2008 Toyota Avalon

VEHICLE IS 2008 TOYOTA AVALON LIMITED. BOTH HID HEADLIGHT BULBS GO OUT AND COME ON INTERMITTENTLY WITHOUT ANY PATTERN AS TO WHEN THEY WILL GO OUT. THE DEALER SAID THIS IS A KNOWN PROBLEM WITH THIS MAKE AND MODEL AND WITH SOME PRIUS MODELS. SINCE THIS IS A KNOWN PROBLEM THE DEALER SAID THE BULB HAD BEEN REDUCED TO "ONLY" $140.00 AND THEY COULD PUT ONE BULB IN FOR ABOUT $350.00. ASIDE FROM THE OUTRAGEOUS PRICE FOR A HEADLIGHT BULB, THIS IS A KNOWN DEFECT THAT MANY PEOPLE HAVE EXPERIENCED AND ONE THAT RECURS AFTER THE REPAIR. IT IS CLEARLY THE ASSEMBLY THAT IS DEFECTIVE. THE DANGER IN YOUR HEADLIGHTS GOING OUT UNEXPECTEDLY AND REGULARLY IS OBVIOUS. THE DEALER SAID IT COULDN'T HELP, BECAUSE THIS WAS NOT COVERED BY THE WARRANTY. I WROTE TO TOYOTA. THEY GAVE ME A REPORT OR INCIDENT NUMBER, BUT AFTER MANY MONTHS HAVE OFFERED NO RELIEF. BASED UPON THE NUMBER OF COMPLAINTS THAT I SEE FOR THIS SAME ISSUE,I FEEL THAT TOYOTA SHOULD BEAR RESPONSIBILITY FOR THIS DEFECT. *TR

THIS IS MY 2ND POSTING. MY FIRST WAS MARCH 11, 2011 FROM WESTERVILLE, OHIO. ENCLOSED BELOW IS THE REPLY FROM TOYOTA TO THE OHIO ATTORNEY GENERAL OFFICE. "PLEASE ACCEPT OUR APOLOGIES FOR THIS SITUATION AND FOR ANY INCONVENIENCE THAT MR. X MAY HAVE BEEN CAUSED. PLEASE ADVISE MR. X THAT HIS VEHICLE IS OUTSIDE THE WARRANTY IN WHICH REPAIR WOULD BE COVERED BY TOYOTA AND NO ASSISTANCE WILL BE PROVIDED". THIS RESPONSE TO THE OHIO ATTORNEY GENERAL'S OFFICE CLEARLY INDICATES TOYOTA WILL PAY FOR THIS IF YOUR VEHICLE IS STILL UNDER WARRANTY. SHOULD YOU NEED A COPY OF THIS - EMAIL ME AT: [XXX] I ENCOURAGE EVERYONE TO SEND YOUR COMPLAINT TO YOUR STATE'S ATTORNEY GENERAL'S OR INSPECTOR GENERAL'S OFFICE. WE ARE GETTING SCREWED BY TOYOTA. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

HID HEADLIGHTS ON TOYOTA AVALON TOURING INTERMITTENTLY GO OUT. YOU HAVE TO RESET THEM BY TURNING OFF YOUR HEADLIGHTS. THIS IS SCARY WHEN YOU ARE DRIVING AT ANY SPEED BUT AT HIGHWAY SPEED IS DOWNRIGHT RIDICULOUS. IT HAS HAPPENED OVER AND OVER. IF YOU DO RESEARCH ONLINE YOU WILL FIND THAT THIS IS A PROBLEM WITH BOTH THE TOURING AND THE LIMITED (THE AVALON VERSIONS WITH HID HEADLIGHTS) AND NOT THE XL OR XLS VERSIONS WITH HALOGENS. THIS IS A HEADLIGHT SYSTEM PROBLEM ($2500 AT DEALER) NOT A BULB PROBLEM! EVERYONE IS HAVING THIS PROBLEM WITH THESE MODELS OF THE AVALON. NHTSA PLEASE FACTOR THIS IN TO YOUR RESEARCH IF YOU ARE DOING A % OF COMPLAINTS TO CAR MODELS BUILT NOT TO FACTOR IN THE AVALONS BUILT WITH HALOGENS. THIS PROBLEM IS ABUNDANT ONLINE AND SOME SIMPLE RESEARCH WILL LET YOU SEE THAT TOYOTA HAS A SERIOUS SAFETY CONCERN ON THEIR HANDS. I KNOW THEY HAD A RECALL ON THE PRIUS FOR THE SAME ISSUE. YES I HAVE 2 KIDS IN THE BACK SEAT IN CAR SEATS. PLEASE KEEP THEM SAFE AND MAKE TOYOTA FIX THIS ISSUE BEFORE I AM CHECKING THE DEATHS BOX ON THE ABOVE FORM! THANK YOU! *TR

THE PASSENGER SIDE HEADLIGHT OF MY 2008 TOYOTA AVALON LIMITED DIMMED FOR 3 DAYS AND THEN WENT OUT. THE VEHICLE WAS STILL UNDER WARRANTY AND THE DEALER REPLACED AT NO CHARGE. 4,000 MILES LATER (OUT OF WARRANTY) THE DRIVER SIDE HEADLIGHT DIMMED FOR 2 DAYS AND NOW IT IS OUT. DURING EACH INSTANCE, I WAS ABLE TO TURN THE HEADLIGHTS OFF AND ON AND EACH TIME THE HEADLIGHT WOULD WORK PROPERLY BUT AFTER A FEW MINUTES, THE HEADLIGHT WOULD DIM AND THEN GO OUT COMPLETELY. *TR

I OWN A 2008 TOYOTA AVALON WITH HID HEADLIGHTS. I WAS ON A VACATION WITH MY WIFE AND 2 MONTH OLD DRIVING AT NIGHT IN A STORM WHEN I DECIDED TO USE MY HIGH BEAMS. THIS WAS APPROXIMATELY MARCH 25TH 2010, WHILE DRIVING THE HIGH BEAM BULBS EXPLODED. THERE IS A TSB ON THE HEADLIGHTS BEING DESIGNED DEFECTIVE. WHEN THE HIGH BEAMS EXPLODED IT RUINED THE INTEGRITY OF THE LOW BEAMS. WHEN I CAME TO A STOP BOTH LOW BEAMS SHUT OFF. I TURNED THE LIGHTS OFF AND THEN BACK ON AND THEY CAME BACK ON BUT ANYTIME I SIT FOR A MINUTE OR SO THEY TURN BACK OFF. I BROUGHT IT TO THE DEALERSHIP AND CALLED TOYOTA AND THEY BOTH TOLD ME SINCE I WASN'T IN BUMPER TO BUMPER WARRANTY ANY MORE THAT IT WOULD COST ME $1,088.00 A SIDE FOR PARTS PLUS LABOR TO INSTALL THEM. I WAS ALSO TOLD TO FIX THE LOW BEAM PROBLEM I WOULD HAVE TO BUY NEW BULBS AT $175.00 A PIECE. I WAS TOLD IT WAS NOT A SAFETY ISSUE SO THEY DID NOT HAVE TO ISSUE A RECALL, AND THAT THERE ISN'T EVEN ANYTHING ON FILE ABOUT THEM LOOKING INTO IT. HOW IS YOUR HEADLIGHTS SHUTTING OFF NOT A SAFETY ISSUE? WHY SHOULD I HAVE TO PAY TO GET HEADLIGHTS THAT AREN'T DEFECTIVE. I UNDERSTAND IF THEY WERE CRACKED OR DAMAGED IN SOME WAY BUT A DESIGN DEFECT??? PLEASE LOOK INTO THIS. I ONLY HAD 48K MILES ON THE CAR AT THE TIME. I DROVE THE CAR THE 1400 MILES BACK TO MY HOME AND IT HAS BEEN PARKED SINCE BUT ON THE DRIVE THE HEADLIGHTS STARTED CUTTING OUT WHILE DRIVING. *TR

LAST WEEKEND I WAS DRIVING MY 12YR SON TO VISIT HIS GRANDFATHER FOR SPRING BREAK. WE STOPPED TO USE THE RESTROOM AND TURNED OFF THE CAR. WHEN WE GOT BACK ON THE ROAD, THE HIGH BEAMS WOULD NO LONGER WORK. WE WERE DRIVING DOWN DARK COUNTRY ROADS IN THE MIDDLE OF NO WHERE. I NEEDED EXTRA LIGHT, SO I TURNED ON MY FOG LIGHTS. FORGETTING THE HIGH BEAMS WOULDN'T WORK, I TRIED THEM AGAIN; WHEN I APPLIED THE BEAMS, THE FOG LIGHTS WENT OUT. WHEN I SHUT THE HIGH BEAMS, THEY CAME BACK ON. I NOW HAVE TO GO PICK UP MY SON FROM HIS VISIT AND AM AFRAID TO DRIVE AT NIGHT. I'VE HAD MY LEFT HEADLIGHT GO OUT INTERMITTENTLY WHEN THE CAR WAS FIRST SHUT OFF, BUT NOW MY LIGHTS ARE ALL GOING OFF. MY BROTHER TRIED TO HELP ME FIGURE OUT WHAT WAS WRONG AND WE FOUND NOTHING PHYSICALLY WRONG WITH THE CAR. WE LOOKED ONLINE AND FOUND MULTIPLE COMPLAINTS. I DRIVE A 2008 TOYOTA AVALON TOURING - AND I AM NOW AFRAID TO DRIVE AT NIGHT. I FREQUENTLY DO A LOT OF NIGHT DRIVING, AND DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO. I HAVE APPROX 45,000 MILES ON THE CAR. IF THERE IS A SIMILAR RECALL ON THE PRIUS, THEY NEED TO DO SOMETHING BEFORE THERE IS A FATAL ACCIDENT!!!!! *TR

I PURCHASED MY 2008 AVALON TOURING IN FEBRUARY 2008 WITHIN TWO YEARS OF OWNING, I NOTICED THAT MY HIGH-BEAM NO LONGER WERE WORKING. I TOOK INTO THE DEALERSHIP TO HAVE CHECKED, THEY INDICATED THE HIGH-BEAM BULBS HAD BURNED OUT. WHEN INQUIRING WHY THEY WOULD BOTH BURN-OUT IN SUCH A SHORT PERIOD OF OWNING THE VEHICLE THE SERVICE TECHNICIAN INDICATED THE HIGH BEAM BULB ALSO WORKS AS YOUR DAY RUNNING LIGHTS, THEY QUOTED A FIGURE OF OVER $160 FOR THE BULBS AND ANOTHER $180 TO COMPLETE THE WORK. I PURCHASED THE BULBS AND PUT THEM IN MYSELF. UPON INSPECTING THE BULBS ON REMOVAL, BOTH HAD COMPLETED EXPLODED WHEN THE WENT BAD. KEEPING FINGERS CROSSED THAT THIS WILL BE THE LAST TO TIME TO REPLACE. OVER THE PAST COUPLE WEEKS I NOTICED THAT THE LOW-BEAM LIGHT ON THE PASSENGER SIDE SEEMED TO BE SHUTTING DOWN PERIODICALLY. AFTER RESEARCHING ON THE INTERNET, I FOUND THAT IT APPEARS TO BE AN ONGOING ISSUE WITH OTHERS. ALL INDICATIONS WERE THE ONLY WAY TO CORRECT IS REPLACING THE BULB. ONCE AGAIN OUT OF POCKET FOR OVER A $150. WAS ABLE TO REPLACE MYSELF. READ A FORUMS WHERE PEOPLE INDICATED THEY HAD TO PULL THEIR ENTIRE BUMPER OFF TO REPLACE. NOT THE CASE. THERE IS A SAFETY CLIP THAT HOLDS THE BULB IN PLACE, AND IT TAKES ALITTLE WORK TO GET IT OFF THE FIRST TIME, BUT NOT THAT DIFFICULT ONCE YOU'VE DONE. SCHEDULE TO TAKE MY CAR IN FOR AN OIL CHANGE THIS WEEK, AND I PLAN TO INQUIRE AT THE DEALERSHIP AS TO THE NUMBER OF COMPLAINTS THAT I'VE NOTICED ON THE WEB WITH THEIR HEADLIGHTS ASSOCIATED WITH THE 2008 AVALON. *TR