2011 Toyota Avalon

WHILE PULLING INTO PARKING SPACE AT A VERY SLOW SPEED, WHILE APPLYING BRAKE, THE CAR ACCELERATED UNEXPECTEDLY WITH SO MUCH FORCE THAT IT OVERPOWERED THE BRAKE AND CAUSED A COLLISION INTO A CEMENT POLE WHICH CAUSED MAJOR FRONT IN DAMAGE TO THE VEHICLE. THE FOOT WAS ON THE BRAKE AND WAS NOT, AT THE SAME TIME, TOUCHING THE GAS PEDAL. THERE WAS NO OBSTRUCTION FROM THE FLOOR MAT. THE CAR WAS TRAVELING SLIGHTLY UPHILL INTO THE PARKING SPACE SO THERE IS A CHANCE THAT THE TRANSMISSION HAD SHIFTED INTO A LOWER GEAR, BUT AT THE TIME OF THE SUDDEN ACCELERATION, THE FOOT HAD ALREADY BEEN APPLIED TO THE BRAKE.

THIS TOYOTA WAS IN A SIX (6) CAR TRAFFIC CRASH LIST THAN 5 MILES AN HOUR. AIR BAGS DID NOT GO OFF. THIS CAR WAS NUMBER 5. CARS WERE SLOWING DOWN FOR A RED LIGHT. THIS CAR HAD FRONT END AND REAR END DAMAGE. THIS CAR MAYBE TOTAL. ONE BODY SHOP PERSON SAID IT WAS TOTALED. AIR BAG IN SIX CAR DID GO OFF WHICH DID HIT THIS CAR IN THE REAR END. THE FRONT OF THIS CAR HAS HEAVY DAMAGE. THIS WAS LESS THAN 5 MILES AN HOUR.

PURCHASED CERTIFIED AVALON 01/03/2015. NOVEMBER 24, 2015 FRONT PASSENGER AND BOTH REAR DOOR LOCKS CEASE WORKING. THEY CANNOT BE OPENED WITH THE FOB NOR THE DOOR LOCK SWITCH ON THE DRIVERS SIDE DOOR. VEHICLE IS TAKEN TO DEALERSHIP, LITHIA TOYOTA OF ODESSA, ON NOVEMBER 30, 2015. EXPLAIN PROBLEM TO SERVICE ADVISOR AND HE REPLIES THAT HE HAS NEVER SEEN THIS PROBLEM. THEY REPROGRAM SYSTEM AND IT WORKS FOR THREE DAYS. CAR IS TAKEN BACK TO SHOP ON DECEMBER 5, 2015 FOR ISSUE AGAIN. THEY FINALLY CALL AROUND 4 THAT AFTERNOON SAYING CAR IS READY. WE MEET SERVICE MANAGER, ADVISOR AND TECH THAT PERFORMED THE WORK TO VERIFY THAT EVERYTHING WAS WORKING FINE. NEVER GIVEN EXPLANATION AS TO WHAT WAS DONE. JUNE 25, 2016 PROBLEM ARISES AGAIN WITH THE SAME THREE DOORS. BACK IN THE SHOP, FINALLY I AM TOLD THAT THE POWER DOOR LOCK ACTUATORS HAVE FAILED AND THE REASON GIVEN IS THE USE OF "CLIP ON AIR FRESHENERS WHICH I AND THE ADVISOR HAVE A HARD TIME BELIEVING. APPARENTLY SOMEHOW THE VAPORS FROM THESE AIR FRESHENERS SUPPOSEDLY PERMEATE INTO THE DOOR AND COAT THE ACTUATORS WITH A FILM OF SILICONE THEREBY MAKING THEM NONE FUNCTIONAL. NO EXPLANATION FROM TOYOTA AS TO WHY THIS DOES NOT AFFECT THE DRIVERS DOOR. APPARENTLY AFTER RESEARCH THIS IS HAPPENING TO SOME NEWER MODELS. NOT COVERED BY WARRANTY UNLESS NEW OR YOU HAVE PURCHASED EXTENDED COMPREHENSIVE WARRANTY. SAFETY IS DEFINITELY AN ISSUE IF YOU HAVE AN EMERGENCY AND NEED QUICK ACCESS ONLY DRIVER WILL HAVE THE ABILITY TO ACCESS VEHICLE. APPARENTLY THIS HAS BEEN AN ISSUE WITH THIS PARTICULAR MODEL YEAR AVALON. ON 04/23/13 THIS EXACT SAME ISSUE WAS SUBMITTED TO NHTSA ID NUMBER 10509389, BY ANOTHER CONSUMER. AT THAT TIME DEALER HAD NO ANSWER FOR PROBLEM. NOW WE ARE BRING TOLD IT'S DUE TO AIR FRESHENERS. WERE IS THE PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT FROM TOYOTA IF AIR FRESHENERS CAUSE THIS COSTLY REPAIR. POSSIBLE DEFECT?

SUDDEN ACCELERATION WHEN SHIFTED INTO REVERSE GEAR AND THE BRAKES WOULD NOT EVEN SLOW THE CAR. IT WAS ONLY STOPPED BY HITTING A LOW RETAINING WAS, KNOCKING IT DOWN, AND THEN FALLING OVER THE EDGE OF THE DRIVEWAY AND BEING SUSPENDED LIKE A "SEE-SAW" OVER THE EDGE OF THE DRIVEWAY WITH THE POSSIBILITY OF A 10+ FOOT DROP OFF INTO A WOODED RAVINE.

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.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 TOYOTA AVALON. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 15V047000 (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM); HOWEVER, THE PART TO DO THE REPAIR WAS UNAVAILABLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR THE RECALL REPAIR. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE ISSUE. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 TOYOTA AVALON. AFTER BRIEFLY TAPPING THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL, THE VEHICLE MADE A LOUD ABNORMAL NOISE AND EXPERIENCED A BRIEF PERIOD OF UNINTENDED ACCELERATION. AS A RESULT, THE CONTACT STRUCK A PALM TREE AT 5 MPH. THERE WERE NO WARNING INDICATORS ILLUMINATED PRIOR TO OR AFTER THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE HAD TO BE TOWED FROM THE SCENE OF THE CRASH AND TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHERE IT COULD NOT BE DIAGNOSED. AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC REPAIRED THE VEHICLE. THERE WERE NO INJURIES AND A POLICE REPORT WAS NOT FILED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 15,000.