1997 TOYOTA AVALON Power Trainautomatic Transmission Problems

DEALER SERVICED TRANSMISSION WITH A FLUSH AND FLUID REPLACEMENT AT 120,406 MILES. ALSO, TIMING BELT WAS REPLACED AND COOLANT FLUSH DONE. EIGHT WEEKS LATER, TRANSMISSION FAILED COMPLETELY. WAS ON 250 MILE TRIP, FELT BUMPING WHICH THOUGHT MAY BE ROUGH ROAD CONDITION, THEN WHEN CLOSE TO DESTINATION, CAR WOULD NOT MOVE AFTER STOPPING AT STOP LIGHT. DIAGNOSIS WAS COMPLETE TRANSMISSION FAILURE. DEALER WOULD NOT CONCEDE ANY RESPONSIBILITY TO CONTRIBUTING TO FAILURE OF TRANSMISSION ALTHOUGH DEALER COULD NOT IDENTIFY ANY OTHER TOYOTA AVALON TRANSMISSION FAILURES. CONVINCED ACTION BY DEALER SERVICE RESULTED IN TRANSMISSION FAILURE. *JB

CAR WAS BOUGHT USED IN 2006 WITH 115,000 MILES. THE KEY CAN BE TAKEN OUT OF THE IGNITION WHEN THE CAR IS IN ANY GEAR( RATHER THAN ONLY WHEN IT IS IN PARK) . THIS CREATES A VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION DUE TO THE FACT THAT THE CAR COULD BEGIN ROLLING ONCE YOU LEAVE THE CAR. THIS HAS ALREADY HAPPENED ONCE WITHOUT ANY CONSEQUENCES, BUT COULD BE VERY DANGEROUS IN THE FUTURE. *NM

MY SPOUSE HAD DRIVEN OUR 1997 TOYOTA AVALON TO OUR DENTISTS OFFICE FOR A SCHEDULED APPOINTMENT. SHE PULLED INTO THE PARKING LOT AND TURNED OFF THE ENGINE IGNITION SWITCH AND REMOVED THE KEY. WHILE SHE WAS GATHERING HER PERSONAL ITEMS TO TAKE INTO THE DENTISTS OFFICE WITH HER SHE FAILED TO NOTICE THAT THE GEARSHIFT SELECTOR WAS STILL IN THE DRIVE POSITION. (ACCORDING TO A TOYOTA SERVICE MANAGER AND MANUFACTURER REP. THE KEY SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN ABLE TO REMOVE UNTIL THE GEAR SELECTOR WAS PLACED IN THE PARK POSITION AND THE KEY TURNED TO THE OFF AND LOCKED POSITION.) WHILE MY SPOUSE WAS IN THE DENIISTS OFFICE, AT SOME POINT IN TIME OUR AVALON TO BEGIN TO ROLL ACROSS THE PARKING LOT AND CRASHED INTO THE FRONT DOORS OF A BLOCKBUSTER VIDEO STORE. FORTUNATELY NO ONE WAS INJURED. WE HAVE CHECKED THE IGNITION SWITCH AND GEAR SELECTOR IN ALL...

FAILURE OF POWERTRAIN AT 48,000 MILES.

NO SUMMARY LISTED FOR ABOVE VEHICLE. *AK