2008 Toyota Avalon

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

STEERING WHEEL COLUMN ADJUSTMENT LEVER DROPS DOWN ALLOWING THE STEERING COLUMN TO COLLAPSE FORWARD (OR MOVE BACK IF HOLDING ON TO IT DURING VEHICLE ENTRY). LEVER INTERFERES WITH ENTRY AND EXIT OF THE VEHICLE AND HURTS THE LEG. ANOTHER SAFETY ISSUE IS THAT THE COLLAPSIBLE STEERING COLUMN IS NOT LOCKED AND IF IT COLLAPSES DURING A CRASH COULD CONTRIBUTE TO LESS EFFECTIVENESS OF THE AIRBAG. THE PROBLEM STARTED SOON AFTER THE VEHICLE WAS PURCHASED NEW AND IS GETTING PROGRESSIVELY WORSE -- SOMETIMES UNLOCKING DAILY. *TR

STEERING WHEEL COLLAPSE WHILE DRIVING. TILT AND TELESCOPING STEERING WHEEL LOCK FAILURE. HAPPENS MORE FREQUENTLY AS AUTOMOBILE AGE. POTENTIALLY CAUSE FOR AN ACCIDENT. FOUND OTHER COMPLAINTS AT WWW.ABOUTAUTOMOBLE.COM. AUTOMOTIVE VIBRATION CAUSES LEVER TO LOOSEN AND HANG DOWNWARD. DRIVER ENTERING OR EXITING VEHICLE KNEE STRIKES LEVER CAUSING PAIN AND IN SOME CASES BRUISING. ASK LOCAL DEALER IF THERE WAS A SAFETY RECALL, THEY SAID NO. I CAN'T UNDERSTAND WHY NOT. *TR

STARTED TO BACK OUT OF DRIVE AND WAS UNABLE TO CONTROL THE CAR IN REVERSE AND BRAKES WOULD NOT WORK. HAD TO PUT THE CAR IN PARK WHILE ROLLING TO BRING IT TO A STOP. I NEVER EXPERIENCED THIS BEHAVIOR IN THE CAR BEFORE. REPORTED TO TOYOTA AS A SAFETY ISSUE. THEY SENT A THIRD PARTY ENG. OUT TO RUN TESTS ON THE CAR. AFTER HE GOT DONE DOING SOME DISASSEMBLY TO LOOK AT THE CONTROL LINKAGE HE REASSEMBLED THE PARTS REMOVED IMPROPERLY AND THE CAR HAD TO BE TOAD TO THE DEALER TO BE REPAIRED. I HAVE HAD NUMEROUS CALLS TO TOYOTA WHO WAS SUPPOSED TO SEND ME A WRITTEN REPORT OF THEIR FINDINGS. IT NOW JULY 9TH. I WAS TOLD BY A REPRESENTATIVE FROM TOYOTA THAT A REPORT WAS MAILED JULY 3RD. I WOULD APPRECIATE IT IF A CALL COULD BE MADE TO TOYOTA TO LET ME KNOW IF THIS CAR IS SAFE TO DRIVE. I'VE WAITING WAY TO LONG FOR AN ANSWER. *TR

WHILE DRIVING ON AN INTERSTATE, BOTH OF THE AVALON'S HEADLIGHTS WENT COMPLETELY OUT, LEAVING ME WITHOUT ANY HEADLIGHTS. TURNING THE HEADLIGHT SWITCH ON AND OFF WOULD SOMETIMES REACTIVATE ONE OR BOTH OF THE HEADLIGHTS BUT THEY WOULD EVENTUALLY FAIL AGAIN. THE FAILURE HAS CONTINUED TO RECUR. TOYOTA DEALER STATES THAT THE HEADLIGHT ASSEMBLY FOR BOTH HEADLIGHTS NEEDS TO BE REPLACED. TOYOTA IS AWARE OF THE HEADLIGHT ASSEMBLY DEFECT IN THE 2008 AVALONS, THUS EXTENDED THE ORIGINAL WARRANTY, HOWEVER, MY AVALON WAS ALREADY BEYOND THE EXTENDED WARRANTY SO IT WAS NOT REPAIRED DUE TO THE COST. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 82,000 AND THE EXTENDED WARRANTY COVERED MILEAGE UP TO 73,000. REPAIR COST IS ESTIMATED AT $2550.00. THE FAILURE IS DUE TO MANUFACTURE DEFECT AND NOT A WEAR AND TEAR/USAGE ISSUE. I THEN CALLED THE MANUFACTURER AND WAS TOLD NO FURTHER ASSISTANCE WOULD BE GIVEN SINCE THE ORIGINAL WARRANTY WAS EXTENDED AND IT DIDN'T MATTER THAT THE HEADLIGHT FAILURE HAPPENED BEYOND THE COVERED MILEAGE. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 TOYOTA AVALON. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING HER VEHICLE, THE HEADLIGHTS FAILED TO ILLUMINATE. THE CONTACT HAD TO TURN THE HEADLIGHT SWITCH ON AND OFF SEVERAL TIMES BEFORE THE LIGHTS BEGAN TO ILLUMINATE. THE FAILURE RECURRED SEVERAL TIMES LATER. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR AN INSPECTION AND THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE HEADLIGHT ASSEMBLY FOR BOTH HEADLIGHTS NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED AND STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS NO LONGER UNDER WARRANTY. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 82,000.

MY 2008 TOYOTA AVALON HAS A LIGHT PROBLEM WHERE ONE OR THE OTHER OR BOTH HEADLIGHTS GO OUT RANDOMLY. WE HAVE ASKED THE DEALERSHIP WHERE WE HAVE THE CAR SERVICED TO LOOK INTO IT AND ON EVERY OCCASION HAVE BEEN TOLD THEY CAN'T GET THE CAR TO RECREATE THE ISSUE. WE HAVE ACTUALLY BEEN PULLED OVER NOT ONCE BUT TWICE FOR HAVING A HEADLIGHT OUT BUT WHEN WE TURN THEM OFF AND BACK ON THEY WORK AGAIN. IT WAS BAD WHEN IT WAS JUST ONE OR THE OTHER BUT RECENTLY BOTH WILL GO OUT. WE FEEL LIKE THIS IS A HUGE SAFETY ISSUE.. *JS

THE HIGH BEAMS BOTH BLEW OUT IN DECEMBER OF 2011. ONE LOW BEAM ALSO GOES OUT OCCASIONALLY, EITHER THE RIGHT OR LEFT. I CAN USUALLY TURN THE LIGHTS ON AND OFF AND GET THE LOW BEAMS WORKING. THE TOYOTA GARAGE SAID I NEEDED NEW HIGH BEAM BULBS. I REPLACED THE BULBS, BUT STILL HAD ISSUES WITH THE LOW BEAMS GOING ON AND OFF. ON JUNE 12, 2012 THE HIGH BEAMS BLEW AGAIN. THE TOYOTA GARAGE SAID I NEEDED NEW HEADLIGHT ASSEMBLIES FOR A TOTAL COST OF $2500.00. I HAVE A 5 YEAR 100,000 MILE EXTENDED WARRANTY BUT HAVE BEEN TOLD THE HEADLIGHT ASSEMBLIES ARE NOT COVERED. I AM GOING TO TAKE THIS DECISION TO ARBITRATION WITH TOYOTA. *JB