2011 Toyota Avalon

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

THIS IS MY SECOND AVALON THE FIRST BEING A 2006 WHICH HAD TO HAVE A STEERING COLUMN REPLACED WHEN IT HAD 24407 MILES AND OUT OF WARRANTY DUE TO TIME I PAID LABOR. THE 2011 AVALON HAS SAME PROBLEM 25000 MILES AND JUST UNDER 30 DAYS OUT OF WARRANTY THEY SAY IT IS DIFFERENT BUT IS THE SAME PROBLEM PER THE TECH JUST CHANGED PART NUMBERS. WITH THE STEERING PROBLEM THIS IS A SAFETY PROBLEM WHICH THEY SAY THEY WILL NOT REPAIR UNDER WARRANTY . THE SERVICE DEPT TOLD ME ALL OF THE AVALONS ARE HAVING THE SAME PROBLEM AND HAVE A BULLETIN TO REPLACE THE STEERING COLUMN WHEN THEY GET A COMPLAINT FROM THE CUSTOMER. WHEN YOU ADJUST THE TELESCOPIC WHEEL THE WHOLE STEERING COLUMN IS LOOSE AND KNOCKS WHEN YOU TURN THE WHEEL. *TR

I WAS ENTERING INTERSTATE HIGHWAY 80 FROM AN ON RAMP WHEN THERE WAS A LOUD NOISE, FOLLOWED BY WIND NOISE AND WITHIN A SHORT TIME A SNAPPING TYPE OF NOISE FOLLOWED BY QUIET. I STOPPED AN ON INSPECTION FOUND THAT THE LEFT-SIDE PLASTIC UNDER-ENGINE COVER HAD FALLEN OFF. WITHIN A FEW DAYS THE RIGHT SIDE PANEL STARTED DRAGGING ON THE ROAD AND HAD TO BE REMOVED. I HAD BOTH REPLACED ABOUT A MONTH LATER. THREE DAYS AFTER THE REPLACEMENT WHILE ON BY WAY TO THE AIRPORT AND PASSING A SEMI TRUCK THERE WAS A LARGE CRACK NOISE AND ONE OF THE ENGINE UNDER-COVERS SKIDDED FROM UNDER THE CAR AND WENT IN A DITCH. I HAD THAT PANEL REPLACED ABOUT A MONTH LATER (MARCH 6, 2013). ON JULY 13, 2013 THE LEFT UNDER-ENGINE COVER STARTED DRAGGING ON THE ROAD AND I HAD TO PULL OFF, FORTUNATELY HAVING A TOOL THAT I COULD REMOVE THE ONE REMAINING FASTENER TO REMOVE THE PANEL. AT THE SAME TIME I NOTED THAT SEVERAL OF THE FASTENERS ON THE RIGHT SIDE PANEL WERE ALSO MISSING ENTIRELY OR LOOSE. THESE PANELS ARE LIGHT WEIGHT PLASTIC AND ARE NOT LIKELY TO DAMAGE ANY OTHER CAR THAT WOULD RUN INTO THEM. HOWEVER, IT THEY FLY OUT FROM UNDER THE CAR THEY MAY CAUSE THE FOLLOWING DRIVER OR AN ON-COMING VEHICLE IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION TO SWERVE TO AVOID IT AND PRECIPITATE AN ACCIDENT. ALTHOUGH THE ORIGINAL EQUIPMENT PANELS AND FASTENERS LASTED FOR ABOUT 36,000 MILES THE FASTENING SYSTEM IS SUBJECT TO ABUSE. FOR EXAMPLE, THE CURBS IN MY CITY ARE ABOUT THE SAME HEIGHT AS THE CLEARANCE OF THE FRONT SKIRT OF THE CAR SO THE FASTENERS MAY BE SUBJECT TO ABUSE AND COULD BE EXPECTED TO FAIL DUE TO THIS SORT OF UNINTENDED ABUSE. THE SAME SORT OF THING MAY HAPPEN IN WITHER WHEN CHUNKS OF SNOW OR ICE MAY SCRAPE THAT AREA. SO, I THINK THERE IS A DESIGN ISSUE WITH THEM BEING SECURE OVER THE LIFE OF THE CAR. *TR

MY CAR WAS FLOODED BECAUSE OF A BLOCKED AIR CONDITIONER DRAIN WHICH THE DEALER SAID WAS FILLED WITH DEBRIS. THE CAR IS ONLY ONE AND A HALF YEARS OLD WITH ONLY 16500 MILES ON IT. IT IS DRIVEN ON PAVEMENT AND NOT PARKED UNDER TREES. A SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE INTIMATED THAT THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM AND THAT THE DRAIN COULD HAVE BEEN DESIGNED IMPROPERLY. I AM CONCERNED ABOUT MOLD FORMING BECAUSE OF THIS FLOODING SITUATION.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 TOYOTA AVALON. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE PARKED, SHE REMOVED HER FOOT FROM THE BRAKE PEDAL WHEN THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY ACCELERATED. THE FAILURE RECURRED THREE TIMES. THE CONTACT CRASHED INTO ANOTHER VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A COLLISION CENTER. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 6,000. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 TOYOTA AVALON. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 5 MPH, THE STEERING WHEEL BECAME LOOSE. THE FAILURE RECURRED INTERMITTENTLY AS THE CONTACT DROVE AT VARIOUS SPEEDS. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 40,000. *TR

THE PASSENGER AND REAR DOOR LOCKS DO NOT OPEN WITH THE REMOTE KEY NOR WITH THE DOOR-LOCK SWITCH ON THE DRIVER'S DOOR. THE PASSENGERS COULD NOT ENTER THE CAR. THEIR DOOR HAD TO BE UNLOCKED MANUALLY FROM INSIDE THE VEHICLE. THIS IS A SERIOUS PERSONAL SAFETY ISSUE IF YOU HAVE AN EMERGENCY AND NEED QUICK ENTRY FOR ANY REASON...STORM, FIRE, EXPLOSION, PERSONAL ATTACK. THE TOYOTA DEALER COULD NOT FIND A CAUSE. *TR