2007 Toyota Avalon

DURING NORMAL DRIVING CONDITIONS, DRY PAVEMENT NORMAL TRAFFIC CONDITIONS,AT APPROX 45 MPH. WITH ACCELERATOR PEDAL DEPRESSED AND MAINTAINING 45 MPH THE BRAKES SUDDENLY AND VIOLENTLY APPLIED.I DO NOT KNOW IF IT WAS FRONT REAR OR PERHAPS BOTH. BRAKE PEDAL WAS AT NO TIME DEPRESSED, BRAKING WAS SEVERE ENOUGH TO CAUSE THE SEAT BEAT TO LOCK UP RESTRAINING DRIVER. ABS WARNING LIGHT WAS ON ( POSSIBLY BEING ON PRIOR TO SUDDEN BRAKING BUT WAS NOT NOTICED IF IT INDEED WAS).. SUDDEN BRAKING LASTED ONLY FOR MAYBE A SECOND OR TWO THEN CEASED AND ABS WARNING LIGHT WENT OFF WITH APPARENT NORMAL BRAKING OPERATION RETURNING FOR REMAINDER OF SHORT TRIP....CONDITION, THUS FAR HAS OCCURRED ONLY ONE TIME. *TR

I AM USED TO THE BRAKES AND DO NOT BELIEVE THEY WILL ACTUALLY FAIL ME. MY WIFE, WHEN SHE DRIVES THE CAR (SHE OWNS A 2002 SANTA FE) COMPLAINS THAT THE BRAKES SINK ALL THE WAY TO THE FLOOR. I GRANT THAT THE PEDAL TRAVEL FEELS MORE THAN ANY OTHER CAR I HAVE EVER DRIVEN (MORE THAN 30 MODELS OVER THE YEARS). I, BEING VERY CONCERNED ABOUT BRAKES, BROUGHT THE CAR TO TOYOTA WHO CHECKED THE BRAKES, ADJUSTED SOMETHING BUT DID NOT RESOLVE THE PEDAL TRAVEL. THE PEDAL TRAVEL REMAINED THE SAME, ALMOST REACHING THE FLOOR. I WAS TOLD THAT THE BRAKES WERE NORMAL FOR THE CAR. *TR

THE BRAKE PEDAL SINKS SLOWLY ALL THE WAY TO THE FLOOR WHEN STOPPED WITH PRESSURE APPLIED TO THE BRAKE PEDAL, THAT IS A VERY DISCONCERTING FEELING WHEN THE BRAKE PEDAL SINKS SLOWLY TO THE FLOOR; IT ACTUALLY STOPS ONLY AT THE BOTTOM MECHANICAL STOP FOR THE PEDAL. THE VEHICLE HAS BEEN TO THREE LOCAL TOYOTA DEALERS, AND THE COMPLAINT HAS BEEN FILED WITH TOYOTA USA AND TOYOTA JAPAN. THE LOCAL DEALERS SAY IT IS A NORMAL CONDITION, THAT'S PREPOSTEROUS. THIS IS A KNOWN PROBLEM WITH THE TOYOTA AVALON AND CAMRY AROUND THE 2007 PRODUCTION YEAR. SUBJECT VEHICLE IS STILL UNDER MANUFACTURERS WARRANTY. THE PROBLEM IS BELIEVED TO BE AN INTERNAL LEAK IN THE ANTI-SKID SYSTEM. THE LOCAL TOYOTA DEALERS WILL NOT MAKE THE NEEDED REPAIRS. I REQUESTED THAT TOYOTA USA SERVICE REPS INSPECT MY CAR ON THEIR NEXT VISIT TO THIS AREA, AND THAT REQUEST WAS REFUSED BY FINDLAY TOYOTA OF HENDERSON. I FILED A PREVIOUS COMPLAINT ON 7/6/2010 AND NO REPLY HAS BEEN RECEIVED TO DATE. I SUSPECT THAT NO ACTION WAS TAKEN. THE PROBLEM EXISTS TO THIS DATE, AND THIS IS A FORMAL REQUEST FOR THE NHTSA TO INVESTIGATE THE ANTISKID SYSTEM ON MY VEHICLE. *TR

IN MY OPINION AND BASED ON MY RECENT INTERACTION WITH TOYOTA, THEY ARE NOT BEING HONEST ABOUT THEIR SAFETY ISSUES WITH PUBLIC. TWO WEEKS AGO, I TOOK MY TOYOTA AVALON 2007 WITH ONLY 33452 MILES TO BOB SMITH TOYOTA BECAUSE BREAK FLUID WAS LEAKING OUT FROM BREAK MASTER CYLINDER. THEY TOLD ME THE CAR IS NOT SAFE TO DRIVE AND MASTER CYLINDER NEEDS TO BE REPLACED. I LEFT THE CAR TO BE REPAIRED. I DID SOME RESEARCH ON LINE AND NOTICE THAT TOYOTA HAS A RECALL FOR 2005 AND 2006 AVALON FOR THE SAME EXACT ISSUES HTTP://WWW.TOYOTA.COM/RECALL/AVALON-HIGHLANDER.HTML. FURTHER RESEARCH AND BASED ON DATA FROM DEALERSHIP, TOYOTA AVALON MADE PRIOR TO 7/2007, USE THE SAME BREAK MASTER CYLINDER AS THE ONES BEING RECALLED, PART #ID # 47028-0710. WHEN I ASKED TOYOTA DEALER ABOUT THIS, THEY TOLD ME THAT TOYOTA HAS ONLY RECALLED 2005 AND 2006 AND CAN NOT OFFER ANY EVIDENCE THAT PART USED IN 2007 WAS ANY DIFFERENT. THEY SUGGESTED THAT I CONTACT TOYOTA WHICH I DID. IN RETURN, THEY TOLD ME TO CONTACT THE DEALERSHIP. AFTER MULTIPLE FOLLOW UP, WHICH I HAVE DOCUMENTED AND WILL BE MORE THAN HAPPY TO FORWARD TO YOU, NO ONE IS GIVING ME ANY EVIDENCE THAT MASTER CYLINDER IN AVALONS BUILD BEFORE 7/2007, ARE ANY DIFFERENT THAN THE ONES THEY RECALLED. THE CAR WAS IN THEIR SHOP FOR 12 DAYS, I JUST PAID FOR REPAIR AND ASKED FOR THE OLD PART. HOWEVER, IF IT IS THE CASE THAT TOYOTA HAS DECIDED TO DO IGNORE THIS ISSUES WITH 2007 AVALON, THEY ARE PUTTING A LOT OF LIVES AT RISK. I AM ASKING FOR YOUR ASSISTANCE TO GET TO THE BOTTOM OF THIS, NOT BECAUSE OF ME BUT ALL THE OTHER FAMILIES DRIVING A CAR WHICH HAS FAULTY BREAK SYSTEM. I AM HESITATING TO PASTE ALL MY CORRESPONDENTS WITH TOYOTA IN HERE BECAUSE OF PERSONAL INFORMATION BUT WILL BE MORE THAN HAPPY TO FORWARD THEM TO YOU.

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2007 TOYOTA AVALON. THE CONTACT WAS DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 45 MPH AND APPROACHING A TRAFFIC STOP WHEN HE ENGAGED THE BRAKES AND HEARD AN ABNORMAL SQUEAKING NOISE. THE CONTACT STATED HE THOUGHT THE NOISE WAS FROM THE TIRES AND ALL FOUR TIRES WERE REPLACED. THE NOISE PERSISTED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN BACK TO THE TIRE COMPANY AND THEY ADVISED THE CONTACT THAT THE NOISE WAS FROM THE BRAKES. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS UNKNOWN AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 52,000. UPDATED 01/13/11*LJ THE CONSUMER STATED ONCE THE REAR BRAKES WERE REPLACED, THE NOISE STOPPED. UPDATED 01/25/11*JB

THE BRAKE PEDAL SINKS SLOWLY TO THE FLOOR WHEN STOPPED, FOR EXAMPLE AT A TRAFFIC LIGHT. THE BRAKES WILL STILL HOLD THE CAR EVEN WITH THE PEDAL AT THE BOTTOM TRAVEL LIMIT, BUT IT'S A DISCONCERTING FEELING TO PRESS ON THE BRAKE AND FEEL THE PEDAL SLOWING SINKING. IT SINKS FULLY TO THE BOTTOM LIMIT IN ABOUT 10 SECONDS WITH MODERATE PRESSURE ON THE PEDAL. THE LOCAL TOYOTA DEALER SAID THIS IS A NORMAL CONDITION AND DID NOTHING TO CORRECT THE PROBLEM. THAT DEALER IS RATED D - FOR CUSTOMER SERVICE BY THE BBB SO I TOOK IT TO ANOTHER TOYOTA DEALER. THEY SAID IT WAS NORMAL, AND THEY COMPARED IT TO ANOTHER AVALON WHICH DID THE SAME THING, SO THEY ALSO REFUSED TO DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT. THE PROBLEM WAS NOTICED EARLIER BUT IT WAS NOT VERY OBVIOUS, NOT IT SEEMS TO HAVE GOTTEN WORSE, PERHAPS DUE TO THE VERY HOT WEATHER. THE TWO TOYOTA DEALERS, AND THE TOYOTA CORPORATE HQ IN TORRENCE HAVE ALL REFUSED TO TELL ME WHAT IS THE ALLOWABLE BRAKE PEDAL FADE RATE; I MAINTAIN THAT 5 TO 10 SECONDS MUST EXCEED SOME NOMINAL AND ACCEPTABLE AMOUNT. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNED A 2007 TOYOTA AVALON. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE BRAKING FROM APPROXIMATE SPEEDS OF 50 MPH, THE BRAKES FAILED. THE CONTACT CRASHED INTO THE REAR OF A VEHICLE AHEAD OF HIM CAUSING THAT VEHICLE TO CRASH INTO A VEHICLE AHEAD OF IT. THERE WERE NO INJURIES. A POLICE REPORT WAS AVAILABLE. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A LOCAL DEALER WHERE REPAIRS WERE MADE TO THE BODY DAMAGE AND THE BRAKES. THE CONTACT WAS NO LONGER IN POSSESSION OF THE VEHICLE. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE APPROXIMATELY 20,000.

I WAS APPROXIMATELY 2 1/2 CARS LENGTH APART FROM THE CAR IN FRONT OF ME. WHEN I SAW THE TRAFFIC LIGHT BEGIN TO CHANGE FROM YELLOW TO RED, I QUICKLY PUT ON MY BRAKES, BUT THE CAR DID NOT SLOW DOWN OR STOP; IT ACCELERATED INSTEAD. I KEPT MY FOOT ALL THE WAY ON THE BRAKE PEDAL, BUT THE CAR STILL DID NOT SLOW DOWN OR STOP. I BRACE MYSELF FOR THE IMPACT BECAUSE I KNEW THAT IT WAS UNAVOIDABLE TO HIT THE CAR IN FRONT OF ME. IT FINALLY STOPPED WHEN IT STRUCK THE CAR IN FRONT OF ME. *TR