2007 Toyota Avalon

LEAKING TIMING COVER. SERVICE MANAGER AT JAY WOLFE TOYOTA, MO., SAY THAT 20% OF AVALONS HAVE THIS LEAK AND WILL COST ME $2,464 TO REPAIR. I MENTIONED THAT I WORKED FOR FORD MOTOR CO AND SAT IN ON THE WEEKLY SAFETY OFFICE RECALL MEETINGS. HE REPLIED, 'IT'S NOT A SAFETY ISSUE', I SAID THAT IF 20% VEHICLES HAVE A FAILURE RATE AFTER 7 YEARS, NHTSA WOULD LIKE TO BE MADE AWARE OF PROBLEM. *TR

IN JUNE 2008, I BOUGHT A NEW 2007 TOYOTA AVALON AT A LOCAL TOYOTA DEALERSHIP, HARR TOYOTA AT 100 GOLD STAR BLVD, WORCESTER, MA 01606. I HAD BEEN ENJOYING DRIVING THE CAR FOR THE PAST 6 YEARS AND HAVE ALWAYS THOUGHT THAT THE NEXT VEHICLE FOR MY FAMILY WILL BE ANOTHER TOYOTA AVALON. I LIKED IT SMOOTH DRIVE, NUMBER OF FEATURES, PLENTY OF SPACE AND THE MOST THE RELIABILITY. ALL MAINTENANCE ON THE VEHICLE HAS BEEN PERFORMED AS REQUIRED AND I THOUGHT THAT AS LONG AS I TAKE GOOD CARE OF IT, I COULD DRIVE IT FOR MANY MORE YEARS. UNFORTUNATELY, ONE WEEK AGO, WHEN MY FAMILY AND I WERE TRAVELING ON THE STATE HIGHWAY, I-90, THE CARS SPEED DROPPED FROM ABOUT 67 MPH TO 0 IN A MATTER OF SECONDS. THE VEHICLE BECAME UNRESPONSIVE CAUSING ME A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF STRESS. I MUST HAVE BEEN BORN UNDER A LUCKY STAR? BECAUSE I WAS ABLE TO MOVE TO THE BREAK DOWN LANE WITHOUT CAUSING WHAT COULD HAVE BEEN A MAJOR ACCIDENT. I AM SURE THAT ANYONE THAT HAS HAD THEIR LOVED ONES AT A GREAT RISK WOULD UNDERSTAND MY FEELINGS. WE RECEIVED HELP FROM THE STATE POLICE IN TERMS OF TOWING THE CAR TO THE NEAREST TOYOTA DEALERSHIP, BERNARDI TOYOTA AT 1626 WORCESTER RD, FRAMINGHAM, MA. THE PROBLEM WITH A CAR WAS IDENTIFIED AS FAILURE OF THE TRANSMISSION SYSTEM AND THE CAR WAS REPAIRED AT A COST OF $5,100. GIVEN THE FACT THAT THE CAR HAS ONLY 57,000 MILES ON IT (MINIMAL MILEAGE WHEN COMPARE TO THE ANTICIPATED LONGEVITY AND RELIABILITY OF TOYOTA) AND ONE YEAR PAST 5-YEAR WARRANTY (2008-2014) MAKES ME EXTREMELY DISAPPOINTED. I WOULD APPRECIATE YOU TO STRONGLY CONSIDER REIMBURSING ME FOR THE SUBSTANTIAL COST OF THE REPAIRS THAT WERE CAUSED BY WHAT DEEMED A SUBSTANDARD ORIGINAL TRANSMISSION IN MY VEHICLE. I LOOK FORWARD TO YOUR REPLY. PLEASE CONTACT ME AT THE E-MAIL ADDRESSER BY PHONE. [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

IT WAS DAYLIGHT AT APPROXIMATELY 3 PM LOCAL TIME. WE WERE ON GOOD INTERSTATE ROAD WITH MODERATE TRAFFIC AND DRY PAYMENT. WE WERE ON I-65 ABOUT 10 MILES SOUTH OF FRANKLIN, TN. MY WIFE AND I WERE THE ONLY PASSENGERS IN OUR VEHICLE AND WE WERE BOTH WEARING SEAT BELTS. WE ARE THE ORIGINAL VEHICLE OWNER AND THE VEHICLE HAS BEEN WELL MAINTAINED. WE WERE NOT IMPAIRED AND HAD STOPPED FOR A REST BREAK AND A DRIVER CHANGE 15 MINUTES EARLIER. SHE WAS DRIVING, I WAS IN THE FRONT PASSENGER SEAT. WE WERE IN THE LEFT LANE. THE DRIVER IMMEDIATELY IN FRONT US IN THE RIGHT LANE SUDDENLY SWERVED INTO OUR LANE FOR REASONS UNKNOWN. WE HAD TRAFFIC TO OUR IMMEDIATE RIGHT SO THE ONLY PLACE AVAILABLE FOR MY WIFE TO AVOID WAS THE LEFT EDGE OF THE HIGHWAY WHICH IS WHERE SHE WENT. THE LEFT SHOULDER WAS ROUGH DUE TO RECENT CONSTRUCTION IN THE AREA. SHE LOST CONTROL AND WE SPUN OUT IN THE GRASSY MEDIUM WITHOUT HITTING ANYTHING. SHE WAS UNHURT. MY RIGHT CLAVICLE WAS BROKEN IN TWO PLACES WITH THE TWO BREAKS THE WIDTH OF THE SHOULDER BELT APART WHICH IS ASSUMED TO BE THE PROXIMATE CAUSE OF THE BREAK. I WAS EVACUATED BY AMBULANCE TO THE NEAREST TRAUMA CENTER AND HAD SURGERY TWO WEEKS LATER TO REPAIR MY CLAVICLE. IT TOOK SURGERY, THE LARGEST CLAVICLE PLATE THEY MAKE, AND 10 SCREWS TO PUT MY SHOULDER BACK TOGETHER. OUR AIR BAGS DID NOT FIRE. OUR SEAT BELT PRE-TENSIONERS DID NOT FIRE. THE OTHER VEHICLE FLED THE SCENE. OUR CAR WAS REPAIRED AT A STATE FARM CERTIFIED REPAIR CENTER. *TR

ON OR ABOUT MAY, 2012, MY WIFE AND I STARTED TO NOTICE SMALL CRACKS ALL OVER THE DASHBOARD! THEN WITHIN A COUPLE OF MONTHS THE ENTRE DASHBOARD LOOKED AS IT WERE MELTING AND I COULDN'T FIGURE OUT WHY SINCE THE CAR HAS BEEN GARAGE KEPT SINCE THE DAY I BOUGHT IT. THEN THE MELTING TURNED INTO A SHEEN, MAKING IT IMPOSSIBLE TO SEE WITHOUT SQUINTING AND WEARING SUN GLASSES AND PUTTING THE SUN VISORS DOWN SO I WAITED A WHILE AND SAW ON THE INTERNET THAT IT WAS A VERY SERIOUS PROBLEM SO ON 9-5-13 I CALLED TOYOTAS HOTLINE AND WAS GIVEN A COMPLAINT NUMBER ([XXX]) AND TOLD THE THEY WOULD NOT DO ANYTHING SINCE THE CAR WAS OUT OF WARRANTY. I EXPLAINED THE IT WAS A SERIOUS SAFETY PROBLEM AND STILL NOTHING! I ALSO WENT TO LIPTON TOYOTA ON 8-20-13 AND SPOKE TO THE SERVICE DIRECTOR, [XXX], AND EXPLAINED THE PROBLEM TO HIM AND HE ALSO TOOK PICTURES TO SHOW TO HIS REPRESENTATIVE. HE CALLED ME BACK A COUPLE OF DAYS LATER AND TOLD ME THAT HIS BOSS WANTED NOTHING TO DO WITH IT BUT THAT HE WOULD SPLIT THE COST WITH ME AND REPLACE THE DASH BOARD FOR $900 OUT OF MY POCKET. I TOLD HIM THAT THE OFFER WAS OUTRAGEOUS, I EXPLAINED THAT IF IT WERE MY FAULT 100% I WOULD PAY THE &1,800, IF IT WERE 50% MY FAULT I WOULD PAY THE $900, BUT SINCE IT WAS TOYOTA'S FAULT 100% THEY SHOULD REPLACE THE DASHBOARD AT THEIR EXPENSE. HE TOLD ME FORGET IT! ([XXX] PHONE # IS 954-735-1330 EXT [XXX]) THE LOCATION OF THE DEALERSHIP IS 1700 W. OAKLAND PARK BLVD. FT. LAUDERDALE, FL. 33311.... INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2007 TOYOTA AVALON. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 55 MPH, THE TRANSMISSION SHIFTED INTO NEUTRAL INDEPENDENTLY WITH EXTREME HESITATION. THE FAILURE RECURRED ON NUMEROUS OCCASIONS. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER WHERE THE TRANSMISSION WAS TO BE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 90,000.

MY 2007 AVALON NEVER HAD AN OIL PROBLEM. LAST THURSDAY I NOTICED OIL IN THE DRIVEWAY AS A SHOVELED SNOW. I CHECKED THE OIL LEVEL AND THE VEHICLE WAS 1 1/2 QUARTS DOWN. I PUT THE 1 1/2 QUARTS INTO THE CAR AND DROVE IT TO MY MECHANIC 5 MILES AWAY. THE MECHANIC SAID THAT THE VEHICLE WAS TOTALLY OUT OF OIL AND THAT I WAS VERY LUCKY THAT THE ENGINE DIDN'T CATCH ON FIRE BECAUSE THE OIL WAS SPRAYING ALL OVER THE ENGINE. THE MECHANIC DIAGNOSED THE PROBLEM AS AN OIL LEAK FROM THE VVT-I OIL HOSE. I WENT ON LINE AND DISCOVERED THIS LIMITED SERVICE CAMPAIGN FOR VVT-I OIL LINE. I CONTACTED THE DEALERSHIP WHERE I PURCHASED THE VEHICLE. THEY STATED THAT THEY WOULD GET BACK TO ME. THEY NEVER DID. I CONTACTED TOYOTA.COM AND SPOKE TO THE REPRESENTATIVE. THEY STATED THAT THE LSC WAS FOR 07 TOYOTA AVALON'S BUT MY VIN WASN'T INCLUDE IN THE LSC, EVEN THOUGH IT WAS THE SAME PROBLEM ALL THE 07 AVALONS WERE HAVING. THIS PROBLEM IS GOING TO CAUSE MAJOR DAMAGE TO THE AVALONS. IT IS ALSO VERY DANGEROUS THE WAY THE OIL LEAKS ALL OVER THE ENGINE. THERE IS GOING TO BE A LARGE NUMBER OF ENGINE FIRES. TOYOTA BASICALLY TOLD ME TO BAD AND GOOD LUCK. I HOPE SOMETHING WILL BE DONE BEFORE SOMEONE GETS BADLY HURT. OBVIOUSLY ALL 07 AVALONS ARE EFFECTED NOT JUST A CERTAIN FEW VINS THE LSC CAN BE OBTAINED BY GOGGLING VVT-I OIL LEAK, 2007 AVOLONSHERE IS THE LSC. *TR

WHILE DRIVING TOWARD A STOP SIGN, ATTEMPTED TO APPLY THE BRAKES. THE BRAKE PEDAL WENT VERY LOW TO THE FLOOR, CAR SLOWED DOWN, BUT DID NOT STOP. LOUD ABNORMAL GRINDING SOUNDS COULD BE HEARD AND LOCKING OF ALL BRAKES WERE FELT. I MOVED THE GEAR FROM DRIVE TO NEUTRAL TO PARK, BECAUSE THE CAR WOULD NOT STOP BY USE OF BRAKES. IF I WERE ON A MAJOR ROAD, I WOULD HAVE CRASHED INTO SOMEONE, OR BEEN REAR ENDED. *TR

ENGINE LIGHT ON CAR HAVING ENGINE TROUBLE POWER DOES NOT STAY EVEN,SOMETIMES STALLS OUT, TOOK BACK TOFOR SERVICE DUE TO ENGINE PRBLEMS, TUNE UP PERFORMED , AND COIL PACK HAD TO BE REPLACED ON A PREVIOUS SERVICE IN 2008 COIL PACK FOR CYLINDER 6 WAS REPLACED. REPAIR SHOP DID NOT LIST WHICH CYLINDER. BUT COIL PACK WAS REPLACED. *TR