2006 Toyota Avalon

S10 APPROPRIATE HANDLING RE TOYOTA VEHICLE SUDDEN ACCELERATION PROBLEM, OWNER OF A 2006 TOYOTA AVALON EXPERIENCED ACCELERATION PROBLEM. *TGW IMMEDIATELY AFTER PURCHASING THE VEHICLE, THE CONSUMER NOTICED A PROBLEM IN ACCELERATING, DECELERATING AND SHIFTING GEARS IN THE TRANSMISSION. SINCE THE VEHICLE WAS STILL UNDER WARRANTY, HE TOOK THE VEHICLE BACK TO THE DEALER A FEW WEEKS LATER. THE DEALER INFORMED THE CONSUMER THERE WAS NO MAJOR PROBLEM AND THAT A MINOR ADJUSTMENT WAS MADE TO THE SHIFTING POINTS IN THE TRANSMISSION. THE VEHICLE FUNCTIONED FINE FOR A WHILE, BUT THEN THE SAME PROBLEMS QUICKLY RESURFACED. A TOYOTA REPRESENTATIVE STATED THE PROBLEM WAS NOT A DEFECT; RATHER IT WAS THE WAY THE VEHICLE WAS INTENDED TO HANDLE DUE TO ITS DRIVE-BY-WIRE SYSTEM. THE REPRESENTATIVE WENT ON TO SAY THE DRIVE-BY-WIRE SYSTEM DID NOT HAVE A TRADITIONAL ROD THAT CONNECTED THE PEDAL TO THE ENGINE; RATHER, THE PEDAL WENT TO AN ELECTRONIC SYSTEM THAT SENSED THE INTENDED ACCELERATION AND CAUSES THE ENGINE TO ACCELERATE AS DIRECTED BY THE DRIVER. THE CONSUMER WAS TOLD THE HESITATION HE COMPLAINED OF WAS NORMAL AS THE SYSTEM WAS DETERMINING HOW MUCH TO ACCELERATE. THE CONSUMER DID NOT BELIEVE THE SUDDEN ACCELERATION WAS DUE TO A STICKING PEDAL; RATHER A PROBLEM WITHIN THE ELECTRONIC TRANSMISSION CONTROL MODULE, THROTTLE OR ONBOARD COMPUTER.*JB

DEAR NHTSA, I OWN A 2006 TOYOTA AVALON XLS, PURCHASED USED IN SUMMER 2009. A FEW DAYS AFTER OWNERSHIP, I FELT THE CAR WANTED TO 'SPEED UP ON IT'S OWN', MOMENTARILY. I TOOK IT TO OUR LOCAL TOYOTA DEALER (TOYOTA OF IOWA CITY) WHO FELT THE PROBLEM MIGHT BE DUE TO 'GEAR SHIFT SET POINTS' IN THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION'S COMPUTER PROGRAMMING. THEY REPROGRAMMED THE REVOLUTIONS AT WHICH TRANSMISSION WOULD SHIFT GEARS WHILE DRIVING. HOWEVER, THE SURGE PROBLEM PERSISTS. AS TIME GOES BY AND I READ MORE ABOUT TOYOTA'S ACCELERATOR PROBLEMS, I THINK THIS MIGHT BE PART OF THE SAME ISSUE AND SO I WOULD LIKE TO GIVE YOU SOME DETAILED INFORMATION ON MY OBSERVATIONS. I HAVE BEEN STUDYING IT AND MADE SOME CAREFUL OBSERVATIONS ABOUT WHICH CONDITIONS THE SURGE OCCURS DURING, AND WOULD LIKE TO DETAIL THIS FOR YOU. PERHAPS UNDER THESE CONDITIONS YOU MIGHT EVEN BE ABLE TO REPRODUCE MY SURGE SITUATION IN OTHER TOYOTAS. THE PROBLEM OCCURS WHEN THE ENGINE IS WARM. IN ORDER TO ENSURE THAT THE TRANSMISSION SHIFTING IS NOT THE ISSUE, PUT THE TRANSMISSION MANUALLY INTO '3'. DRIVE ON LEVEL ROAD AT ABOUT 30MPH, THE ENGINE RPM'S WILL TYPICALLY BE ABOUT 2000. THEN, RELEASE FOOT FROM GAS PEDAL. THE ENGINE RPM'S WILL DROP TO ABOUT 1000, THEN SPONTANEOUSLY SURGE UPWARD TO ABOUT 1500 RPM. AT THAT POINT, SOMETHING SEEMS TO LIMIT THE RPM'S FROM INCREASING FURTHER. THIS CANNOT BE THE CORRECT OPERATION; WHEN ONE IS NOT STEPPING ON THE GAS PEDAL, THE ENGINE SHOULD SLOWLY REVERT BACK TO IDLE SPEED (OR BE GOVERNED BY 'ENGINE BRAKING EFFECTS' IF GOING DOWNHILL)...CORRECT? I THINK THAT IN A SITUATION WHERE THIS SPONTANEOUS LIMITATION OF RPM SURGING MIGHT NOT OCCUR, I COULD EXPERIENCE A 'WIDE-OPEN-THROTTLE' SITUATION THAT EVERYONE IS TALKING ABOUT. PLEASE CONTACT ME FOR MORE DETAILS, I THINK MY CAR MIGHT HOLD SOME SECRETS TO THE MYSTERIES OF THE TOYOTA THROTTLE ISSUE. THIS COULD POTENTIALLY SAVE LIVES. *RM *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 TOYOTA AVALON. THE DRIVER CRASHED INTO A POST. THE VEHICLE ROLLED ONTO THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE ROAD. THE DRIVER DIED AT THE SCENE. A POLICE REPORT WAS TAKEN. THE CONTACT STATED THAT IT WAS CONSIDERED A HIGH SPEED CRASH. AFTER THE CRASH OCCURRED THE CONTACT RECEIVED A RECALL NOTICE FROM THE MANUFACTURER CONCERNING THE FLOOR MATS. THE VEHICLE WAS DESTROYED. THE INSURANCE COMPANY NOTIFIED THE CONTACT THAT THERE WAS NOTHING THAT COULD BE DONE. ANOTHER DRIVER STATED THAT THE VEHICLE PREVIOUSLY ACCELERATED MULTIPLE TIMES. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 30,000. UPDATED 06/24/10 *BF ACCORDING TO THE POLICE REPORT, THE DRIVER DRIFTED INTO THE MEDIAN STRIKING A POST. THE DRIVER OVERCORRECTED CROSSING BOTH WESTBOUND TRAVEL LANES AND THE ON RAMP LANE. THE VEHICLE ROTATED NINETY DEGREES AS IT CROSSED THE TRAVEL LANES AND WENT OFF THE RIGHT SHOULDER FACING EASTBOUND AND BEGAN ROLLING. THE DRIVER WAS EJECTED AT THE RIGHT OF WAY FENCE. THE VEHICLE CONTINUED ROLLING AND CAME TO REST ON ITS WHEELS ON THE WEST SIDE OF THE FENCE. UPDATED 06/25/10.*JB UPDATED 9/29/11*CW

OUR 2006 TOYOTA AVALON (LIMITED) WAS IN CRUISE CONTROL SET TO HIGHWAY SPEED, ABOUT 60 TO 70 MPH. FOR A REDUCED SPEED ZONE, THE CAR WAS SLOWED BY 10 MPH USING CRUISE CONTROL. AFTER THE REDUCED SPEED ZONE, CRUISE CONTROL SETPOINT WAS INCREASED 10 MPH TO RETURN TO THE PREVIOUS HIGHWAY SPEED, AND THE CAR CONTINUED TO ACCELERATE UNCONTROLLABLY TO MORE THAN 80 MPH. THEN, THE BRAKE WAS APPLIED WHICH TOOK CAR OUT OF CRUISE CONTROL. THE CAR SLOWED, AND CRUISE CONTROL WAS RESET TO HIGHWAY SPEED. THE PROBLEM DID NOT RECUR ON THAT TRIP IN 2006, BUT THERE HAVE BEEN OTHER CASES OF UNCONTROLLED ACCELERATION SINCE THE ABOVE INCIDENT. *TR

I WAS DRIVING HOME IN MY GRANDMOTHER'S 2006 TOYOTA AVALON AT 5:00 A.M. ON JAN. 23, 2010 ON SOUTH LAMAR IN AUSTIN, TEXAS. I WAS ATTEMPTING TO MAKE A LEFT-HAND TURN ON TO BARTON SKYWAY, I RELEASED MY FOOT FROM THE ACCELERATOR, THE ACCELERATOR GOT STUCK, AND MY VEHICLE SPED UP WHICH CAUSED ME TO CRASH INTO A TRAFFIC LIGHT POLE. I SUFFERED A FRACTURED HUMERUS AND BROKEN NOSE. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 TOYOTA AVALON. WHILE DRIVING 55 MPH ON AN INCLINE SHE ATTEMPTED TO PASS ANOTHER VEHICLE AND NOTICED THAT THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY ACCELERATED WITHOUT WARNING. THE BRAKES WOULD NOT STOP THE VEHICLE UNTIL SHE TURNED IT OFF IN ORDER TO STOP IT FROM ACCELERATING. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHERE THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE FLOOR MAT BECAME STUCK UNDER THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WOULD SURGE OCCASIONALLY WHILE DRIVING AT VARIOUS SPEEDS. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 47000.

ON SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2009, MY MOTHER WAS DRIVING MY 2006 TOYOTA AVALON WHEN SHE WAS INVOLVED IN A CRASH DUE TO AN ACCELERATION PROBLEM WITH THE VEHICLE. SHE WAS ALSO INVOLVED IN A CRASH IN MY GARAGE WHEN THE FLOOR MAT GOT STUCK ON THE ACCELERATOR AND CAUSE HER TO RUN INTO THE WALL OF THE GARAGE. I ALSO HAVE EXPERIENCED SEVERAL INSTANCES OF ACCELERATION AFTER TAKING MY FOOT OFF THE GAS PEDAL WHEN ATTEMPTING TO BRAKE WHICH CAUSED ME TO HAVE TO SLAM ON THE BRAKES TO STOP THE VEHICLE. THE INSURANCE COMPANY DEEMED THE CAR A TOTAL LOSS AND IT WAS ONLY WHEN I RECEIVED THE SETTLEMENT PAPERS FROM THE INSURANCE COMPANY DID I FIND OUT THERE WERE PROBLEMS WITH THE AIRBAGS AS TOYOTA NEVER SENT ME ANY CORRESPONDENCE REGARDING THE PROBLEM WITH THE AIRBAGS, THE FLOOR MATS OR THE ACCELERATOR. *TR

I HAVE EXPERIENCED THE SUDDEN ACCELERATION ON MY VEHICLE BUT WAS ABLE TO LOCK UP THE WHEELS IN GRAVEL TO KILL THE ENGINE. NO ACCIDENT RESULTED. I WANT TO INFORM THE INVESTIGATION GROUP THAT THE PROBLEM IS NOT FLOOR MAT, ACCELERATOR PEDAL OR ANY OTHER EXCUSE THAT TOYOTA AND THE EX NHTSA EMPLOYEES THAT HIRED TO COVERUP THE REPORTS. THE PROBLEM IS IN THE ELECTRONIC CONTROLS. TOYOTA HAS A MULTITUDE OF ELECTRONIC PROBLEMS. *TR

WHEN SLOWING MY 2006 AVALON FOR TURN, SPEED BUMP, ETC. AND THEN ACCELERATING THERE IS OFTEN A LAG IN THE TRANSMISSION ENGAGING AND WHEN IT DOES THE CAR LURCHES. I HAVE COMPLAINED MANY TIMES TO 2 DIFFERENT DEALERS ABOUT THIS SINCE THE CAR WAS NEW. AFTER A YEAR OR SO 1 DEALER SAID THAT TOYOTA HAD ISSUED AN ADJUSTMENT PROCEDURE WHICH THEY PERFORMED. THE PROBLEM WENT AWAY FOR A WHILE BUT HAS RETURNED. IN LIGHT OF THE RECENT RECALLS AND STORIES ABOUT POSSIBLE ELECTRONIC PROBLEMS WITH THESE CARS I WANTED TO ADD MY STORY TO THE LIST. I CONSIDER THIS A SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE SINCE THE LAG IN TRANSMISSION ENGAGEMENT COULD CAUSE AN ACCIDENT WHEN MAKING A LEFT TURN, ESPECIALLY IF IT WORSENS. FURTHER, THE ONLY WAY I KNOW ABOUT THIS LATEST RECALL IS THROUGH THE NEWS - TOYOTA HAS NOT NOTIFIED ME DIRECTLY. THIS MAKES THE THIRD RECALL ON THIS CAR - FLOOR MATS, VVT-I OIL HOSE AND NOW ACCELERATOR! NEEDLES TO SAY - I AM NOT HAPPY WITH MY PURCHASE AND WILL SERIOUSLY TRY TO CONVINCE MY WIFE TO TAKE OUR BUSINESS ELSEWHERE IN THE FUTURE! *CN *TR