NHTSA Complaint #10532017 — 2011 TOYOTA AVALON

I WAS ENTERING INTERSTATE HIGHWAY 80 FROM AN ON RAMP WHEN THERE WAS A LOUD NOISE, FOLLOWED BY WIND NOISE AND WITHIN A SHORT TIME A SNAPPING TYPE OF NOISE FOLLOWED BY QUIET. I STOPPED AN ON INSPECTION FOUND THAT THE LEFT-SIDE PLASTIC UNDER-ENGINE COVER HAD FALLEN OFF. WITHIN A FEW DAYS THE RIGHT SIDE PANEL STARTED DRAGGING ON THE ROAD AND HAD TO BE REMOVED. I HAD BOTH REPLACED ABOUT A MONTH LATER. THREE DAYS AFTER THE REPLACEMENT WHILE ON BY WAY TO THE AIRPORT AND PASSING A SEMI TRUCK THERE WAS A LARGE CRACK NOISE AND ONE OF THE ENGINE UNDER-COVERS SKIDDED FROM UNDER THE CAR AND WENT IN A DITCH. I HAD THAT PANEL REPLACED ABOUT A MONTH LATER (MARCH 6, 2013). ON JULY 13, 2013 THE LEFT UNDER-ENGINE COVER STARTED DRAGGING ON THE ROAD AND I HAD TO PULL OFF, FORTUNATELY HAVING A TOOL THAT I COULD REMOVE THE ONE REMAINING FASTENER TO REMOVE THE PANEL. AT THE SAME TIME I NOTED THAT SEVERAL OF THE FASTENERS ON THE RIGHT SIDE PANEL WERE ALSO MISSING ENTIRELY OR LOOSE. THESE PANELS ARE LIGHT WEIGHT PLASTIC AND ARE NOT LIKELY TO DAMAGE ANY OTHER CAR THAT WOULD RUN INTO THEM. HOWEVER, IT THEY FLY OUT FROM UNDER THE CAR THEY MAY CAUSE THE FOLLOWING DRIVER OR AN ON-COMING VEHICLE IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION TO SWERVE TO AVOID IT AND PRECIPITATE AN ACCIDENT. ALTHOUGH THE ORIGINAL EQUIPMENT PANELS AND FASTENERS LASTED FOR ABOUT 36,000 MILES THE FASTENING SYSTEM IS SUBJECT TO ABUSE. FOR EXAMPLE, THE CURBS IN MY CITY ARE ABOUT THE SAME HEIGHT AS THE CLEARANCE OF THE FRONT SKIRT OF THE CAR SO THE FASTENERS MAY BE SUBJECT TO ABUSE AND COULD BE EXPECTED TO FAIL DUE TO THIS SORT OF UNINTENDED ABUSE. THE SAME SORT OF THING MAY HAPPEN IN WITHER WHEN CHUNKS OF SNOW OR ICE MAY SCRAPE THAT AREA. SO, I THINK THERE IS A DESIGN ISSUE WITH THEM BEING SECURE OVER THE LIFE OF THE CAR. *TR