2008 TOYOTA AVALON Recalls, Complaints & Safety

I have an 08 Avalon xls and was driving and out of no where it started to shudder and it happened as I was bending a curve. I almost ran off the road. No indicators came on my dash! Because I am mechanically inclined I do know a little about vehicles! So I pulled to inspect the bottom of the transmission pan was wet! And due to the seal transmission there was no way for me to check the fluid! I believe the shudder could be from the torque converter or transmission! I took the vehicle to a friend shop and was told how to add the transmission fluid! And end up putting in a whole court of transmission fluid in before it started to show coming out where it’s supposed to be checked! By not being able to check the transmission fluid and with the shudder like it did it could have caused an accident! I still don’t know what the problem is due to the lack of money to be able to take it to a dealer to find out the true cause! And now my car shudder at 30mph and 45mph if I cruise up to the speed limit but if I accelerate faster then nothing!

Because my instrument panel is alway illuminated, I was unaware that I was driving one night without my lights on. Now I know why I see more cars at night without their lights. Manufacturers need to fix this problem. Older cars would not turn on the panel lights if the headlights weren't on. You would think this would be an easy technology fix with since we have self driving cars now.

OEM high beam bulbs continuously explode. I’m not saying they just burn out, these bulbs shatter, and send shards of glass on the inside of the headlamp housing. I believe it’s a big safety risk, because for me, it happened while I was driving late at night in the dark where there are deer nearby. Brights are essential to see far and when you’re driving through hills, going up a hill you need your brights to extend higher than your normal lights do. This is a commonly complained about problem for the 2008-2010 models of this Toyota Avalon. Toyota has issued a technical service bulletin back in 2011, but it is a major defect and I believe it should be fixed regardless of whether a customer pays for a warranty or not. A mechanic told me also that they are not sure why Toyota has not warrantied vehicles with this issue. The solution is replacing the headlight housing. So there is clearly a material defect, and I believe it affects safety. Vehicles are required to have high beam headlights for a reason, and the high beams on this vehicle burn out commonly on certain vehicles, and replacing bulbs does NOT solve the problem. It is a very expensive repair as well. What kind of car manufacturer doesn’t recall or acknowledge a material defect or design flaw in such a crucial safety feature or a vehicle such as headlights? It’s an expensive, annoying, and dangerous issue that continues to happen. There are so many complaints about this high beam issue for the 2008 year. In my mind this really reduces Toyotas reputation and credibility since they did not and will not recall these headlights. We just have to deal with their faulty design. Fix your mistakes instead of making customers foot the bill for your poor craftsmanship. This is pathetic.

The telescopic steering wheel lever comes loose which will cause the wheel to lurch forward if the brakes are pushed in hard. This could be dangerous. This has happened twice in 2 months.

Car was rear ended by semi truck, crushed trunk into vehicle rear seat. Car was the pushed forward into truck in front crushing right fender. Pelvic fracture in right rear passenger. Air Bags did NOT DEPLOY.

Crash 1 injured

This car has a rear window shade that started going up on its on when it is hot outside. I could not locate this feature in the owners manual. I did read that a safety feature for the shade is that when car is placed in reverse the shade is automatically closed. This feature has stopped working, in fact the shade now will not even lower. I used to be able to manually assist the shade down while someone would press the switch but down it raises back up almost immediately. I checked with Google and apparently this is a common problem. I have finally pulled the fuse to keep the shade down permanently.

POWER SUNSHADE IS STUCK IN THE UP POSITION BLOCKING THE BACK WINDSHIELD AND CHECK ENGINE LIGHT TURNS ON WHICH DISABLES TRACTION AND STABILITY CONTROL. THESE MAKE THE CAR DANGEROUS TO DRIVE

POWER REAR SUNSHADE GETS STUCK IN UP POSITION CAUSING VISIBILITY HAZARD AT NIGHT

2008 TOYOTA AVALON. LOW BEAM ON DRIVERS SIDE GOES OUT INTERMITTENTLY. HAVE TO TURN HEADLIGHTS ON/OFF QUICKLY. WAS PULLED OVER BY CHP ON HIGHWAY, TOLD HIM JUST HAD LOW BEAMS BULBS REPLACED. HE ASKED ME TO TURN THEM OFF, THEN ON AND BOTH LIGHTS WERE WORKING. THIS WAS IN SPRING 2018 APPROX 80,000 MILES. TOOK TO MECHANIC, THEY WORKED FINE. DID NOT HAVE A PROBLEM FOR ABOUT 6 MONTHS AFTER THAT, NOW AFRAID TO DRIVE AT NIGHT AS IT HAPPENS MORE FREQUENTLY AND AFRAID THAT LIGHTS WILL NOT COME BACK ON. SO MANY OF SAME COMPLAINTS ON FORUMS. I EMAILED TOYOTA AND ACTUALLY GOT A CALL BACK BUT GAL STATED THEY HAD NO RECORD OF ANY COMPLAINTS REGARDING LOW BEAM PROBLEMS. SHE GAVE ME A CASE #2008070658. ASKED IF I HAD TAKEN IT TO DEALER BUT THEY WOULD CHARGE FOR DIAGNOSIS, I TOLD HER I WOULD NOT BE DOING THAT. MY MECHANIC HAS REFERRED ME TO ANOTHER SHOP WITH A CERTIFIED A TOYOTA MASTER MECHANIC, WILL SEE WHAT HE HAS TO SAY. THIS IS A MAJOR SAFETY PROBLEM TO SAY THE LEAST AND DO NOT UNDERSTAND WHY TOYOTA REFUSES TO RECOGNIZE IT AND STEP UP TO CORRECT PROBLEM. THIS IS VERY DANGEROUS AND OBVIOUSLY I AM NOT ONLY ONE WHO IS VERY CONCERNED.

TILT STEERING COLUMN LOCK DOES NOT STAY IN PLACE AND WILL DROP DOWN ANY TIME. THE STEERING WHEEL CAN CHANGE POSITION ANY TIME AND MY KNEE HITS THE LOCKING LEVER.

I HAVE BEEN PULLED OVER NUMEROUS TIMES DUE TO HAVING A HEADLIGHT OUT. HOWEVER IT'S NEVER BLOWN. ONCE I SHOW THE OFFICER BY TURNING THE LIGHTS OFF FOR A FEW SECONDS THEN BACK ON THE LIGHT IS ON. FROM READING MANY TOYOTA FORUMS AND GOING TO A TOYOTA DEALER, IT IS A FAULTY WIRING SYSTEM AND TO REPAIR IT WILL COST AT LEAST $1300.00 OR MORE. IT IS A HASTLE AS WELL AS A SAFETY HAZARD. THE LIGHT DOESNT STAY ON ONCE TURNING THE LIGHTS OFF THEN ON. WITHIN A FEW MILES IT GOES OFF AGAIN AND IT IS CONSTANTLY BLOWING THE LIGHT BULBS. IN THE 3 YEARS I HAVE HAD MY CAR I HAVE REPLACED THE LIGHTS AT LEAST 7 TIMES. THE LIGHT WILL ALWAYS BE OFF WHEN I START MY CAR WITH THE REMOTE STARTER AND WHEN I START IT WITH THE IGNITION IF IT'S ON, WITHIN A FEW MILES OF DRIVING IT GOES OFF AGAIN.

FRONT DASHBOARD IS CRACKING AND IS STILL CONTINUING. I'VE NEVER HAD A VEHICLE DO THIS. I'VE HAD A 97 BLACK TOYOTA CAMRY UP UNTIL A COUPLE OF YEARS, AND DASH WAS PERFECT. MY AVALON IS GARAGED PARKED AND GARAGED PARKED AT WORK. I'M AFRAID IS GOING TO EFFECT THE AIR BAGS, ETC. AND COME OUT UNEXPECTEDLY. I'VE ATTACHED PHOTOS. IT'S BEEN A SLOW PROCESS WHICH STARTED A COUPLE OF YEARS AFTER I FIRST PURCHASED THE CAR.

FROM THE DAY I PURCHASED USED VEHICLE IN 2015, I'VE EXPERIENCED HEADLIGHTS THAT FLICKER AND GO OFF ONLY TO BE FULLY ILLUMINATED BY TURNING OFF THEN BACK ON. MOSTLY, IT'S THE DRIVER SIDE AND SOMETIMES THE PASSENGER SIDE; INFREQUENTLY, BOTH HEADLIGHTS ARE AFFECTED. I'VE SEARCHED THE INTERNET FOR A SOLUTION AND FOUND HUNDREDS OF SIMILAR REPORTS WITH 'SOLUTIONS' RANGING FROM SIMPLE FEW DOLLARS TO ABOVE $1000. MY LOCAL DEALER HAD THE CAR ON SEVERAL DIFFERENT OCCASIONS...TO NO AVAIL AND WAS WILLING TO 'FIX' IT FOR $1200. BECAUSE OF THE NUMBER OF SIMILARLY DESCRIBED ON INTERNET FORUMS, I THINK THAT TOYOTA SHOULD RECALL THE VEHICLES IF, FOR NO OTHER REASON, THAN THAT THIS IS A SIGNIFICANT SAFETY ISSUE.

I HAVE HAD CONTINUOUS PROBLEMS WITH EITHER ONE OR BOTH FRONT HEADLIGHTS GOING OFF RANDOMLY. THIS HAPPENS ALMOST DAILY AND I HAVE TAKEN THE CAR TO THE SHOP NUMEROUS TIMES. THIS IS A VERY DANGEROUS PROBLEM AS ON OCCASION I DO NOT EVEN KNOW THAT THE LIGHTS ARE OFF. ADDITIONALLY, I HAVE BEEN PULLED OVER BY THE POLICE AND ISSUED A WARNING WITH THE EXCEPECTATION THAT THE PROBLEM WILL BE FIXED. THIS POSES ANOTHER GREAT CONCERN AS THE MECHANIC HAS NOT BEEN ABLE TO DIAGNOSE THE ISSUE, THEREFORE, IT CANNOT BE FIXED. THE MECHANIC HAS ALSO REACHED OUT TO THE DEALER AS WELL AS OTHER MECHANICS ALONG WITH CONDUCTING HIS OWN RESEARCH ALL TO NO AVAIL. DURING MY RESEARCH, I DISCOVERED NUMEROUS COMPLIANTS STATING THE EXACT SAME PROBLEMS THAT I AM EXPERIENCING, ALSO WITH NO RESOLVE OR REMEDY. I AM SHOCKED THAT TOYOTA WOULD PLACE PEOPLE IN SUCH DANGER AND NOT TAKE ANY ACTION TO RECTIFY THIS VERY SIGNIFICANT PROBLEM. I WOULD APPRECIATE ANY HELP YOU MAY BE ABLE TO PROVIDE.

CAR DRIVER SIDE LOW BEAM HEADLIGHT GOES OUT RANDOMLY AND UNEXPECTEDLY .

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 TOYOTA AVALON. WHILE DRIVING THE VEHICLE, THE HEADLIGHTS WENT OUT SEVERAL TIMES. THE CONTACT RESEARCHED THE FAILURE ONLINE AND FOUND NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS WITH THE VEHICLE. THE MANUFACTURER STATED THAT THEY WERE AWARE OF THE HEADLIGHT FAILURE AND ISSUED AN EXTENDED WARRANTY OF UP TO 75,000 MILES. THE CONTACT'S VEHICLE EXCEEDED THE MILEAGE REQUIREMENT; THEREFORE, THE MANUFACTURER COULD NOT ASSIST. THE CONTACT WAS ADVISED TO TAKE THE VEHICLE TO A DEALER TO BE REPAIRED AT HIS EXPENSE. THE DEALER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 93,000.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNED A 2008 TOYOTA AVALON. AFTER LEAVING THE DENTIST AND DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 65 MPH, THE CONTACT FELL ASLEEP AT THE WHEEL. WHEN THE CONTACT WOKE UP, HE REALIZED THE VEHICLE WAS HEADED TOWARDS THE MEDIAN. TO AVOID THE MEDIAN, THE CONTACT TURNED THE STEERING WHEEL AND DROVE INTO A DITCH ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. THE VEHICLE FLIPPED OVER SEVERAL TIMES, BUT NO AIR BAGS DEPLOYED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED AND DEEMED TOTALED. THE CONTACT RECEIVED INJURIES TO THE NECK, ELBOW, LEG, AND HEAD. MEDICAL ATTENTION WAS NEEDED. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE MANUFACTURER AND DEALER WERE NOT AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE WAS NOT DETERMINED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 130,000.

Crash 1 injured

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 TOYOTA AVALON. THE CONTACT NOTICED THAT THE DASHBOARD WAS CRACKING AND MELTING. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO ELK GROVE TOYOTA (9640 W STOCKTON BLVD, ELK GROVE, CA 95757, (916) 405-8000) WHERE THE GENERAL MANAGER OBSERVED THE DASHBOARD, BUT COULD NOT DETERMINE THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE CONTACT CALLED THE TOYOTA CUSTOMER SERVICE EXPERIENCE CENTER AND WAS INFORMED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS OUT OF WARRANTY. THE CONTACT WAS PROVIDED CASE NUMBER: 1909100691. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 27,000.

I HAD MY CAR INSPECTED IN DECEMBER 2018 AND WAS TOLD THAT MY HIGH BEAMS WERE OUT. I HAD THE BULBS REPLACED AND JUST RECENTLY HAD MY LIGHTS INSPECTED. CHANGING THE BULBS DID NOT CORRECT THE PROBLEM AND MY HIGH BEAMS ARE STILL NOT WORKING!

HEADLIGHTS AND FOG LIGHTS GO OFF WHILE TRAVELING. MAY OR MAY NOT COME BACK ON WHEN SWITCH IS RESET. THEY GO OFF UNPREDICTABLY AND MAY BE AT A VERY INOPPORTUNE TIME CAUSING COLLISION.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 TOYOTA AVALON. WHILE DRIVING 50-60 MPH, THE VEHICLE SHOOK DRASTICALLY WITHOUT WARNING AND WOULD NOT STOP. THERE WERE NO WARNING INDICATORS ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHO DIAGNOSED THAT A FRONT END ALIGNMENT WAS NEEDED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED, BUT THE FAILURE RECURRED MORE THAN TWICE. DUE TO THE FAILURE, A NEW RACK AND PINION NEEDED TO BE INSTALLED. THE DEALER AND MANUFACTURER WERE NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 102,000.

ON NOVEMBER 2018 I NOTICED THAT MY REAR DECK MOUNTED BRAKE LIGHT WAS OUT. I THOUGHT IT WAS A BULB BUT THE VERY NEXT DAY IT WAS BACK ON AGAIN. THIS CONTINUED FOR ABOUT A WEEK SO I TOOK IT TO THE TOYOTA DEALERSHIP AND THEY TOLD ME IT WOULD BE ABOUT $400 TO TAKE OFF THE REAR DECK JUST TO SEE WHAT THE ACTUAL PROBLEM WAS. I HAVE SEEN MULTIPLE AVALON'S WITH THIS SAME UNSAFE ISSUE. THE VEHICLE ALSO WILL NOT PASS STATE SAFETY INSPECTIONS WITH THIS ISSUE.I THINK AN INVESTIGATION SHOULD BE CONDUCTED ON THIS HIGHLY UNSAFE ISSUE.

REAR SUN SHED BREAK VERY FAST MAKES A LOT OF NOISE. IT CAN'T BE DISABLED WITHOUT CAUSING OTHER PROBLEM SUCH AS ENGINE LIGHT ON AND CRUZ CONTROL DISABLED AND ALL KIND OF SENSORS THAT NEED TO BE REPLACED. ITS VERY DANGERS AND FRUSTRATING

LOW BEAM LIGHTS RANDOMLY GO OUT AFTER BEING ON FOR A SHORT TIME. I'VE BEEN BATTLING THIS ISSUE SINCE 2013 WHEN I BOUGHT THE CAR. THE DEALER SAYS MY LOW BEAM HEADLIGHTS ARE BURNT OUT. I CAN TURN THE HEADLIGHT SWITCH OFF AND BACK ON QUICKLY AND THE AFFECTED LIGHT COMES BACK ON. I DO THIS SEVERAL TIMES A DAY WHEN IT IS DARK OUT. I EVEN HAD SMALL LED LIGHTS MOUNTED INTO MY DASH AND WIRED INTO EACH LOW BEAM BULB SO I CAN SEE IF ONE GOES OUT WHILE DRIVING IN TOWN AT NIGHT AS IT CAN BE DIFFICULT TO KNOW IF ONE WHEN OUT.

WHILE DRIVING STRAIGHT AHEAD AT NIGHT ON A HIGHWAY THE HIGH BEAMS SUDDENLY WENT OUT AND WOULD NOT GO ON AGAIN. I SWITCHED TO LOW BEAMS. I LATER LEARNED FROM A MECHANIC THAT THERE IS A DESIGN FLAW OR INFERIOR MICROPROCESSOR CONTROLLING THE HEADLIGHTS AND THAT THE LOW BEAMS COULD ALSO SUDDENLY GO OUT WHILE IN MOTION. THIS IS A SEVERE SAFETY ISSUE. THE TOYOTA CORPORATION WILL NOT STAND BY THEIR PRODUCT AND HAVE REFERRED ME TO A TOYOTA DEALER THAT WANTS OVER $2,000.00 TO FIX THE SAFETY ISSUE. THERE SHOULD BE A RECALL ON THIS. I BELIEVE IT ONLY AFFECTS THE 2008 AVALON MODELS. THERE ARE EVEN SEVERAL ARTICLES ON THE INTERNET RELATING TO THIS PROBLEM. I HAVE NOTHING TO DOWNLOAD AS I DID NOT GET A WRITTEN ESTIMATE, ONLY A TELEPHONE QUOTE, FROM THE TOYOTA DEALER.

1. HIGH BEAMS AND DAY RUNNING LIGHTS INOPERABLE (DISCOVERED JANUARY 2018). 2. TRANSMISSION OVERHEATED AND CAUSED CAR TO DECELERATE IN APRIL 2018.

OUR HIGH BEAMS WENT OUT AT THE SAME TIME. SEEMS TO BE A RECURRING PROBLEM

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 TOYOTA AVALON. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE DASHBOARD WAS STICKY AND MELTING. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE IMAGE OF THE DASHBOARD WAS REFLECTED ON THE FRONT WINDSHIELD. THE CONTACT STATED THAT IT WAS DIFFICULT TO SEE ONCOMING VEHICLES OR PEDESTRIANS DUE TO THE REFLECTION. A DEALER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED. THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE WARRANTY PERIOD FOR REPAIRING OR REPLACING THE DASHBOARD WAS EXCEEDED AND NO ASSISTANCE WOULD BE OFFERED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 110,000. *TT CONSUMER STATED HEADQUARTERS ADMITTED THERE WAS MANUFACTURER DEFECT. UPDATED 12/04/18*JB

THE DASHBOARD GETS STICKY ON SUNNY DAYS AND THE SURFACE BECOMES SHINEY WHICH THEN REFLECTS OFF THE WINDSHIELD. THE REFLECTION (ON THE WINDSHIELD) SIGNIFICANTLY OBSTRUCTS DRIVERS VIEW OF ONCOMING TRAFFIC OR PEDESTRIANS ON SUNNY DAYS. DRIVER IS BLINDED OR IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO SEE THROUGH THE REFLECTION. THIS IS A DANGEROUS CONDITION AND A SIGNIFICANT SAFETY ISSUE FOR THE CAR OWNER AND THE PUBLIC (ACCIDENT CAN AFFECT OTHER VEHICLES, PROPERTY, OR PEDESTRIANS) THAT NEEDS ADDRESSED AS A PERMANENT SOLUTION BY TOYOTA CORPORATION FOR ALL AFFECTED VEHICLES ON THE ROAD. THE VEHICLES ARE IN MOTION AND STATIONARY WHEN THIS OCCURS. ANY RECALL SHOULD BE EXTENDED BY TOYOTA TO ALL VEHICLES HAVING THIS CONDITION THAT ARE CURRENTLY DRIVEN AND NOT LIMITED TO ANY ARBITRARY DATE OF COVERAGE. DASHBOARD REPLACEMENT BY TOYOTA CORPORATION IS CURRENTLY KNOWN TO BE THE ONLY SOLUTION

SOON AFTER PURCHASING THE USED CAR, WHEN DRIVING ON THE INTERSTATE, THE DRIVER'S SEAT STARTED HEATING UP. OUTSIDE TEMPERATURE WAS 100 DEGREES SO HEATER WAS NOT TURNED ON. IT KEPT GETTING HOTTER AND WAS ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE TO SIT ON WHILE DRIVING TO DESTINATION. WHEN CONTACTING A DEALERSHIP WAS TOLD THERE WAS NO SERVICE BULLETIN ON IT. IT FINALLY QUIT ON IT'S OWN AND HAVE NEVER USED IT AGAIN.JUST READ IN CONSUMER REPORTS THAT THERE IS A RECALL ON SEAT HEATERS. HAVE ONE RECALL NUMBER ON SEAT HEATER PROBLEMS THAT WERE IN THE ARTICLE (SET16B). HAVE BEEN UNABLE TO FIND ANY ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON THIS PROBLEM.

JULY 30, 2018 WHILE IN PARKING SPACE I TURNED ON IGNITION AND HEARD A MILD POP, THE LOOKING TOWARDS PASSENGER SEAT I SAW WHITE SMOKE RISING BETWEEN CHAIR AND WINDOW AND SMOKE COMING FROM UNDER SEAT. IT SMELLED AS IF DOMING WAS BURNING. I TURNED IGNITION OFF. SMOKE STOPPED. I DID NOT SEE ANYTHING UNDER THE CHAIR. I CHECKED MOVEMENT OF CHAIR AND IT WAS OK. I CALLED TOYOTA: NO IDEA OF CAUSE AND CLAIMED NO RECALLS. I MENTIONED WHAT I SAW ON LINE, TO NO AVAIL. I OBSERVED 6/2/2016 RECALL: 16V396000 AND 11/19/2014 # 14V743000. I WOULD LIKE THESE HEATING WIRES ON BOTH SIDES TO BE DISCONNECTED TO PREVENT POSSIBLE FIRE WHILE DRIVING. THANK YOU

HEAD LIGHTS RANDOMLY GO OFF AT NIGHT WHEN DRIVING. IF I TURN THEM OFF THEN BACK ON THEY COME BACK ON. SOMETIMES THEY STAY ON. MOST OF THE TIME I HAVE TO REPEAT THIS OFF AND ON PROCEDURE AGAIN AND AGAIN! THIS IS A REAL SAFETY HAZARD. I LIVE IN AN AREA WHERE THERE IS NOT A LOT OF STREET LIGHTS, AND WINDING ROADS. WHY WON'T THEY MAKE THIS A RECALL?

THE REAR WINDOW SUNSHADE COMES UP UNCONTROLLABLY AND WILL NOT GO DOWN. I WAS DRIVING AT NIGHT AND THE SUNSCREEN CAME UP BLOCKING MY VIEW OF CARS BEHIND ME AND WAS EXTREMELY DISTRACTING. THE SYSTEM MALFUNCTIONS AND THERE IS NO WAY TO GET THE SHADE DOWN.

DASHBOARD IS CRACKING ALL OVER AND ITS NOT FROM HEAT I CALLED TOYOTA AND THEY SAID I MISSED RECALL BY 17 DAYS? NEVER GOT A NOTICE, MU CONCERN BESIDES COSMETICS IT IS A SAFETY ISSUE AS THE VINYL OVER AIR BAG AREA WILL BECOME BITS OF SHARP VINYL SCHRAPNEL IF DEPLOYED. THEY KNOW ITS A PROBLEM AND TRYING TO AVOID A SAFETY RECALL BY CALLING IT EXRENDED WARRANTY RECALL.

WHILE DRIVING ON A HIGHWAY AT NIGHT BOTH PASSENGER AND DRIVER'S SIDE HIGH BEAMS FAILED TO GO ON. WHILE FUSES ARE OK, NEITHER HIGH BEAM WILL GO ON IN EITHER THE FLASH OR PERMANENT MODE.

PASSENGER SIDE HEAD LIGHT INTERMITTENT FAILURE. NOTICEABLE, OBVIOUSLY, ONLY WHEN DRIVING AT NIGHT. FAILS AFTER A FEW MINUTES DRIVING, THEN WORKS NORMALLY FOR A DAY OR TWO THEN FAILS AGAIN WHILE DRIVING AT NIGHT. NO RHYME OR REASON TO THE FAILURES. ONLY OCCURS ON LOW BEAM. HEADLAMP IS NOT 'BURNT OUT.' AS I UNDERSTAND IT, THIS IS NOT A HEADLIGHT ISSUE BUT RATHER A HOUSING ISSUE AND THE ENTIRE HOUSING AND LAMP NEED TO BE REPLACED. WHY HAS TOYOTA NOT ISSUED A RECALL? THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE! CAR CURRENTLY HAS 115,739 MILES ON IT.

THE THIRD BRAKE LIGHT OR THE UPPER BRAKE LIGHT WORKS VERY INTERMITTENTLY. THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE. MOST AVALONS ON THE ROAD IN THIS BODY STYLE HAVE THE SAME ISSUE WITH A DEFECTIVE THIRD BRAKE LIGHT. THE DEALER WANTS OVER $500 FOR THE PART ALONE. THE LIGHT WORKS ONCE IN A RARE RARE WHILE. I CALLED TOYOTA HEADQUARTERS IN TORRANCE, CA., THEY SUGGESTED I CONTACT YOU. THIS OCCURS WHEN SITTING STILL OR DRIVING ON STREETS AND A HIGHWAY.

THE HEADLIGHTS RANDOMLY GO OUT WHEN THE CAR IS BEING DRIVEN. IT STARTED WITH ONE SIDE BUT NOW BOTH LIGHTS ARE GOING OFF AND HAVE DONE SO SIMULTANEOUSLY WHICH IS VERY DANGEROUS!