2016 TOYOTA AVALON Complaints

ON OCTOBER 1, 2018, AT 8:25 A.M.I WAS PULLING INTO A PARKING SPACE AT WORK IN MY 2016 AVALON (12,141 MILES). I WAS 'RIDING THE BRAKE' TO PULL ALL THE WAY INTO THE PARKING SPACE. THE CAR TOOK OFF INTO LANDSCAPE, CROSSED A ROAD AND WENT DOWN A HILL. I HIT THE PARKING LOT AND WAS KNOCKED TO MY SIDE. THE CAR WENT BACK UP THE HILL AND CROSSED THE ROAD AGAIN, WENT THROUGH MORE LANDSCAPE, BUSHES, ETC. BACK INTO THE ROAD AGAIN AND STOPPED.THERE WAS OVER 11,000 DAMAGE TO MY CAR AND I HURT MY BACK AND NECK. TOYOTA EXAMINED THE BLACK BOX AND SAID THE GAS PEDAL WAS BEING STRONGLY DEPRESSED WITH NO BRAKING. THAT IS IMPOSSIBLE BECAUSE AFTER I HIT THE PARKING LOT AFTER COMING DOWN THE EMBANKMENT, MY FOOT FLEW OFF THE BRAKE AND WAS ON NOTHING AS I WAS ALL THE WAY ON MY RIGHT SIDE. 2ND INCIDENT YESTERDAY, ON 03/16/19, I WAS PULLING INTO A GAS STATION AND WAS ALMOST STOPPED AFTER TAPPING THE BRAKE TO GET PULLED UP TO WHERE I WAS TO STOP AND THE EXACT SAME THING HAPPENED AS MY FOOT WAS ON THE BRAKE, THE CAR TOOK OFF TOWARDS THE GAS PUMP. I WAS PRESSING THE BRAKE AS HARD AS I COULD AND WAS TRYING TO GRAB THE GEAR SHIFT TO PUT INTO PARK. I ONLY WENT ABOUT 20-30 FEET BEFORE THE CAR STOPPED MISSING THE GAS PUMP BY ONLY ABOUT 1 AND 1/2 FEET. I CAN'T SAY FOR SURE IF THE BRAKES STOPPED THE CAR OR IF I WAS ABLE TO GET IT INTO PARK. I HAD THE CAR TOWED TO MY HOME AND WILL NEVER DRIVE THIS CAR AGAIN. I AM NOT SURE WHAT I AM GOING TO DO BECAUSE THE CAR IS FAR FROM PAID FOR AND I KNOW TOYOTA WILL BE OF NO HELP. I KNOW FOR SURE THAT EVENTUALLY SOMEONE IS GOING TO BE KILLED AS I TRULY BELIEVE THIS IS NOT JUST HAPPENING TO ME. AFTER THE FIRST INCIDENT, I SENT A CERTIFIED LETTER TO THE PRESIDENT OF TOYOTA AND THEIR LEGAL DEPARTMENT AND THEIR REPLY WAS TOYOTA WAS NOT AT FAULT.

THE FRONT TO BACK SIDE RUBBER WEATHERSTRIPPING THAT MOVES WITH THE SUNROOF AS IT OPENS AND CLOSES CONTINUES TO FALL OFF. THERE ARE TWO PIECES LIKE THIS, ONE ON THE DRIVER'S SIDE THE OTHER ON THE PASSENGER'S SIDE. THE TWO PIECES, EACH ABOUT 18 INCHES LONG AND TWO INCHES WIDE, LOOK LIKE BLACK RUBBER SMALL ACCORDIONS. WHILE DRIVING AND OPENING OR CLOSING THE SUNROOF, THESE STRIPS FALL OFF. DEALER HAS REINSTALLED MULTIPLE TIMES, BUT THEY CONTINUE TO LOOSEN AND FALL OFF WITH THE MOVEMENT OF THE SUNROOF. SOMETIMES THIS WILL OCCUR WHILE DRIVING AT HIGH SPEEDS AND DISRUPT THE DRIVER, IN THE LAST INSTANCE I EXPERIENCED, WHILE GOING 70MPH AND FALLING ONTO MY HEAD AND DISRUPTING MY VISION FOR A SECOND. THE DEALER (AND I) "FIX" THIS CONDITION BY REINSTALLING THE LOOSENED PIECE. BUT THE PROBLEM RECURS AND, IN MY VIEW, IS A SAFETY HAZARD. I CANNOT GET THE DEALER TO FOCUS ON THE SERIOUSNESS OF THIS PROBLEM AND THE POTENTIAL JEOPARDY IN WHICH IT PLACES DRIVERS. A BETTER FIX, THAN SIMPLE RE-INSTALLATION IS REQUIRED.

"TAKATA RECALL" AIRBAG. I HAVE BEEN DEALING WITH MY AIRBAG LIGHT AND YELLOW TRIANGLE LIGHT COMING ON WHILE DRIVING FOR 3 DAYS. THE FIRST INCIDENT OCCURED WHILE I WAS DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY DURING THE AFTERNOON AFTER DEALERSHIP HOURS. 2ND TIME WAS DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY AND I IMMEDIATELY TOOK MY VEHICLE TO THE DEALERSHIP TO WHICH THEY TOLD ME MY BATTERY WAS DIRTY AND FAILING WAS THE REASON FOR THE AIRBAG LIGHT TO COME ON. 3RD TIME I WAS TOLD THAT MY CELL PHONE CHARGER WHICH WAS NEVER PLUGGED UP ON ANY OF THE TIMES THE LIGHT CAME ON WAS THE REASON. STILL DEALING WITH THE UNRESOLVED ISSUE.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNED A 2016 TOYOTA AVALON. APPROXIMATELY 30 MINUTES AFTER PARKING AND TURNING THE ENGINE OFF, FLAMES WERE DISCOVERED COMING FROM THE FRONT DRIVER'S SIDE CARPET. APPROXIMATELY 10 MINUTES LATER, THE VEHICLE WAS ENGULFED IN FLAMES. THE FIRE DEPARTMENT WAS CALLED TO THE SCENE AND EXTINGUISHED THE FLAMES. THERE WERE NO INJURIES AND A POLICE REPORT WAS NOT FILED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN UNDISCLOSED LOCATION AND DEEMED DESTROYED. THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE WAS NOT DETERMINED BY A DEALER OR AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 22,000. *LN

MY WIFE'S AVALON HESITATES FOR 3 OR 4 SECONDS INTERMITTENTLY DURING ACCELERATION WITHOUT WARNING. THE YELLOW TRIANGLE LIGHT COMES ON THE DASH BOARD DURING THE HESITATION. I SEEMS TO OCCUR MORE OFTEN AFTER TURNING LEFT AND ACCELERATING. I AM CONCERNED ABOUT HER SAFETY WHEN ENTERING TRAFFIC AND OR CROSSING A ROAD WITH AN UNEXPECTED HESITATION. OUR LOCAL TOYOTA DEALER SAYS THEY ARE NOT AWARE OF THIS KIND OF PROBLEM AND ARE NOT ABLE TO DIAGNOSE IT. WE WOULD LIKE TO KNOW IF THIS IS OCCURRING ELSE WHERE AND WHAT WE SHOULD DO ABOUT IT. PLEASE ADVISE.

INTERMITTENTLY THE CAR WILL NOT SHIFT FROM LOW GEAR. WHEN PLACING THE GEARSHIFT IN THE D POSITION IT WILL INDICATE EITHER D1 AND WILL NOT AUTOMATICALLY SHIFT TO A HIGHER GEAR. ONCE THE CAR COMES TO A COMPLETE STOP THE INDICATOR WILL BY ITSELF CHANGE TO D AND WILL SHIFT NORMALLY.

REAR WINDOW IS DISTORTED. THE DISTORTION APPEARS ESPECIALLY ACUTE WHEN HIGHWAY DRIVING. THIS IS A KNOWN PROBLEM WITH AVALONS OVER MORE THAN ONE MODEL YEAR.

SINCE I BOUGHT THE CAR THERE IS A PULL TO THE LEFT,,I WENT BACK TO THE DEALER AND BROUGHT THE PROBLEM TO HIS ATTENTION, ,, OHH ,,,DRIVE THE CAR FOR A WHILE ,,SOMETIMES THE TIRES MIGHT NEED TO WEAR A BIT AND EVERYTHING IS GOING TO BE FINE,,,I DID THAT BUT THE PROBLEM IS STILL THERE, ,,ASKED AGAIN ,,,,,,OHHHH ,, MAYBE YOU DRIVE THE CAR ON THE LEFT SIDE OF THE ROAD AND THAT'S WHY YOU FEEL THE PULL TO THE LEFT ,,,,,I WENT TO WHEEL ALIGNMENT SPECIALIST AND ASKED FOR A WHEEL ALIGNMENT WHILE I HAD ONLY DRIVEN 170 MILES, ,,,THE ALIGNMENT WAS SLIGHTLY OFF, ,,,WAS CORRECTED BUT THE PULL WAS STILL THERE,,,,,,I REPEATED THE ALIGNMENT MORE THAN 5 TIMES SINCE I BOUGHT THE CAR ALMOST 6 MONTHS AGO BUT THE PROBLEM STILL PERSISTS, ,,,AFTER GETTING MORE TESTS AND ASKING ADVICE FROM PROFESSIONALS WITH EXTENSIVE EXPERIENCE, EVERYONE IS POINTING THE PROBLEM TO THE **** RACK AND PINION ****...I WENT BACK TO THE DEALER AND I ASKED FOR THE RACK AND PINION TO BE SPECIFICALLY TESTED BECAUSE IT MIGHT BE DEFECTIVE, ,,,,,NO RESPONSE, BUT A REFUSAL TO EVEN ADDRESS THE ISSUE, ,,,,,,ALTHOUGH IT IS STILL UNDER WARRANTY, ,,,SUPPOSEDLY DID A CHECK UP NOT REALLY DIRECTLY RELATED,,,,AND ALSO I MENTIONED THAT THE SHOCKS MAKE A SQUICKING NOISE WHEN WET HE COMPLETELY IGNORED IT,,,,,AND ALSO A NOISE IN THE STEERING WHEEL AREA,,SOMETHING IS LOOSE BUT I CANNOT PINPOINT IT,,,,,THE OLD THING HE ASKED ME THE CHANGE ONE TIRE FOR $235,, $99 FOR BALANCING THE WHEELS, ,, $99 FOR WHEEL ALIGNMENT, ,,WHEN I TOLD HIM THAT THIS DOESN'T ADDRESS OR SOLVE THE PROBLEM HE JUST SHRUGGED HIS SHOULDER, ,,*** THEN I ASKED HIM SINCE THE PROBLEM IS NOT SOLVED THEN YOU ARE TO GOING TO ASK ME TO CHANGE THE AND PAY FOR A NEW CAR ****HIS RESPONSE ***MAYBE THAT'S THE BEST THING TO DO!!**I LEFT NOT WANTING TO PAY $500 FOR NOT GETTING THE PROBLEM SOLVED. ..I'LL CHANGE THE RACK AND PINION AND PAY FROM MY POCKET BUT ISN'T RIGHT!!!

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2016 TOYOTA AVALON. WHEN THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED AT LOW SPEEDS, THE VEHICLE HESITATED TO RESPOND AND SUDDENLY SURGED FORWARD. THE FAILURE OCCURRED WITHOUT WARNING. IN ADDITION, THE VEHICLE FELT AS THOUGH IT SHIFTED INDEPENDENTLY INTERMITTENTLY. THE DEALER DIAGNOSED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS OPERATING AS DESIGNED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 114,000.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2016 TOYOTA AVALON. WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS STOPPED AT AN INTERSECTION, A LOUD BOOM NOISE WAS HEARD AND THE SUN ROOF EXPLODED WITHOUT WARNING. THERE WERE NO INJURIES. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE SUN ROOF FAILED AND NEEDED TO BE REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 15,000.