2007 Toyota Avalon

I WAS PARKING MY CAR IN REVERSE AT A SPEED OF LESS THAN 5 MILES IN A DESIGNATED SPOT ADJACENT TO MY DAUGHTER'S HOUSE IN QUEBEC, CANADA. THE ENGINE ACCELERATED AND HIT A WOODEN FENCE BEHIND MY CAR. I APPLIED THE BRAKE AND PUT IT INTO DRIVE TO GO FORWARD AND TO GET OUT OF THE CAR TO SEE WHAT HAPPENED. THEN, THE CAR SPED AT ABOUT 100 MILES AN HOUR AND CRASHED INTO A METAL FENCE OF A KINDERGARTEN SCHOOL ACROSS THE STREET AND HIT A TREE INSIDE THE KINDERGARTEN. THEN AGAIN, THE VEHICLE CRASHED INTO THE BRICK WALL OF MY DAUGHTER'S HOUSE IN REVERSE. A 2X2 CONCRETE BLOCK FROM THE BRICK WALL THAT MY CAR ENCOUNTERED HIT MY REAR WINDSHIELD AND LANDED INCHES AWAY FROM MY HEAD INSIDE MY CAR. I CALLED 911 AND POLICE SHOWED UP AND THEY TOWED THE CAR AND I REALIZED IT WAS 9:41 PM AS CONFIRMED BY THE TIME ON MY CELLPHONE AND LUCKILY NO CHILDREN WERE THERE TO GET KILLED. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2007 TOYOTA AVALON. THE CONTACT STARTED THE IGNITION, AND MADE SEVERAL ATTEMPTS BEFORE THE GEAR SELECTOR WOULD SHIFT INTO THE "DRIVE" POSITION. THE SHIFTING FAILURE OCCURRED INTERMITTENTLY. IN ADDITION, THE REAR BRAKE LIGHTS FAILED TO ILLUMINATE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER WHERE THE TECHNICIAN INFORMED THAT THE FAILURE WAS CONTRIBUTED TO THE BRAKE SAFETY SWITCH WHICH WAS A COMMON PROBLEM. THE PART WAS UNAVAILABLE FOR THE REPAIR FOR A PERIOD OF TWO WEEKS. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED FOR THE MALFUNCTION AFTER THE PART BECAME AVAILABLE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 40,300. UPDATED 12/08/10. *LJ UPDATED 12/08/10

VEHICLE WAS STOPPED, ENGINE RUNNING, TRANSMISSION IN DRIVE, DRIVER'S FOOT ON BRAKE. SUDDENLY THE VEHICLE REVVED TO ABOUT 2000 RPM. AS FOOT REMAINED ON BRAKE, THE BRAKES HELD THE CAR FROM MOVING FORWARD. DRIVER PUT TRANSMISSION IN PARK AND SHUT ENGINE OFF. NO MOVEMENT, NO DAMAGE, NO INJURY. VEHICLE WAS RESTARTED AND DRIVEN HOME WITHOUT INCIDENT. OWNER MADE APPOINTMENT WITH TOYOTA DEALER FOR INSPECTION. VEHICLE WAS A 2007 TOYOTA AVALON LIMITED WHICH WAS RECALLED FOR SUA AND WAS ALLEGEDLY CORRECTED BY A TOYOTA DEALER IN MARCH, 2010. INCIDENT OCCURRED ON 7-27-10. *TR

STEERING COLUM ADJUSTING CONTROL CONTINUES TO RELEASE. THIS CAUSES THE STEERING WHEEL TO GO INTO THE THE DASH AREA OR UP OR DOWN. THERE IS NO CONTROL OF STEERING. BEFORE THIS INCIDENT, OIL BURST ALL OVER THE ENGINE AND DRAINED OUT OF MY CAR, SPILLED ONTO THE FLOOR OF MY GARAGE. THE OIL LIGHT OR CHECK ENGINE LIGHT NEVER CAME ON. DEALER MADE REPAIRS AFTER KEEPING MY CAR -NOT A RECALL NOTICE BUT A NOTED PROBLEM. NO POWER WHILE PRESSING ON THE GAS. THERE IS A DELAYED REACTION RESULTING IN SLOW OR NO SPEED FOR PASSING OR JUST DRIVING (DEALER INDICATED POWER TRANS PROBLEM - NOT RECALL KEPT CAR 3+ DAYS FOR REPAIRS). THE GREY PAINT HAS SPOTS ITHAT WILL NOT COME OUT WITH A WASH AND WAX.

TOYOTA 2007 AVALON XLS, 24K MI [XXX] ACCELERATOR REPAIRED UNDER RECALL ON 2/16/2010 INCIDENT OF UNINTENDED FULL THROTTLE ACCELERATION CONDITIONS: TEMP 61 DEGREES F, CLEAR WEATHER, RELATIVE HUMIDITY APPROX 50%, A/C NOT ON, RADIO NOT ON, CRUISE CONTROL ON BUT NOT ENGAGED, DAYTIME RUNNING LIGHTS ON. SITUATION: AT 55 MPH, THROTTLE WAS DEPRESSED TO APPROX 1/2 TO ACCELERATE TO PASS ON A TWO-LANE HIGHWAY. CAR ACCELERATED NORMALLY TO ABOUT 65 MPH AT WHICH POINT THE ACCELERATOR WENT TO THE FLOOR, UNCOMMANDED. ONCE CLEAR OF THE PASSED VEHICLE, I SHIFTED INTO NEUTRAL AND TURNED OFF THE ENGINE AND COASTED TO A SOMEWHAT SAFE LOCATION TO STOP. THE ACCELERATOR WAS STILL LOCKED DOWN. WITH THE IGNITION OFF, I WAS ABLE TO REPOSITION THE ACCELERATOR TO THE NORMAL POSITION AFTER SHIFTING THE CAR FROM 'PARK' TO 'NEUTRAL' SEVERAL TIMES. THEN I CONTINUED THE TRIP. WIFE IN THE RIGHT SEAT WAS PETRIFIED. LATER, AT A BETTER LOCATION ON A DIVIDED HIGHWAY WITH A 70 MPH SPEED LIMIT, I SET UP THE SAME CONDITIONS AS PREVIOUSLY DESCRIBED. AFTER ACCELERATING FROM 60 MPH TO ABOUT 68 MPH WITH A HALF-THROTTLE COMMAND, THE UNINTENDED ACCELERATION TO FULL THROTTLE HAPPENED AGAIN. THIS TIME I TURNED OFF THE CRUISE CONTROL AND THEN ATTEMPTED, UNSUCCESSFULLY, TO PULL THE ACCELERATOR OFF THE FLOOR WITH THE EDGE OF MY SHOE WHICH DID NOT TERMINATE THE ACCELERATION. AT ABOUT 80 MPH I WENT THROUGH THE SHUT-DOWN PROCEDURE AGAIN WITHOUT FURTHER INCIDENT. MY WIFE IS THE PRINCIPLE DRIVER OF THE CAR, BUT I WILL ALWAYS DO ALL THE DRIVING ON LONG TRIPS AND HAVE PUT THE CAR IN A SIMILAR PASSING SITUATIONS SEVERAL TIMES WITHOUT PREVIOUS ACCELERATION PROBLEMS. I AM AN COMBAT TESTED EX-FIGHTER PILOT AND TEST PILOT WITH SEVERAL THOUSAND HOURS IN HIGH PERFORMANCE FIGHTERS AND THOROUGHLY UNDERSTAND PHYSICS. THESE INCIDENTS PRESENTED NO DANGER TO ME OR MY WHITE-KNUCKLED WIFE BUT IN LESS THAN IDEAL CIRCUMSTANCES WITH LESS EXPERIENCED DRIVERS IN CONTROL, THE OUTCOME COULD HAVE BEEN DIFFERENT. *TR

I OWN A 2007 TOYOTA AVALON. THE TRANSMISSION HAS A PROBLEM. WHEN COASTING DOWN WITHOUT ACCELERATOR BEING ENGAGE THE TRANSMISSION DOWN SHIFTS AT 30 MPH BUT THE CAR SPEEDS UP. IT IS ONLY 4-5 MPH AND AFTER A FEW SECONDS THEN STARTS COASTING DOWN AGAIN. THIS PROBLEM HAS BEEN INVESTIGATED BY THE DEALER AND "THERE IS NOTHING WRONG". IT HAS BEEN REPORTED TO THE TOYOTA TECHNICAL SERVICE MANAGER AND "THERE IS NOTHING WRONG". IT HAS BEEN REPORTED TO TOYOTA CUSTOMER SERVICE AND WE WILL GET BACK TO YOU BUT NOTHING HAPPENED. THIS CAR HAD THE "STUCK ACCELERATOR" PROBLEM TWO YEARS AGO AND IT WAS REPORTED TO THE DEALER AND "NO PROBLEM". THE "STUCK ACCELERATOR" ONLY HAPPENED ONCE AND WAS NOT THE PROBLEM OF A FLOOR MAT. THE CAR HAS HAD ALL THE RECALLS PERFORMED ON IT BUT STILL HAS THE SPEED UP PROBLEM AT EACH DOWN SHIFT. *TR

SUDDEN ACCELERATION WHEN RESUME DEPRESSED FROM CRUISE AND WHEN LASER BEAM RETURNS FROM BEING ENACTED. THE ACCELERATION IS SUDDEN AND NECK-SNAPPING. I NO LONGER USE LASER BUT ALWAYS USE 'NORMAL ' CRUISE SINCE I HAD VEHICLE TESTED AT BERT WOLFE TOYOTA, CHARLESTON WV AND THEY ADVISED THAT VEHICLE WAS PERFORMING NORMAL. I RETURN TO 'SET SPEED ' MANUALLY SINCE THAT TIME. I HAVE NOTIFIED TOYOTA HEADQUARTERS IN CALIFORNIA EARLY IN FEB.2010 AND HAVE NO REPLY. THERE IS DEFINITELY AN ELECTRONIC PROBLEM. *TR THE CONSUMER STATED THE VEHICLE HAS ELECTRICAL AND COMPUTER PROBLEMS. UPDATED IVOQ 06/02/10*JB

REPETITIVE...EVERY TIME I DRIVE............................. TOYOTA AVALON 2007...I COMPLAINED TO TOYOTA THAT WHEN I REMOVE MY FOOT FROM THE ACCELERATOR / GAS PEDAL TO COAST TO A STOP, THE CAR IN FACT ACCELERATES AT ALMOST EACH SHIFT POINT, THUS FORCING ME TO APPLY THE BRAKES REPETITIVELY. THIS MAY CAUSE PREMATURE BRAKE WEAR. TOYOTA SAYS THIS "ACCELERATION AT EVERY SHIFT POINT" IS NORMAL DESPITE THE FACT THAT IN HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF MILES AND IN HUNDREDS OF CARS OWNED AND RENTED, I HAVE NEVER EXPERIENCED THIS BEHAVIOR IN ANY VEHICLE. YES, NO DOUBT A SOFTWARE/PROGRAMMER CONTROLLED MICRO-PROCESSOR. *TR

CAR HAS DEVELOPED A SHUDDER WHEN SHIFTING, AT TIMES IT IS VERY SEVERE ON ONE EPISODE WHILE PASSING AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS CAR BEGAN TO VIBRATE SO VIOLENTLY THAT CONTROL OF THE CARE WAS LOST UNTIL VIBRATION SUBSIDED. *TR THIS VEHICLE HAS 38,000 MILES ON IT AND HAS HAD THE SHUDDER FOR ABOUT 10,000 MILES, THERE HAVE BEEN TWO OF THE VIOLENT EPISODES, IN THE LAST 10,000 MILES, HAVE TAKEN CAR TO DEALERSHIP 3 TIMES FOR THE SHUDDER. THIS VEHICLE IS UNDER FACTORY WARRANTY DEALER HAS REPROGRAMMED THE TRANSMISSION COMPUTER, HAS HAD NO EFFECT ON SHUDDER AND THE VIOLENT EPISODES TOOK PLACE AFTER THE REPROGRAMMING OF THE COMPUTER.