2008 Toyota Avalon

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 TOYOTA AVALON. HE DROVE APPROXIMATELY 2 MPH INTO HIS GARAGE AND THE VEHICLE LUNGED FORWARD. THE VEHICLE STOPPED ACCELERATING IMMEDIATELY AFTER HE APPLIED PRESSURE TO THE BRAKES. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHERE THEY TEST DROVE IT AND THEY COULD NOT DUPLICATE THE FAILURE. NO REPAIRS WERE MADE TO THE VEHICLE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 49450 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 49476. UPDATED 4/13/10 *CN UPDATED 05/20/10.*JB

2008 TOYOTA AVALON WAS RECALLED TO REPLACE A GAS PEDAL. THE CAR WAS TAKEN IN TO THE TOYOTA DEALER FOR THE SAID REPAIR. IT TOOK 4 HOURS. A FEW DAYS LATER THE CAR WAS IN REVERSE AND WAS SLOWLY BACKING OUT OF A RESIDENTIAL CARPORT WHEN IT ACCELERATED ON ITS OWN AND THE CAR DID ABOUT 3 LOOPS AROUND THE GARAGE AREA OF THE HOME CAUSING DAMAGE TO THE CAR, BENCHES, TREE, BUSHES, LAMP POST, ETC. THIS HAPPENED AFTER THE RECALLED DEFECT WAS REPAIRED. OWNER OF VEHICLE PUT IN CLAIM TO HER OWN INSURANCE COMPANY, PUT IN A CALL TO THE 800 TOYOTA NUMBER AND HAD CAR TOWED TO WHERE SHE PURCHASED THE CAR. EVERYONE SEEMS CONCERNED, BUT ONLY WANTS TO REPAIR THE DAMAGE TO THE CAR RATHER THAN GET TO THE ROOT OF THE PROBLEM. WE THOUGHT TOYOTA HAD THE FIX, BUT APPARENTLY NOT SINCE ACCELERATING AND GOING OUT OF CONTROL ON AN ACCELERATED PACE. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 TOYOTA AVALON. WHILE DRIVING 45 MPH AND HOLDING THE STEERING WHEEL STRAIGHT, IT WOULD DRIFT TO THE LEFT AND RIGHT. IT BECAME DIFFICULT TO DRIVE THE VEHICLE WHEN IT CONTINUED TO DRIFT. THE DEALER WAS CONTACTED AND THEY STATED THAT THEY WOULD NOT WORK ON THE VEHICLE AND TO TAKE IT SOME WHERE ELSE. THIS OCCURRED SINCE HE PURCHASED THE VEHICLE. THERE HAVE BEEN NO REPAIRS MADE TO THE VEHICLE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS UNKNOWN. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 40,000.

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 TOYOTA AVALON. WHILE DRIVING 10 MPH AND SLOWING DOWN, THE VEHICLE SURGED FORWARD AND ACCELERATED ON ITS OWN. SHE HAD TO APPLY EXTREME PRESSURE TO THE BRAKE PEDAL IN ORDER TO STOP THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER 8 TIMES WHERE THEY STATED THAT NOTHING WAS WRONG WITH THE VEHICLE AND THAT IT WAS NORMAL. THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL WAS PREVIOUSLY REPAIRED; HOWEVER, THE FAILURE CONTINUED TO OCCUR. THE FAILURE HAS OCCURRED SINCE THE VEHICLE WAS PURCHASED BRAND NEW. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 25 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 5500. UPDATED 04/01/10. *LJ UPDATED 05/13/10

VEHICLE IS A 2008 TOYOTA AVALON. THE SAFETY ISSUE IS WITH THE STEERING COLUMN ADJUSTMENTS OF WHICH THERE ARE TWO ON OUR VEHICLE. THE GREATER CONCERN IS WITH THE LOCKING LATCH ON THE TELESCOPING STEERING COLUMN. IN APPROXIMATELY SIX SEPARATE INCIDENTS, THE LATCH FOR UNKNOWN REASON SLOWLY DROPS WITHOUT WARNING. THE LATCH CAN NOT BE SEEN FROM THE DRIVER POSITION. AN ALARMING SHOCK OCCURS WHEN YOU BRAKE HARD AND LEAN ON THE WHEEL CAUSING THE STEERING WHEEL TO TELESCOPE DOWNWARD SUDDENLY. LOSS OF CONTROL IS TEMPORARY BUT IS DANGEROUS.THE UP AND DOWN ADJUSTMENT LATCH SIMILAR DROPS WITHOUT WARNING BUT NOT AS OFTEN AS THE TELESCOPE LOCK. THESE CONCERNS HAVE BEEN REPORTED TO THE DEALER WHERE WE BOUGHT OUR VEHICLE. ACCORDING TO THE DEALER THEY NOTED NO DEFECT. WE HAVE OUR DOUBTS AND CONCERNS IN VIEW OF THE RECENT ACCELERATOR PEDAL RECALLS. OUR AVALON ACCELERATOR HAS ALREADY BEEN REPAIRED, BUT WE REMAIN APPREHENSIVE. THE TRANSPORTATION DEPARTMENT SHOULD OPEN AN INVESTIGATION ON THE STEERING COLUMNS. *TR

TOYOTA AVALON CRUISE CONTROL SAFETY PROBLEM. AFTER SEVERAL EXPERIENCES WITH UNEXPECTED RAPID ACCELERATION I TOOK THE CAR TO THE TOYOTA DEALERSHIP IN O'FALLON, ILLINOIS. WHAT I DISCOVERED IS THAT THE LASER CRUISE CONTROL SYSTEM ADJUSTS ON THE CRUISE CONTROL LEVEL IN 5 MPH INCREMENTS UP OR DOWN. HOWEVER, IF YOU TAP THE LEVER UP MORE THAN ONCE IT WILL INCREASE THE SPEED BY 5, 10, 15, 20 MPH. MORE IMPORTANTLY, IF YOU HOLD THE CRUISE LEVEL FOR MORE THAN A FEW SECONDS, THE CRUISE SETTING CONTINUES TO INCREMENT AND IN JUST A FEW SECONDS YOU MAY HAVE UNKNOWINGLY INCREASED THE SETTING FOR THE CRUISE BY 20 OR 25 MPH. THIS IS VERY DANGEROUS SINCE OLDER MODELS OF MOST CARS, INCLUDING TOYOTAS, JUST INCREMENT YOUR SPEED BY A FEW M.P.H. AS YOU HOLD THE CRUISE CONTROL LEVEL UP TO GET TO THE DESIRED CRUISING SPEED. MOST IMPORTANTLY, THE OWNERS MANUAL IS INACCURATE AND DOES NOT DESCRIBE HOW THE RESETTING OF THE CRUISE SPEED ACTUALLY WORKS. IN MY OPINION THE CRUISE CONTROL LEVEL SHOULD NOT BE ALLOWED TO INCREASE YOUR SET CRUISING SPEED BY 20 OR 30 MPH BY LIFTING UP THE CRUISE LEVEL OR A FEW SECONDS. I HAVE EXPERIENCED SUDDEN RAPID ACCELERATION SEVERAL TIMES IN HIGHWAY DRIVING AND HAD TO SLAM ON MY BRAKES TO AVOID AN ACCIDENT. MY GUESS IS THAT A LOT OF THE COMPLAINTS ABOUT THE TOYOTA PRIUS IN THE PRESS RECENTLY RESULT FROM THE SAME CONDITION WITH THE OWNERS NOT INFORMED AS TO HOW THE CRUISE ADJUSTMENTS WORK AND THE MANUALS ARE PROBABLY INACCURATE OR INCOMPLETE. *TR

THIS IS NOT A COMPLAINT BUT SOME INFORMATION REGARDING THE TOYOTA RECALL. I GOT A 2008 TOYOTA AVALON IN OCTOBER OF 2007. WHEN SELECTING OPTIONS FOR MY CAR, I ASKED FOR FLOORMATS WHICH WERE CLEARLY SHOWN IN THE AVALON'S PROMOTIONAL MATERIAL. WHEN THE AVALON CAME (OCT 2007) IT DID NOT HAVE THE REQUESTED FLOOR MATS. I ASKED THE DEALER ABOUT THIS AND HE SIMPLY SAID THEY WERE NOT AVAILABLE. I POINTED OUT THAT THEY WERE IN THE AVALON BOOKLET AND HE AGAIN SAID THEY WERE NOT AVAILABLE. I THEN DID WHAT MOST PROBABLY DID, BECAUSE THEY WANTED TO PROTECT THEIR NEW CAR, AND THAT WAS TO PURCHASE FLOORMATS AT AN AUTO SUPPLY. MY CONCERN IS THAT THE AUTOMAKER CLEARLY KNEW THAT THERE WAS A PROBLEM WITH FLOORMATS AT LEAST 2 AND A HALF YEARS AGO AND DID NOT WARN ME OF THIS NOR ANYONE ELSE. THIS RESULTED IN TRAGIC CONSEQUENCES FOR SOME. I THINK THEY NEED TO BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE FOR WITHHOLDING THIS INFORMATION UNTIL AFTER THERE WERE DEATHS RELATED TO THIS PROBLEM. *TR

I HAVE A 2008 TOYOTA AVALON THAT I HAD ONLY 4 MONTHS PRIOR TO THE ACCIDENT. THE CAR APPEARED TO BE IN EXCELLENT CONDITION UNTIL MY HUSBAND TOOK IT TO THE DELTA SONIC CARWASH TO HAVE IT CLEAN. AS HE WAS COMING OUT OF THE CAR WASH, HE SHIFT FROM NEUTRAL TO DRIVE AND THE ACCELERATOR FAILED , STICKING IN FULL THROTTLE,CAUSING HIM TO LOSE CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE. TO AVOID COLLISION WITH OTHER VEHICLES COMING OUT OF THE GAS STATION, WHICH IS PART OF THE BUSINESS, AND HITTING PEDESTRIANS AND THE GAS PUMPS, HE STEERED THE CAR HITTING A POLE, GOING OVER EMBANKMENT, THE SIDEWALK AND INTO ONGOING TRAFFIC IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION. THE CAR CAME TO A STOP TWO BUSINESS DOWN FROM WHERE THE ACCIDENT ORIGINATED. DAMAGES WAS DONE TO ALL 4 TIRESWITH BENT RIMS, THE FRONT RIGHT AND LEFT BUMPER AND GRILLE, THE HOOD, THE LAMP GROUND WITH THE HEAD LIGHT KNOCKED OUT. THE DRIVER'S SIDE MIRROR WAS HANGING DOWN. THE EXHAUST SYSTEM (MUFFLER, TAILPIPES) WERE DAMAGED. THE REAR FENDER AND BUMPER WAS DAMAGED. THE BATTERY, OIL PAN, REAR ENGINE CRADLE CUSHION PIPES WERE REPLACED. AT THE TIME, WE THOUGHT IT WAS SOMETHING THAT HE DID, BUT WE NOW SINCE HAVE FOUND THAT TOYOTA HAS HAD A PROBLEM WITH THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL STICKING IN FULL THROTTLE AND HAVE ASKED FOR A RECALL. THE TOTAL DAMAGE WAS TO A SUM OF $12,226.39. THE INSURANCE AND REPAIR COMPANY HAVE FIXED THE CAR AT OUR EXPENSE AND THE OLD OR REPLACEMENT PARTS ARE NO LONGER AVAILABLE TO MY KNOWLEDGE. I HAVE ONLY PHOTOS OF THE CAR IN THE DAMAGED STATE. I DID GO TO THE TOYOTA DEALERSHIP THAT I PURCHASED THE CAR FROM AND THEY PLAN TO START REPAIRS FEB. 15. 2010. MY CONCERNS IS HOW DO I GET TOYOTA TO HONOR MY REQUEST FOR A CAR REPLACEMENT BECAUSE MY CAR HAS BEEN DEVALUED BECAUSE OF THE ACCIDENT AND IS NOW PART OF THE CAR FAX REPORT. I RUN THE RISK OF HAVING OTHER PROBLEMS. IF NOT REPLACE THE CAR, PROVIDE ME WITH FREE MAINTENANCE FOR THE LIFE OF THE CAR AND REPAY ME FOR OUT OF POCKET EXPENSES DUE TO THE FAILED ACCELERATOR. *TR