2006 TOYOTA AVALON Complaints

I WAS RUNNING MY AIR CONDITIONER WHEN SUDDENLY IT STOPPED WORKING AND I RECEIVED A CHECK AIR CONDITIONER. I ALSO HEARD A CLICKING UNDER THE HOOD. I TOOK THE CAR IN TO TOYOTA AND THE SERVICE ADVISOR IMMEDIATELY NEW THE PROBLEM, THE VVT, AN OIL VALVE, RUPTURED AND THIS IS ONE OF THE COMMON PROBLEMS WITH THE AVALON. I DIDN'T KNOW AT THE TIME, BUT APPARENTLY THIS WILL DUMP MOST OF THE OIL FROM THE VEHICLE. NO WARNING LIGHTS CAME ON TO INDICATE THAT THE OIL PRESSURE WAS LOW OR THAT THERE WAS A PROBLEM WITH THE ENGINE. THE VVT WAS FIXED AND I DROVE OFF ONLY TO RETURN DUE TO AN UNFAMILIAR NOISE UNDER THE HOOD. COME TO FIND OUT DUE TO THE VVT VALVE RUPTURE AND THE DUMPING OF OIL, THE CAM WAS DESTROYED AND NEEDS TO BE REPLACED AT A COST OF $ 5600.00. TOYOTA IS THE ONLY PLACE THIS CAR HAS BEEN SERVICED. IF THE SERVICE ADVISOR KNOWS THE PROBLEM BEFORE THE TECH PERSON LOOKS AT YOUR CAR, SOUNDS LIKE A VERY ALL TOO FAMILIAR PROBLEM FOR THERE NOT TO BE A RECALL ON THIS PART. *TR

2006 TOYOTA AVALON COMPLETE LOSS OF ENGINE OIL WITH NO WARNING LIGHT. DEALER TECHNICIAN ADVISES THAT THIS IS A PROBLEM FOR THIS VEHICLE YEAR. THE DEALER AND THE COMPANY KNOW THIS IS A PROBLEM. NO ADVISORY OF ANY KIND. THIS CAR HAS BEEN SERVICED REGULARLY PER DEALER/TOYOTA SPECS. ANY PROBLEM WITH THE OIL AND ENGINE IN A CAR IS A POTENTIALLY SERIOUS PROBLEM. SEE WEBSITES FOR SIMILAR COMPLAINTS FOR EXAMPLE, AT WWW.CARCOMPLAINTS.COM SITE LISTS 43 COMPLAINTS FOR AVALON MODEL THAT I AM REPORTING TO YOU. ADVISED CORPORATE OFFICE AND DEALER. NEITHER SEEM CONCERNED ABOUT POSSIBILITIES OF THIS KIND OF DANGER. THANK YOU. *TR

FOR SOME TIME - SEVERAL WEEKS - I HAD NOTICED AN ODOR OF BURNING OIL IN THE PASSENGER COMPARTMENT OF MY 2006 TOYOTA AVALON. I WAS EXITING THE INTERSTATE AND AT THE STOPLIGHT NOTICED A GREAT AMOUNT OF SMOKE POURING FROM THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT. I WAS, FORTUNATELY, WITHIN A MILE OF THE DEALERSHIP FROM WHICH I HAD PURCHASED THE CAR AND DROVE IT INTO THEIR SERVICE BAY. WHEN I GOT OUT OF THE CAR I NOTICED THAT A GREAT AMOUNT OF OIL WAS POURING OUT ONTO THE FLOOR OF THE SERVICE BAY. THE SERVICE MAN CAME OVER AND I BEGAN TO EXPLAIN THE CIRCUMSTANCES OF THE OIL LEAK. THEY IMMEDIATELY TOLD ME WHAT IT WAS - AN RUBBER OIL LINE. THEY KEPT THE CAR FOR THREE DAYS AND RETURNED IT "REPAIRED". NOW AFTER A COUPLE OF MONTHS I AGAIN NOTICE THE SAME SMELL IN THE PASSENGER COMPARTMENT AND INTEND TO TAKE IT AS SOON AS I CAN BACK TO THE DEALER. QUESTION: WHY ISN'T TOYOTA PUTTING OUT A RECALL ON THIS PARTICULAR YEAR AND MODEL OF THE TOYOTA? I SEE THAT THERE ARE MANY SIMILAR COMPLAINTS BEING MADE. *TR

I HAVE A 2006 TOYOTA AVALON, AND RECENTLY I REALIZED THAT THE ENGINE WAS LEAKING OIL QUITE PROFUSELY. I TOOK IT RIGHT INTO THE DEALERSHIP AND THEY STATING THAT THE VVT (VARIABLE VALVE TIMING) INJECTION HOSE WAS BROKEN. THEY REPLACED MY HOSE AS I HAVE THE PLATINUM CARE PROTECTION PLAN THROUGH TOYOTA. MY CONCERN IS IT SEEMS LIKE THIS HAS HAPPENED TO OTHER WHO OWN 2006 AVALONS. IF THE PART IS FAULTY WHY DON'T THEY RECALL THE CARS AND REPLACE THE FAULTY PARTS. *TR

TRANSMISSION HESITATES EXCESSIVELY WHEN AUTOMATICALLY DOWNSHIFTING AT SPEEDS BELOW 10 MPH. THIS HAS HAPPENED EVERY DAY AND EVERY DOWNSHIFT FROM THE FIRST DAY OF OWNERSHIP. TERRIBLE CONDITION THAT NO ONE AT TOYOTA IS WILLING TO ADMIT OR FIX. WTF? *TR

I WAS TRAVELING ON THE I-85 IN MY 2006 TOYOTA AVALON FOR APPROXIMATELY 1.5 HOURS WHEN THE AIR CONDITIONING INDICATOR LIGHT STARTED BLINKING. SHORTLY THEREAFTER THE A/C SHUT OFF AND THE "CHECK ENGINE" LIGHT ILLUMINATED. WITHIN A MINUTE OR SO, THE "CHECK OIL" LIGHT STARTED BLINKING SLOWLY AT FIRST, THEN AFTER ABOUT 30 SECONDS IT WAS ON CONTINUOUSLY. BY THIS TIME I HAD PULLED OFF INTO A GAS STATION. AS I WAS PULLING INTO THE STATION THE ENGINE WAS MAKING A LOUD CLICKING NOISE. AFTER IT WAS PARKED, I CHECKED THE DIPSTICK AND THERE WAS NO OIL WHATSOEVER IN THE CAR. AS WELL, THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT WAS COATED WITH OIL. THE UNDERSIDE OF THE CAR, INCLUDING THE INSIDE OF THE WHEELS AND BRAKES WAS COMPLETELY COATED WITH OIL AS WELL. THE BACK OF THE TRUNK ALSO HAD A LIGHT COAT OF OIL ON IT, PRESUMABLY FROM THE SPRAY UNDERNEATH WHILE TRAVELING @ 65-70MPH. I THEN PURCHASED A QUART OF OIL, PUT IT IN THE ENGINE AND IT DRAINED ONTO THE GROUND. I HAD THE CAR TOWED TO TOWN & COUNTRY TOYOTA, A CHARLOTTE DEALER, WHO SAID THE CAUSE OF THE PROBLEM WAS RUPTURE OF THE OIL BYPASS HOSE. AS I HAD NOTICED THE PREVIOUS NIGHT, THIS HOSE IS 1) VERY CLOSE TO THE GROUND AND SUBJECT TO HITS FROM ROAD DEBRIS, ETC. AND 2) VERY CLOSE TO THE HOT EXHAUST PIPE. THE USE OF A RUBBER HOSE FOR A PRESSURIZED FLAMMABLE LIQUID SYSTEM IN THIS LOCATION IS ABSOLUTELY RECKLESS. AT A MINIMUM, IT SHOULD BE SOME SORT OF ARMORED OR SHIELDED HOSE. I'M AMAZED THE CAR DIDN'T START ON FIRE FROM BEING DOUSED WITH FIVE QUARTS OF OIL LEAKING FROM THE RUPTURED HOSE AND SUSPECT THE WIND FROM INTERSTATE SPEEDS PREVENTED THIS FROM HAPPENING. THE SERVICE PERSON AT THE DEALERSHIP INDICATED THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH 2006 AVALONS AND HE COULDN'T UNDERSTAND WHY THERE HASN'T BEEN A RECALL ISSUED. THE ONLY THE ENGINE WASN'T DESTROYED (WITH 39,000 MILES ON IT) WAS BECAUSE I WAS LUCKY TO BE IN A GOOD POSITION TO PULL OFF. TODAY I FOUND THE SAME ISSUE DOCUMENTED ON CARCOMPLAINTS.COM. *TR

MY 2006 AVALON EXPERIENCED A SEVERE OIL LEAK WHILE MY WIFE WAS DRIVING IT. FORTUNATELY, SHE WAS CLOSE TO HOME AND STOPPED IT IN FRONT OF THE HOUSE WHERE IT DEPOSITED SEVERAL QUARTS OF OIL. I HAD THE CAR TOWED TO THE DEALER WHO QUICKLY RECOGNIZED THE PROBLEM AS A WELL-KNOWN FAILURE OF THE HOSE-TO-TUBING CONNECTION ON AN EXTERNAL LUBE OIL LINE TO THE VVT MECHANISM. I HAD 51K MILES, SO THE REPAIR WAS COVERED BY WARRANTY. I HAVE SINCE PURCHASED A NEW SOLID METAL TUBE AS IS USED ON THE 2009 MODELS TO REPLACE THE ONE THE DEALER INSTALLED WHICH STILL HAD THE RUBBER HOSE PORTION. I HAVE PURCHASED TOYOTAS SINCE THE MID '80'S AND THIS IS MY FIRST SERIOUS DISAPPOINTMENT IN BOTH THE QUALITY OF THE PRODUCT AND THE CONDUCT OF THE COMPANY FOR NOT RECALLING THIS VEHICLE FOR THIS PROBLEM. *TR

MARCH 18, 2009 I WAS TRAVELING 300 MILES FROM HOME IN HOUSTON TO COVINGTON LA. ABOUT 20 MILES FROM MY DESTINATION I HEARD A CLICKING NOISE FROM ENGINE, A/C STOPPED WORKING & CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ON. THE NEXT MORNING I CHECKED THE OIL LEVEL & IT WAS COMPLETELY DRY. PUT 4-5 QTS OF OIL IN AND AS SOON AS I TURNED ON THE CAR, ALL THE OIL CAME POURING OUT ONTO THE PARKING LOT. DROVE THE CAR INTO TOYOTA DEALERSHIP & LEFT IT. WAS TOLD THE NEXT DAY IT WOULD NEED A COMPLETE ENGINE REBUILT. LEFT THE CAR IN COVINGTON LA & RETURNED TO HOUSTON. THE CAR WAS DELIVERED BACK TO ME IN HOUSTON IN A FEW WEEKS. ON JUNE 30, 2009 I WAS ON ANOTHER DRIVE ABOUT 90 MILES FROM HOME & A/C STOPPED WORKING. TOOK INTO LOCAL DEALERSHIP - TOLD FREON WAS TOTALLY EMPTY. THEY REFILLED & COULD FIND NO LEAKS. WHILE IN FOR THIS ISSUE, THEY DISCOVERED THAT A VALVE COVER WAS LEAKING & REPLACED IT. *TR

AFTER ARRIVING HOME, I PULLED INTO GARAGE AND NOTICED AN ODOR OF BURNING OIL. UPON EXITING THE CAR, I SAW A TRAIL OF OIL FROM THE BACK OF THE CAR UP MY DRIVEWAY, EXTENDING UP TO THE STREET. LOOKING UNDER THE CAR, I NOTICED OIL DRIPPING FROM THE ENGINE AREA. I FOUND THAT I LOST ALL ENGINE OIL WITHOUT ANY WARNING LIGHTS OR SOUNDS ADVISING ME OF THE PROBLEM. FORTUNATELY THE LOSS OF OIL ONLY OCCURRED IN MY DRIVEWAY AND GARAGE AREA. MY CAR HAD TO BE TOWED TO DEALER. THEY INSTALLED SEVERAL GASKETS, A TIMING CHAIN COVER, A FIPG OIL PAN, A BELT (V-RIBBED), NON-CHLOR BRAKE C, A REPLACEABLE ELEME, ANOTHER GASKET, A PIPE SUB-ASSY, 0I. SINCE OIL WAS SPRAYED IN ENGINE AREA, THEY HAD TO WASH ENGINE OFF. UPON RESEARCHING THIS OIL LOSS PROBLEM, I FIND MANY OTHER 2006 TOYOTA AVALONS HAVE EXPERIENCED EXACTLY THE SAME THING. IF I HAD BEEN DRIVING ON THE INTERSTATE, I AM SURE MY ENGINE WOULD HAVE QUIT ON ME WITH NO WARNING AND COULD HAVE RESULTED IN A BAD ACCIDENT NOT TO MENTION THE DESTRUCTION OF THE ENGINE ITSELF. *TR

2006 ABALONE WITH 63,000 MILES, WHILE I WAS DRIVING IN THE HIGHWAY MY AC LIGHT FLICKERED, THEN CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. I OPENED THE HOOD THERE WAS NO OIL IN THE ENGINE AND THE LEFT SIDE OF THE ENGINE WAS COVERED WITH ENGINE OIL. THERE WAS A LEAK IN THE VVT OIL LINE. TOYOTA ISSUED A TECH TIP TV12310 IN SEPTEMBEROF 2008 RECOMMENDING REPLACEMENT OF THE OIL LINE,BUT THERE WAS NO RECALL ON IT . I HAVE NO IDEA IF MY ENGINE SURVIVED THIS INCIDENT IT IS STILL IN THE SHOP WAITING FOR ESTIMATE . *TR