2006 Toyota Avalon

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 TOYOTA AVALON. WHILE DRIVING LESS THAN 5 MPH TO PULL INTO AN UNDERGROUND GARAGE AREA, THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL BECAME STUCK AND FAILED TO RELEASE. THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS APPLIED WITH FORCE, BUT THE VEHICLE LUNGED FORWARD AND CRASHED INTO THE GARAGE DOOR. UPON IMPACT, A YELLOW PIECE ASSOCIATED WITH THE FRONT PASSENGER SIDE AIR BAG FRACTURED. NONE OF THE AIR BAGS DEPLOYED. THE DRIVER SUSTAINED INJURIES TO THE HEAD AND NECK AND SUSTAINED BODILY SCRATCHES AND BRUISING, WHICH DID NOT REQUIRE MEDICAL ATTENTION. THE INSURANCE COMPANY WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE AND PLANNED TO INVESTIGATE THE CAUSE OF THE AIR BAG AND ACCELERATION FAILURES. A DEALER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBERS: 10V017000 (VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL) AND 09V388000 (VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL). THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURES. THE VEHICLE WAS STILL AT THE CONTACT'S RESIDENCE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 216,000.

WHILE BACKING OUT OF THE DRIVEWAY, IN REVERSE, THE CAR SUDDENLY AND WITHOUT WARNING ACCELERATED AT A HIGH RATE ON IT'S OWN WITHOUT DEPRESSION OF THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL. BRAKES WERE APPLIED AT FULL FORCE DURING THE ACCELERATION WITH OUT EFFECT. VEHICLE CONTINUED DOWN THE DRIVEWAY, CROSSING OVER THE STREET, THEN JUMPED THE OPPOSING CURB, STRIKING A STONE WALL.

WHEN ACCELERATING FROM A STOP THE VEHICLE WILL SOMETIMES MOVE ABOUT 10 FEET AND THEN HESITATE FOR ABOUT 1 TO 2 SECONDS. IT WILL THEN ACCELERATE NORMALLY. WHEN DRIVING IN HEAVY CONDITIONS AT SPEEDS UNDER 35 THE CAR HESISTATES BADLY WHEN YOU TRY TO ACCELERATE AND THEN "JUMPS" FORWARD. SAME THING HAPPENS ON THE DOWNSIDE TO THE POINT THAT IT FEELS LIKE ITS GOING TO STALL. THE SERVICE ADVISOR ALSO SAID THERE HAD BEEN OTHER COMPLAINTS ABOUT THIS CONDITION. THIS CONDITION IS DANGEROUS AND NOT NORMAL.

I AM IN SHOCK GIVEN THE TODAY?S NEWS. I WAS IN AN ACCIDENT ON 12/01/08 IN MY 2006 TOYOTA AVALON. I COULD NOT STOP THE CAR AND RAN INTO THE T-BAR OF A BOX TRUCK IN FRONT OF ME. MY CAR WAS TOTALED. AFTER THE ACCIDENT WE CALLED THE TOYOTA EXPERIENCE CENTER, THEY CREATED A CLAIM #1001145755 AND ERIKA WITH TOYOTA SAID THEY WOULD BE IN CONTACT WITH US. WE NEXT HEARD FROM A [XXX] WITH TOYOTA WHO THEN TOLD US TO MAIL OUR COMPLAINT TO TOYOTA MOTOR SALES CLAIMS DEPARTMENT IN TORRANCE, CA. WE MAILED OF THE NECESSARY DOCUMENTATION FROM THE ACCIDENT AND NEVER HEARD BACK FROM THEM. WE CALLED BACK ON MANY OCCASIONS ALL TO BE NEVER ANSWERED OR GIVEN A RUN AROUND, ONCE TOLD THEY WERE LOOKING INTO IT. NOTHING EVER CAME OF IT ALL. WE DIDN'T KNOW WHAT TO SO WE GAVE UP, AT THE TIME WE COULD NOT AFFORD A LAWYER. SO TODAY?S NEWS WAS FRUSTRATING. MONTHS PRIOR TO MY ACCIDENT WE TOOK THE AVALON INTO DCH TOYOTA OF SIMI VALLEY TO CHECK OUT ACCELERATION PROBLEMS. THEY SAID NOTHING WAS WRONG WITH IT AND TOLD ME I NEEDED A TRANSMISSION FLUID EXCHANGE AND TO HAVE THE POWER STEERING FLUID FLUSHED. WE WERE TOLD NOTHING WAS WRONG; CLEARLY THERE WAS. I AM JUST CURIOS WHAT ACTIONS WE TAKE NOW. I AM SO FRUSTRATED AND DISAPPOINTED. CAN YOU PLEASE ADVISE ME ON WHAT TO DO? INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

I HAD STARTED DRIVING AND ALL OF A SUDDEN THE VEHICLE ACCELERATED. I APPLIED BRAKES AND HAD DIFFICULTY STOPPING IT. I TOOK THE VEHICLE TO A TOYOTA DEALERSHIP AND THEY COULD NOT FIND THE CAUSE OF THE ACCELERATION. THEY SUGGESTED TO CALL TOYOTA CORPORATION AND PROVIDED ME WITH A 800 NUMBER. I TOLD THE REP OF THE PROBLEM AND SHE INFORMED ME THAT THE ACCELERATION PROBLEM WAS RESOLVED AND NEW MATS WERE ISSUED TO THE CUSTOMERS. I ACKNOWLEDGED THAT THE VEHICLE IN 2010 WAS CHECKED BY TOYOTA AND ISSUED MATS. I HAVE NOT HAD ANY PROBLEMS AFTER THAT TIME BUT IN MARCH 2014, THE ACCELERATION STARTED AGAIN. SHE SAID THE ISSUE IS RESOLVED AND SETTLED. I AM CONCERNED WHETHER THE ACCELERATION PROBLEM WAS NOT WHAT TOYOTA PINPOINTED AND TOLD US THE PROBLEM WAS RESOLVED. WHY IS THIS PROBLEM OCCURRING AFTER 4 YEARS? WHAT STEPS CAN BE TAKEN TO ENSURE SAFETY IN DRIVING THIS VEHICLE? *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 TOYOTA AVALON. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 25 MPH, THE VEHICLE INDEPENDENTLY ACCELERATED WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER, WHO WAS UNABLE TO DUPLICATE THE FAILURE. THE DEALER ADVISED THE CONTACT THAT THERE WERE NO FAILURES WITH THE VEHICLE. THE MANUFACTURE WAS ALERTED OF THE ISSUE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 39,000. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 49,000.

ON A FLAT SURFACE IN CRUISE CONTROL TRAVELING AT 40+MPH, BRAKES APPLIED, THEN RESUME IS ACTIVATED, AND VEHICLE SURGES AHEAD UNEXPECTEDLY. ON A HILL AT 50 MPH, WITH CRUISE CONTROL ON, THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY ACCELERATES EXCESSIVELY CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO VEER RIGHT OR LEFT. THIS CONDITION HAS EXISTED SINCE I PURCHASED THE VEHICLE NEW. AFTER COMPLYING NUMEROUS TIMES, THE AUTHORIZED TOYOTA DEALER COULD "DETECT NOTHING WRONG WITH THE CRUISE CONTROL". THEY DID NOT OFFER TO DO A TEST DRIVE. I HAVE PUT UP WITH THIS CONDITION FOR A LONG TIME, BUT THE PROBLEM IS NOW MUCH WORSE AND DANGEROUS TO DRIVE. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS 2006 TOYOTA AVALON. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE REVERSING FROM A RESIDENTIAL DRIVEWAY, THE VEHICLE ABNORMALLY AND RAPIDLY ACCELERATED. THE CONTACT CRASHED INTO A PATIO AND THEN A HOUSE. THERE WERE NO INJURIES. A POLICE REPORT WAS NOT FILED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN AUTO REPAIR SHOP HOWEVER, THE MECHANIC WAS UNABLE TO DIAGNOSE THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE PROBLEM. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 90,000. UPDATED 3/25/14*CN