2005 Toyota Avalon

2005 TOYOTA AVALON WITH 70,000 + MILES AND JUST HAD 70,000 MILE SERVICE. I WAS DRIVING HOME FROM WORK AND HEARD ENGINE SOUNDING LOUDER THAN NORMAL. NO WARNING LIGHTS OR OTHER WARNING WAS GIVEN. HAD VEHICLE TOWED TO DEALERSHIP. ANALYSIS REVEALED BROKEN OIL PIPE AND OIL SOAKED TIMING BELT. PART IS ON BACK ORDER AND WILL NOT ARRIVE UNTIL FEB 18 FROM JAPAN. I WAS FURTHER TOLD THAT MORE THAN A THOUSAND ON BACKORDER. IN REVIEWING COMPLAINTS ON 2006 AVALON, I NOTED SIMILAR COMPLAINTS AND APPARENTLY A SERVICE MEMORANDUM HAS BEEN ISSUED. APPEARS TO BE A DEFECTIVE PART. BECAUSE OF SAFETY RISK, SHOULDN'T THIS BE SUBJECT TO RECALL? *TR

MY 2005 TOYOTA AVALON (TOURING MODEL) HAS A DEFECTIVE LOCKING MECHANISM FOR THE STEERING COLUMN. ABOUT EVERY HALF AN HOUR IT WILL COME LOSE AND THE STEERING WHEEL WILL DROP OUT OF MY HANDS AND THE LOCK WILL JAM AGAINST MY LEG, CUTTING ME. I HAVE ALMOST HAD SEVERAL ACCIDENTS. TOYOTA DENIES THERE IS A DESIGN DEFECT. THEY HAVE BEEN UNABLE AND UNWILLING TO FIX THE PROBLEM. THIS IS A VERY SERIOUS PROBLEM THAT COULD EASILY RESULT IN DEATH. THE LOCKING MECHANISM IS LOCATED UNDERNEATH THE STEERING WHEEL AND EASILY COMES LOSE SIMPLY DUE TO VIBRATION AND THE EFFECT OF GRAVITY ON THE LOCKING DEVICE. THE LAST TIME TOYOTA CLAIMED THEY FIXED IT THEY CLAIMED THAT THEY BENT THE MECHANISM SO THAT IT WOULD NOT COME LOSE AS EASILY. THIS OBVIOUSLY IS NOT A PROPER METHOD OF REPAIRING ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT PARTS OF THE CAR. *TR

I WAS PARKING MY CAR AT WORK. I PULLED INTO THE PARKING SPACE AND BACKED UP SLIGHTLY TO STRAIGHTEN MY CAR. WHEN I PUT THE CAR INTO DRIVE TO PULL FORWARD AGAIN , THE CAR RACED FORWARD WITH ENGINE REVVING STRONGLY. I COULD NOT STOP THE CAR WITH THE BRAKE. THE CAR CRASHED AND PUSHED THROUGH A THICK BRICK WALL. THE AIRBAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. THE CAR WOULD ONLY STOP AFTER I PUSHED THE ENGINE SHUTOFF BUTTON. THE GEARSHIFT WAS HARD TO MOVE AFTER THE INCIDENT. *TR

DROVE TO WORK (17 MILES) 10/2/2008, AS TYPICAL AT 6:30AM STILL DARK. AFTER DRIVING ABOUT 5 MILES KEPT GETTING WHIFS OF BURNING ENGINE OIL BUT KEPT THINKING IT WAS ANOTHER VEHICLE ON THE ROAD. THIS WAS INTERMITTENT ENOUGH SO I DID NOT THINK IT WAS MY VEHICLE. ALSO THE NEWNESS OF THE VEHICLE DECEIVED ME. ARRIVED AT WORK AND DID SOME LOOKING. FOUND THE TRAIL OF OIL IN THE PARKING LOT AND RAISED THE HOOD TO SEE OIL SPEWED ON THE PASSENGER SIDE OF ENGINE COMPARTMENT. CALLED FOR TOW TO MECHANIC. MECHANIC SAID THAT THERE IS A TSB ON THIS. WHY WAS THERE NOT A RECALL? THIS COULD BE CATASTROPHIC! THE OIL LIGHT DID NOT COME ON AND THE TEMP WAS NORMAL THROUGHOUT....MY ONLY INDICATION OF A POSSIBLE PROBLEM WAS SMELL AND TO MY KNOWLEDGE PERSONS WITHOUT THIS SENSE ARE MORE COMMON THAN I SUSPECTED. *TR

STEERING COLUMN IS DEFECTIVE PER DEALER. I NOTICED A CLUNKING SOUND AND VIBRATION AS I WAS DRIVING. I ASKED DEALER TO CHECK IT OUT. THEY ADVISED ME I NEEDED A NEW STEERING COLUMN AT A COST OF $1835. THEY TOLD ME IT WOULD ONLY GET WORSE IF IT WAS NOT REPAIRED. AFTER SEVERAL PHONE CALLS BETWEEN ME , THE DEALER AND TOYOTA NORTH AMERICA REGARDING WARRANTY AND SAFETY ISSUES, I APPROVED THE REPAIR. THE REPAIR [ REPLACE THE STEERING COLUMN] WAS COMPLETED ON AUGUST 28, 2008 AND I HAVE THE REPLACED PARTS. I PAID THE BILL. I BELIEVE THAT THIS IS SAFETY ISSUE AND SHOULD BE COVERED BY TOYOTA EVEN IF THE VEHICLE IS 5 MONTHS OUT OF WARRANTY. *TR

2005 TOYOTA AVALON WITH UNSAFE MICHELIN TIRES. CONSUMER STATES THAT THE TWO FRONT TIRES WERE REPLACED WITH MICHELIN ENERGY TIRES. HE STATES WHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY AT ABOUT 70-75 MPH BOTH TIRES DISINTEGRATED. *KB THE CONSUMER HAD THE VEHICLE TOWED TO THE SHOP. IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THE TIRES WERE DEFECTIVE AND THE TREAD HAD SEPARATED FROM THE SIDEWALLS. *JB

"MAINTENANCE REQUIRED" LIGHT ILLUMINATED AND I TOOK MY VEHICLE IN FOR SERVICE. AFTER MENTIONING A CONCERN I HAD, I WAS CALLED AND TOLD THAT MY STEERING COLUMN SHAFT NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. I DID NOT FEEL ANY DIFFERENCE IN THE STEERING FROM WHEN I LAST BROUGHT IT IN BEFORE THE WARRANTY WAS UP. NOW, I HAVE A $600 + BILL AT 43,000 MILES. I'VE ALWAYS HAD TOYOTA'S AND I HAVE BEEN HAVING QUITE A FEW PROBLEMS OF LATE ASSOCIATED WITH THIS VEHICLE. *TR

I WAS TRYING TO GET MY 2005 TOYOTA AVALON'S EMISSION TESTING DONE. I WENT TO TWO TESTING SITES AND THEY WERE UNABLE TO READ THE EMISSIONS SYSTEM ON MY CAR. I WENT TO THE DEALERSHIP AND THEY SAID THAT IT IS A COMMON ISSUE AND THAT YOUR EMISSIONS WILL HAVE TO BE DONE OLD SCHOOL AND THAT TOYOTA CAN NOT KEEP UP WITH EMISSIONS. THE PROBLEM IS THAT IN GA THEY HAVE DONE AWAY WITH THE OLD SCHOOL STYLE TESTING AND THERE ARE ONLY A FEW LOCATIONS THAT STILL DO IT. I WAS TOLD BY THE DEALERSHIP THAT THEY HAD 3 OTHER 2005 AVALONS WITH THE SAME ISSUE AND TOLD THEM THEY HAD TO DOT IT THE OLD SCHOOL WAY. *TR