2006 TOYOTA AVALON Complaints

STEERING COLUMN IN 2006 AVALON EXHIBITS PULSING RATCHET TYPE VIBRATION AND NOISE. MOST SEVERE WHEN TURNED AT LOWER SPEEDS. *TR

THE TRANSMISSION ACTS ERRATICALLY AT LOW SPEEDS. IF I AM ROLLING THROUGH A STOP SIGN OR JUST IN TRAFFICS AT 5-10 MPH THE TRANSMISSION WILL "HUNT" FOR A GEAR. SOMETIMES IT IS A HESITATION AND SOMETIMES IT JERKS INTO GEAR, DEPENDS ON HOW MUCH TROTTLE YOU APPLY. IF I AM STOP TURN RIGHT ON RED, HAVE PLENTY OF TIME TO MAKE A TURN BEFORE AN APPROACHING CAR ARRIVES, IF THE TRANSMISSION IS HUNTING FOR A GEAR, I HAVE NO CONTROL OF THE CAR. IT MIGHT BE ONLY FOR 1 OR 2 SECONDS, BUT IT IS DANGEROUS. REPEATED SERVICE TRIPS, SERVICE MANANGERS AND EVEN DISTRICT MANAGER HAS FAILED TO GET ANYONES' ATTENTION. CHECK OUT THIS WEB SITE, HERE ARE 44 PEOPLE WITH SIMILAR PROBLEMS:HTTP://FOURWHEELDRIFT.WORDPRESS.COM/2007/01/16/TOYOTA-AVALON-TRANSMISSION-PROBLEMS-EXPOSE-TOYOTAS-PROBLEM-REPORTING-PROBLEMS/ *TR

STEERING WHEEL CLUNKS DURING ACCELERATION, BRAKING, AND ROTATING THE STEERING WHEEL FROM SIDE TO SIDE. VEHICLE WAS BROUGHT INTO THE DEALER FOR WHICH THEY INDICATED THAT THE "STEERING INTERMEDIATE SHAFT" HAD FAILED AND SO THEY REPLACED IT. WHILE PICKING UP THE CAR, I HAD ASKED TO EXAMINE THE OLD SHAFT AND NOTED CORROSION AND WEAR ON ONE OF THE SPLINES. THE CAR ONLY HAD 16,500 MILES ON IT. IF THE SPLINES WERE COMPLETELY WORN, THE STEERING OF THE VEHICLE WOULD BE COMPROMISED. THE DEALER INDICATED THAT TOYOTA HAD A FIX TO THIS ALREADY, BUT THERE IS NO RECALL. THIS SHOULD BE A SAFETY RECALL. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 TOYOTA AVALON. UPON ENTERING THE GARAGE, THE CONTACT NOTICED A STRONG ODOR OF HOT GASOLINE AND BURNING WIRES. THE VEHICLE IS A SMART START VEHICLE AND IT WOULD NOT START. WHILE BEING PARKED FOR TWO HOURS, THE VEHICLE HEATED THE ENTIRE GARAGE AND WAS HOT TO THE TOUCH. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE PASSENGER COMPARTMENT WAS 120-150 DEGREES. HE BELIEVED THAT IF HE HAD NOT ENTERED THE GARAGE AT THAT TIME, A FIRE MAY HAVE OCCURRED. HE DISCONNECTED THE BATTERY AND HAD THE VEHICLE TOWED TO A TOYOTA DEALER. THE VEHICLE HAS NOT YET BEEN DIAGNOSED. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 17,300.

I BOUGHT A 2006 TOYOTA AVALON IN SEPT. '06. THERE IS A SERIOUS PROBLEM WITH THE TRANSMISSION. AT SLOW SPEEDS THE TRANSMISSION SLIPS. IF I AM SLOWING ALMOST TO A STOP AND THEN STARTING UP AGAIN THE TRANSMISSION DOES NOT ENGAGE, THE ENGINE REVS UP, AND THEN THE CAR LURCHES FORWARD AS THE TRANSMISSION FINALLY ENGAGES. WE HAVE ALMOST BEEN REAR ENDED WHEN ANOTHER CAR IS FOLLOWING CLOSE AND THINKS THAT I AM GOING TO MOVE FORWARD BUT CAN'T BECAUSE THE TRANSMISSION DOES NOT ENGAGE. I HAVE ALMOST HAD AN ACCIDENT BECAUSE THE CAR LURCHES FORWARD AFTER THE TRANS SLIPS. I ALSO HAVE TO WAIT FOR A VERY LARGE GAP IN TRAFFIC IF I'M CROSSING A LANE TO MAKE A LEFT TURN AS I NEVER KNOW IF THE TRANSMISSION WILL SLIP LEAVING ME IN THE ON-COMING LANE OF TRAFFIC. WE HAVE HAD THIS LURCHING AND SLIPPING INCIDENT APPROXIMATELY 60% OF THE TIME. ON TWO OCCASIONS WHEN REACHING SPEEDS THAT WOULD BE SHIFTING FROM 2ND TO 3RD A VERY LOUD BANGING NOISE AND LURCHING OCCURRED. UNFORTUNATELY, ON TWO VISITS TO THE DEALER I WAS NOT ABLE TO RECREATE THE PROBLEM. *JB

WHEN ENTERING TRAFFIC FROM THE ON RAMP AND WITH PLENTY OF TIME UNDER NORMAL CONDITIONS MY TOYOTA AVALON, UPON ACCELERATION THE ENGINE ACTUALLY CUT OUT I MEAN WITH A SERIOUS HESITATION THAT I COULD NOT RESPOND TO IN TIME. THE AUTO QUICKLY APPROACHING MY REAR VEERED INTO THE NEXT LANE CAUSING THE THIRD CAR TO RUN OFF ON THE SHOULDER OF THE ROAD. THIS IS INDEED A HIGHLY SAFETY PROBLEM. I ESCAPED WITHOUT A SCRATCH TO MYSELF OR CAR. THIS HAS HAPPENED MANY TIMES BEFORE BUT NOT TO THIS EXTENT. I TOOK MY CAR BACK TO THOMPSONS TOYOTA IN PLACERVILLE CA 3 TIMES FOR THE SAME PROBLEM AND EACH TIME THEY TELL ME THEY CAN'T FIND ANYTHING WRONG WITH THE ACCELERATION. I HAVE ABOUT 10,000 MILES ON THE CAR NOW BUT THE PROBLEM SURFACED LESS THAN A WEEK AFTER I BOUGHT IT. WHAT ARE MY OPTIONS I NEED THE CAR AND I MUST DRIVE THIS SAFETY AFFECTED PRODUCT. THE CAR IS OK AFTER YOU GET TO 60 MPH. ON ACCELERATION FROM A STOP POSITION A 4 CYL. COROLLA AND HONDA CAN PERFORM BETTER, IN FACT I HAVE A TACOMA TOYOTA 4 CYL 1999 WITH 100,000 MILE THAT ALSO ACCELERATES BETTER THAN MY AVALON. *JB

I HAVE A SET OF 215/55-17 LIFELINER SLE TIRES BY COOPER TIRES. THEY WERE INSTALLED ON MY 2006 TOYOTA AVALON AT 19000 MILES. I HAVE 33000 ON THEM NOW. THEY WERE BALANCED AND ROTATED AT 10000 MILES. I HAVE MADE 3 COMPLAINTS TO DEALER ABOUT TIRES. THEY HAVE BEEN VERY ROUGH RIDING LIKE THEY HAVE KNOTS IN THEM SINCE THE DAY THEY WERE INSTALLED. I HAVE HAD ALIGNMENT CHECKED BY TOYOTA AND IT IS FINE. THE DEALER GIVES EXCUSES EVERY TIME. I THINK THESE TIRES MAY HAVE DEFECTS. THEY ARE GETTING WORSE EVERYDAY. *JB

I WAS DRIVING SLOWLY AROUND A ROTARY, AND TOOK MY FOOT OFF ACCELERATOR TO DRIFT A BIT TO ALLOW A PRECEDING CAR TO ENTER. WHEN I PRESSED THE GAS PEDAL GENTLY, THERE WAS A SUDDEN VIOLENT KICK WHICH FRIGHTENED BOTH ME AND MY WIFE. (I BELIEVE THE TRANSMISSION HAD SHIFTED IN LOW, BUT IT WAS AS IF WE HAD BEEN HIT IN THE REAR WITH A LARGE SLAPPING HAND!) I HAD TO REACT QUICKLY TO AVOID BEING DRIVEN INTO THE CAR AHEAD BY THIS SUDDEN SMALL BURST OF SPEED. AN ACCIDENT COULD EASILY HAVE OTHERWISE TAKEN PLACE. THE TRANSMISSION HAS ALWAYS BEEN ERRATIC AT TIMES SINCE WE PURCHASED THE CAR, BUT THIS WAS THE WORST THING THAT HAS HAPPENED. I HAVE HAD THE LATEST COMPUTER UPGRADE ON THIS PROBLEM INSTALLED, AND IT WAS WITHIN 1 DAY AFTER THAT THIS TOOK PLACE. I HAD READ ALL OF THE NHTSA SAFETY REPORTS ON THIS CAR, AND THERE HAVE BEEN MANY SIMILAR. IN MY MIND THERE IS A SERIOUS SAFETY PROBLEM WHICH NEEDS ADDRESSING. (A SIMILAR BUT MUCH LESS VIOLENT SERIES OF INCIDENTS HAVE OCCURRED WHEN IN CRUISE CONTROL GOING SOMEWHAT UPHILL, WHEN IT DOWNSHIFTS AND THE CAR SPEEDS UP NOTICEABLY AND IN SOME CASES SO MUCH SO THAT I HAVE TO TAKE IT OUT OF CRUISE FOR A BIT) SUCH UNPREDICTABILITY MAKES BOTH MY WIFE AND I FEEL UNSAFE IN THIS CAR AT THOSE TIMES. *JB

WHEN STARTING THE ENGINE, WITH THE BRAKE DEPRESSED AND GREEN LIGHT ON,WHEN THE START BUTTON IS PRESSED THE STEERING WHEEL LOCK WILL BUZZ BUT THE ENGINE WILL NOT TURN OVER. ON OTHER OCCASIONS THE STEERING WHEEL LOCK WILL BUZZ AND THE ENGINE WILL FIRE AND THEN DIE. THIS HAPPENS AT RANDOM TIMES. THE DEALER CHECKED FOR CODES AND THERE ARE NONE. CALLS TO THE ZONE AND DISTRICT OFFICES HAVE OFFERED NO SOLUTION. THE PROBLEM HAS PERSISTED FOR SEVERAL MONTHS. WE DO NOT USE THE CAR FOR TRIPS IN FEAR IT WILL HAPPEN AND WE WILL BE UNABLE TO START THE CAR AND BE STRANDED A DISTANCE FROM A DEALER. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 TOYOTA AVALON. WHILE DRIVING 35 MPH, THE VEHICLE BEGAN ACCELERATING WITHOUT WARNING. THE CONTACT WAS UNABLE TO SLOW THE VEHICLE DOWN BY ENGAGING THE BRAKES OR NEUTRAL. THE ENGINE SHUT OFF ON ITS OWN. THE CONTACT CONFIRMED THAT THE DRIVING MAT WASN'T THE CAUSE OF THE VEHICLE ACCELERATING. ON THREE OCCASIONS HE SPOKE WITH LEXUS, TOYOTA AND THE DEALER. THE DEALER ATTEMPTED TO DIAGNOSE THE FAILURE FROM AUGUST 11TH TO AUGUST 13TH AND COULD NOT DUPLICATE THE FAILURE. THE CONTACT READ AN ARTICLE RE: LEXUS 350 ES EXPERIENCING THE SAME FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 6950 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 7295.