2006 Toyota Avalon

IN JULY 2010 I TOOK MY 2006 TOYOTA AVALON TO WALDORF TOYOTA FOR THE 60,000 SERVICE AND REPORTED A PROBLEM WITH MY STEERING STICKING WHEN TURNING LEFT. THIS PROBLEM OCCURS RANDOMLY. THE PROBLEM WAS DIAGNOSED AS AN ALIGNMENT NEEDED TO CORRECT THE PROBLEM WHICH I HAD THEM PERFORM. HOWEVER, AFTER APPROXIMATELY A WEEK AND HALF I EXPERIENCED THE SAME PROBLEM. I RETURNED THE CAR AGAIN IN EARLY AUGUST 2010 BUT WAS INFORMED THAT THE PROBLEM COULD NOT BE DUPLICATED, CONSEQUENTLY THE CAR WAS NOT REPAIRED. FAST FORWARD TO AUGUST 2011, MORE THAN ANOTHER YEAR LATER, I AM STILL EXPERIENCING THE SAME PROBLEM AND THE SAME EXPLANATION FROM THE DEALERSHIP THAT THE PROBLEM COULD NOT BE DUPLICATED SO THERE HAS NOT BEEN RESOLUTION. THIS IS A SERIOUS SAFETY CONCERN AS WHEN THE STEERING STICKS A VERY QUICK RESPONSE IS NEEDED TO CORRECT THE DIRECTION THAT YOU WOULD LIKE THE VEHICLE GO WHILE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE TURN. I NEVER KNOW WHEN I WILL BE SURPRISED WITH THIS UNFORTUNATE SITUATION. I AM DISAPPOINTED WITH TOYOTA AND CONCERNED FOR MY SAFETY.

2006 TOYOTA AVALON. CONSUMER STATES PROBLEM WITH POWER STEERING PUMPS *TGW THE CONSUMER STATED THE POWER STEERING PUMP WAS LEAKING. ON FEBURARY 7, 2009 THE POWER STEERING PUMP WAS REPLACED UNDER WARRANTY. IN JUNE 2010, WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS BEING SERVICED, THE MECHANIC POINTED OUT THAT THE POWER STEERING PUMP WAS LEAKING AGAIN AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE CONSUMER CONTACTED THE DEALER WHO ORIGINALLY REPLACED THE PUMP IN 2009. THEY INFORMED THE CONSUMER, THE POWER STEERING PUMP WAS ONLY UNDER WARRANTY FOR 12 MONTHS AND THEY COULD NOT REPLACE IT WITHOUT CHARGING HIM FOR THE REPAIRS. *JB

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 TOYOTA AVALON XLS. WHILE DRIVING 5 MPH, THE CONTACT NOTICED THAT THE STEERING COLUMN MADE A CLUNKING NOISE. THE DEALER OFFERED NO ASSISTANCE WHEN CONTACTED. THE VEHICLE HAD NOT BEEN REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER HAD NOT BEEN NOTIFIED. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 27,000. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 17,000. UPDATED 01/24/11 *BF UPDATED 02/03/11

MY 2006 TOYOTA AVALON XLS EXHIBITS LOUD KNOCKING NOISE WHEN TURNING STEERING WHEEL AT LOW SPEEDS. DEALER SAID THIS IS A PROBLEM WITH THE 2006 AVALON AND CAN BE FIXED BY REPLACING THE STEERING COLUMN AT A COST OF $911. THIS IS A PROBLEM THAT TOYOTA SHOULD HAVE ISSUED A RECALL TO FIX SINCE THEY KNEW ABOUT IT SINCE 2004 AND HAVE ISSUED VARIOUS SERVICE BULLETINS ON SUBJECT. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 TOYOTA AVALON. THE CONTACT WAS DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 70 MPH WHEN WITHOUT WARNING ,THE STEERING WHEEL COLUMN UNLOCKED IN A DOWNWARD MOTION, CAUSING THE STEERING WHEEL TO TRAVEL TOWARDS THE INSTRUMENT PANEL. IMMEDIATELY THE CONTACT REDUCED SPEED AND ATTEMPTED TO CORRECT THE STEERING WHEEL FAILURE. THE CONTACT CAUTIOUSLY DROVE TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD TO RE-LOCK THE STEERING WHEEL. THE VEHICLE RESUMED NORMAL OPERATION. THE FAILURE OCCURRED FOUR TIMES. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED FOR THE FAILURE. THE VIN WAS UNAVAILABLE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 120,000.

I WAS EXPERIENCE WHAT I BELIEVED TO BE A "STICKY" STEERING WHEEL. I FIRST NOTICED IT IN DECEMBER OF 2009. IN 2010, I WENT TO TOYOTA NUMEROUS TIMES ABOUT THIS ISSUE BUT THEY SAID THAT THEY COULDN'T LOOK IN TO IT BECAUSE 1. IT WAS INTERMITTENT AND 2. "LIKE LOOKING FOR A NEEDLE IN A HAYSTACK". I SAVED THE PAPERWORK OF WHERE I HAD CAME TO THE DEALERSHIP COMPLAINING OF SUCH ISSUE WHICH PROVED TO BE FRUITFUL WHEN TOYOTA ISSUED A RECALL ABOUT THE PROBLEM IN JULY. I TOOK MY CAR BACK TO THE DEALERSHIP THE NEXT DAY WITH MY PAPERS STATING MY PREVIOUS INQUIRES. STILL THEY WERE UNABLE TO DO ANYTHING BECAUSE TOYOTA HAD NOT ISSUED ANY FIXES TO THE DEALERSHIPS. THERE WERE NUMEROUS TIMES I FELT LIKE THE CAR WOULD NOT COME OUT OF A TURN. I HAVE SINCE SOLD MY 2006 TOYOTA AVALON. ONE GOOD THING IS THAT THOUGH MY LOCAL DEALERSHIP WAS UNABLE TO REACH CORPORATE TO GET GUIDANCE ON THE ISSUE, THEY OPENED UP A CASE NUMBER TO BRING IT TO TOYOTA'S ATTENTION THAT THIS PROBLEM WAS OCCURRING IN A 2006 MODEL AND THE OWNER HAD PROOF THAT SHE HAD BEEN COMPLAINING ABOUT THE ISSUES MONTHS BEFORE A RECALL WAS ISSUED. *TR

ISSUE: AFTER A PERIOD OF APPROXIMATELY 2,000 DRIVEN MILES, THE LOCKING DEVICE ON THE TELESCOPING STEERING COLUMN WILL LOOSEN TO THE POINT WHERE IT BECOMES FULLY DISENGAGED. THE VEHICLE IS DRIVEN WITH THE TELESCOPING COLUMN FULLY EXTENDED AND THE DRIVER IS UNAWARE OF WHEN THE LOCKING DEVICE HAS BECOME DISENGAGED. DURING HARD BRAKING SITUATIONS THE DRIVER NATURALLY APPLIES SUPPORT PRESSURE TO THE STEERING COLUMN CAUSING THE DISENGAGED STEERING COLUMN TO FULLY COLLAPSE. THIS SUDDEN AND UNEXPECTED COLLAPSE OF THE STEERING COLUMN CAUSES THE DRIVER AN ADDITIONAL CONCERN AND AN EMERGENCY REACTION, UP TO AND POTENTIALLY INCLUDING THE LOSS OF VEHICLE CONTROL, TO AN ALREADY HAZARDOUS SITUATION (HARD BRAKING). THE ABOVE INCIDENT HAS HAPPENED ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS OVER AN EXTENDED PERIOD OF TIME. REPORTING: THIS INCIDENT HAS BEEN REPORTED TO THE TOYOTA DEALER AT EVERY SCHEDULED 5,000 MILE CHECK UP FOR AT LEAST THE LAST 2+ YEARS. THIS ISSUE IS NOT NEW AND AT MY REQUEST THE SERVICE AGENT CONTINUES TO ADD THE ISSUE TO THE SERVICE ORDER. TOYOTA RESPONSE; TOYOTA SERVICE PERSONNEL STATE THAT THEY CAN NOT ADDRESS THE ISSUE SINCE THEY CAN NOT REPLICATE THE ISSUE. AS WAS STATED ABOVE THE ISSUE OCCURS AFTER APPROXIMATELY 2,000 DRIVEN MILES. HOW TOYOTA EXPECTS TO REPLICATE 2,000 DRIVEN MILES BY DRIVING THE VEHICLE AROUND THE PARKING LOT IS ABSOLUTELY UNBELIEVABLE TO ANY REASONABLE PERSON. TWO MONTHS OF DRIVING CAN NOT BE CONDENSED INTO 10 MINUTES. FOR SAFETY ISSUES, ESPECIALLY FOR ONE CONSISTENTLY REPORTED OVER A PERIOD OF YEARS, TO BE DISMISSED AFTER A 10 MINUTE CURSORY INSPECTION OR NONE AT ALL, IS BEYOND WILLFUL NEGLECT AND IS EVIDENT THAT TOYOTA'S SAFETY CULTURE HAS NOT IMPROVED. THE ISSUE WITHIN TOYOTA REMAINS UNREPORTED, UNACKNOWLEDGED AND UNRESOLVED. *TR