2014 TOYOTA AVALON Complaints

WHEN APPLYING FOOT ON ACCELERATOR VEHICLE DELAYS MOVEMENT AND HESITATION ENGINE MAKES RATTLING NOISE HIT BUMPS AND POTHOLES EVEN HIGHWAY JOINT VERY ROUGHLY ,VERY POOR STEERING CONTROL FEELS UNSAFE. *TR

ON OCTOBER 7, 2014, WE PURCHASED OUR CAR FROM NEW ROCHELLE TOYOTA. SINCE THAT TIME, WE HAVE BARELY DRIVEN THE CAR. AFTER FIVE MONTHS WE HAVE DRIVEN APPROXIMATELY 1,700 MILES. WE HAVE SPECIFICALLY AVOIDED DRIVING THE CAR IN INCLEMENT WEATHER AND ON BUMPY ROADS. DESPITE OUR CARE, I NOTICED THAT THE FRONT BUMPER HAS DISCONNECTED FROM THE BODY OF THE CAR IN THE FRONT WHEEL WELL. AT FIRST, I THOUGHT THAT A SCREW HAD COME OUT, BUT ON CLOSER INSPECTION I NOTICED THAT THE METAL PIECE OF THE BUMPER WHICH THE SCREW HELD IN PLACE HAD BROKEN OFF. I IMMEDIATELY WENT TO THE TOYOTA SERVICE DEPARTMENT TO HAVE THEM LOOK AT IT. THEY TOLD ME THAT THE ONLY WAY TO FIX IT WOULD BE TO REPLACE THE ENTIRE BUMPER. THEY ALSO TOLD ME THAT I WAS NOT THE ONLY ONE TO HAVE THIS PROBLEM. IT IS CLEAR THAT THE METAL AT THE END OF THE BUMPER IS NOT STRONG ENOUGH TO WITHSTAND NORMAL DRIVING CONDITIONS AND THAT THE DAMAGE WAS CAUSED BY A COMBINATION OF METAL FATIGUE AND POOR DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION. I AM WRITING TO YOU TO REPORT THIS PROBLEM, WHICH CLEARLY IS NOT A UNIQUE SITUATION. THE DEALER?S SERVICE DEPARTMENT HAD NO SOLUTION TO THIS PROBLEM OTHER THAN TO REPLACE THE ENTIRE BUMPER. THIS SOLUTION IS COSTLY (ALTHOUGH I WOULD EXPECT TOYOTA TO PAY THIS COST) AND, UNLESS THE PIECE IS REDESIGNED WILL SIMPLY TEMPORARILY SOLVE THE PROBLEM SINCE THE SAME PIECE IS LIKELY TO BREAK AGAIN. IT IS UNFORTUNATE THAT A PROBLEM LIKE THIS SHOULD DEVELOP ON SUCH AN EXPENSIVE CAR. *TR

WHILE TRAVELING EASTBOUND ON THE SAN FRANCISCO / OAKLAND BAY BRIDGE AT HIGHWAY SPEED, THE PRE-COLLISION SYSTEM (PCS) SPONTANEOUSLY ENGAGED, QUICKLY BRINGING THE VEHICLE TO A STOP. THE ROAD AHEAD WAS CLEAR; THERE WERE NO OBSTRUCTIONS AND NO STOPPED TRAFFIC. FORTUNATELY NO CARS WERE TRAVELING CLOSE BEHIND, OTHERWISE A REAR COLLISION WOULD HAVE BEEN LIKELY. *TR

DRIVER'S SIDE SEAT HAS EXCESSIVE WEAR SHOWING DISCOLORATION AND RIDGE / LUMP ON LEFT SIDE OF SEAT. SEATS ARE HEATED / AIR CONDITIONED AND ARE IVORY COLORED HOWEVER THE WEAR AND LUMP IN SEAT ARE SHOWING A DARKER COLOR ALMOST DARK GRAY. DON'T KNOW IF THE LUMP / RIDGE IN SEAT IS PART OF THE HEATING ELEMENT OR JUST IRREGULAR WEAR. *TR

THE PRE-COLLISION SYSTEM ABRUPTLY AND FOR NO APPARENT REASON ACTIVATED ON A FREEWAY IN CHARLESTON, SC. NO CAR OR OTHER OBSTRUCTION WAS IN FRONT OF THE VEHICLE. A DISORIENTING LOUD ALARM BEGAN, THE SEAT BELTS FORCED US INTO OUR SEATS AND IMMOBILIZED US, AND THE VEHICLE DID A PANIC BRAKING MANEUVER-IT COULD NOT HAVE BRAKED MORE FORCEFULLY. IF SOMEONE HAD BEEN BEHIND US WE WOULD HAVE BEEN KILLED.THE DEALERSHIP FOUND NO ANOMALY. THEY GAVE US A LIST OF 13 DIFFERENT HIGHWAY SITUATIONS THAT COULD CAUSE THIS. NONE OF THEM ARE UNCOMMON. THIS SYSTEM IS VERY DANGEROUS AND IS GOING TO GET SOMEONE KILLED. I HAVE DISABLED MINE. YOUR AGENCY SHOULD REQUIRE THAT THEY BE DISABLED AND NOT INSTALLED IN OTHER VEHICLES UNTIL THIS FATAL FLAW IS OVERCOME. *TR

RECEIVED A RECALL NOTICE FROM TOYOTA. THE WORLD TOYOTA DEALERSHIP HAS NO IDEA WHEN PARTS MAY COME IN. THE RECALL SOUNDS SERIOUS, COULD POTENTIALLY BE A FIRE. IT IS SHAMEFUL THAT THEY DO NOT HAVE THE PART AND THEY HAVE NO IDEA WHEN THEY WILL GET IT. WHEN RECALLS ARE INITIATED ARE THEY NOT UNDER SOME KIND OF ORDER TO CORRECT THE PROBLEM IN A TIMELY FASHION? *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2014 TOYOTA AVALON. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT 60 MPH, THE VEHICLE VEERED TO THE LEFT. IN ADDITION, THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED BUT THE VEHICLE FAILED TO ACCELERATE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE FAILURE RECURRED ON NUMEROUS OCCASIONS. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 2,000.

THE COVER TO THE GAS TANK LOCKS WHEN THE CAR IS LOCKED, AND CAN BE OPENED WHEN THE CAR IS UNLOCKED. IF, FOR SOME REASON, THIS MECHANISM IS INOPERATIVE, AND ONE CANNOT OPEN THE GAS TANK COVER, ONE IS INSTRUCTED TO OPEN THE TRUNK, REMOVE THE TRUNK LINING, REACH IN BLINDLY PAST ALL THE WIRES AND CONNECTERS, AND FIND A LITTLE WHITE PLASTIC LEVER. THE LEVER EMERGES FROM BEHIND THE TRUNK THROUGH A HOLE IN THE TRUNK THAT IS COMPOSED OF SHARP METAL. THE LEVER IS ATTACHED BY A FLIMSY LITTLE PLASTIC WIRE. ONE MUST PULL THE LEVER PERFECTLY HORIZONTALLY. IF ONE EXERTS THE SLIGHTEST UPWARDS PRESSURE WHEN PULLING ON THE LEVER, THE FLIMSY LITTLE PLASTIC WIRE IS SHEARED BY THE SHARP EDGES OF THE HOLE THROUGH WHICH THE WIRE EMERGES. EVEN IF ONE MANAGES THE ABOVE FEAT, THE GAS TANK COVER IS NOT GUARANTEED TO OPEN. SO ONE IS STUCK AT THE GAS STATION WITH NO WAY TO ADD GASOLINE TO THE TANK. AND IF THE WIRE IS SHEARED OFF, ONE IS REALLY IN DEEP TROUBLE. FIRST OF ALL, THE WIRE IS NOT COVERED UNDER WARRANTY, SO I AM REQUIRED TO PAY FOR THE REPLACEMENT. THEY SAY IT WAS MY FAULT; I PULLED TOO HARD. THE TRUTH IS IT IS THE FAULT OF THE ENGINEERS FOR DESIGNING SUCH A POOR SYSTEM. THE WIRE IS FLIMSY PLASTIC; THE EDGES OF THE HOLE ARE SHARP METAL; HOW IS IT POSSIBLE TO PULL THE LEVER WITHOUT SHEARING THE WIRE. THE WHOLE SYSTEM NEEDS TO BE REDESIGNED. SECONDLY, PULLING THE WIRE DOESN'T ALWAYS WORK. WHAT IS THE BACKUP PLAN? THIRDLY, I WAS ABLE TO REMOVE THE FELT LINING OF THE TRUNK, REACH IN BLINDLY, AND FIND THE LEVER. THERE IS NO WAY IN THE WORLD THAT MY WIFE COULD HAVE DONE THIS. THE LEVER SHOULD BE READILY AVAILABLE SIMPLY BY OPENING THE TRUNK. *TR

AS I WAS ENTERING THE RAMP TO GET INTO I-95, I HEARD A LOUD BAND AND HEARD DEBRIS HITTING THE BOTTOM OF MY CAR. CAR INSTANTLY STARTED STEERING ROUGH. I PULLED OVER IMMEDIATELY AND NOTICED MY TIRE LOW PRESSURE LIGHT ON. UPON INSPECTION , NOTICED THAT MY RIGHT REAR TIRE WAS FLAT. UPON LOOKING UNDER THE CAR AT THE WHEEL I SAW A 5 INCH DIAMETER SECTION OF THE METAL ALLOY WHEEL MISSING. CALLED TOYOTA ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE FOR HELP AND THEY DISPATCHED MAINTENANCE TO INSTALL SPARE TIRE. TOOK PICTURES OF DAMAGED WHEEL AND AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST. HAVE NEVER NOTICED A WHEEL EXPLODING DURING NORMAL DRIVING ON DEBRIS FREE ROAD. DID A WALKTHROUGH AND DID NOT NOTICE ANY SHARP OBJECTS OR OTHER MATERIAL THAT COULD HAVE CAUSED THIS MISHAP. *TR

I BOUGHT A NEW TOYOTA AVALON. AFTER ABOUT A MONTH I NOTICED THE HEADLINER FALLING OFF BY THE SUN ROOF. TOYOTA REPLACED THE HEADLINER. THE NEW HEADLINER DID THE SAME THING AFTER A FEW WEEKS. BROUGHT THE CAR BACK TO TOYOTA AND THE PUT DOUBLE SIDED TAPE ON TOP OF THE DOUBLE SIDED TAPE WHICH IS PUT ON TO HOLD THE HEADLINER UP. THE HEADLINE CAME DOWN AGAIN. TOYOTA WANT TO REPLACE THE HEADLINER AGAIN. I ASKED IF THERE HAD BEEN ANY CHANGES IN THE HEADLINER AND THEY SAID NO. THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM THAT HAD BEEN HAPPENING WITH THE 2013-2014 AVALONS. *TR