2007 Toyota Avalon

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2007 TOYOTA AVALON. WHILE DRIVING 40 MPH, THE CONTACT'S VEHICLE WAS REAR ENDED AND DESTROYED. HIS VEHICLE THEN STRUCK ANOTHER VEHICLE ON THE FRONT END. THE AIR BAGS FAILED TO DEPLOY. THE SEAT BELT DID NOT RESTRAIN THE DRIVER FROM BEING PUSHED INTO THE STEERING WHEEL AND INJURED. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 12,000.

2007 TOYOTA AVALON PROBLEMS WITH CRUISE CONTROL. CONSUMER STATES THAT WHEN USING THE CRUISE CONTROL WHEN THE ROAD CONDITION CHANGES AND HE PUTS THE CRUISE CONTROL BACK ON IT WILL JUMP AND THE RPM'S WILL JUMP FROM 2100 TO 4800. *KB THE CONSUMER STATED THE CRUISE CONTROL WORKED WELL UNTIL THE ROAD CONDITIONS CHANGED. IF THE ROAD CONDITIONS CHANGED THE CONSUMER HAD TO TOUCH THE BRAKE AND TAKE THE VEHICLE OFF CRUISE CONTROL TEMPORALLY. WHEN THE ROAD CONDITIONS CHANGED AGAIN, AND THE SPEED WAS NO MORE THAN 6-7 MPH BELOW THE SPEED SET ON THE CRUISE CONTROL THE TACHOMETER READING WAS 2,100 THE CONSUMER RESTORED THE CRUISE CONTROL TO THE SETTING BEING USED. THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY JOLTED AHEAD AS IF THE CONSUMER PRESSED THE ACCELERATOR TO THE FLOOR. THE TACHOMETER SUDDENLY JUMPED FROM 2,100 TO 4,800 RPM TO RAISE THE VEHICLE SPEED 6 OR 7 MPH. THE DEALER INFORMED THE CONSUMER IT WAS A NORMAL OPERATION OF THE VEHICLE. *JB

ON 3/3/07 MY WIFE AND I PURCHASED A NEW 2007 TOYOTA AVALON LIMITED. ON MAY 9 MY WIFE NOTED A NOISE COMING FROM THE FRONT OF THE CAR. SHE TOOK IT TO THE DEALER, WHO STATED THEY FIXED THE CAR, AND SHE PICK THE CAR UP ON MAY 14. THE NEXT DAY, SHE NOTICED THAT THE CAR WAS MAKING THE SAME NOISE AS BEFORE, AND TOOK THE CAR RIGHT BACK TO THE DEALER. THE DEALER HAD THE CAR UNTIL MAY 26. DURING THAT TIME, WELDING WAS PERFORMED ON THE FRAME, WHICH MADE THE NOISE WORSE. THE DEALER ULTIMATELY DECIDED TO GIVE US A 2ND TOYOTA AVALON, WHICH WE PICKED UP ON MAY 26, 2007. IN NOVEMBER 2007, MY WIFE BEGAN TO NOTICE A NOISE COMING FROM THE FRONT OF THE 2ND VEHICLE. IT SOUNDED LIKE THE SAME NOISE FROM THE 1ST VEHICLE. SHE TOOK THE CAR TO THE DEALER ON DECEMBER 13, AND THEY SUPPOSEDLY FIXED THE PROBLEM. WHEN MY WIFE WAS DRIVING HOME, THE NOISE BEGAN AGAIN. THE PROBLEM WAS NOT FIXED. SHE CALLED THE DEALER TO INFORM THEM OF THE PROBLEM. WITH THE HOLIDAYS AND OTHER THINGS COMING UP AT WORK (SHE CANNOT KEEP TAKING TIME OFF TO RUN TO THE DEALER ALL THE TIME), SHE WAS NOT ABLE TO TAKE THE CAR BACK RIGHT AWAY (THERE WAS ONLY AROUND 6300 MILES ON THE CAR). BY THE TIME SHE WAS ABLE TO TAKE THE CAR BACK ON MARCH 24, 2008, THE PROBLEM HAD GOTTEN WORSE. THERE WAS LESS THAN 9000 MILES ON THE CAR. SHE TOOK THE VEHICLE BACK AND THEY DETERMINED THEY NEEDED TO TAKE OUT THE ENGINE AND TRANSMISSION AND HAVE SOME WELDING WORK DONE AROUND THE FIREWALL. AS OF TODAY, APRIL 7, MY WIFE STILL DOES NOT HAVE HER CAR. WE BELIEVE THE PROBLEM FROM BOTH CARS IS THE SAME, AND THERE MAY BE A DEFECT IN THIS CAR. WE FOUND A TSB ON THIS CAR FROM FEB. 2003 (EXTERIOR BULLETIN #122), WHICH REFERS TO ALL TOYOTA/LEXUS, THAT STATES THAT WELDING SHOULD NOT BE DONE ON THE CAR, AND IS NOT APPROVED BY TOYOTA OR LEXUS. WE BELIEVE THIS PROBLEM CAN COMPROMISE THE STRUCTURAL INTEGRITY OF THE CAR, AND WE WILL FEEL CONCERNED FOR OUR SAFETY IF WE GET THIS CAR BACK. THIS IS A PROBLEM THAT WE FEEL NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2007 TOYOTA AVALON. WHILE DRIVING 50-55 MPH WITH THE CRUISE CONTROL ACTIVATED, THE VEHICLE AUTOMATICALLY SHIFTS TO THE LOWEST GEAR. AS A RESULT, THE ENGINE REVS AND THE TIRES SKID. THE FAILURE OCCURS WHILE DRIVING UP THE SLIGHTEST INCLINE. HE CALLED THE DEALER AND WAS INFORMED THAT THIS WAS THE VEHICLE'S NEW DRIVE BY WIRE SYSTEM AND ALL OF THE NEW TOYOTA'S PERFORM IN THIS MANNER. THE VIN AND ENGINE SIZE WERE UNAVAILABLE. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 7,800 AND FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 100.

ON AUG. 6TH WHILE DRIVING ON A TWO LANE ROAD IN SOUTH CAROLINA IN MY 2007 AVALON, THE ACCELERATOR BECAME STUCK. MY CAR REACHED SPEEDS OF UP TO 80 MPH. I COULD ONLY REDUCE THE SPEED TO 60 MPH BY RIDING THE BRAKES. I FINALLY STOPPED THE CAR BY FINDING A SAFE PULL-OFF AND SHIFTED INTO NEUTRAL AND THEN PARK. MY BRAKES WERE COMPLETELY RUINED AND REQUIRED REPLACEMENT. MY CAR WAS TOWED TO A TOYOTA DEALER IN GREENVILLE, SC. THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT DETERMINED THAT THE FAULTY ACCELERATION WAS DUE TO A RUBBER ALL-WEATHER MAT. THE MAT HAD BEEN PLACED OVER THE STANDARD FLOOR MAT. I FEEL THAT AVALON OWNERS NATIONWIDE NEED TO BE NOTIFIED OF THIS DANGEROUS PROBLEM. I NOTED IN MY LOCAL NEWSPAPER LAST WEEK THAT YOU ARE INVESTIGATING THE SAME PROBLEM IN THE LEXUS ES 350 WHICH HAS THE SAME DESIGN AS THE AVALON. *TR UPDATED 03/04/10 *BF UPDATED 05/06/10.*JB

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2007 TOYOTA AVALON. THE CONSUMER ACCELERATED TO PASS A VEHICLE AD IT TOOK OFF AND WOULDN'T SLOW DOWN OR STOP. THE BRAKES WOULD HOLD THE VEHICLE AT THAT SPEED. THE CONSUMER PLACED THE VEHICLE IN NEUTRAL AND STOPPED. THE ENGINE NEEDLE HAD REDLINED. THE VEHICLE WOULD ALSO DELAY WHEN ACCELERATING FROM A STOP AND THEN TAKE OFF RAPIDLY. UPDATED 12/12/07

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2007 TOYOTA AVALON. THE VEHICLE IS EQUIPPED WITH A REAR WINDOW CURTAIN FOR THE REAR GLASS. WHEN THE CURTAIN IS DOWN, THERE IS AN INCH AND A HALF BLACK STRIP THAT EXTENDS ACROSS THE WINDOW. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE STRIP PRODUCES A GLARE THAT IS VERY DISTRACTING WHEN DRIVING OR LOOKING OUT OF THE WINDOW. THE TOYOTA MANUFACTURER WAS UNABLE TO BE OF ASSISTANCE AND STATED THAT THEY WILL CONSIDER THIS ISSUE WHEN DESIGNING THE UPCOMING AVALONS. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 500.