2011 Toyota Avalon

CAR IS LESS THAN 5 YEARS OLD. IT HAS AN ADJUSTABLE (IN AND OUT) STEERING WHEEL COLUMN. UPON ACCEPTING THE CAR, THIS WAS SET AND HAD NOT BEEN CHANGED WITH MYSELF BEING THE ONLY DRIVER. TWICE (ONCE IN 2ND YR, ONCE IN 4TH YR) WHEN TURNING IN AN INTERSECTION, THE STEERING WHEEL COLLAPSED. I WAS ABLE TO COMPLETE THE TURN, AND THEN READJUST THE COLUMN AND LOCK IT. IN THIS 5TH YEAR I TOOK THE CAR IN FOR A SAFETY RECALL ON THE AUDIO SYSTEM, AND AT THE SAME TIME ASKED THAT A WARRANTY ENHANCEMENT BE DONE ON SECURING THE TELESCOPIC ADJUSTMENT LEVER - THINKING THIS WOULD CORRECT THE PROBLEM. HOWEVER, I WAS TOLD THE TELESCOPIC ADJUSTMENT WAS FOR THE STEERING COLUMN GOING UP AND DOWN (NOT IN AND OUT), AND THOUGH MY CAR DID NOT NEED THIS CORRECTION, IT WAS DONE. I WAS FURTHER TOLD THAT THE COLLAPSING OF THE STEERING COLUMN (IN AND OUT) WAS DUE TO THE STEERING COLUMN BEING WORN OUT; THAT IS WAS NOT COVERED BY THE CAR WARRANTY; AND THAT I WOULD HAVE TO PAY $997.04 TO HAVE IT REPLACED. I DECLINED THINKING THIS SHOULD BE COVERED BY THE WARRANTY - I HAVE NEVER HEARD OF A STEERING COLUMN WEARING OUT. SINCE LEAVING THE DEALERSHIP, 9/24/2015, THE STEERING COLUMN HAS COLLAPSED WITHOUT WARNING NUMEROUS TIMES, BOTH IN TURNS AND WHEN DRIVING STRAIGHT HEAD AND BRAKING. I AM EXTREMELY CONCERNED AS I THINK THIS IS A MAJOR SAFETY PROBLEM. THE AIRBAG IS IN THE STEERING WHEEL, AND IF IT SHOULD HAVE TO BE USED, IT MAY COLLAPSE THE STEERING WHEEL INSTEAD OF PROTECTING THE DRIVER! THIS SHOULD BE A WARRANTY ITEM. THIS IS DEFINITELY A SAFETY ITEM! THIS IS DEFINITELY MUCH MORE SERIOUS THAN THE RECALL FOR THE STEERING WHEEL GOING UP AND DOWN. DATE SHOWN BELOW IS APPROXIMATELY THE FIRST TIME OF NUMEROUS TIMES THE STEERING WHEEL HAS COLLAPSED SINCE ASKING THE DEALERSHIP ABOUT THE PROBLEM.

WHILE DRIVING IN HEAVY TRAFFIC ON I-26 THROUGH COLUMBIA, S.C., THE LEVER THAT HOLDS THE STEERING WHEEL IN POSITION AFTER ADJUSTMENT BY DRIVERS BECAME DIS-ENGAGED CAUSING THE STEERING WHEEL QUICKLY FALL FORWARD CAUSING ME TO LOSE PARTIAL CONTROL AND SWERVE SLIGHTLY BEFORE I COULD REGAIN FULL CONTROL. I REPORTED THIS TO THE SERVICE MANAGER AT JOHNSON CITY TOYOTA ON MY RETURN HOME. I RETURNED AGAIN A MONTH LATER TO REPORT ANOTHER INCIDENT AND FOUND THE FIRST REPORT WAS NOT RECORDED. I, AS WELL AS MY WIFE HAVE HAD THIS DANGEROUS SITUATION OCCUR AT LEAST ONCE AND SOMETIMES TWICE A MONTH FOR MORE THAN A YEAR. I CHECKED YOUR DATA BASE AND FOUND THAT MANY OTHER AVALON OWNERS REGISTERED THIS SAME COMPLAINT.

PURCHASE THE 2011 TOYOTA AVALON ON JUNE 13, 2010 WHICH ON MY FIRST SERVICE DATE I COMPLAINED ABOUT THE STEERING COLUMN AND HARSH FEELING OF THE CAR DUE TO THE STEERING COLUMN. BUENA PARK TOYOTA KEPT TELLING ME THAT THERE WAS NOTHING WRONG RIGHT UP TO THE LAST SERVICE THAT WAS DONE THE END OF JUNE 2014. ON JUNE 30TH WENT TO VICTORVILLE TO VISIT MY WIFES SISTER. ON JULY 2 2014 WE STARTED BACK HOME WHEN THE ENGINE LIGHT AND TRACKING LIGHT CAME ON, FORTATLEY THE ISSUE HAPPENED BEFORE COMING DOWN THE CAJHON PASS ON HIGHWAY 15. WE WHERE ONLY 2 MILES AWAY FROM THE TOYOTA DEALERSHIP IN VICTORVILLE AND THEY FOUND THAT THE STEERING COLUMN WAS FAULTY AND REPLACED COLUMN ASSY, STEERING AND BOLDT STEERING LOCK. PLUS PO500 TRANS SPEED SENSOR POSS LOOSE CONNECTIONS CLEANED AND TIGHTENED CONNECTIONS AT SPEED SENNSOR. THE DEALERSHIP STATED IT SHOWES A DEFECT ON THE COMPUTER SHOWING THE STEERING COLUMN HAS A DEFECT. WHY ISN'T THERE A RECALL CONCERNING THE ABOVE THIS IS VERY DANGEROUS PROBLEM WHICH COULD TAKE A LOT OF INNOCENT LIFES. THANKS [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6) *JS

TELESCOPING LEVER RELEASES BY ITSELF CAUSING WHOLE STEERING WHEEL TO SUDDENLY COLLAPSE TO SEATED (LOWEST) POSITION. EXTREMELY DANGEROUS DRIVING WITHIN SPEED LIMIT (55 MPH) WHILE ON HIGHWAY. IT HAPPENS SUDDENLY, UNEXPECTED AND TOTALLY INEXCUSABLE IF AN ACCIDENT WHICH COULD BE FATAL OCCUR. THERE NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS BUT NO AUTHORIZED REPAIRS FROM THE MANUFACTURE AT THIS TIME WHICH IS SOMEWHAT DISAPPOINTING DUE TO THE FACT THAT THIS IS A "SAFTEY ISSUE". PLEASE HELP US IN GETTING THIS MATTER RESOLVED SINCE IT HAS BEEN GOING ON FOR YEARS, FORTUNATELY I THINK THERE HASN'T BEEN ANY FATALITIES "YET". *TR

THE STEERING WHEEL SUDDENLY TELESCOPED TOWARD THE DASHBOARD. UPON INSPECTION, THE LOCKING LEVER HAD DROPPED DOWN SLIGHTLY RELEASING THE TELESCOPE FEATURE. HAVE REPORTED THIS 4 TIMES TO THE DEALER. PROBLEM HAS OCCURRED SEVERAL TIMES WHILE DRIVING ON SMOOTH SURFACES. SUPPOSEDLY CORRECTED EACH TIME OR ELSE COULD NOT FIND PROBLEM. *TR