2004 Toyota Avalon

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 TOYOTA AVALON. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE PASSENGER'S SIDE AIR BAG WARNING LAMP ILLUMINATED SPORADICALLY. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHERE THE TECHNICIAN DIAGNOSED THAT THERE WAS A CONNECTION PROBLEM UNDER THE PASSENGER SEAT AND AS A RESULT, THE WIRING HARNESS NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 35,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 43,000.

AIR BAG WARNING LIGHT FLASHES CONTINUOUSLY FROM TIME TO TIME, THEN OPERATES NORMALLY AFTER INSTRUMENT PANEL START UP CHECK. MANY SIMILAR COMMENTS MAY BE FOUND ON INTERNET BY SEARCHING 2004 (AND OTHER MODEL YEARS) TOYOTA AVALON. DEALERS NOR TOYOTA MANUFACTURING APPEAR NOT TO HAVE AN ABSOLUTE/ACCURATE RESOLUTION. SOME TECHNICIANS FEEL THE PROBLEM (AMONG OTHERS) MAY BE RELATED TO A STEERING RECALL REPAIR AS A CABLE WITHIN THE STEERING COLUMN COULD HAVE BEEN DAMAGED IN THE REPAIR PROCESS OR STEERING SYSTEM FAILURE OR AS AN INADVERTENT CABLE WEAR UNDER NORMAL STEERING CONDITIONS. OWNERS ARE BEARING THE COST OF REPAIR AND LOSS OF VEHICLE RESALE VALUE. UNKNOWN IS THE POTENTIAL LACK OF PASSENGER SAFETY IF THE AIR BAG SYSTEM IS INOPERATIVE. ACCIDENT RECORDS INDICATE THAT IN SOME ACCIDENT CASES AIR BAGS HAVE NOT DEPLOYED AND PASSENGER INJURY/DEATH HAS OCCURRED. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 TOYOTA AVALON. THE CONTACT WAS DRIVING 20 MPH WHEN HE CRASHED INTO THE REAR OF ANOTHER VEHICLE AND THE AIRBAGS FAILED TO DEPLOY. THE CONTACT SUSTAINED INJURIES TO THE HEAD, NOSE, KNEES AND LIP. THE CONTACT ALSO SUSTAINED BRUISING AROUND THE EYES. THE POLICE WERE CONTACTED AND REPORT WAS FILED. THE VEHICLE WAS DESTROYED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 100,000.

OUR AVALON HAS ABOUT 46,000 MILES ON IT AND HAS BEEN DOING THE FOLLOWING FOR THE LAST 10,000; PASSENGER-SIDE AIRBAG LIGHT/FAULT INDICATOR INTERMITTENTLY COMES ON WHILE DRIVING AT ANY SPEED. THIS MAY GO FOR DAYS OR WEEKS WITHOUT HAPPENING, AND THEN HAPPEN SEVERAL TIMES A DAY. INDICATOR MAY COME FULLY ON OR ONLY DIMLY ON, FOR SECONDS OR FOR MINUTES. IT APPEARS THAT GOING OVER A BUMPY ROAD WILL TRIGGER THE LIGHT GOING ON OR OFF. THE VEHICLE WAS BROUGHT TO THE WATERTOWN MA TOYOTA DEALER FOR ANALYSIS IN OCTOBER 2010 AND TO THE WOBURN MA TOYOTA DEALER ON JANUARY 16 2012. THE INDICATOR DID NOT COME ON WHILE AT EITHER DEALER WHO SAID THEY COULD NOT FIND ANYTHING WRONG AND THAT WE NEED TO BRING THE VEHICLE TO THEM WHEN THE AIRBAG LIGHT IS ON. THIS IS IMPOSSIBLE BECAUSE NEITHER DEALER IS CLOSE TO OUR HOME AND THE LIGHT GOES ON AND OFF SO INTERMITTENTLY. THE JANUARY 2012 VISIT TO THE WOBURN MA TOYOTA DEALER INCLUDED RUNNING A DIAGNOSTIC TEST THAT DID NOT FIND ANYTHING WRONG BUT SAID IT COULD POSSIBLY BE THAT THE AIRBAG WIRING HAD GOTTEN WET AT ONE POINT AND THIS WAS THE RESULT. THE DEALER ADVISED US TO SEE IF THE PROBLEM IS WORSE WHEN IT RAINS. (IT IS NOT.) BOTH DEALERS SAID IF THE INDICATOR IS ON THEN THE AIRBAG SYSTEM IS NOT WORKING PROPERLY, WHICH IS VERY CONCERNING TO US. A LOCAL MECHANIC ALSO REMOVED THE FRONT SEAT FROM THE CAR TO CHECK THE AIRBAG WIRING BENEATH THE SEAT; THEY DID NOT FIND ANY PROBLEMS. ON FEBRUARY 7, 2012, THE AIRBAG LIGHT WENT ON AND WE WERE ABLE TO GET TO THE LOCAL MECHANIC WITH IT STILL ON. THE MECHANIC IMMEDIATELY PUT ON THE SCANNING TOOL AND NO DIAGNOSTIC CODES SHOWED EVEN THOUGH THE LIGHT WAS ON. HE TAPPED ON THE AIRBAG PANEL ABOVE THE PASSENGER GLOVE COMPARTMENT AND THE DIAGNOSTIC CODES STARTING APPEARING ON HIS SCANNER. BASED ON THE SCAN RESULTS, HE SAID THAT THE PASSENGER AIRBAG IS FAULTY AND NEEDS TO BE REPLACED. *TR

SRS AIRBAG LIGHT COMES ON INTERMITTENTLY HAVE BEEN BACK TO THE DEALER MULTIPLE TIMES AND THE LIGHT GOES OFF, THE ONE TIME IT WAS ON THE TECHNICIAN PLACED THE COMPUTER ON IT AND NO ERROR CODE WAS SHOWING EVEN THOUGH THE LIGHT WAS FLASHING ON AND OFF. ANOTHER TECHNICIAN REPLACED THE MAIN SENSOR MODULE $700+ BUT THE LIGHT STARTED FLASHING AGAIN AFTER THE WEATHER CHANGED AND STARTED GETTING COLD. DEALER SAYS I HAVE TO BRING IT BACK FOR MORE DIAGNOSIS, ALSO MORE MONEY. CALLED TOYOTA CORPORATE OFFICES AND THEY WILL NOT EVEN TALK TO ME ABOUT REFUNDING THE UNNECESSARY REPAIR COST AS CAR IS OUT OF WARRANTY. HAVE SEEN MULTIPLE INSTANCES OF THIS BEHAVIOR BEING DOCUMENTED IN THE INTERNET POSTINGS, WHY HASN'T THE NHTSA DIRECTED TOYOTA TO FIX THIS SAFETY ISSUE. IF THE LIGHT IS ON THE AIRBAGS WILL NOT DEPLOY AND MULTIPLE BLOGS HAVE STATED THAT TOYOTA AIRBAGS HAVE FAILED TO DEPLOY IN MULTIPLE INSTANCES. I THINK A MAJOR RECALL IS IN ORDER FOR TOYOTA AVALON AIRBAGS FOR THE 2001-2004 MODEL YEARS. *TR

LETTER FORWARDED FROM NTSB FROM SENATOR CASEY ON BEHALF OF CONSUMER REGARDING CONCERNS ABOUT THE DASHBOARD AIRBAG LIGHT IN HIS 2004 TOYOTA AVALON XLS *TGW THE CONSUMER STATED OVER THE PAST 2 YEARS THE AIR BAG LIGHT WOULD ILLUMINATE AND THEN GO OUT. THE DEALER WAS UNABLE TO DIAGNOSE A PROBLEM. THE DEALER INFORMED THE CONSUMER THAT EVERY TIME THE AIR BAG LIGHT ILLUMINATED, THAT MEANT THE AIR BAG WERE INOPERATIVE. *JB

1. I WAS AT NELLIS AIR FORCE BASE PERFORMING A CEREMONY. AFTER THE CEREMONY I ENTERED THE VEHICLE WITH WIFE TO GO TO THE BASE SHOPPING AREA. THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED IN A PARKING SPACE WITH A CONCRETE TIRE STOP, AND WALL IN FRONT. ENTERED THE VEHICLE TO BACK OUT. IT CAME OUT QUICKER THAN NORMAL OFF AXIS AND THE REAR BUMPER IMPACTED THE CONCRETE PROTECTOR TO A POLE WITH VERY LITTLE DAMAGE. I PUT THE VEHICLE IN NEUTRAL AND FELT NO OUT OF THE ORDINARY INDICATIONS. 2. I PUT IT INTO DRIVE WITH MY FOOT ON THE BRAKE TO PULL FORWARD THEN BACK OUT. THE CAR ACCELERATED AT FULL POWER SUFFICIENT ENOUGH TO KICK OUT THE CONCRETE TIRE STOP BEHIND THE VEHICLE, AND TOTAL THE FRONT END OF THE 2003 TOYOTA AVALON X LS TO THE TUNE OF 17684 DOLLARS.. I PURCHASED THE VEHICLE IN DECEMBER OF 2008 AND HAD NO PRIOR PROBLEMS, AND NOT BEING A RECALLED AVALON NO WARNING. I WENT THROUGH THE NHTSA DATABASE FOR AVALON FROM 2000--2010 AND FOUND I HAD THE EXACT SAME PROBLEM OTHERS REPORTED. 3. TOYOTA DEALERSHIP WAS CONTACTED AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT. WHEN I CALLED CORPORATE LATER IN THE MONTH THEY DID NOT EVEN HAVE THE VEHICLE IN MY NAME. I ASKED FOR AN INSPECTOR AND THEY SENT ONE HIS NAME EMAIL ETC IS ON FILE. WHEN I CALLED TOYOTA CORPORATE AGAIN THEY SAID I WOULD GET A LETTER FROM THEIR CLAIMS DEPARTMENT. ABOUT THE FINDINGS.IN 2-4 WEEKS. THEY DID NOT OFFER TO PICK UP THE RENTAL OR TO PROVIDE ANY ASSISTANCE.. NOTE: I PUT IN SPEED CONTROL AND AIR BAGS FOR I HAD TO PUT IN SOMETHING TO MAKE THE MENU WORK. IT ACCELERATED OUT OF CONTROL WITH MY FOOT ON THE BRAKE THE EXACT CAUSE IS TO BE DETERMINED, I COULD NOT CONTROL THE SPEED SO THAT FIT CLOSEST. THE AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY FOR IT HIT ON AN ANGLE, A FLAW IN THE DESIGN. IF YOU ACCELERATE AT FULL POWER INTO A BRICK WALL THEY SHOULD DEPLOY. PARKING SPACE SPEED UNKNOWN PUT IN 30 MPH TO MAKE THE FORM WORK. FORM NEEDS UPDATING THIS SHOULD BE OPTIONAL. *TR