2003 Toyota Avalon

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 TOYOTA AVALON. THE VEHICLE ACCELERATED WHILE DRIVING 5 MPH IN REVERSE. THE CONTACT WAS ABLE TO AVOID A CRASH BY DRIVING THE VEHICLE INTO THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WAS UNABLE TO DIAGNOSE THE FAILURE. THE TOYOTA MANUFACTURER STATED THAT THEY WOULD CONTACT HER REGARDING THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 29,715. UPDATED 3/10/10 *CN UPDATED 06/11/10.*JB

I BELIEVE THAT TOYOTA IS COVERING UP THE REAL CAUSE OF THE ACCELERATION OF THE ENGINE WHILE DRIVING. IT HAPPENED TO ME WHILE I WAS DRIVING AND WAS VERY FRIGHTENING. THE ENGINE BEGIN TO SPEED UP AUTOMATICALLY AND I COULD NOT STOP IT WITH MY BRAKES. I PUT THE CAR IN NEUTRAL AND THEN STOPPED. THE ENGINE CONTINUED TO RACE. I TOOK THE CAR TO THE LOCAL TOYOTA DEALER THE NEXT DAY AND IT DID THE SAME THING. IT REACHED SPEEDS OF 70+MPH WITHOUT ME TOUCHING THE PEDAL. THE TOYOTA DEALERSHIP REPLACED THE IDLE AIR CONTROL VALVE PN. 22270-0A060. I HAVE NOT HAD A PROBLEM SINCE. TOYOTA HAS TRIED TO BLAME THIS PROBLEM IN THE MEDIA ON THE FLOOR MATS AND NOW THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL. I PRAY THAT NO ONE ELSE WILL SUFFER INJURIES OR DEATH. THIS PROBLEM CAN EASILY BE FIXED BUT IT IS COSTLY (OVER $450.00). TOYOTA SEEMS TO BE LOOKING FOR THE CHEAP, EASY FIX. *TR

2003 TOYOTA AVALON XLS. STALLED WHILE DRIVING. HAD TO LEAVE THE CAR IN STREET AND WALK HOME. WOULD NOT RESTART FOR AT LEAST 30 MINUTES. ALSO WOULD START, THEN STALL AND NOT RESTART FOR AT LEAST 30 MINUTES ON OTHER OCCASIONS INTERMITTENTLY. THIS WAS VERY CONCERNING BECAUSE THE ENGINE WOULD JUST TURN OFF DURING DRIVING AND NOT RESTART. TOOK TO B&D AUTO REPAIR, WHO COULD NOT REPLICATE PROBLEM AND THEN CALLED TOYOTA DEALERSHIP IN CARLSBAD WHO TOLD THEM WAS PROBABLY THE IDLE AIR CONTROL VALVE AS THEY HAD BEEN FINDING THIS AN ISSUE WITH AVALONS. SO B&D AUTO REPLACED THE IDLE AIR CONTROL VALVE AND THE PROBLEM NEVER RECURRED. THIS COST US $500. I HAVE THE RECEIPT FOR THE DATE OF 5-5-2006 REPAIR. OUR FRIENDS HAVE THE SAME VEHICLE, SAME YEAR AND THEY BEGAN TO HAVE THE SAME DIFFICULTY WITH THEIR 2003 AVALON A FEW WEEKS LATER AND HAD TO HAVE THE SAME REPAIR DONE AND THEIR PROBLEM THEN WENT AWAY AS WELL. TODAY, I PHONED B&D AUTO AND BERNIE ( THE MAN WHO TOOK CARE OF MY CAR IN 2006) INFORMED ME THAT THEY ARE CURRENTLY HAVING SIMILAR PROBLEMS WITH APPROXIMATELY ONE TOYOTA VEHICLE PER WEEK, AND THEY ARE REPLACING THE IDLE AIR CONTROL VALVES. HE STATED THAT THIS INCLUDES RAV 4, TACOMA, CAMRY, AVALON, AND FORERUNNERS. I AM LETTING YOU KNOW THIS INFORMATION BECAUSE TODAY THE WALL STREET JOURNAL HAD AN ARTICLE THAT STATES THIS IS A PROBLEM WITH 2006 TOYOTA COROLLAS AND MATRIX VEHICLES. THIS IS OBVIOUSLY MUCH FARTHER REACHING THAN THIS ARTICLE STATES AND I HOPE IT WILL BE INVESTIGATED FURTHER BECAUSE OF THE DANGER OF THIS DIFFICULTY TO ALL OF THOSE DRIVING OR OCCUPYING A VEHICLE WHEN THIS HAPPENS. I AM WONDERING IF THERE HAVE BEEN ACCIDENTS OR DEATHS DUE TO THIS DANGEROUS PROBLEM? I WAS VERY CONCERNED THAT MY CAR WOULD TURN OFF ON THE HIGH SPEED LANE OF THE FREEWAY. I WAS SO RELIEVED WHEN THIS WAS REPAIRED AND I WASN'T AFRAID TO DRIVE MY CAR AGAIN. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 TOYOTA AVALON. THE CONTACT EXPERIENCED AN ISSUE WITH THE STEERING UNIVERSAL JOINT IN THE STEERING SHAFT, WHICH MADE IT DIFFICULT TO TURN THE VEHICLE. THE DEALER STATED THAT THE RACK NEEDED TO BE REPLACED AT THE COST OF OVER $1,000. AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC VERIFIED THAT THE STEERING SHAFT NEEDED TO BE REPLACED AT THE COST OF OVER $500. NO REPAIRS HAVE BEEN MADE. THE VIN WAS UNKNOWN. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE LESS THAN 103,000.

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 TOYOTA AVALON. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 65 MPH ON NORMAL ROAD CONDITIONS, THE VEHICLE RESPONDED SLOWLY WHEN THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED. THE CHECK ENGINE WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL INTERMITTENTLY. IN ADDITION, THERE WAS EXCESSIVE OIL CONSUMPTION. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE AUTHORIZED DEALER AND THEY STATED THAT THE FAILURE WAS RELATED TO OIL SLUDGE BUILD UP. THE TECHNICIAN RECOMMENDED THAT THE ENGINE BE REPAIRED OR REPLACED. THE FAILURE OCCURRED ON NINE SEPARATE OCCASIONS. THE VEHICLE HAS NOT BEEN REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 88,000 AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 100,858.

2003 TOYOTA AVALON WITH A TIRE REPAIR AND REPLACEMENT. CONSUMER STATES THAT THE TIRE WAS REPAIRED DUE TO PUNCTURE. THEN THE TIRE WAS REPLACED AND THE NEW TIRE AND THE OLD TIRES WERE THEN FILLED WITH NITROGEN. *KB THE CONSUMER STATED THE TIRES FRONT TIRES WERE LEAKING AIR. HE RE-FILLED THEM WITH AIR. WHILE DRIVING, THE RIGHT FRONT TIRE EXPLODED AS A RESULT OF THE TIRE BEING FILLED WITH NITROGEN. *JB