2013 TOYOTA AVALON Complaints

I AM WRITING ABOUT MY 2013 TOYOTA AVALON, THERE IS ONE REALLY BAD DESIGN FLAW!!! THE ACCENT CHROME AROUND THE CONTROLS AND AIR CONDITIONER VENTS REFLECT THE SUNLIGHT INTO THE EYES OF THE DRIVER AND FRONT PASSENGER, AND IT IS BLINDING. THE BLINDING REFLECTION MAY CAUSE ACCIDENTS AND/OR DIRECT INJURY TO THE EYES SUCH AS RETINA, CORNEA DAMAGE AS WELL AS ANY OTHER EYE DAMAGE AS A RESULT OF BRIGHT SUNLIGHT. I HAVE TRIED THE DARKEST/PROTECTIVE EYEWEAR THAT I CAN PURCHASE BUT THE REFLECTION STILL COMES THROUGH BLINDING. I HAVE ALSO HAD THE DARKEST WINDOW TENT ALLOWED BY LAW INSTALLED (PURCHASED AT THE DEALERSHIP). I HAVE CONTACTED THE DEALERSHIP AND TOYOTA DIRECTLY BUT HAVE HAD NO OFFER FOR A SOLUTION. THIS IS A SIMPLE TO FIX WITH A REPLACEMENT PIECE OF DASH CHROME IN A NON-REFLECTIVE COLOR SUCH AS A FLAT BLACK, WOOD-GRAIN, OR BRUSHED METAL COLOR. A CUSTOM DESIGNED DASH AREA SHADE SHOULD ALSO OFFER A SOLUTION. I HAVE VERIFIED THAT THERE HAVE BEEN MANY OTHER COMPLAINTS THROUGH AN INTERNET SEARCH. *TR

2013 TOYOTA AVALON. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARDS TO UNINTENDED ACCELERATION VEHICLE ACCIDENT. *SMD THE CONSUMER STATED THE VEHICLE ACCELERATED BACKWARDS OUT OF A PARKING SPACE. LUCKILY, SHE DID NOT HIT ANYTHING OR ANYONE. HOWEVER, IT THEN ACCELERATED FORWARD HITTING ANOTHER VEHICLE IN A PARKING SPACE. THE VEHICLE WAS INSPECTED, AND IT WAS DETERMINED, THE ACCIDENT WAS NOT A RESULT OF ANY TYPE OF MANUFACTURING OR DESIGN DEFECT. *JB

THE TOP TWO CLIPS OF THE DRIVER'S SEAT BACK DISCONNECTED FROM THE SEAT BACK TRIM PANEL AND THE TRIM PANEL CANNOT BE REATTACHED AT THE TOP CLIPS. THE BOTTOM HINGE IS STILL ATTACHED. THE TRIM PANEL IS NOW HANGING BACK, ALMOST TOUCHING THE REAR SEAT. *TR

WE WERE DRIVING OUR 2013 TOYOTA AVALON ON I-10 IN HEAVY TRAFFIC. AFTER STOPPING FOR GAS, WE REENTERED THE HIGHWAY AND THE LOW TIRE PRESSURE LIGHT CAME ON. BEFORE WE COULD PULL OVER, THE RIGHT FRONT TIRE BLEW OUT; THE ENTIRE INTERIOR SIDEWALL SEPARATED. WE HAD NOT HIT ANY POTHOLE OR ANY OTHER OBJECT. THANKFULLY, MY HUSBAND WAS ABLE TO MAINTAIN CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE AND DIDN'T SWERVE INTO THE 18 WHEELER NEXT TO US. THE MECHANIC INFORMED US THAT THE BRIDGESTONE TIRES TOYOTA HAD PLACED ON THE VEHICLE HAD BEEN DOWNGRADED FROM A 40K MILE TIRE TO A 0 MILE TIRE. THE VEHICLE HAD ONLY 15,143 MILES ON IT AND WAS LESS THAN A YEAR OLD. A SECOND TIRE (LEFT REAR TIRE) WAS ALSO TOO DANGEROUS TO CONTINUE TO USE (AS IT LOOKED LIKE THE INTERIOR SIDEWALL ON THAT ONE WAS ALSO ABOUT TO SEPARATE) SO WE HAD TO REPLACE THAT TIRE AS WELL THAT DAY. WE WILL BE REPLACING THE OTHER TWO NOW AND WILL NEVER AGAIN BUY ANY BRIDGESTONE OR FIRESTONE PRODUCT. THE ABSOLUTELY SUBSTANDARD QUALITY OF THEIR PRODUCTS PLACED THE LIVES OF OUR ENTIRE FAMILY AT RISK. MY DAUGHTERS OFTEN DRIVE THIS VEHICLE AND ONE OF THEM WILL BE TAKING IT TO COLLEGE IN THE FALL. I WOULD HATE TO THINK OF WHAT WOULD HAVE HAPPENED IF ONE OF OUR KIDS HAD BEEN BEHIND THE WHEEL WHEN THIS TIRE BLEW OUT WITHOUT WARNING. IT IS INEXCUSABLE THAT BRIDGESTONE WOULD PUT OUT SUCH POOR QUALITY PRODUCTS, REPRESENTING THEM TO BE A 40K MILE TIRE, THEN DOWNGRADE THE MILEAGE ON THE TIRES WITHOUT NOTIFYING OWNERS AND GET AWAY WITH THAT TYPE OF ACTIVITY. WE ALWAYS MAINTAIN OUR VEHICLES AND THE TIRES WERE ROTATED AND VEHICLE ALIGNMENT CHECKED ALL PER NORMAL SCHEDULED MAINTENANCE. TIRES ARE BRIDGESTONE TURANZA EL 400, P225/45R18 91V M+S, DOT OBRR PM1 0313. *TR

I PURCHASED A TOYOTA AVALON LIMITED CERTIFIED BY THE DEALERSHIP TO BE SAFE WITH NO RECALLS OR APPLICABLE SSCS. ON MAY 16 2014. I WAS NOT INFORMED OF A OUTSTANDING SAFETY RECALL INVOLVING THE AIR CONDITIONING UNIT HOUSING MAY LEAK ONTO THE AIR BAG CONTROL MODULE. I DID NOT FIND THIS OUT UNTIL MAY 21 2014 5 DAYS AFTER I BOUGHT THE CAR THE DEALERSHIP KNEW ABOUT THIS PROBLEM SINCE OCT 2013, AND STILL SOLD THE CAR, HAD I NOT CHECK THE VIN # WITH THE SAFETY BOARD I WOULD HAVE NEVER KNOWN, THEY SAY THE PROBLEM HAS BEEN REPAIRED ON MAY 21 2014. NEVER THE LESS THE DEALERSHIP FALSIFIED THE CERTIFICATION AND COMMITTED FRAUD BY SELLING ME THIS CAR. *TR

NOTICED SOME TIME A GO THE HEADLINER IS SAGGING AT THE BACK WINDOW. WAS AT DEALER FOR SERVICE AND TOLD THEM ABOUT IT. WAS TOLD THEY WOULD ORDER A NEW ONE. AFTER OBSERVING COMPLAINTS ON TNE NHTSA SITE I SEE THIS IS AN ONGOING ISSUE. WE'LL SEE IF THEY ORDER IT, HOPEFULLY TOYOTA RECTIFIES THIS BEFORE PEOPLE REALLY GET A CASE OF THE A__. MORE THAN THAT THOUGH, I HOPE THIS DOESN'T BECOME A REAL SAFETY HAZARD.

I RECEIVED A RECALL NOTICE ON MY VEHICLE ON FEBRUARY 6, 2014 AND EVERY TIME I HAVE CALLED THE DEALERSHIP TO HAVE MY HVAC ASSEMBLY REPAIRED THEY TELL ME THAT THE PARTS ARE ON BACKORDER. I FEEL LIKE THEY ARE PUTTING ME AND MY SAFETY AT RISK BY NOT PRODUCING A FIX FOR THIS RECALL. *TR

THE HEADLINER ON THE REAR OF THE VEHICLE WAS NOTED TO BE FALLING DOWN IN AUGUST 2013, JUST TWO MONTHS AFTER PURCHASE OF THE VEHICLE. IT WAS BROUGHT BACK TO THE DEALER FOR REPAIR WHERE THEY GLUED IT BACK IN PLACE. JUST A COUPLE OF MONTHS LATER, THE HEADLINER AGAIN BEGAN TO DROOP AND TODAY, IT CONTINUES TO IMPAIR VISIBILITY OUT OF THE REAR WINDOW. *TR

TRAVELING AT APPROXIMATELY 65MPH IN HEAVY TRAFFIC, SUDDEN BRAKING IN FRONT OF ME REQUIRED QUICK BRAKING. WHEN I PRESSED THE BRAKE PEDAL, NO BRAKES ACTIVATED AND THE CAR ACTUALLY SEEMED TO INCREASE SPEED. I THEN APPLIED HEAVY PRESSURE ON THE PEDAL WHICH CAUSED THE TIRES TO SCREECH/SLIDE BEFORE THE ABS ACTIVATED. THE SUDDEN BRAKING INCIDENT CAUSED ME TO FEAR NOT ONLY BEING REAR ENDED, BUT ALSO, RAMMING THE VEHICLE IN FRONT OF ME. VERY UNSETTLING AND I NOW HAVE MUCH LESS CONFIDENCE IN TOYOTA'S TOP OF THE LINE SEDAN. I AM GOING TO LOCAL TOYOTA SERVICE DEPARTMENT TODAY AS THIS HAS HAPPENED AGAIN YESTERDAY, APRIL 16, 2014.

ON SUNDAY, MARCH 16, 2014, AT APPROXIMATELY 12:50PM, NORTHBOUND TRAFFIC ON LAKE SHORE DRIVE WAS BROUGHT TO A HALT BY FOUR POLICE VEHICLES THAT SPREAD ACROSS THE FOUR NORTHBOUND LANES. THE POLICE VEHICLES WERE PARKED, ONE IN EACH LANE. THE OFFICERS HAD CREATED A ROAD BLOCK. MY CAR WAS IN THE FAR EAST LANE IMMEDIATELY BEHIND A PARKED POLICE VEHICLE. I PLACED MY VEHICLE IN PARK, BUT KEPT THE ENGINE RUNNING. MINUTES LATER, A BLACK CHRYSLER SEDAN DRIVING AT A HIGH SPEED (ESTIMATED AT 55-100MPH PER POLICE REPORTS) WAS BEING PURSUED BY THE POLICE IN A HIGH SPEED CHASE. THE BLACK CHRYSLER APPROACHED MY STATIONARY VEHICLE FROM THE REAR WITH NO SIGNS OF SLOWING DOWN. I TOLD MY FAMILY WE WERE ABOUT TO BE HIT AND SOON AFTER WE FELT THE IMPACTS FIRST FROM THE BLACK SEDAN HITTING US FROM BEHIND AND THEN FROM THE FRONT WHEN MY CAR WAS PUSHED INTO THE PARKED POLICE VEHICLE AHEAD OF US. MY HEAD HIT THE STEERING WHEEL CAUSING AN ABRASION AND BLEEDING. NONE OF THE AIRBAGS DEPLOYED DESPITE A HIGH SPEED IMPACT FROM THE REAR AND A SECONDARY IMPACT IN THE FRONT. *TR