2004 Toyota Avalon

I HAVE BEEN NOTIFIED BY TOYOTA THAT MY 2004 AVALON XLS MAY HAVE A DEFECTIVE AIR BAG. I RECEIVED A NOTIFICATION FROM TOYOTA IN MAY 2014 OF SUCH DEFECT. AS OF SEPTEMBER 9, 2014, I HAVE NOT BEEN NOTIFIED IF A SOLUTION OR WHAT CORRECTIVE ACTION IS BEING TAKEN. TOYOTA HAS HAD SUFFICIENT TIME TO DEVELOP A SOLUTION AND FIX MY AND ALL OTHER VEHICLES THAT HAVE THIS PROBLEM. THERE IS NO URGENCY. THERE IS NO COMMUNICATION. YOU, THE REGULATOR, AND TOYOTA, THE MANUFACTURER, HAVE DONE A LOUSY JOB IN CORRECTING THIS PROBLEM. PLEASE UPDATED ME REGARDING THE STATUS OF THIS RECALL. THANK YOU. *TR

I RECEIVED A RECALL NOTIFICATION IN MARCH, 2014 FROM TOYOTA THAT MY AIR BAGS MAY DEPLOY AT ANY TIME. I HAVE MADE MONTHLY CALLS TO THE LOCAL DEALER AND TOYOTA ABOUT WHEN IT CAN BE REPAIRED. SIX MONTHS LATER, THEY STILL DO NOT HAVE AN ANSWER. JUST HOW LONG IS IT BEFORE THERE IS A SOLUTION AND IT IS AVAILABLE? IS MY CAR SUPPOSE TO SIT IN THE DRIVE WAY OR DO I JUST FEEL LUCKY AND DRIVE THE CAR, WHICH INVOLVES INTERSTATE DRIVING AT TIMES? *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 TOYOTA AVALON. THE CONTACT RECEIVED A NOTIFICATION FOR RECALL NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 14V147000 (AIRBAGS). HOWEVER, THE PART TO DO THE REPAIR WAS UNAVAILABLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR THE RECALL REPAIR. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE ISSUE. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE.

MY DAUGHTER WAS IN A CAR ACCIDENT IN DEC 2013 INVOLVING OUR 2004 TOYOTA AVALON. WE SUSPECT THE CRUISE CONTROL DID NOT RELEASE AS IT SHOULD HAVE. SHE HAD BEEN USING THE CRUISE CONTROL AND TAPPED THE BRAKE TO RELEASE IT AS SHE EXITED A HIGHWAY SHE THEN STEPPED ON THE BRAKE TO SLOW DOWN AS SHE EXITED THE EASTBOUND HIGHWAY TO MANEUVERE THE EXIT CURVE TO MERGE ONTO A SOUTHBOUND INTERSTATE HIGHWAY. ON THE CURVE SHE NOTICED THE CAR WASN'T SLOWING DOWN AS IT SHOULD, AND WHEN SHE BRAKED HARDER, THE BRAKES LOCKED UP SENDING HER INTO A SWERVE. THE CAR TRACED A PATH SIMILAR TO AN UPSIDE DOWN QUESTION MARK. SHE CROSSED TWO LANES, AND THE REAR OF THE CAR HIT A WALL LANDING HER FACING TRAFFIC RIGHT NEXT TO THE ROADWAY. WHEN THE CAR CAME TO A STOP, BOTH THE GAS PEDAL AND THE BRAKE WERE COMPLETELY DEPRESSED TO THE FLOOR, AND THE ENGINE HAD SHUT OFF. HER FOOT HAD NOT BEEN ON THE GAS PEDAL FOR SOME TIME SINCE SHE WAS USING THE CRUISE CONTROL. THE INSURANCE COMPANY TOTALED OUT THE CAR. THANKFULLY, THERE WERE NO OTHER CARS INVOLVED, BUT MY DAUGHTER WAS PRETTY SHAKEN UP AND HAD TO BE TREATED FOR HEADACHES/NECK SORENESS DUE TO WHIPLASH. WHEN SHE RESTARTED THE CAR (SHE HAD TO TURN THE KEY OFF FIRST, THEN ON), THE PEDALS RETURNED TO NORMAL AND SHE WAS ABLE TO MOVE THE CAR ACROSS TO A SAFER LOCATION ON THE SHOULDER OF THE ROAD TO AWAIT HELP. TOYOTA'S GAS PEDAL RECALL STARTED WITH THE 2005 TOYOTA AVALON, SO WE HAD NO RECOURSE FOR ACTION AND THE CAR IS NOW GONE, SO THERE IS NO EVIDENCE TO INSPECT. WE ARE CONVINCED THE GAS PEDAL STICKING / CRUISE CONTROL REFUSING TO RELEASE WAS THE CAUSE OF THE ACCIDENT AND WANT TO PASS ON THE INFORMATION SO THAT OTHERS CAN BE PROTECTED FROM INJURY *TR

RECEIVED SAFETY RECALL NOTICE BEGINNING OF MAY 2014. AT THE BEGINNING OF AUGUST I CHECKED WITH TOYOTA'S OFFICE IN CALIFORNIA AND SPOKE WITH NICOLE (CUST. SVC. SUPV.) HER OFFICE PHONE NUMBER IS 1-800-331-4331 EXT. 73824. THEY FOUND A "SOLUTION", TO THE PROBLEM IN EARLY MAY 2014. VEHICLES NEED TO BE "FITTED" WITH A NOISE FILTER, BETWEEN "THE AIR BAG CONTROL MODULE AND THE WIRE HARNESS". BUT I WAS TOLD BY NICOLE, "THAT THEY STILL DON'T HAVE THE PART READY FOR INSTALLATION". I EXPRESSED MY CONCERN BECAUSE OF AN ACCIDENT I WAS INVOLVED IN, MAY 28TH 1996. (IT WAS IN A 1991 LINCOLN TOWNCAR, THE FIRST YEAR CARS HAD AIRBAGS) BECAUSE OF MY "PERSONAL INJURIES", I'VE BEEN TOTALLY DISABLED EVER SINCE. THAT WAS OVER 18 YEARS AGO! I EXPRESSED MY CONCERN TO NICOLE "BECAUSE THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE!" WHAT THE RECALL STATES IS, "THE ELECTRONIC CONTROL MODULE (ECM) FOR THE SUPPLEMENTAL RESTRAINT SYSTEM (SRS) IN THESE VEHICLES COULD HAVE BEEN MANUFACTURED WITH INTEGRATED CIRCUITS THAT ARE SUSCEPTIBLE TO INTERNAL SHORT CIRCUITING WHEN EXPOSED TO CERTAIN ELECTRICAL NOISE FROM VARIOUS VEHICLE ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS. IF INTERNAL SHORT CIRCUITING OCCURS, THE FRONT AIRBAG(S) AND/OR SEAT BELT PRETENTIONERS COULD INADVERTENTLY DEPLOY." THEN THE RECALL GOES ON TO DESCRIBE WHAT "COULD HAPPEN", TO OCCUPANTS IN THE VEHICLE.

WHEN THE CAR IS MOVING, THE AIRBAG WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATES AND GLOWS, SOMETIMES FOR A FEW MINUTES AND SOMETIMES FOR AN HOUR. THEN IT GOES OUT. I RECEIVED AN INTERIM NOTICE LETTER FROM TOYOTA OVER 2 MONTHS AGO CITING THIS PROBLEM AND STATING THAT THEY WOULD NOTIFY ME "AGAIN WHEN A REMEDY IS READY". I HAVE NOT RECEIVED ANOTHER NOTICE AND I AM AFRAID THAT A SERIOUS ACCIDENT, INJURY OR FATALITY COULD OCCUR IF THE AIRBAG DEPLOYS WHILE BEING DRIVEN AND NO COLLISION HAS OCCURRED. PLEASE HAVE TOYOTA CONTACT ME WITH THE REMEDY SO I CAN HAVE IT APPLIED AT TOYOTA'S EXPENSE. *JS

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 TOYOTA AVALON. THE CONTACT RECEIVED A NOTIFICATION FOR NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER: 14V147000 (AIR BAG). THE DEALER COULD NOT REPAIR THE VEHICLE BECAUSE THE PART WAS NOT AVAILABLE AND DID NOT HAVE A REMEDY DEVELOPED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE ISSUE. THE CONTACT DID NOT EXPERIENCE A FAILURE.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 TOYOTA AVALON. THE CONTACT RECEIVED A RECALL NOTICE FOR NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER 14V147000 (AIR BAG, ELECTRICAL). THE CONTACT NOTICED AN INTENSE BURNING ODOR IN THE VEHICLE AND THE AIR BAG WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN THE DEALER WHO STATED THAT THE PART FOR THE REPAIR MAY NOT ARRIVE UNTIL TWO MONTHS. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 63,000.