2008 Toyota Avalon

VEHICLE EXPERIENCING THE INOPERATIVE OF DAYTIME RUNNING LIGHTS(DRL) AND HIGH BEAM AND LOW BEAM BULBS. PREVIOUSLY REPLACED BULBS. PROBLEM CONTINUES AFTER BULB BEING REPLACED. LIGHTS RETURN TO NORMAL OPERATION WHEN SWITCHED TO OFF POSITION AND BACK ON. NO SPECIFIC PATTERNS OF OCCURRENCE. EXPLANATION BY DEALERSHIP WHEN CHECKED WAS THAT THEY DID NOT DETECT A PROBLEM AT THE TIME OF SERVICE. NOTE ENTERED BY SERVICE ADVISOR STATED "ELECTRICAL PROBLEM". *TR

DRIVING IN DARK 2-LANE COUNTRY ROAD, NEEDED HIGH BEAM FOR SAFETY AND BETTER VISIBILITY. HIGH BEAMS DID NOT TURN ON. DURING THE TRIP ALMOST HIT A COYOTE BUT WAS ABLE TO AVOID DUE TO DRIVING 45 MPH (20 MPH BELOW POSTED SPEED LIMIT). ALSO, DUE TO SLOWED SPEED WE CONSTANTLY WERE CREATING A LONG QUEUE BEHIND US CAUSING MANY VEHICLES TO UNSAFELY PASS US, THUS CREATING ANOTHER POTENTIAL HAZARD. WENT TO THE DEALER TO FIX PROBLEM BUT IT WOULD COST $2000 TO FIX! TOYOTA WAS AWARE OF THIS PROBLEM (SERVICE BULLETIN#TSB-0044-10) AND THEY DID EXTEND THE WARRANTY, BUT THEY WOULDN'T HONOR THAT IN OUR CAR BECAUSE WE WERE 2 MONTHS PAST THE EXTENDED WARRANTY PERIOD. THAT WAS THE ONLY TIME WE NEEDED TO USE THE HIGH BEAM AFTER OWNING IT FOR 6 MONTHS, SO THE PROBLEM COULD HAVE HAPPENED WAY BEFORE THE END OF THE WARRANTY PERIOD. TOYOTA CUSTOMER SERVICE OF COURSE WAS NOT WILLING TO STEP UP AND OR AT LEAST PARTIALLY PAY FOR THE REPAIRS. THEIR CUSTOMER CARE REPRESENTATIVE WAS VERY INDIFFERENT. TOYOTAS HAVE DEFINITELY SLIPPED IN QUALITY AND CUSTOMER SATISFACTION. I WILL NOT RECOMMEND ANY OTHER TOYOTAS TO MY FRIENDS AND RELATIVES. *TR

EVENING INTERSTATE HEADLIGHTS FAIL AT 65 MPH THEN RETURN AFTER HEADLIGHT SWITCH IS CYCLED TO OFF AND BACK ON.... THIRD OCCURRENCE IN AS MANY MONTHS. NO RECALL INFO ON TOYOTA WEBSITE. OVER 100 COMPLAINTS ON SAME ISSUE. DOES SOMEONE HAVE TO BE INJURED OR KILLED BEFORE THIS PROBLEM IS ADDRESSED??? ORIGINAL OWNER, MAYBE NOT FOR MUCH LONGER. GET OFF YOUR BUTT TOYOTA AND ADDRESS THIS DANGEROUS SITUATION. *TR

REAR WINDOW VISIBILITY IS MY PROBLEM, AT DARK AND WHEN IT RAINS IT'S NEAR IMPOSSIBLE TO SEE CLEARLY ANYTHING THROUGH MY BACK WINDOW. THE REAR WINDOW SUNSHADE IS STUCK IN THE UP POSITION MAKING IT VERY DIFFICULT TO SEE WELL THROUGH THE REAR WINDOW IN THE RAIN AND WHEN IT'S DARK. IF IT WAS STUCK IN THE DOWN POSITION THAT WOULD BE OK, BUT IT'S NOT. I'VE READ ON THE INTERNET THAT TOYOTA DEALERS HAVE CHARGED ALMOST $900. A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO TO FIX ONE. FIRST OFF THERE SHOULD BE A WAY TO LOWER IT EVEN IF IT'S NOT FIXED TO GO UP AND DOWN. I'M VERY DISAPPOINTED IN TOYOTA. WHEN I CALLED THEM ABOUT MY DYNAMIC CRUISE CONTROL NOT WORKING LAST YEAR THEY WOULDN'T FIX IT FOR FREE OR AT GREATLY REDUCED PRICE BECAUSE I WAS PAST THE THREE YEAR WARRANTY, EVEN THOUGH I HAD LESS THEN 25,000 OR 26000 MILES ON IT WHEN I CALLED. IT HADN'T WORKED AT THAT TIME FOR A GOOD 6 TO 8 MONTHS. TOYOTA DOES NOT STAND BEHIND THEIR PRODUCTS IN MY OPINION. *TR ## VIN FAILED ##

TELESCOPIC LEVER IS RELEASED AND STEERING WHEEL MAKES TOWARD ON THE HIGHWAY IN DRIVING. THIS IS MY 3RD TIME EXPERIENCE. HOW CAN STEERING WHEEL LOCK IS RELEASED WITHOUT ANY WARNING IN DRIVING. ACCORDING THE 2008 TOYOTA AVALON MANUAL, TOYOTA ALREADY MAKES CAUTION LIKE THIS.(PAGE61) "AFTER ADJUSTING THE STEERING WHEEL. MAKE SURE THAT THE STEERING WHEEL IS LOCKED. OTHERWISE, THE STEERING WHEEL MAY MOVE SUDDENLY, POSSIBLY CAUSING AN ACCIDENT AND RESULTING IN DEATH OR SERIOUS INJURY." "WHILE DRIVING. DO NOT ADJUST THE STEERING WHEEL. DOING SO MAY CAUSE THE DRIVER TO MISHANDLE THE VEHICLE AND AN ACCIDENT, RESULTING IN DEATH OR SERIOUS INJURY." TOYOTA MANUFACTURER ALREADY UNDERSTAND IF STEERING WHEEL IS UNLOCKED OR RELEASE IN DRIVING, CAUSING IN DEATH OR SERIOUS INJURY. I THINK TOYOTA MOTOR COMPANY MAKES RECALL AND FIX THIS PROBLEM AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. *TR

LEFT HEADLIGHT WORKS FOR ONLY ABOUT FIVE MINUTES THEN TURNS OFF BUT TURNS BACK ON RIGHT AWAY IF I TURN OFF THEN ON ALL LIGHTS DEALER REPLACED LIGHT IN AUGUST 2011 BUT WITHIN A FEW MONTHS SAME PROBLEM IS OCCURRING. RETURN TO DEALER GOT ONLY A DENIAL OF ANY "ONGOING" PROBLEMS REPORTED (EDMUNDS SAYS OTHERWISE FROM MANY IRATE TOYOTA OWNERS). DEALER ONLY OFFERED TO REPLACE THE BUILT AGAIN ($178.00) OR "CHARGE LABOR TO CK THE FULL ELECTRICAL SYSTEM (IGNORING THAT ONLY THE HEADLIGHT ELECTRICAL ASSEMBLY NEED BE CHECKED AND THAT THE ASSEMBLY CAN BE REPLACED FOR AROUND $300.) DEALER REALLY WANTS TO IGNORE THE PROBLEM AND JUST SELL MORE BULBS. THIS IS LIKELY MY LAST TOYOTA (AFTER HAVING FOUR.) *TR

CAR WOULDN'T START AT SHOPPING AREA - PAID $5 FOR A BATTERY JUMP - HAD CAR TESTED AT LOCAL AUTO SHOP - SAID WE NEEDED AN ALTERNATOR BUT MAY BE UNDER WARRANTY - WENT TO EASTERN SHORE TOYOTA - FOR $56.57 - YES WE NEEDED AN ALTERNATOR - NOT UNDER WARRANTY -COST $580 - TAKE TIL TUES - SUGGEST WE SPEND $100 PLUS AND RENT A CAR. WE ELECTED TO TAKE OUR CHANCES AND HAD THE VEHICLE FIXED CLOSER TO GULF SHORES WHERE WE ARE STAYING - COST WAS $396. WE HAVE NEVER HAD AN ALTERNATOR GO OUT AFTER OWNING VEHICLES FOR NEARLY 60 YRS - LET ALONE AT 46725 MILES AND SUCH A PRICEY CAR. WE ARE CONSIDERING THE RAV 4 FOR 2014 BUT THIS IS GIVING US SECOND THOUGHTS. *TR

WE HAVE A 2008 TOYOTA AVALON. THE HIGHBEAM LIGHTS WERE HARDLY USED AND THEY WENT OUT ONE NIGHT AT THE SAME TIME. WE BROUGHT THE CAR TO A DEALERSHIP AND THEY HAD THE BULBS REPLACED. THEY DID TELL US THAT BULBS USUALLY GO OUT ONE AT A TIME BUT HAD NO EXPLANATION WHY BOTH WENT OUT AT THE SAME TIME. WE INDICATED THAT THE USER'S MANUAL SUGGESTED TO LOOK AT OTHER PARTS AS BURNED BULBS WOULD USUALLY BE CAUSED BY A PROBLEM IN THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM. WE WERE TOLD IT WAS ONLY THE BULBS. WE JUST LEARNED AFTER THE VISIT THAT TOYOTA HAD SENT A BULLETIN TO THE DEALERS ABOUT THE PROBLEM THAT SOME 2008-2010 MODELS HAVE A PROBLEM WITH THE BULB HOUSING, NOT THE BULBS AND THE FIX IS TO REPLACE THE HOUSING. HOWEVER, THIS IS NOT A RECALL. *TR

WE WERE DRIVING ON MOUNTAIN ROADS IN A SNOWSTORM AT NIGHT, AND DISCOVERED WE DID NOT HAVE HIGH BEAMS. WE TOOK THE CAR TO OUR MECHANIC ONCE WE RETURNED FROM OUR TRIP, AND WERE TOLD THAT BOTH HIGH BEAM LIGHT BULBS WERE SHATTERED. OUR MECHANIC TOLD US THAT THIS IS A ISSUE THAT TOYOTA IS AWARE OF, AND THAT THEY HAD ISSUED A SERVICE BULLETIN IN JANUARY OF 2010 FOR THIS SPECIFIC PROBLEM. WE PURCHASED THIS CAR PRE-OWNED CERTIFIED FROM A TOYOTA DEALERSHIP IN FEBRUARY OF 2011 (MORE THAN A YEAR AFTER THE SERVICE BULLETIN WAS RELEASED). THIS PROBLEM SHOULD HAVE BEEN TAKEN CARE OF BEFORE WE PURCHASED THE VEHICLE, SINCE THE DEALERSHIP WAS AWARE OF THE SERVICE BULLETIN, AND THE CAR WAS "CERTIFIED." WE WERE TOLD THAT THE REPAIR WOULD COST $2,400, AND WAS NOT BE COVERED UNDER OUR EXTENDED WARRANTY. THIS IS A VERY DANGEROUS PROBLEM WITH THIS VINTAGE AVALON THAT SHOULD WARRANT A RECALL, NOT JUST A SERVICE BULLETIN. *TR

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