2005 Toyota Avalon

FIRST CONTACTED TOYOTA MOTOR SALES U.S.A., INC. IN TORRANCE, CA. AND ADVISED THEM OF MY CAR TROUBLES PRIOR TO GOING TO DEALERSHIP FOR SERVICE. I MADE THEM AWARE THAT I DO NOT TRUST DEALER SERVICE DEPARTMENTS. THEY ASSIGNED ME A CASE NUMBER AND DOCUMENTED MY ISSUES WITH ENGINE/POWERTRAIN MALFUNCTION THAT STILL EXIST TODAY AND BOTH THE DEALER AND TOYOTA MOTOR SALES HAVE NOT ADDRESSED PROBLEM. ALSO, I STATED TO DEALER THAT THERE WAS LEAKAGE SURROUNDING THE POWER STEERING PUMP. DEALER WAS QUICK TO RESOLVE PROBLEM BY TRYING TO INDUCE ME TO HAVE PUMP CHANGED WITHOUT PERFORMING TRUE DIAGNOSTIC PROCEDURES TO INCLUDE; FAILURE TO REMOVE FRONT R/H TIRE TO LOOK AT POWER STEERING PUMP FROM THE FRONT SIDE, FAILURE TO CLEAN POWER STEERING PUMP AND SURROUNDING AREAS TO INVESTIGATE TRUE AREA OF LEAKAGE. INSTEAD, DEALER SERVICE DEPARTMENT CAME TO AN IMMEDIATE CONCLUSION THAT THE PUMP MUST BE LEAKING FROM PUMP SHAFT BEARING. COST TO REPLACE; $750.00 WHICH I DECLINED TO HAVE REPLACED. WITH THE VEHICLE UP ON JACK STANDS AND WITH TRUE DIAGNOSTIC TESTING, I REMOVED FRONT R/H TIRE, THOROUGHLY CLEANED POWER STEERING PUMP AND SURROUNDING AREA AND STEERED LEFT TO RIGHT AND RIGHT TO LEFT MANY TIMES AND CAN NOT LOCATE LEAK AT THIS TIME. COULD BE EVEN ENGINE OIL THAT DRIPPED DOWN OR PUMP HIGH PRESSURE LINE THAT GOES TO STEERING CYLINDER GEARBOX/YOKE AREA. AS FAR AS THE POWER TRAIN/ENGINE PROBLEM THAT HAS BEEN GOING ON FOR A VERY LONG TIME, THE ENGINE AND TRANSMISSION ARE ALWAYS OUT OF SYNCHRONIZATION. TO BRIEFLY STATE, THE ENGINE WONDERS (HI AND LOW RPMS) AND THE TRANSMISSION WILL BE IN WRONG GEAR. FURTHERMORE, THROTTLE RESPONSE IS MANY TIMES NON-EXISTENT. I DEPRESS PEDAL AND NO ENGINE RESPONSE IS FOUND. NEED TO FURTHER DEPRESS PEDAL FOR ENGINE TO ACCELERATE. THIS IS A SERIOUS SAFETY FACTOR AS FAR AS I AM CONCERNED. HAVE OTHER ISSUES NOT ABLE TO STATE BECAUSE OF YOUR LIMITED WORDS ALLOWED.

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 TOYOTA AVALON. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS LEAKING OIL. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER SEVEN TIMES WHERE THE OIL TUBE, HOSE, FILTER HOUSING, STUDS AND DRAIN PLUG CASKET WERE REPLACED. HOWEVER, THE FAILURE CONTINUED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 30,214 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 56,289. UPDATED 01/12/11*LJ THE DEALER REPLACED, THE DRAIN PLUGS, GASKETS, CRANK SEAL, VALVE COVERS AND OIL PAN. THE MOONROOF DID NOT OPERATE PROPERLY AND THERE WAS A PROBLEM WITH THE BATTERY NOT CHARGING. UPDATED 04/15/11 THE CONSUMER STATED THE UPPER AND LOWER OIL PANS WERE REPLACED. UPDATED 07/19/11/ *JB

ON THE 2005 TOYOTA 3.5 V-6 ENGINE (2FZR ENGINE), THERE IS AN OIL HOSE THAT FEEDS THE LEFT BANK (TOP HEAD OF THE ENGINE) THIS HOSE IS BULGING AND CRACKING AND MY RESEARCH SHOWS THAT THIS HOSE HAS A TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN ISSUED BY TOYOTA, BUT WILL NOT BE COVERED UNLESS THE HOSE RUPTURES DURING THE 5 YEAR OR 60,000 MILES WARRANTY. THIS HOSE IS DEFECTIVE AND TOYOTA HAS REPLACED IT. SINCE PART OF THE LUBRICATION HOSE TO THE LEFT BANK OF THE ENGINE IS METAL, THE PORTION THAT IS RUBBER IS THE AFFECTED PART ONLY. FURTHER RESEARCH FOUND THAT LEXUS WITH SIMILAR DISPLACEMENT ENGINE DOES NOT HAVE THIS RUBBER PORTION OF THE LUBRICATION HOSE. INSTEAD, THE LINE IS ALL METAL (AS IS THE CASE IN THE RIGHT BANK OF THE AVALON ENGINE. I AM REQUESTING AN INVESTIGATION AND REQUESTING THAT TOYOTA ISSUE A METAL REPLACEMENT HOSE. NUMEROUS AVALON OWNERS AND NOW HIGHLANDERS ARE BEING RECALLED TO REPAIR THIS DEFECTIVE RUBBER HOSE. *TR

MY 2005 AVALON WITH LESS THAT 40,000 MILES -STILL UNDER WARRANTY -WITHOUT ANY WARNING FROM DASHBOARD LIGHTS BEGAN TO LOSE POWER ON THE HIGHWAY-THEN IT SHUT DOWN-I MANAGED TO GET OFF THE ROAD AND THE CAR WAS ON FIRE. TOYOTA HAD THE CAR FOR OVER THREE MONTHS-COULD NOT TELL WHAT CAUSED THIS BUT IT MELTED JUST ABOUT EVERYTHING UNDER THE HOOD. I WAS AFRAID TO DRIVE IT BUT THEY WOULD NOT MAKE ANY ADJUSTMENTS TOWARD REPLACING IT. I HAD TO CALL TOYOTA TO GET REIMBURSED FOR THE TOWING. I HAD TO DEMAND A COPY OF THE 10 PAGE REPAIR BILL. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 TOYOTA AVALON. WHILE THE CONTACT WAS DRIVING 55 MPH HE NOTICED THAT THE ENGINE TEMPERATURE HAD RISEN. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A LOCAL MECHANIC WHERE THE CONTACT HAD THE SERPENTINE BELT REPLACED. THERE WERE NO PRIOR WARNINGS. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 57,000. UPDATED 3/24/10 *CN THE SERPENTINE BELT BROKE WHILE DRIVING. IT WAS APPARENTLY CAUSED BY FROZEN BEARINGS IN THE IDLER PULLEY. THE ROTORS WERE WARPED AND HAD TO BE REPLACED, THE POWER STEERING PUMP WAS REPLACED DUE TO LEAKAGE. UPDATED 08/11/10

VVTI HIGH-PRESSURE OIL RUBBER HOSE LEAKAGE PROBLEM ON 2005 AVALON AT 29,500 MILES: HEARD STRANGE ENGINE NOISE; SAW VERY LITTLE OIL ALTHOUGH I HAD CHANGED OIL ONLY 300 MILES AGO AND NO SIGN ON DASHBOARD. PUT 4-5 QUARTS OF OIL AND DROVE 20 MILES AND PARKED. AFTER STARTING THE CAR, SAW A HUGE OIL PUDDLE UNDER THE ENGINE. NEXT MORNING TOWED TO TOYOTA MECHANIC WHO MENTIONED THE ABOVE VVTI RUBBER HOSE LEAKAGE PROBLEM IN BANK 2 (TOP ONE). THE METAL CLIPS CONNECTING THE RUBBER HOSE TO THE OIL METAL TUBE ON BANK 2 ERODE THE RUBBER PORTION WITH TIME, MAKING A SMALL PINHOLE LEAK AT FIRST WHICH CAN LEAD TO A CRACK SUDDENLY UNDER HIGH PRESSURE. GOOGLING IT I FOUND THAT IT IS A VERY COMMON PROBLEM WITH THESE V6 ENGINES ON 2005 AVALONS AND OTHER TOYOTA CARS, SUCH AS, RAV4. TOYOTA HAS A SERVICE BULLETIN ON IT, BUT IT NEVER WARNED OWNERS LIKE ME ABOUT IT.THROUGH A PERSONAL LETTER. SOME PEOPLE HAD THEIR ENGINE SEIZED DUE TO IT, MINE DID NOT. BUT WORSE WAS IN STORE FOR ME. AFTER THE RUBBER HOSE WAS REPLACED BY ANOTHER SIMILAR RUBBER HOSE, I STARTED NOTICING IN THE FOLLOWING DAYS THAT THE ENGINE STARTED MAKING A GRINDING NOISE WHEN I STARTED IT COLD - AFTER 10-12 HOURS OF OVERNIGHT PARKING, SAY, 75% OF THE TIME, BUT THE NOISE DIED AWAY AFTER 30 SECONDS OR SO; NO NOISE IF WARM. ALSO, A GROWLING NOISE WAS HEARD WHEN GOING UP SMALL INDOOR GRADIENTS LIKE PARKING LOTS. MECHANIC SAID THAT THE BOLTS ON THE TIMING GEAR IN BOTH BANK 2 AND BANK 1 HAD BECOME LOOSE, TWO BOLTS WERE OUT IN THE GEAR BOX WITH ONE BROKEN - ALL CAUSED DURING THE OIL LEAKAGE. I WAS LUCKY MY ENGINE HAD NEVER SEIZED DUE TO IT. HE HAD TO REPLACE ALL PARTS ASSOCIATED WITH IT, NAMELY, TIMING GEARS, CAM-SHAFTS, CAMS, TENSIONER RING, ETC. ALSO, REPLACED THE RUBBER HOSE WITH AN ALL-METAL OIL TUBE, AS THAT WAS WHAT TOYOTA HAD ON ITS LEXUS ES350, BUT THIS ONLY DUE TO MY INSISTENCE. RUBBER HOSE CAN LEAK AGAIN. ALSO, PUT SILICONE ON SOME ENGINE GASKETS (?). TOYOTA NEEDS TO WARN AVALON OWNERS ABOUT GETTING THIS VVTI HOSE REPLACED.