2007 TOYOTA AVALON Electrical System Problems

RECALL NUMBER: SET16B: THE SEATS CUSHION IS COMPRESSED AND WHEN TURN ON THE HEATER FOR THE SEATS IT GET OVER HEATED AND IT HARD TO TURN IT DOWN SO IT CAN COOL OFF FAST. LOAD CARRYING CAPACITY MODIFICATIONS LABELS THIS DOES NOT MEET THE STANDARD NO 110, REQUIREMENTS. TIRE SELECTION AND RIMS STICKING ACCELERATOR PEDAL THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL IS HARD TO DEPRESS SLOW TO RETURN TO IDLE OR IN THE WORST CASE, MECHANICALLY STUCK IN A PARTIALLY DEPRESSED POSITION WHICH MAKE IT HARD FOR THE CAR TO SLOW DOWN AND STOP. WHILE IN MOTION. WHICH CAN CAUSE A RISK OF A CRASH. PEDAL ENTRAPMENT WHILE IN MOTION THE OPEN ACCELERATOR PEDAL BECOME IN A VERY HIGH VEHICLE SPEEDS AND MAKE IT DIFFICULT TO STOP THE VEHICLE WHICH COULD CAUSE A CRASH SERIOUS INJURY OR DEATH.

REPEATEDLY THIS CAR IS DOING DANGEROUS, BIZARRE THINGS, AND THEY'RE GETTING WORSE. THERE' IS APPARENTLY A PROBLEM WITH THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: WHEN HONKING THE HORN THE RADIO COMES BLARING ON VERY LOUD AND THE AC AND BLOWER BLAST OUT AT FULL FORCE (STARTLING MY DAUGHTER); SOMETIMES WHEN BRAKING HARD, THE RADIO GOES ON; OFTEN WHEN HONKING THE HORN, THE AC GOES ON AND THE RADIO GOES ON; WHEN USING TURN SIGNALS THE AC GOES ON AND THE HEATER GOES ON; WHEN TURNING ON AC THE HORN HONKS. THIS IS MORE THAN ANNOYING -- IT IS BORDERING ON CAUSING POSSIBLE SERIOUS DISTRACTIONS AND AN ACCIDENT. THIS IS A TOYOTA PROBLEM -- WHY SHOULD I HAVE SPEND BIG DOLLARS GETTING IT TAKEN CARE OF. SURELY OTHER CAR OWNERS HAVE REPORTED SIMILAR ISSUES???

MANY VERY ANNOYING AND POTENTIALLY HAZARDOUS ELECTRICAL GLITCHES (BUT WHICH ARE VERY HARD TO REPLICATE, AND NEW GLITCHES CAN APPEAR WITHOUT WARNING). SOME EXAMPLES: WHEN I HONK HORN THE RADIO MIGHT TURN ITSELF ON; HONK HORN WHILE BRAKING AND A/C MAY DECIDE TO BLAST ON FULL FORCE; USE RIGHT TURN SIGNAL AND RADIO MAY TURN ITSELF ON; DOORS TWO TIMES UNEXPECTEDLY LOCKED WHEN EVERYONE WAS OUT OF CAR FOR A MOMENT (COULD BE DANGEROUS IF CAR IS STILL RUNNING OR KEYS OR A STRAPPED-INTO-A-CARSEAT CHILD IS LEFT INSIDE!); ALSO, HEATER WILL NOT MAINTAIN CONSTANT TEMPERATURE -- FAR FROM IT, RESULTING IN CONSTANTLY JIGGERING THE TEMP UP DRAMATICALLY, THEN DOWN DRAMATICALLY TO MAKE THE TEMPERATURE REASONABLY COMFORTABLE. ALL ABOVE, EXCEPT FOR WHEN CAR LOCKED EVERYONE OUT, HAPPENED WHILE CAR WAS MOVING, IN CITY AND RURAL DRIVING. RECENTLY THESE GLITCHES HAVE GOTTEN MUCH MORE COMMON AND I FEAR MORE, PERHAPS MORE POTENTIALLY...

ABS AND BRAKE LIGHT ON, AIR CONDITIONER BLOWING HOT AIR,TEMPERATURE GAUGE NOT WORKING, ENGINE ELECTRIC FANS NOT WORKING. ALL ABOVE WAS WORKING WHEN PARKED ON NEXT STARTUP ABOVE FAULTS NOTED. TOOK CAR TO TOYOTA AND FOUND COMPUTER MOUNTED ON ABS CONTROL WAS SHORTING OUT THE DIGITAL BUSS FOR ALL THE COMPUTERS. WHEN THIS COMPUTER WAS UNHOOKED AC WORKS TEMPERATURE GAUGE WORKS AND FAN WORKS. HOWEVER NOW NO SPEEDOMETER, ODOMETER,TRIP INDICATORS WORK AND NOW HAS CHECK ENGINE LIGHT AS WELL AS ABS AND BRAKE LIGHT INDICATOR ARE LIT.

THE RADIO STATION STARTED TO FADE IN AND OUT. THEN THE DASHBOARD CONSOLE STARTED TO SHUT DOWN AND DISPLAYED THE LETTER F (FOR FAIL). THEN THE ENGINE SHUT DOWN WHILE I WAS DRIVING ON A DIVIDED FOUR-LANE HIGHWAY IN THE LANE CLOSEST TO THE MEDIAN. THERE WAS NO TIME TO MOVE INTO THE RIGHT-HAND LANE. THERE WAS NEVER ANY BATTERY WARNING LIGHT OR OTHER INDICATION THAT THE BATTERY DID NOT HAVE ENOUGH CHARGE TO RUN THE ENGINE OR EVEN TO POWER THE EMERGENCY FLASHERS. THE PROBLEM WAS THAT THE ALTERNATOR FAILED. THE BATTERY DIDN'T NEED REPLACING. ONLY THE ALTERNATOR NEEDED REPLACING. I HAD THE TOYOTA SERVICE DEPARTMENT TEST THE BATTERY WARNING LIGHT AND WAS TOLD THAT THE SENSOR WAS WORKING PROPERLY. I HAVE HAD NO TROUBLE WITH THE CAR SINCE THE ALTERNATOR WAS REPLACED. I WAS TOLD THAT THE ALTERNATOR HAS THREE DIODES AND THE FAILURE OF ONE OR TWO...

IDLER BEARING FROZE WHICH TOOK OUT SERPENTINE BELT. LOST POWER STEERING AND COOLING AND ELECTRIC. THIS IS THE SECOND ONE I HAVE REPLACED THIS YEAR BOTH BEING OEM PARTS. *TR

IN JUNE 2008, I BOUGHT A NEW 2007 TOYOTA AVALON AT A LOCAL TOYOTA DEALERSHIP, HARR TOYOTA AT 100 GOLD STAR BLVD, WORCESTER, MA 01606. I HAD BEEN ENJOYING DRIVING THE CAR FOR THE PAST 6 YEARS AND HAVE ALWAYS THOUGHT THAT THE NEXT VEHICLE FOR MY FAMILY WILL BE ANOTHER TOYOTA AVALON. I LIKED IT SMOOTH DRIVE, NUMBER OF FEATURES, PLENTY OF SPACE AND THE MOST THE RELIABILITY. ALL MAINTENANCE ON THE VEHICLE HAS BEEN PERFORMED AS REQUIRED AND I THOUGHT THAT AS LONG AS I TAKE GOOD CARE OF IT, I COULD DRIVE IT FOR MANY MORE YEARS. UNFORTUNATELY, ONE WEEK AGO, WHEN MY FAMILY AND I WERE TRAVELING ON THE STATE HIGHWAY, I-90, THE CARS SPEED DROPPED FROM ABOUT 67 MPH TO 0 IN A MATTER OF SECONDS. THE VEHICLE BECAME UNRESPONSIVE CAUSING ME A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF STRESS. I MUST HAVE BEEN BORN UNDER A LUCKY...

CAR WAS MISFIRING 1 YEAR AFTER PURCHASE THIS CAR WAS SUPPOSEDLY A FLEET CAR,WITH KNOW PREVIOUS PROBLEMS. BUT COIL PACK WAS MALFUNCTIONING. AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. *TR

ENGINE LIGHT ON CAR HAVING ENGINE TROUBLE POWER DOES NOT STAY EVEN,SOMETIMES STALLS OUT, TOOK BACK TOFOR SERVICE DUE TO ENGINE PRBLEMS, TUNE UP PERFORMED , AND COIL PACK HAD TO BE REPLACED ON A PREVIOUS SERVICE IN 2008 COIL PACK FOR CYLINDER 6 WAS REPLACED. REPAIR SHOP DID NOT LIST WHICH CYLINDER. BUT COIL PACK WAS REPLACED. *TR

CAR STALLING OUT ,ENGINE LIGHT COMING ON, SPEED FLUCTUATES, , TIMING BELT CHANGE IS DUE. BUT SUSPECT ENGINE COIL PACK IS FAILING AGAIN. THIS WILL BE 3 TIMES REPLACED IN 7 YEARS. *TR

MY CAR WAS PARKED IN A PARKING LOT AND WAS HIT BY SOME TYPE OF VEHICLE. THE DAMAGE WAS EXTENSIVE AND THE AIRBAGS DEPLOYED AND THE SEAT BELT LOCKED ON THE DRIVERS SIDE. THE DAMAGE WAS TO THE RIGHT SIDE. THERE WAS NO ONE IN THE CAR AND NO WITNESSES AS TO WHAT HAPPENED BUT IT HAS BEEN 4 WEEKS AND MY INSURANCE IS SUDDENLY REFUSING TO PAY AFTER ISSUING A WORK ORDER TO THE REPAIR PERSON BECAUSE THE AIR BAGS DEPLOYED. THERE IS A BOAT RAMP ACROSS FROM THE PARKING LOT. I DO NOT KNOW FOR SURE WHAT HIT MY CAR, I JUST DO NOT FEEL IT IS FAIR THAT USAA IS TELLING ME THE AIRBAG CAN NOT DEPLOY WITHOUT THE IGNITION BEING ON. I HAVE NOT HAD A RENTAL AND HAD TO DRIVE MY SON'S HUNTING TRUCK WHICH IS VERY UNCOMFORTABLE. THEY TRIED TO SAY THERE WAS NO...

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2007 TOYOTA AVALON. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 35 MPH, ALL OF THE LIGHTS SUDDENLY SHUT OFF. THE CONTACT WAS ABLE TO SHIFT FROM AUTOMATIC TO MANUAL GEARS. THE LIGHTS SHUT OFF AND THEN BACK ON FOR A FEW SECOND, AND THEN BACK OFF AGAIN. THE CONTACT WAS ABLE TO TURN THE LIGHTS BACK ON; HOWEVER, THEY SHUT OFF AGAIN WITHIN TEN MINUTES. HE TOOK THE VEHICLE TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER WHO PERFORMED A DIAGNOSTIC TEST BUT WAS UNABLE TO DETERMINE WHAT CAUSED THE FAILURE TO OCCUR. THE CONTACT CALLED THE MANUFACTURER WHO STATED THAT A REPRESENTATIVE WOULD INSPECT THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE HAD NOT BEEN REPAIRED OR INSPECTED AT THE TIME THE COMPLAINT.THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 32,746. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 32,650.

SUDDEN ACCELERATION WHEN RESUME DEPRESSED FROM CRUISE AND WHEN LASER BEAM RETURNS FROM BEING ENACTED. THE ACCELERATION IS SUDDEN AND NECK-SNAPPING. I NO LONGER USE LASER BUT ALWAYS USE 'NORMAL ' CRUISE SINCE I HAD VEHICLE TESTED AT BERT WOLFE TOYOTA, CHARLESTON WV AND THEY ADVISED THAT VEHICLE WAS PERFORMING NORMAL. I RETURN TO 'SET SPEED ' MANUALLY SINCE THAT TIME. I HAVE NOTIFIED TOYOTA HEADQUARTERS IN CALIFORNIA EARLY IN FEB.2010 AND HAVE NO REPLY. THERE IS DEFINITELY AN ELECTRONIC PROBLEM. *TR THE CONSUMER STATED THE VEHICLE HAS ELECTRICAL AND COMPUTER PROBLEMS. UPDATED IVOQ 06/02/10*JB

INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6) I AN THE ORIGINAL OWNER OF A 2007 TOYOTA AVALON [XXX] - - AS OF 26 FEB 2010, I HAVE BEEN NOTIFIED OF NO RECALLS. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2007 TOYOTA AVALON. THE VEHICLE'S PUSH BUTTON STARTER WILL NOT START THE VEHICLE. THE DEALER INFORMED THE CONTACT THAT THE PUSH STARTER NEEDED TO BE REPROGRAMMED. THE DAY AFTER THE PUSH BUTTON STARTER WAS REPROGRAMMED THE CONTACT WAS UNABLE TO START THE VEHICLE. DURING A SECOND ATTEMPT TO REPAIR THE VEHICLE THE DEALER REPROGRAMMED THE STARTER WITH THE COMPUTER IN THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE FAILURE CONTINUED TO OCCUR. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGE WERE 200. *AK UPDATE 04/19/07 *TR