2000 TOYOTA AVALON Complaints

KELLY TIRE IMMEDIATE AND UNEXPLAINED SIDEWALL TIRE FAILURE - TRAVELING 65MPH ON I-95 NEAR RICHMOND, VIRGINIA AT NIGHT (9PM). NO INJURY NOR DAMAGE. PASSENGER-SIDE REAR TIRE. NO DEBRIS-ON-ROAD IMPACTED. DAMAGE SO SEVERE TO TIRE - MODEL IS UNKNOWN, BUT CHOSE KELLY CHARGER MODEL TO CONTINUE FORM SUBMISSION. HOPEFULLY, TIRE ID# WILL IDENTIFY MODEL. NO LOSS OF CONTROL - CONTINUED TO SHOULDER AND REPLACED TIRE WITH SPARE.

AS SOON AS I START THE CAR, 'CHECK ENGINE' LIGHT KEEPS COMING IN SPITE OF SEVERAL YEARS OF REPAIRS AND SEVERAL HUNDRED DOLLARS SPENT AT TWO TOYOTA DEALERS, AND AT SEVERAL OTHER GARAGES. FIRST TIME THIS HAPPENED WAS IN 2005. RIGHT NOW THE LIGHT IS ON. THE TOYOTA 2000 AVALON XL I HAVE HAS SERIOUS MANUFACTURING DEFECTS. IN 2004 DRIVER SIDE WINDOW WOULD NOT ROLL AND COST ME ALMOST $600.00 THE WATER PUMP, GASKET, DRIVE BELTS, ENGINE COVER AND LOGO, ETC HAVE BEEN CHANGED.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2000 TOYOTA AVALON. WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED, THE CONTACT HEARD AN ABNORMAL NOISE. UPON INSPECTION, THE CONTACT NOTICED THE REAR WINDOW OF THE VEHICLE HAD SHATTERED INDEPENDENTLY. THE FAILURE OCCURRED WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHERE IT WAS CONFIRMED THAT THE REAR WINDOW HAD SHATTERED AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 88,632.

TL* TAKATA RECALL. THE CONTACT OWNS A 2000 TOYOTA AVALON. WHILE DRIVING AT VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE AIR BAG WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE CENTER BRAKE SENSOR, AIR BAG SENSOR ASSEMBLY, AND DRIVER AND PASSENGER SEAT BELT ASSEMBLY FAILED AND NEEDED TO BE REPAIRED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED, BUT THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN BACK TO THE DEALER WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE SEAT BELT ASSEMBLIES FAILED AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS UNKNOWN. UPDATED 02/10/16*LJ UPDATED 05/04/18*JB *TR

'CHECK ENGINE' LIGHT KEEPS COMING WHEN DRIVING. SINCE 2005, TWO TOYOTA DEALERS AND TWO INDEPENDENT REPAIR SHOPS WERE UNABLE TO CORRECT THE PROBLEM FOR GOOD. LATEST REPAIR WAS IN SEPTEMBER 2015 AT TOYOTA. CHECK ENGINE LIGHT IS STILL ON.

THIS IS AN INTERMITEND PROBLEM AND IT HAPPENS WHEN STARTING ON THE CAR. TO TURN THE CAR ON I HAVE TO TAKE THE STEERING WHEEL AND FORCEFULLY TURN IT LEFT AND RIGHT. MOVE ALSO THE SHIFTER TO NEUTRAL. I ALSO TRY TO PRESS THE BRAKE AT THE SAME TIME. MECHANICS HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM. THE CAR WAS ALSO CHECKED BY A TOYOTA DEALER AND THE PROBLEM WAS NOT IDENTIFIED. THE BATTERY AND THE CABLES ARE WORKING PROPERLY. NOW IT IS HAPPENING VERY OFTEN AND CREATING A SECURITY AND SAFETY ISSUE. I CHECKED THE RECALLS FOR THIS CAR ASSOCIATED WITH THIS SITUATION I DID NOT FIND AN ANSWER ALTHOUGH I HAVE READ LOTS OF RELATED COMPLAINS. I AM PLANNING TO CHANGE THE IGNITION OR THE STARTER BUT PROBABLY IS A TRY AND ERROR SOLUTION.

THIS INCIDENT HAPPENED ON FEBRUARY 10, 2015 WHILE I WAS DRIVING TO WORK, I TOOK THIS RAMP AT 30 MPH WHICH IS A LEFT TUNING CURVE THAT TAKES YOU TO THE HIGHWAY. AT THE END OF THE RAMP I HAD TO GRADUALLY ACCELERATE AND MAKE A MODERATE RIGHT TURN TO JOIN THE HIGHWAY TRAFFIC. AFTER FINISHING THE RIGHT TURN, I COULDN'T KEEP THE CAR RUNNING STRAIGHT ON THE HIGHWAY. THE STEERING WHEEL WAS LOCKED AND I WASN'T ABLE TO STEER THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE KEPT ON GOING THE RIGHT TURN AND CRASHED INTO A GUARD RAIL CAUSING THE BUMPER COVER, BUMPER REINFORCEMENT, WIND SHIELD WASHER TANK, FRONT BUMPER GRILL AND LEFT AND RIGHT LIGHTS TO BE DAMAGED. THE STEERING SYSTEM AND ITS COMPONENTS ARE IN GOOD WORKING CONDITION. THIS ACCIDENT HAPPENED BECAUSE "STEERING INTERLOCK ASSEMBLY" RECALL OF JULY 29, 2010 (NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 10V345000) WAS NOT DONE TO MY 2000 TOYOTA AVALON. TOYOTA DID NOT NOTIFY ME OF THIS RECALL. I BELIEVE THAT TOYOTA IS AWARE OF THE FACT THAT THERE ARE VEHICLES LIKE MINE THAT BEING DRIVEN ON THE STREETS WITHOUT THE STEERING INTERLOCK ASSEMBLY RECALLS TAKEN CARE OF. THE CONSEQUENCE OF THE RECALL STATES THAT: SHOULD THE STEERING LOCK BAR BREAK, THE STEERING WHEEL WOULD LOCK AND THE DRIVER WOULD LOSE THE ABILITY TO STEER THE VEHICLE, INCREASING THE RISK OF A CRASH. TOYOTA FAILED TO ADDRESS THE ISSUE THAT I WAS CONCERNED ABOUT. TOYOTA PERFORMED AN INSPECTION WHICH NOT RELATED TO THE STEERING COLUMN RECALL. PLEASE HELP THE STEERING LOCK ASSEMBLY BE INSPECTED. *TR

MY FATHER WAS DRIVING DOWN THE STREET IN A RESIDENTIAL SUBDIVISION IN MY 2000 TOYOTA AVALON WHEN THE CAR BEGAN TO SUDDENLY ACCELERATE ON ITS OWN. MY FATHER LOST CONTROL AS HE WAS UNABLE TO BRAKE. HE ENDED UP SIDE SWIPING A TREE THEN HITTING A PARKED CAR HEAD ON PUSHING IT ONTO SOMEONES FRONT LAWN. LUCKILY HE WAS ABLE TO STOP THE CAR BY PUTTING IT IN NEUTRAL AND TURNING THE IGNITION OFF. *TR

CAR WAS PARKED IN THE GARAGE. I NOTICED THAT THE EYEGLASS COMPARTMENT THAT IS LOCATED INSIDE THE CAR BETWEEN THE TWO FRONT VISORS WAS HANGING DOWN AND COVERING THE INSIDE REAR VIEW MIRROR. I TRIED TO CLOSE IT SHUT BY PUSHING IT UP INTO PLACE, BUT IT KEPT FALLING DOWN. I PUT ON MASKING TAPE TO KEEP IT CLOSED, SINCE I DID NOT WANT TO DRIVE WITHOUT THE USE OF MY INSIDE REAR VIEW MIRROR. THAT SAME DAY, I HAD AN APPOINTMENT TO GET NEW TIRES AT AN AUTO REPAIR PLACE. I DROVE DIRECTLY THERE AND ASKED THE AUTO MECHANIC TO REMOVE THE COMPARTMENT COVER ENTIRELY. HE REMOVED THE COVER, IT WAS HELD IN PLACE WITH TWO LITTLE SCREWS, AND HE ALSO FOUND IN THE CAR A TINY PIECE OF ALUMINUM, IN A V SHAPE, THAT MUST HAVE BEEN PART OF THE COMPARTMENT LOCKING MECHANISM. I HAVE HAD THIS CAR FOR 14 YEARS AND NEVER HAVE PUT ANYTHING IN THAT COMPARTMENT. I MAY HAVE OPENED IT ONCE TO SEE HOW IT WORKED WHEN I FIRST GOT THE CAR. I AM GLAD THAT THIS DID NOT HAPPEN WHILE I WAS DRIVING IN TRAFFIC, AND THAT THIS COVER IS NOW COMPLETELY GONE FROM THE CAR. THIS CAR DOES HAVE VERY LOW MILEAGE. *TR

MY SON WAS DRIVING ON A TWO LANE ROAD CAME AROUND A CORNER AND A LADY HIT HIM HEAD ON HE HIT HIS HEAD IN STEERING WHEEL AND SEAT BELT DID NOT LOCK THE AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY[XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR