2000 TOYOTA AVALON Complaints

ON JULY 3, 2008, MY 2000 TOYOTA AVALON STEERING COLUMN LOCKED WHILE ON VACATION IN SEDONA, AZ. IT WAS TOWED TO THE NEAREST TOYOTA DEALERSHIP WHICH WAS IN PRESCOTT, AZ. THE DEALERSHIP REPAIR RECEIPT READS: FAULTY LOCK PIN, REMOVED IGNITION LOCK BRACKET, REMOVED LOCK PIN, REINSTALLED BRACKET. NEEDS NEW LOCK BRACKET AND BREAK-OFF BOLTS. (PLEASE REFER TO THE MECHANIC NOTES THAT I NEEDED A NEW LOCK BRACKET AND BREAK-OFF BOLTS - DID TOYOTA KNOW AT THIS TIME THIS WAS A DEFECTIVE PROBLEM?) RECENTLY I RECEIVED A SAFETY RECALL NOTICE FOR CERTAIN 2000 - 2004 TOYOTA AVALON STEERING COLUMN UPPER BRACKETS. I HAVE CONTACTED TOYOTA BY MAIL AND PHONE AND THEY REFUSE TO REIMBURSE ME FOR THE EXPENSES I HAVE INCURRED BECAUSE OF THEIR DEFECTIVE MANUFACTURING. THE RECALL NOTICE DESCRIBES THE RECALL CONDITION AS FOLLOWS: DUE TO THE IMPROPER CASTING OF THE STEERING LOCK BAR, WHICH IS A COMPONENT OF THE STEERING INTERLOCK SYSTEM, THERE IS A POSSIBILITY THAT MINUTE CRACK MAY DEVELOP ON THE SURFACE. SUCH A CRACK MAY EXPAND OVER A LONG PERIOD OF REPEATED LOCK AND UNLOCK OPERATIONS, AND EVENTUALLY THE BAR COULD BREAK. IT THIS OCCURS, THE INTERLOCK SYSTEM MAY BECOME DIFFICULT TO UNLOCK WHEN STATIONARY. ..... *TR

HEADLIGHTS AND DASHBOARD LIGHTS FLICKER WHEN DRIVING WITH THE HEADLIGHTS ON. DRIVING AT NIGHT IS DANGEROUS, BECAUSE LIGHTS ACTUALLY FLICKER TO THE POINT OF BEING OFF FOR A FRACTION OF A SECOND. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2000 TOYOTA AVALON. THE VEHICLE WAS INCLUDED IN RECALL 10V345000 (STEERING). WHEN HE CALLED TWO DEALER, THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE PARTS WERE ON BACKORDER. THE VEHICLE HAD NOT BEEN REPAIRED. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE APPROXIMATELY 104,000.

COULD NOT PUT CAR INTO PARK OR NEUTRAL DRIVER SHAFT CLIP TOTALLY FAILED ON MY TOYOTA 2000 AVALON XLS NEW SHAFT ASSEMBLY INSTALLED WESTBURY TOYOTA WOULD NOT REPAIR UNLESS I PAID A $300 DIAGNOSTIC FEE WILL CALL TO SEE IF PART IS AVAILABLE. *TR

INTERIOR AND EXTERIOR LIGHTS FLICKER CAUSING VISIBILITY PROBLEMS AT NIGHT AND FOR ONCOMING DRIVERS. *TR

TL-THE DRIVER OWNS A 2000 TOYOTA AVALON. WHILE DRIVING AT 65 MPH THE VEHICLE INVOLUNTARILY ACCELERATED RESULTING IN A CRASH THAT DESTROYED THE VEHICLE. THE POLICE APPEARED ON THE SCENE AND THE DRIVER WAS REPORTED INJURED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN UNKNOWN LOCATION BY AN INSURANCE COMPANY. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 93,000. SM.

TL * THE CONTACT OWNS A 2000 TOYOTA AVALON. WHILE DRIVING IN REVERSE 5 MPH DURING NORMAL WEATHER CONDITIONS, THE VEHICLE ACCELERATED AND CRASHED INTO ANOTHER VEHICLE. THE CONTACT WAS NOT SURE IF SHE ACCIDENTLY HIT THE ACCELERATOR OR THE BRAKES. TWO PASSENGERS IN THE OTHER VEHICLE WERE INJURED ONE WAS CUT FROM THE GLASS FROM THE WINDOW. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE CONTACT 'S VEHICLE WAS TOTALED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE AND CURRENT MILEAGE WERE 24,000. THE CONTACT IS UNABLE TO PROVIDE A VIN#.

2000 TOYOTA AVALON DRIVEN BY MY WIFE QUOTE "SUDDENLY TOOK OFF" RESULTING IN A WRECK. CAR WAS TOTALED WITH NO AIRBAG DEPLOYMENT. EARLY MORNING WITH HEAVY RAINS, APPROX. 35 MILES PER HOUR SPEED, BREAKING, WHEN CAR TOOK OFF. *TR

2000 AVALON ACCELERATED UNINTENDED WHILE TRAVELING DOWN LAFAYETTE AVENUE IN HAWTHORNE, NJ DRIVER DID ALL SHE COULD TO CONTROL CAR AND TO AVOID PEOPLE AND PROPERTY. THE ONLY WAY SHE COULD STOP THE CAR WAS TO DRIVE INTO A TELEPHONE POLE. CAUSING SEVERE INJURY TO HERSELF. *TR

OUR 2000 TOYOTA AVALON 6 CYLINDER ENGINE SHUT DOWN DUE TO OIL SLUDGE. WE HAD IT TOWED TO THE NEAREST TOYOTA DEALER (CHAMPION TOYOTA) WHERE THEY TOLD US THE ENGINE IS DEAD DUE TO THE YEARS OF OIL SLUDGE. NO ONE TOLD US THAT THE 2000-2002 AVLON WAS IN A QUIET RECALL CALLED CSP TO "FIX" THOSE ENGINES. THE FIGURE FOR A NEW ENGINE IS $9000, WE DECIDED TO TAKE THE CAR TO A AUTO SHOP NEAR THE HOUSE WHERE THE OIL SLUDGE WAS CLEANED. WE GOT THE CAR BACK. WITHIN A FEW WEEKS, THE CAR BROKE DOWN ON A BUSY HIGHWAY INTERSECTION LATE AT NIGHT. WE HAD THE CAR TOWED HOME AS IT WAS VERY LATE. WE HAD THE CAR TOWED TO CHARLES MAUND TOYOTA WHO SOLD US THE CAR (CAR PREVIOUSLY OWNED BY THE OWNER CHARLES MAUND. WE BOUGHT IT WITH 7000 MILES ON IT IN 2000T. THE MECHANICS THERE CLEANED THE SLUDGE AND TRY TO TEST DRIVE, ONLY TO HAVE THE ENGINE SHUT DOWN AGAIN..THEY TOOK IT APART AND FOUND THAT THE ENGINE HAS BEEN DAMAGED BEYOND REPAIR DUE TO THE SLUDGE PROBLEM. WE DID SOME RESEARCH ON THE WEB AND HAS THEM TO MAKE GOOD ON THE REPAIRS EVEN THOUGH WE WERE NOT NOTIFIED OF THE CSP AND WERE NOT ABLE TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF IT DURING THE TIME LIMIT PLACED ON THE CSP BY TOYOTA CORP. THE PROBLEM IS WELL KNOWN AND WELL DOCUMENTED. WE HAVE REGULARLY CHANGED THE OIL, THOUGH NOT ALWAYS WITH TOYOTA DEALER AS WE HAVE MOVED. THE ENGINE BREAKDOWN COULD HAVE CAUSED ACCIDENTS HAD WE NOT BEEN ABLE TO COAST TO A NARROW SHOULDER BY THE CORNER OF 2222/360 HIGHWAY INTERCHANGE. WE WANT TOYOTA TO REPLACE THE ENGINE AND CORRECT THE DEFECTIVE DESIGN. WE ALSO BELIEVE THAT MR. CHARLES MAUND MAY HAVE RECEIVED THE CSP NOTICE AS HE WAS THE "ORIGINAL OWNER" BUT FAIL TO COMMUNICATE THAT TO US. WE HAVE PURCHASED 2 VEHICLES FROM CHARLES MAUND AND WERE REGULAR MAINTENANCE CUSTOMERS SO THEY HAVE OUR RECORDS AND WOULD HAVE KNOWN THAT WE HAVE ONE OF THE OIL SLUDGE 6 CYLINDER AVALONS. *TR