2011 Toyota Avalon

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 TOYOTA AVALON. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE MAKING A RIGHT OR LEFT TURN, THE STEERING COLUMN WAS LOOSE. THE CONTACT STATED NO WARNING LIGHT WAS ILLUMINATED. THE CONTACT STATED HE WAS ABLE TO READJUSTED THE STEERING COLUMN HOWEVER, EXPERIENCED THE FAILURE WITHIN A FEW DAYS. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED NOR REPAIRED. A DEALER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE MANUFACTURER HAD NOT BEEN INFORMED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 111,800.

I WAS USING THE LEVER TO PUSH THE SEAT AWAY FROM THE STEERING WHEEL WHEN ONE SIDE STOPPED MOVING, CAUSING THE OTHER SIDE TO DERAIL. I TOOK THE CAR TO JIM HUDSON TOYOTA IMMEDIATELY, AND THE TECHNICIAN WAS ABLE TO GET SEAT BACK ON TRACK. HOWEVER, HE WASN'T ABLE TO GET THE SIDE MOVING, AND STATED THE ENTIRE SEAT RAIL WOULD HAVE TO BE REPLACED. FURTHERMORE, I WAS TOLD I HAVE A LEAK IN THE ROD AND PINION SYSTEM BECAUSE THE INNER SEAL NEEDS TO BE REPLACED. ALTHOUGH, I SERVICE MY VEHICLE REGULARLY WITH FRED ANDERSON TOYOTA, AND NOTHING HAS EVER BEEN SAID ABOUT THIS.

WHILE DRIVING, THE STEERING COLUMN TELESCOPIC LEVER COMES LOOSE AND THE COLUMN DEPRESSES. IT HAS HAPPENED SEVERAL TIMES WHILE PULLING UP ON THE BOTTOM OF THE STEERING WHEEL, DURING SHARP TURNS FOR EXAMPLE, AND THE LEVER UNLOCKS. THEN AS SOON AS YOU PRESS ON THE STEERING WHEEL, PERHAPS SOME TIME LATER, THE STEERING WHEEL GOES COMPLETELY INTO THE DASH. IT IS ALMOST AS IF THE STEERING WHEEL IS FALLING AWAY FROM ME, AND I HAVE PARTIALLY GONE THROUGH TWO (THANKFULLY EMPTY) INTERSECTIONS BECAUSE I LOST CONTROL OF THE CAR BECAUSE THE STEERING COLUMN COLLAPSED UNEXPECTEDLY.

THE TILT/TELESCOPIC LEVER ON THE LEFT SIDE OF THE STEERING COLUMN STAYS IN PLACE VIA SOME TYPE OF FRICTION TENSION. IT REGULARLY DISENGAGES BY ITSELF AND ALLOWS THE STEERING COLUMN/STEERING WHEEL TO FALL DOWN OR SUDDENLY MOVE INWARD. THIS CAN OCCUR WHEN THE VEHICLE IS IN MOTION AT BOTH HIGHWAY AND SLOW SPEEDS. IT IS DANGEROUS AS IT CAN MAKE IT DIFFICULT TO HANG ONTO THE STEERING WHEEL. A SIMPLE GOOGLE SEARCH OF THIS ISSUE SHOWS LITERALLY HUNDREDS OF COMPLAINTS ABOUT THIS PROBLEM. IT HAS HAPPENED TO ME PERHAPS MORE THAN 50 TIMES SINCE I'VE OWNED THE VEHICLE.

WENT FOR MY ROUTINE SERVICE AND WAS TOLD I HAVE A RACK&PINION LEAK, NO LEAKING OBSERVED UNDER CARPORT BUT WAS SHOWN THE LEAK ONCE CAR WAS PLACED ON RACK TO BE VIEWED. ASKED IF CAR WAS SAFE TO DRIVE TO ATLANTA, MECHANIC AND SERVICE MANAGER ENCOURAGED ME TO GO AHEAD AND DRIVE IT, THEY STATED IT WILL NEED A NEW RACK & PINION, STATING IT WILL COST APPROX.. $800.00 PULSE $89.00 FOR FRONT END ALIGMENT. THEY SAID THIS IS NORMAL FOR AVALONS TO HAVE THIS PROBLEM. THIS CAR WAS PURCHASED FROM A TOYOTA DEARLERSHIP WITH 38,000 ON SPEEDOMETER AND AT THE TIME OF SERVICE I ONLY HAD PUT APPROX. 21,000 MILES. I READ UP ON RACK AND PINION LEAKS AND IT STATED IT COULD BE DANGEROUS IF THE FLUID STARTED TO SPUR OUT WITHOUT A WARNING AND CAN CAUSE YOU TO LOSE CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE. I PURCHASED I THOUGHT AN EXTENDED WARRANTY FOR $2600 AND TO BE TOLD THAT THE WARRANTY EXPIRED IN MAY 2018, 3YRS OR 30 THOUSAND MILES AND CAR WAS SERVED IN AUG.2018. I FILED BANKRUPTCY IN 2016 AND DON'T HAVE EXTRA MONEY TO FIX MY CAR SO I CALLED THE FEDELITY WARRANTY COMPANY AND THEY TOLD ME I SHOULD AS MY DEALERSHIP FOR A POSSIBLE REFUND. NOW THE VEHICLE DRIVE VERY BAD AND I FEEL LIKE THEY SHOULD AT COMPENSATE ME AND FIX THE VEHICLE AT A REDUCED CHARGE SINCE I PAID THEM $2600. I FEEL LIKE MY LIFE HAS BEEN PUT IN DANGER BECAUSE I CAN'T AFFORD TO MAKE A CAR NOTE AND PAY A LARGE FEE TO FIX THE CAR. ALSO I ASKED FOR NEW TIRES, BUT THEY SAID THE TIRES WERE GOOD FOR AT 15,000 MILES. I PAID $24,995 FOR THE AVALON 2011 IN 2014. THEY AGREED TO GIVE ME 2 NEW TIRES WHEN NEEDED, BUT THESE WERE NOT MICHELINS, THEY WERE CHEAP TIRES AND THE THESE WERE PLACED ON THE FRONT AND THE OLD MICHELINS WERE PLACED ON THE BACK LAST YEAR AND AT THE NEXT SERVICE DATE THEY TOLD MED THEY COULD NOT BALANCE THE TIRES. I'M DISAPPOINTED BECAUSE I FEEL I GOT A BAD DEAL. I HAVE NEVER KNOWN IT TO BE NORMAL FOR A TOYOTA BRAND CAR TO EXPECT PROBLEMS.

THE LOCKING LEVER ON THE ADJUSTABLE STEERING WHEEL WILL WITH OUT NOTICE RELEASE ITSELF CAUSING THE STEERING TELESCOPING FEATURE TO BECOME LOOSE AND DIFFICULT TO MAINTAIN STEERING CONTROL NEEDING TO ADJUST AND REPOSITION THE LOCKING LEVER TO REGAIN STEERING CONTROL WHILE THE VEHICLE IS MOVING. I JUST PURCHASED THE USED ONE OWNER 2011 AVALON WITH ONLY 28,000 MILES ON IT. THE PROBLEM HAS OCCURRED SIX TIMES IN A ONE MONTH PERIOD.

STEERING COLUMN POSITION LOCK LEVER CONTINUES TO DISENGAGE. THE LEVER, OVER TIME, WORKS IT'S WAY DOWN UNTIL IT RELEASES THE "SET" POSITION OF THE STEERING COLUMN. THIS CAUSES THE STEERING COLUMN TO MOVE OUT OF IT'S SET POSITION WHILE DRIVING WHICH COULD CAUSE A DANGEROUS SITUATION. THIS HAS OCCURRED MANY TIMES SINCE I HAVE OWNED THIS VEHICLE. I THINK THERE WAS A RECALL ON OTHER YEAR MODELS OF THE TOYOTA AVALON BUT I DO NOT UNDERSTAND WHY 2011 WAS EXCLUDED.