICE. LOSS OF USE OVER 1 MONTH. DEALER SAID NO NEW ECM REPLACEMENT PART AVAILABLE. PRETTY SURE RECALL REMEDY INADEQUATE. *TR

LETTER FROM SENATOR TED CRUZ RE: CONSTITUENT AND TOYOTA REFUSING TO PAY FOR A RECALL REPAIR DONE ON HIS 2003 TOYOTA AVALON (MAILED TO AUSTIN, TX OFFICE ATTN: SUSANNA SOVRAN). *SMD THE CONSUMER STATED THE VEHICLE BROKE DOWN TWICE, AND IT HAD TO BE TOWED. THE REPAIR SHOP REPLACED THE IGNITION CYLINDER AND SWITCH HOUSING ASSEMBLY, AT A COST OF $430.00. TWO MONTHS LATER, THE CONSUMER RECEIVED A RECALL NOTICE REGARDING AN ISSUE WITH THE STEERING COLUMN UPPER BRACKET. THE CONSUMER WENT TO THE DEALER, IN REGARDS TO THE RECALL, AND ASK IF THE RECALL WAS FOR THE IGNITION SWITCH, AND THE DEALER STATED NO. WHEN THE CONSUMER REQUESTED TO SEE THE PART THAT WAS REPLACED, HE NOTICED IT WAS THE SAME PART, THAT WAS REPLACED IN HIS VEHICLE TWO MONTHS PRIOR. THE CONSUMER WAS DENIED REIMBURSEMENT, IN WHICH THE LETTER STATED THE VEHICLE DID NOT MEET THE CRITERIA, FOR REIMBURSEMENT UNDER THE SPECIAL SERVICE CAMPAIGN GOODWILL.

ON THIS DATE THE CAR WAS RECALLED FOR A STEERING COLUMN UPPER BRACKET REPLACEMENT. TODAY MARCH 19TH, WE TOOK THE VEHICLE TO OUR REGULAR MECHANIC FOR FRONT BRAKES AND TO CHECK BECAUSE THE KEY WILL COME OUT OF THE IGNITION WHEN THE CAR IS TURNED OFF AND IN DRIVE OR REVERSE RATHER THAN PARK. IT WAS ALSO POINTED OUT TO US BY OUR MECHANIC THAT THE STEERING WHEEL NO LONGER LOCKS WHICH HAS BEEN THE CASE SINCE THEY DID THE RECALL WORK BUT WE JUST REALIZED TODAY. HE THEN PROCEEDED TO TELL US ABOUT THE RECALL AND WE EXPLAINED WE HAD TAKEN IT IN FOR THE BRACKET. SO, IN SHORT, SINCE TOYOTA REPLACED THE BRACKET ON THIS RECALL, THE STEERING WHEEL NO LONGER LOCKS AND THE KEY WILL COME OUT IN DRIVE WHEN THE CAR IS TURNED OFF, WHICH SHOULD NOT OCCUR. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 TOYOTA AVALON. THE CONTACT STATED THAT HE WAS ABLE TO REMOVE THE KEY FROM THE IGNITION WHILE THE GEAR SHIFTER WAS STILL IN DRIVE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INSPECTED BY A DEALER OR AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED AND A REPORT WAS FILED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 60,000. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 64,000.

ON 4/01/03, I LEASED A 2003 TOYOTA AVALON XL FROM PRESTIGE TOYOTA OF RAMSEY, N.J. BY THE TIME I SIGNED ALL OF THE PAPERWORK AND TOOK POSSESSION OF THE CAR, IT HAD BECOME DARK OUTSIDE. THE DISPLAY OF GEAR POSITIONS (P, R, N, D, 2, L) WHICH WAS OBVIOUS IN DAYLIGHT, WAS NOW IMPOSSIBLE FOR ME TO DISTINGUISH. BY THE TIME I ARRIVED HOME, MY EYES WERE STRAINED FROM TRYING TO READ THE LETTERS, THUS CREATING A HAZARDOUS DRIVING EXPERIENCE. FROM DUSK TO DAWN, IT IS UNNERVING TO SEARCH FOR LETTERS ON THE DASH BOARD PANEL. WHILE ALL OTHER INDICATORS ARE ILLUMINATED, THE GEAR POSITION PANEL IS NOT. THE LETTERS ARE OF A LIGHT WHITE COLOR AND ARE ENCLOSED WITHIN A THIN-LINED GREEN NEON SQUARE WHICH BLURS THE LETTERS EVEN MORE. I RETURNED TO THE DEALERSHIP THE NEXT DAY TO VOICE MY CONCERN AND REQUEST AN EXCHANGE FOR A SAFER VEHICLE, BUT I WAS TOLD THIS WAS NOT POSSIBLE. IN ADDITION, THE DEALERSHIP WAS UNABLE TO REPAIR THIS DEFECT. I HAVE MADE PHONE CALLS TO THE DEALERSHIP, TOYOTA CUSTOMER RELATIONS (#200304030875)(TEL.# 800-331-4331), MY LEASE COMPANY (SOUTHTRUST BANK) AND STATE SENATOR TOM MORAHAN, AS WELL AS A VISIT TO THE ATTORNEY GENERAL AT CONSUMER AFFAIRS IN WHITE PLAINS, NY, ALL TO NO AVAIL. PLEASE CONSIDER MY REQUEST AND COMPLAINT. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. *JB