2008 Toyota Avalon

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 TOYOTA AVALON. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE HIGH BEAM HEADLIGHTS EXPLODED AFTER THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED. THERE WAS BROKEN GLASS ALL AROUND THE HEADLIGHTS. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHO STATED THAT THERE WAS NO RECALL FOR THE FAILURE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED AND A CLAIM WAS FILED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 53,000.

I BOUGHT A 08 TOYOTA AVALON LIMITED FROM CARMAX IN MAY 2012 WITH AN EXTENDED WARRANTY. WITHIN 30 DAYS OF PURCHASE I WAS TOLD BY MY COWORKER THAT MY HEADLIGHT WAS OUT. I LOOKED AT THE REFLECTION IN THE GLASS BUT WASN'T SURE THAT THE LIGHT WAS OUT. I TURNED THE HEADLIGHTS OFF AND ON AGAIN, GOT OUT OF THE CAR INSPECTED THE LIGHT AND BOTH WERE ILLUMINATED. I RETURNED TO CAR TO CARMAX, REPORTED WHAT I THOUGHT WERE SMALL THINGS, VIBRATION IN THE TIRE, CHIPPED PAINT. I VERBALLY COMPLAINED ABOUT A SHORT IN THE CIGARETTE LIGHTER AND THE HEADLIGHT GOING OUT BUT IMPLIED THAT THE ISSUE HAD BEEN CORRECTED. I WAS NOT AWARE OF THE HID HEADLIGHT ISSUE. THROUGHOUT THE NEXT FEW MONTHS I WORKED THE MIDNIGHT SHIFT. I DROVE THE CAR 10 MIN TO WORK. THE REST OF THE TIME WAS MOSTLY DAYLIGHT DRIVING. ON OCT. 1, 12 I STARTED DRIVING THE CAR AT NIGHT. DAYS HAD BECOME SHORTER AND IT GOT DARKER EARLIER. DURING THE NEXT FEW WEEKS I NOTICED POOR ILLUMINATION AT NIGHT AND WAS CONSTANTLY SWITCHING MY HEADLIGHTS FROM THE ON POSITION TO OFF AND BACK ON AGAIN. I HAD KNEE SURGERY OCT. 25, 2012 AND DIDN'T DRIVE FOR A WEEK. NOV 19, 12 I VISITED THE TOYOTA DEALERSHIP IN CATONSVILLE, MD. I ADVISED THAT MY LIGHTS WERE TURNING OFF INTERMITTENTLY. TOYOTA DEALERSHIP SUGGESTED NEW BULBS CLAIMING THAT THE BULBS GOING OUT WAS AN INDICATOR THAT THEY WERE GOING BAD. I'M NO GENIUS BUT IT DIDN'T MAKE SENSE THAT BULBS STILL ILLUMINATED WHEN THEY'RE BAD. AFTER INSISTING THAT THE EXPLANATION MADE NO SENSE AND CONTACTING TOYOTA MOTOR CORPORATION. THE DEALERSHIP REEVALUATED THE HEADLIGHTS AND FOUND THAT THE HEADLIGHT ASSEMBLY WAS BAD. TMC EVALUATED MY CLAIM AND ADVISED THAT THEY WOULD PAY FOR HALF THE COST OF REPLACEMENT OF THE HEADLIGHT ASSEMBLY, $1500. ALTHOUGH I HAD THE CAR 7 MONTHS IT WAS OUT OF THE ALREADY TMC EXTENDED WARRANTY OF 5 YRS. BUT UNDER THE WARRANTY MILEAGE OF 7200 MILES. THE TSB # FOR THIS IS 004410. *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

THE TELESCOPING STEERING WHEEL LOCK UNLOCKED WITHOUT WARNING AND THE STEERING WHEEL WENT FULL FORWARD. THE LOCK HAD ALSO COME UNLOCKED ABOUT A WEEK PRIOR BUT I HAD NOTICED IT AND CORRECTED IT PRIOR TO THE WHEEL GOING FORWARD. I DID SOME RESEARCH ON THE INTERNET TODAY AND NOTICE THAT THERE ARE NUMEROUS SITES WITH COMPLAINTS OF THIS SAME NATURE ABOUT THE AVALON. *TR

IT JUST RAINED THE PASS 4-5 DAYS. MY WIFE WENT TO LOOK FOR SOMETHING SHE THOUGHT DROPPED UNDERNEATH MY SEATS. SHE SAID MY CARPET/FLOORBOARDS WERE WET. I WENT TO THE VEHICLE AND PRESSED DOWN ON THE CARPET. WATER INSTANTLY RAISED UP AND FORMED A PUDDLE AROUND MY INTIRE HAND. THIS IS HAPPENING DRIVER AND PASSENGER SIDE FRONT AND BACK SEATS. NO MOISTER ON HEADLINER DOORS PILLARS DASH SEATS ETC ETC ETC. ONLY CARPET. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *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

AIR BAGS FAILED TO DEPLOY. I WAS INVOLVED IN AN ACCIDENT IN WHICH MY CAR WAS T-BONE ON THE PAX SIDE AND THEN MY CAR CRASHED HEAD ON INTO A GUARD RAIL. THE OTHER VEHICLE WAS GOING AT AN ESTIMATED SPEED OF 35 MPH WHILE MY VEHICLE WAS CROSSING AN INTERSECTION AT LESS THAN 5 MPH. THE IMPACT OF THE CRASH CRUSHED THE PAX SIDE OF THE CAR; JAWS OF LIFE HAD TO BE USED TO EXTRACT THE PAX IN MY VEHICLE. UPON IMPACT MY VEHICLE TRAVELED IN A SIDE MANNER AND SPUN AROUND HITTING A GUARD RAIL APPROXIMATELY STRAIGHT ON. THE ENTIRE FRONT OF THE VEHICLE WAS CRUSHED AND THE DRIVER DOOR WAS BENT ON IMPACT. THE VEHICLE WAS A TOTAL LOSS; NOTHING IN FRONT OF THE FRONT TIRES WAS LEFT ON THE VEHICLE. IN SPITE OF THIS, NOT A SINGLE AIRBAG IN THE VEHICLE DEPLOYED. POLICE REPORT DONE ON SCENE AS WELL AS EMT REPORT STATE THE SAME. *TR

BOTH LOW BEAM HEADLIGHTS ON MY 2008 TOYOTA AVALON SPORADICALLY GO OUT, AND I HAVE TO TURN THE LIGHTS OFF AND ON IN ORDER TO GET THEM TO TURN BACK ON. BOTH HIGH BEAM HEADLIGHTS ARE COMPLETELY OUT, AS WELL AS BOTH FOG LIGHTS. THERE ARE THOUSANDS OF 2008 TOYOTA AVALON OWNERS WHO ARE EXPERIENCING THIS PROBLEM WITH THEIR LIGHTS. THIS IS A MAJOR SAFETY CONCERN FOR EVERYONE WHO IS AFFECTED BY THIS PROBLEM. ORIGINALLY, THIS TYPE OF PROBLEM IS COVERED UNDER A 5 YEAR/36K MILES WARRANTY, BUT DUE TO OVERWHELMING COMPLAINTS, TOYOTA EXTENDED THE WARRANTY TO 5 YEAR/72K MILES. THE REPAIR INVOLVES REPLACING THE HID HEADLIGHT CONTROL UNIT (BALLAST), WHICH CAME DEFECTIVE FROM THE MANUFACTURER, AS WELL AS ALL OF THE HEADLIGHTS, AND IN SOME CASES BOTH HEADLIGHT HOUSINGS. THE TOTAL COST FOR THIS REPAIR IS ABOUT $2,500 TO $2,800. IN MY CASE, AS IS THE CASE OF MANY OTHER 2008 TOYOTA AVALON OWNERS, MY BEAMS BEGAN TO FAIL AFTER THE WARRANTY PERIOD, AT ABOUT 75K MILES, AND THEREFORE I AM REQUIRED TO COVER THIS COST AT MY OWN EXPENSE. THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH 2008 TOYOTA AVALONS, WHICH TOYOTA KNOWS ABOUT. TOYOTA CLAIMS THAT IT IS A WARRANTY BASED ISSUE, AND THEY ARE UNWILLING TO ACCEPT THE FACT THAT IT IS A RECALL BASED ISSUE. IT IS A MAJOR SAFETY CONCERN FOR ALL 2008 TOYOTA AVALON OWNERS. *TR