2014 TOYOTA AVALON HYBRID Complaints

DRIVING ON I-10 IN THE METARIE, LA AREA AT SPEED LIMIT, WE HEARD A LOUD BANG, THEN WIND COMING INTO THE CAR. NO OTHER VEHICLES AROUND US, WE PULLED TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AND NOTICED THAT THE SUNROOF HAD EXPLODED. SOUNDED LIKE A BOMB WENT OFF WHEN IT HAPPENED. WE RETURNED TO OUR HOTEL AND TAPED THE GLASS TO PREVENT FURTHER GLASS FRACTURE AND SPRAY TO OTHER VEHICLES ON THE ROAD.

AUTO SUDDENLY BRAKED TO A STOP FOR NO APPARENT REASON. AUTO HAD BEEN REPAIRED FOR THE RECALL, 15V728000, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: CRASH IMMINENT BRAKING. HAS OCCURRED TWICE IN THE LAST MONTH. HAVE SINCE DEACTIVITED THE PRE-COLLISION SYSTEM. BOTH OCCURRENCES HAPPENED WHILE ON CRUISE CONTROL, TRAVELING AT 55 MPH IN ONE CASE AND 60 MPH IN THE OTHER. BOTH WERE ON STRAIGHT, LEVEL HIGHWAYS WITH NO OBVIOUS CAUSE. THE 55 MPH CASE WAS WHILE CRUISE WAS SET AT 60 MPH BUT CRUISE CONTROL WAS CONTROLLING AT THE LOWER SPEED TO CONTROL THE DISTANCE FROM THE CAR AHEAD OF ME. THE CAR AHEAD DID NOT BRAKE OR SLOW DOWN. THERE WAS NO COLLISION IN EITHER CASE. MY DIAGNOSIS IS THAT THE REPAIR FOR THE ABOVE RECALL DID NOT CORRECT THE PROBLEM.

WHILE THE VEHICLE IS COASTING AT A STEADY SPEED ON A STRAIGHT ROAD (~30-40 MPH), A SLIGHT ROARING NOISE CAN BE HEARD FROM THE ENGINE BAY WHILE SITTING IN THE PASSENGER COMPARTMENT. THE DEALER, NORTHSIDE TOYOTA OF CHICAGO, INSPECTED THIS VEHICLE ON FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 2016, AND DETERMINED THAT THE TRANSMISSION IS FAILING AND WILL NEED TO BE COMPLETELY REPLACED. HOWEVER, THEY CLAIM THAT, DUE TO A "COLLISION IMPACT" (A VEHICLE WHICH SCRAPED THE PASSENGER SIDE OF THE FRONT BUMPER AND WHICH MIRACULOUSLY DID NOT IMPACT EITHER THE ENGINE OR THE BODY FRAME), A LEAK HAS BEEN CAUSED FROM A "CLIP" THAT IS "MISSING," AND BASED ON THESE GROUNDS, THE DEALER IS REFUSING TO REPAIR THE TRANSMISSION. INSTEAD, THEY HAVE TOLD US WE NEED TO EITHER REPLACE THE TRANSMISSION OUT OF POCKET ($6000.00 - $7000.00) OR GO THROUGH OUR INSURANCE. THIS KIND OF PROBLEM MIGHT BE NORMAL FOR AN OLDER VEHICLE, BUT WHAT IS UNUSUAL ABOUT THIS CASE IS THAT THIS HYBRID AVALON IS ONLY 2 YEARS OLD AND BARELY CLOCKED 16,000 MILES. IT IS COMPLETELY UNACCEPTABLE FOR SUCH A MAJOR COMPONENT OF A NEARLY-NEW VEHICLE TO FAIL SO SOON AND THE DEALER IS WAVING IT OFF AS NOT A DEFECT.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2014 TOYOTA AVALON HYBRID. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE CENTER CONSOLE, WHERE THE CUP HOLDERS WERE LOCATED, WOULD BECOME HOT WHEN THE HEAT WAS ACTIVATED AND COLD WHEN THE AIR CONDITIONER WAS ACTIVATED. THE FAILURE OCCURRED WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS DRIVEN FOR AN EXTENDED PERIOD OF TIME. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO SEVERAL DEALERS FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING, BUT NO FAILURE COULD BE DETERMINED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS UNKNOWN.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2014 TOYOTA AVALON HYBRID. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION FOR NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 15V728000 (FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE). THE DEALER WAS UNABLE TO PROVIDE THE REMEDY AND PARTS. THE SYSTEM WAS DISCONNECTED AS AN INTERIM SOLUTION MONTHS AGO. THE CONTACT WAS UNABLE TO DETERMINE WHEN THE VEHICLE WOULD BE REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED AND WAS UNABLE TO INDICATE A REASONABLE TIME FRAME FOR THE REMEDY AND PARTS. THE CONTACT EXPERIENCED THE SYSTEM RANDOMLY ENGAGING WHILE MAKING A TURN AND HAD TO ADJUST TO ENSURE THAT THERE WAS NO FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 29,000. PARTS DISTRIBUTION DISCONNECT.

BRIDGESTONE TURANZA EL400 P215/55R17 TIRES SHOWING EXCESSIVE WEAR. MILEAGE ON CAR 30,579. THESE ARE ORIGINAL MANUFACTURERS EQUIPMENT. BECAUSE OF TREAD WIRE EXPOSURE, CAR DEEMED TO DANGEROUS TO DRIVE.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2014 TOYOTA AVALON HYBRID. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 15V728000 (FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE); HOWEVER, THE PART TO DO THE REPAIR WAS UNAVAILABLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR THE RECALL REPAIR. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE ISSUE. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE. PARTS DISTRIBUTION DISCONNECT.

NHTSA RECALL 15V728 INVOLVING PRE-COLLISION SYSTEM. OVER 6 MONTHS HAVE PASSED SINCE I RECEIVED NOTICE OF THIS RECALL. TO DATE NOTHING HAS BEEN DONE TO CORRECT THE PROBLEM OTHER THAN TELLING ME TO TURN OFF THE PRE-COLLISION SYSTEM. BOTH LEAVING IT ON OR TURNING IT OFF LESSEN THE SAFETY OF THE VEHICLE.

I WAS DRIVING WITHOUT THE CRUISE CONTROL ON A PAVED ROAD AND THE PRE-COLLISION SYSTEM (PCS) SUDDENLY SOUNDED THE ALARM AND SLAMMED ON THE ENGINE BRAKING CAUSING THE CAR TO INSTANTLY DECELERATE. I WAS THROWN FORWARD AND THE SEAT BELT SHOULDER STRAP LOCKED. ALL THE ITEMS ON MY FRONT PASSENGER SEAT WERE THROWN TO THE FLOOR. THERE WERE NO VEHICLES IN FRONT OF ME NOR, THANKFULLY, IMMEDIATELY BEHIND ME. THE ONLY THING I CAN FIGURE OUT IS THAT THE PCS APPARENTLY ACTIVATED DETECTING THE METAL IN A CATTLE GUARD IN THE ROAD IN FRONT OF ME. I HAVE BEEN OVER THIS ROAD HUNDREDS OF TIMES IN THIS VEHICLE AND WHY IT HAPPENED TODAY, I HAVE NO IDEA. I AM QUITE SORE IN MY SHOULDER, WRISTS AND MIDDLE UPPER BACK FROM BEING THROWN FORWARD AND THEN RESTRAINED BY THE SHOULDER STRAP LOCKING.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNED A 2014 TOYOTA AVALON HYBRID. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 70 MPH, THE CHECK ENGINE WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED AND SMOKE APPEARED FROM UNDER THE HOOD. THE CONTACT NOTICED THAT THE FRONT OF THE VEHICLE CAUGHT FIRE. THE FIRE WAS EXTINGUISHED BY THE FIRE DEPARTMENT. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE VEHICLE WAS DESTROYED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 16,000. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE. UPDATED 05/24/16*LJ VIN INVALID UPDATED 4/27/18*JB *TR