2005 Toyota Avalon

WEATHER: SUNNY. ENGINE WARM - DRIVEN ABOUT 10 MILES ON THE WAY TO SMALL SHOPPING CENTER. I'M IN NO HURRY, STOPPING TO BROWSE IN A FAVORITE BOUTIQUE. LOOKING FOR A PARKING SPACE, SLOWED VEHICLE TO A CRAWL WHILE SCANNING THE LOT & THEN TURNED SLOWLY ABOUT 45 DEGREES TO DRIFT INTO AN AVAILABLE SPACE WHEN SUDDENLY THE VEHICLE LURCHED FORWARD OUT OF CONTROL RAMMING THE PARKED VEHICLE FACING THE SPACE I WAS IN. I REMEMBER A LOUD NOISE - WHICH WAS THE ENGINE ACCELERATING: AN UNFAMILIAR SOUND WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS JUST ABOUT STOPPED. THEN, THE NOISE OF THE CRASH - ABOUT 6 FT IN FRONT OF THE AVALON AT THE TIME OF THE NOISE & LURCH. THE IMPACT STOPPED THE CAR. I PUT IT IN REVERSE & BACKED AWAY, THEN TURNED OFF THE IGNITION. MY FOOT WAS NOT ON THE ACCELERATOR BY MISTAKE AS IT HAD BEEN ON THE BRAKE WHILE DRIFTING DOWN THE AISLE TOWARD THE OPEN SPACE - THERE HAD BEEN NO ACCELERATION WHILE IN THAT AISLE. TO COME TO A COMPLETE STOP IN THE SPACE I WOULD HAVE HAD TO APPLY ONLY THE SLIGHTEST PRESSURE TO THE BRAKE ; THEREFORE, IF I HAD TOUCHED THE ACCELERATOR BY MISTAKE I WOULD HAVE NOT DONE SO WITH ENOUGH PRESSURE TO CAUSE THE WILD ACCELERATION. WITH MY FOOT ABOVE THE BRAKE IN THAT INSTANT WHEN I TOUCHED THE BRAKE TO STOP THE LURCH IT DIDN'T AFFECT THE SPEED OF THE CAR BEFORE IMPACT: THERE WAS NOT ANY HESITATION IN THE ENGINE. NO DAMAGE TO THE OTHER VEHICLE. THE AVALON SUSTAINED SOME BUMPER DAMAGE AND A BENT HOOD - DRIVABLE, BUT I REFUSED TO DRIVE IT. WHILE WAITING FOR A TOW TRUCK I DROVE TO THE EMPTY LOT BEHIND THE STORES AND TRIED TO REPEAT THE EVENT, UNSUCCESSFULLY. I DISCOVERED THAT IN ORDER TO ACCELERATE THAT QUICKLY, I WOULD HAVE HAD TO HAVE PUSHED THE ACCELERATOR TO THE FLOOR - AN IMPOSSIBILITY AT THE 0 MILES PER HOUR I WAS DRIFTING INTO POSITION IN THE PARKING SPACE. THE CAR ACCELERATED SUDDENLY AND UNINTENTIONAL THROUGH NO ACTION ON MY PART. THE TOYOTA DEALER FOUND NOTHING WRONG WITH THE CAR. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 TOYOTA AVALON. WHILE DRIVING 5-40 MPH, THE STEERING WHEEL VIBRATED AND HE HEARD CLICKING NOISE WHEN TURNING LEFT OR RIGHT. THE DEALER STATED THAT THIS WAS A NORMAL OCCURRENCE. THERE IS A RECALL FOR STEERING: COLUMN (NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID #05V227000) HOWEVER, THE DEALER STATED THAT HIS VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 45,000 AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 54,000. UPDATED 01/29/08. *LJ UPDATED *JB

WHEN I ATTEMPTED TO SECURE THE DRIVER SIDE SEAT BELT OF MY 2005 TOYOTA AVALON AFTER A SHOPPING STOP, I DISCOVERED THAT THE BOLT HOLDING THE SEAT BELT TO THE CAR POST HAD POPPED OUT AND LEFT THE SEAT BELT DANGLING AND UNUSABLE. I SURMISE THAT IT POPPED OUT WHEN I RELEASED IT AFTER ARRIVING AT MY DESTINATION. I IMMEDIATELY DROVE TO THE TOYOTA DEALERSHIP WHERE THEY REATTACHED IT. I DO NOT KNOW WHETHER THEY USED A NEW BOLT OR FOUND THE OLD ONE IN THE CAR. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 TOYOTA AVALON. WHILE DRIVING 45 MPH, THE VEHICLE ACCELERATED AUTOMATICALLY TO 80 MPH. THE CONTACT ATTEMPTED TO SHIFT BACK INTO AUTO MANUAL MODE, BUT THE TRANSMISSION FAILED TO RESPOND. THE VEHICLE DROVE UP A HILL WITHOUT THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL BEING DEPRESSED. THE CONTACT WAS FORCED TO APPLY MAXIMUM BRAKE PRESSURE TO MODERATE THE ACCELERATION AND PLACE THE VEHICLE IN NEUTRAL. THE VEHICLE RECENTLY HAD A ROUTINE INSPECTION AT 25,300 MILES. THE DEALER DID NOT FIND ANY FAILURES WITH THE VEHICLE. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 27,000.

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 TOYOTA AVALON. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHENEVER HIS 95 POUND WIFE SITS IN THE FRONT SEAT, THE AIR BAG DOES NOT ACTIVATE. HE STATED THAT THE AIR BAG WAS SET TO ACTIVATE AT 60 POUNDS. THE DEALER WAS NOTIFIED AND STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS DESIGNED IN THAT MANNER. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 9,000 AND FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 8,000. UPDATED 01-14-08. *KB UPDATED *JB

SINCE PURCHASING IN DEC., 2005, TRANSMISSION HESITATES WHEN PROCEEDING FROM IDLE AT SLOW SPEEDS AND SOMETIMES BETWEEN GEARS AT HIGHWAY SPEED WHEN TRYING TO ACCELERATE. HAVE NEARLY BEEN REAR-ENDED INNUMERABLE TIMES. ORIGINAL SEVERAL COMPLAINTS TO DEALER RESULTED IN INFO THAT "NO TSB HAS BEEN ISSUED TO FIX THAT". THIS LAST TIME I COMPLAINED, I WAS TOLD THAT IT WAS NATURAL FEATURE OF DRIVE-BY-WIRE, THAT NO TSB HAD BEEN ISSUED WHICH FIXED IT, AND THAT TOYOTA WAS NOT GOING TO DO ANYTHING ABOUT THIS KNOWN PROBLEM.

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 TOYOTA AVALON. THE CONTACT LEFT THE IGNITION TURNED ON OVER NIGHT AND FOUND THE BATTERY COMPLETELY DEAD THE NEXT MORNING. THE TRUNK WOULD NOT OPEN AS A RESULT OF THE DEAD BATTERY AND IT CANNOT BE MANUALLY UNLOCKED. AAA WAS CALLED TO JUMP START THE VEHICLE SO THE TRUNK COULD BE OPENED. THE TOYOTA DEALER ADVISED HIM TO GO TO A LOCKSMITH AND HAVE A KEY OPERATED LOCK INSTALLED ON THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT FELT THAT THE DEALER SHOULD BE RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS REPAIR. HE WENT TO A SECOND DEALER AND THEY STATED THAT THEY WOULD SEND HIS CONCERN THROUGH THE CHAIN OF COMMAND, BUT THE CONTACT HAS YET TO RECEIVE A RESPONSE. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 22,500. THE CONSUMER PROVIDED THE EMAIL CORRESPONDENCE FROM THE CONSUMER PERTAINING TO THE DEFECT. UPDATED 09/12/07 *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 TOYOTA AVALON. WHEN THE CONTACT DEPRESSES THE BRAKE PEDAL, THE VEHICLE SURGES AHEAD OR SHIFTS TO ANOTHER GEAR. THE DEALER WAS UNABLE TO DIAGNOSE THE CAUSE OF FAILURE. HE HAS SPOKEN WITH THE AVALON DIVISION OF TOYOTA AND THEY STATED THAT SOMEONE WILL CONTACT HIM IN REFERENCE TO THE FAILURE. THE VIN AND ENGINE SIZE WERE UNKNOWN. THE CURRENT MILEAGE IS 22,500 AND FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 20,000.