2008 Toyota Avalon

DURING A ROUTINE 70000 MILE MAINTENANCE CHECK I HAD THE DEALER LOOK INTO A FLICKERING DRIVER-SIDE HEAD LIGHT. THEY SAID THE BULB WAS GOING BAD AND ALSO DISCOVERED THAT MY HIGH BEAMS DIDN'T WORK. TOYOTA SAID THE PROBLEM IS INHERENT TO 2008-2010 AVALONS BECAUSE OF A POORLY ENGINEERED HEAD-LAMP ASSEMBLY AND THE COST TO FIX THE PROBLEM WOULD BE $2820.85. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 TOYOTA AVALON. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE HIGH BEAM HEADLIGHTS EXPLODED AFTER THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED. THERE WAS BROKEN GLASS ALL AROUND THE HEADLIGHTS. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHO STATED THAT THERE WAS NO RECALL FOR THE FAILURE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED AND A CLAIM WAS FILED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 53,000.

I BOUGHT A 08 TOYOTA AVALON LIMITED FROM CARMAX IN MAY 2012 WITH AN EXTENDED WARRANTY. WITHIN 30 DAYS OF PURCHASE I WAS TOLD BY MY COWORKER THAT MY HEADLIGHT WAS OUT. I LOOKED AT THE REFLECTION IN THE GLASS BUT WASN'T SURE THAT THE LIGHT WAS OUT. I TURNED THE HEADLIGHTS OFF AND ON AGAIN, GOT OUT OF THE CAR INSPECTED THE LIGHT AND BOTH WERE ILLUMINATED. I RETURNED TO CAR TO CARMAX, REPORTED WHAT I THOUGHT WERE SMALL THINGS, VIBRATION IN THE TIRE, CHIPPED PAINT. I VERBALLY COMPLAINED ABOUT A SHORT IN THE CIGARETTE LIGHTER AND THE HEADLIGHT GOING OUT BUT IMPLIED THAT THE ISSUE HAD BEEN CORRECTED. I WAS NOT AWARE OF THE HID HEADLIGHT ISSUE. THROUGHOUT THE NEXT FEW MONTHS I WORKED THE MIDNIGHT SHIFT. I DROVE THE CAR 10 MIN TO WORK. THE REST OF THE TIME WAS MOSTLY DAYLIGHT DRIVING. ON OCT. 1, 12 I STARTED DRIVING THE CAR AT NIGHT. DAYS HAD BECOME SHORTER AND IT GOT DARKER EARLIER. DURING THE NEXT FEW WEEKS I NOTICED POOR ILLUMINATION AT NIGHT AND WAS CONSTANTLY SWITCHING MY HEADLIGHTS FROM THE ON POSITION TO OFF AND BACK ON AGAIN. I HAD KNEE SURGERY OCT. 25, 2012 AND DIDN'T DRIVE FOR A WEEK. NOV 19, 12 I VISITED THE TOYOTA DEALERSHIP IN CATONSVILLE, MD. I ADVISED THAT MY LIGHTS WERE TURNING OFF INTERMITTENTLY. TOYOTA DEALERSHIP SUGGESTED NEW BULBS CLAIMING THAT THE BULBS GOING OUT WAS AN INDICATOR THAT THEY WERE GOING BAD. I'M NO GENIUS BUT IT DIDN'T MAKE SENSE THAT BULBS STILL ILLUMINATED WHEN THEY'RE BAD. AFTER INSISTING THAT THE EXPLANATION MADE NO SENSE AND CONTACTING TOYOTA MOTOR CORPORATION. THE DEALERSHIP REEVALUATED THE HEADLIGHTS AND FOUND THAT THE HEADLIGHT ASSEMBLY WAS BAD. TMC EVALUATED MY CLAIM AND ADVISED THAT THEY WOULD PAY FOR HALF THE COST OF REPLACEMENT OF THE HEADLIGHT ASSEMBLY, $1500. ALTHOUGH I HAD THE CAR 7 MONTHS IT WAS OUT OF THE ALREADY TMC EXTENDED WARRANTY OF 5 YRS. BUT UNDER THE WARRANTY MILEAGE OF 7200 MILES. THE TSB # FOR THIS IS 004410. *TR

WHILE DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY ONE OR BOTH HEADLIGHTS FLICKER THEN TURN OFF. THIS HAPPENS ALL THE TIME AND THE ONLY WAY TO GET THE LIGHTS TO COME BACK ON IS TO TURN THEM OFF AND THEN BACK ON AGAIN. IT IS GETTING PROGRESSIVELY WORSE AND THE DEALER SAID I HAVE TO BRING THE CAR IN FOR EVALUATION WHEN THE LIGHTS GO OUT. UNFORTUNATELY I HAVE TO DO THIS DURING BUSINESS HOURS WHEN IT IS DARK TO KNOW THAT MY LIGHTS ARE OUT. AND WHEN BOTH LIGHTS GO OUT IT ISN'T A GOOD IDEA TO LEAVE THEM OFF SO I CAN DRIVE TO THE DEALER. BOTH BULBS HAVE BURST IN THE PAST AND HAVE BEEN REPLACED TWICE BY THE DEALER. THIS TIME THE NEW BULBS DON'T APPEAR TO BE BURSTING BUT JUST TURNING OFF BY THEMSELVES. THE BURST BULB PROBLEM STARTED OCCURRING WHEN I HAD LESS THAN 20K MILES BUT NOW THE DEALER SAID BOTH LIGHT HOUSINGS NEEDS REPLACED AT MY COST OF OVER $5000. *TR

LOST BOTH HIGH BEAM LIGHTING WHILE DRIVING IN A SNOW STORM AT NIGHT, ON A DARK MOUNTAIN ROAD IN OREGON. I HAVE 2002 CHEVY SILVERALDO PICKUP WITH OVER 150,000 MILES AND NO HEADLIGHT PROBLEMS EVER. THE LAST KNOWN HEADLIGHT FAILURE I HAD WAS ON MY 1957 CHEVY AROUND 1970. YOU WOULD THINK HEADLIGHT PROBLEMS IN TODAYS CARS WOULD NOT EXIST, EVER! I CHECKED ALL FOUR FUSES PER TOYOTA'S MAINTANANCE MANUAL, AND THEY ARE GOOD. I SEE THERE ARE SEVERAL COMPLAINTS ON TOYOTA'S. SEEMS LIKE THEY WOULD FIX OUR PROBLEMS BEFORE THERE IS A FATALITY. THANKS *TR

BOTH LOW BEAM HEADLIGHTS ON MY 2008 TOYOTA AVALON SPORADICALLY GO OUT, AND I HAVE TO TURN THE LIGHTS OFF AND ON IN ORDER TO GET THEM TO TURN BACK ON. BOTH HIGH BEAM HEADLIGHTS ARE COMPLETELY OUT, AS WELL AS BOTH FOG LIGHTS. THERE ARE THOUSANDS OF 2008 TOYOTA AVALON OWNERS WHO ARE EXPERIENCING THIS PROBLEM WITH THEIR LIGHTS. THIS IS A MAJOR SAFETY CONCERN FOR EVERYONE WHO IS AFFECTED BY THIS PROBLEM. ORIGINALLY, THIS TYPE OF PROBLEM IS COVERED UNDER A 5 YEAR/36K MILES WARRANTY, BUT DUE TO OVERWHELMING COMPLAINTS, TOYOTA EXTENDED THE WARRANTY TO 5 YEAR/72K MILES. THE REPAIR INVOLVES REPLACING THE HID HEADLIGHT CONTROL UNIT (BALLAST), WHICH CAME DEFECTIVE FROM THE MANUFACTURER, AS WELL AS ALL OF THE HEADLIGHTS, AND IN SOME CASES BOTH HEADLIGHT HOUSINGS. THE TOTAL COST FOR THIS REPAIR IS ABOUT $2,500 TO $2,800. IN MY CASE, AS IS THE CASE OF MANY OTHER 2008 TOYOTA AVALON OWNERS, MY BEAMS BEGAN TO FAIL AFTER THE WARRANTY PERIOD, AT ABOUT 75K MILES, AND THEREFORE I AM REQUIRED TO COVER THIS COST AT MY OWN EXPENSE. THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH 2008 TOYOTA AVALONS, WHICH TOYOTA KNOWS ABOUT. TOYOTA CLAIMS THAT IT IS A WARRANTY BASED ISSUE, AND THEY ARE UNWILLING TO ACCEPT THE FACT THAT IT IS A RECALL BASED ISSUE. IT IS A MAJOR SAFETY CONCERN FOR ALL 2008 TOYOTA AVALON OWNERS. *TR

ON JUNE 24, 2011 WE TOOK A TRIP TO ARKANSAS. AS WE WERE GOING IN THE MOUNTAINS, WE FOUND THAT WE HAD NO HIGH BEAMS ON OUR HEADLIGHTS. ON RETURNING TO FRESNO WE TOOK IT INTO THE TOYOTA DEALER AND HE INFORMED US THAT THE HEADLIGHT HAD EXPLODED AND WOULD COST $2500 TO REPLACE. AFTER A DISCUSSION WITH THE DEALER AND TOYOTA, THE DEALER FIXED THEM. THEN IN SEPTEMBER 2012 THE DRIVING LIGHTS WENT OUT. WE TOOK THE CAR IN TO THE TOYOTA DEALER AND HE INFORMED US THAT THEY HAVE EXPLODED AGAIN. THEY WANT $2500 TO REPLACE THEM AGAIN. I DO NOT UNDERSTAND WHY THEY WANT TO CHARGE THE CUSTOMER WHEN IT IS A MANUFACTURING PROBLEM. CAN YOU IMAGINE DRIVING ON BACK ROADS AT NIGHT (WHICH WE DO) AND HAVE THE LIGHTS GO OUT? I THINK THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE AND MAKES IT A VERY EXPENSIVE CAR TO OPERATE YEARLY. I UNDERSTAND THAT THIS IS A ONGOING PROBLEM WITH THE 2008-2010 MODELS WITH HD HEADLIGHTS. *TR

THIS CAR HAS HAD ALL 4 HEADLIGHTS BURN OUT AT ONE TIME OR ANOTHER. NOW FOR THE SECOND TIME, THE LEFT HID LOW BEAM HAS GONE OUT. I'M SURE YOU ARE AWARE THESE ARE EXPENSIVE TO REPLACE. ABOUT 2 YEARS AGO TOYOTA OFFERED TO REIMBURSE OWNERS FOR REPLACEMENT OF HIGH BEAM HALOGEN BULBS AS LONG AS THE VEHICLE HAD LESS THAN 35,000 MILES AT THE TIME OF THE MALFUNCTION. RECENTLY THOUGH, SINCE THIS WAS A PROBLEM WITH A LARGER NUMBER OF CARS, TOYOTA EXPANDED THIS TO A SERVICE BULLETIN. IN THIS BULLETIN THEY WILL REPLACE BOTH COMPLETE HEADLIGHT ASSEMBLIES SO LONG AS THE VEHICLE IS LESS THAN 5 YEARS OLD AND HAS LESS THAN 75,000 MILES ON THE ODOMETER. MY MOTHER-IN-LAW JUST HAD THIS DONE ON HER AVALON, WHICH FAILED AN INSPECTION BECAUSE BOTH HALOGEN HIGH BEAM BULBS WERE SHATTERED, WHICH WAS PURCHASED AT THE SAME TIME MY WIFE'S WAS. MY WIFE USES HER AVALON TO COMMUTE 90 MILES ROUND TRIP TO WORK. THE CAR CURRENTLY HAS 105,000 MILES ON THE ODOMETER SINCE IT WAS PURCHASED NEW DECEMBER 8, 2007. DUE TO THE MILEAGE TOYOTA IS NOT INTERESTED IN REPLACING THE HEADLIGHT ASSEMBLIES ON HER CAR. THIS IS A SAFETY DEFECT THAT COULD CAUSE A CRASH. I BELIEVE THERE SHOULD BE A RECALL CAMPAIGN TO RECTIFY THE PROBLEM. *TR