2008 Toyota Avalon

VEHICLE EXPERIENCING THE INOPERATIVE OF DAYTIME RUNNING LIGHTS(DRL) AND HIGH BEAM AND LOW BEAM BULBS. PREVIOUSLY REPLACED BULBS. PROBLEM CONTINUES AFTER BULB BEING REPLACED. LIGHTS RETURN TO NORMAL OPERATION WHEN SWITCHED TO OFF POSITION AND BACK ON. NO SPECIFIC PATTERNS OF OCCURRENCE. EXPLANATION BY DEALERSHIP WHEN CHECKED WAS THAT THEY DID NOT DETECT A PROBLEM AT THE TIME OF SERVICE. NOTE ENTERED BY SERVICE ADVISOR STATED "ELECTRICAL PROBLEM". *TR

CAR WOULDN'T START AT SHOPPING AREA - PAID $5 FOR A BATTERY JUMP - HAD CAR TESTED AT LOCAL AUTO SHOP - SAID WE NEEDED AN ALTERNATOR BUT MAY BE UNDER WARRANTY - WENT TO EASTERN SHORE TOYOTA - FOR $56.57 - YES WE NEEDED AN ALTERNATOR - NOT UNDER WARRANTY -COST $580 - TAKE TIL TUES - SUGGEST WE SPEND $100 PLUS AND RENT A CAR. WE ELECTED TO TAKE OUR CHANCES AND HAD THE VEHICLE FIXED CLOSER TO GULF SHORES WHERE WE ARE STAYING - COST WAS $396. WE HAVE NEVER HAD AN ALTERNATOR GO OUT AFTER OWNING VEHICLES FOR NEARLY 60 YRS - LET ALONE AT 46725 MILES AND SUCH A PRICEY CAR. WE ARE CONSIDERING THE RAV 4 FOR 2014 BUT THIS IS GIVING US SECOND THOUGHTS. *TR

WHILE DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY ONE OR BOTH HEADLIGHTS FLICKER THEN TURN OFF. THIS HAPPENS ALL THE TIME AND THE ONLY WAY TO GET THE LIGHTS TO COME BACK ON IS TO TURN THEM OFF AND THEN BACK ON AGAIN. IT IS GETTING PROGRESSIVELY WORSE AND THE DEALER SAID I HAVE TO BRING THE CAR IN FOR EVALUATION WHEN THE LIGHTS GO OUT. UNFORTUNATELY I HAVE TO DO THIS DURING BUSINESS HOURS WHEN IT IS DARK TO KNOW THAT MY LIGHTS ARE OUT. AND WHEN BOTH LIGHTS GO OUT IT ISN'T A GOOD IDEA TO LEAVE THEM OFF SO I CAN DRIVE TO THE DEALER. BOTH BULBS HAVE BURST IN THE PAST AND HAVE BEEN REPLACED TWICE BY THE DEALER. THIS TIME THE NEW BULBS DON'T APPEAR TO BE BURSTING BUT JUST TURNING OFF BY THEMSELVES. THE BURST BULB PROBLEM STARTED OCCURRING WHEN I HAD LESS THAN 20K MILES BUT NOW THE DEALER SAID BOTH LIGHT HOUSINGS NEEDS REPLACED AT MY COST OF OVER $5000. *TR

LOST BOTH HIGH BEAM LIGHTING WHILE DRIVING IN A SNOW STORM AT NIGHT, ON A DARK MOUNTAIN ROAD IN OREGON. I HAVE 2002 CHEVY SILVERALDO PICKUP WITH OVER 150,000 MILES AND NO HEADLIGHT PROBLEMS EVER. THE LAST KNOWN HEADLIGHT FAILURE I HAD WAS ON MY 1957 CHEVY AROUND 1970. YOU WOULD THINK HEADLIGHT PROBLEMS IN TODAYS CARS WOULD NOT EXIST, EVER! I CHECKED ALL FOUR FUSES PER TOYOTA'S MAINTANANCE MANUAL, AND THEY ARE GOOD. I SEE THERE ARE SEVERAL COMPLAINTS ON TOYOTA'S. SEEMS LIKE THEY WOULD FIX OUR PROBLEMS BEFORE THERE IS A FATALITY. THANKS *TR

ON JUNE 24, 2011 WE TOOK A TRIP TO ARKANSAS. AS WE WERE GOING IN THE MOUNTAINS, WE FOUND THAT WE HAD NO HIGH BEAMS ON OUR HEADLIGHTS. ON RETURNING TO FRESNO WE TOOK IT INTO THE TOYOTA DEALER AND HE INFORMED US THAT THE HEADLIGHT HAD EXPLODED AND WOULD COST $2500 TO REPLACE. AFTER A DISCUSSION WITH THE DEALER AND TOYOTA, THE DEALER FIXED THEM. THEN IN SEPTEMBER 2012 THE DRIVING LIGHTS WENT OUT. WE TOOK THE CAR IN TO THE TOYOTA DEALER AND HE INFORMED US THAT THEY HAVE EXPLODED AGAIN. THEY WANT $2500 TO REPLACE THEM AGAIN. I DO NOT UNDERSTAND WHY THEY WANT TO CHARGE THE CUSTOMER WHEN IT IS A MANUFACTURING PROBLEM. CAN YOU IMAGINE DRIVING ON BACK ROADS AT NIGHT (WHICH WE DO) AND HAVE THE LIGHTS GO OUT? I THINK THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE AND MAKES IT A VERY EXPENSIVE CAR TO OPERATE YEARLY. I UNDERSTAND THAT THIS IS A ONGOING PROBLEM WITH THE 2008-2010 MODELS WITH HD HEADLIGHTS. *TR

THE LOW BEAM HEADLIGHTS (HID BULBS) GO OUT INTERMITTENTLY WHILE DRIVING. WE HAVE REPLACED THE HID BULBS AND THE PROBLEM HAS CONTINUED. THE VEHICLE HAS BEEN TAKEN TO A LOCAL TOYOTA DEALER FOR EVALUATION. THEY HAVE BEEN UNABLE TO SAY DEFINITIVELY WHAT THE ISSUE IS. THEY WANT TO CHANGE THE BULBS (TOTAL COST OF $800) IN ORDER TO MAKE A DETERMINATION OF WHETHER THE PROBLEM IS WITH THE BULBS OR NOT. SINCE THE PROBLEM HAS CONTINUED THE VEHICLE CAN'T BE SAFELY DRIVEN AT NIGHT FOR LONG DISTANCES FOR FEAR THE LIGHTS WILL GO OUT. THIS IS A MAJOR SAFETY ISSUE THAT TOYOTA DOES NOT SEEM TO WANT TO ACKNOWLEDGE NOR RESOLVE. *JS

HEADLIGHTS FLICKER AND THEN GO OUT COMPLETELY. THIS IS A REPEATED ISSUE. HEADLIGHTS ON BOTH SIDES WILL GO OUT WHILE DRIVING. SOMETIMES THE HEADLIGHTS WILL COME BACK ON; OTHER TIMES WILL NOT. THIS IS APPLICABLE TO THE LOW BEAMS AS WELL AS THE HIGH BEAMS. HAVE NOTIFIED TOYOTA AND THEY WILL NOT ADDRESS THE ISSUE PROPERLY. TOYOTA WILL NOT ADMIT THERE IS A DEFECT IN THE EQUIPMENT IN THE 2008 AVALON. MANY OTHER AVALONS IN THIS MODEL YEAR ARE EXPERIENCING SIMILAR ISSUES. THIS IS A SIGNIFICANT SAFETY ISSUE. *TR

SEPT. 11, 2011, WHILE PARKED, AT NIGHT, AUTOMATIC HEADLIGHTS ON, BOTH HIGH BEAM HEADLIGHT LAMPS EXPLODED. THE VERY NEXT DAY, I TOOK MY AVALON TO THE DEALER AND WAS TOLD THAT SINCE THE CAR WAS ABOVE 36,000 MILES, THAT THE REPAIR WOULD COST $2,700. I WAS TOLD THAT BOTH LAMPS AND ASSEMBLIES MUST BE REPLACED. I WAS PRESENTED A TOYOTO SERVICE BULLETING STATING THAT BOTH ASSEMBLIES MUST BE REPLACED. GOT NO OPTIONS FROM THE DEALERSHIP. NOV. 9, 2011, I RECEIVED A WARRANTY ENHANCEMENT NOTICE STATING THAT MY WARRANTY WAS EXTENDED TO 75,00 MILES AND THE IT COVERED THE HEAD LAMPS AND ASSEMBLIES. IT TOOK UNTIL JAN. 10, 2012, TO SETTLE THIS ISSUE. THE LAMPS AND ASSEMBLIES WERE REPLACED BY THE COMPANY AND I RECEIVED A FULL REIMBURSEMENT. *TR

TWO YEARS AGO BOTH BRIGHT HEADLIGHTS FAILED. DEALER REPLACED BULBS AT MY EXPENSE. ON 3/12/2012 BOTH BULBS ON THE DRIVERS SIDE FAILED. DEALER SAID THE VEHICLE HAD DEFECTIVE HEADLIGHT ASSEMBLY THAT TOYOTA KNEW ABOUT THAT HAD TO BE REPLACED ($1265.30) AT MY EXPENSE BECAUSE VEHICLE HAD OVER 50000 MILES (CAR NOW HAS 85000 MILES). I CALLED TOYOTA AND THEY CONFIRMED THAT THIS WAS TRUE. MY QUESTION TO TOYOTA WAS, IF I WAS DRIVING ON A BUSY HIGHWAY AT NIGHT AND BOTH DEFECTIVE ASSEMBLIES FAILED WOULDN'T MY SAFETY BE IN JEOPARDY AND IF SO WHY WASN'T THIS CAR RECALLED? *TR