2008 Toyota Avalon complaints

I HAVE A 2008 TOYOTA AVALON. I WAS TRAVELING SEPTEMBER 2, 2014, AT APPROXIMATELY 9:00 P.M. ON HIGHWAY 49 IN ALABAMA. THE CONTROL FOR THE HEADLIGHTS WAS IN THE "ON" POSITION AND THEY BEGAN TO FLICKER AND GREW DIMMER AND DIMMER, UNTIL THEY COMPLETELY WENT OUT. I IMMEDIATELY TURNED THE HEADLIGHT CONTROL KNOB TO THE "AUTO" POSITION AND THE HEADLIGHTS CAME BACK ON. WHEN THE HEADLIGHT CONTROL IS IN THE AUTO POSITION, THE FOG LIGHTS WILL COME ON AND REMAIN ON, REGARDLESS OF THE TIME OF DAY OR NIGHT. HOWEVER,IN THE AUTO POSITION, THE HEADLIGHTS WILL REMAIN OFF UNTIL THE SENSOR DETECTS THE ABSENCE OF DAYLIGHT. THEN THE HEADLIGHTS WILL COME ON AUTOMATICALLY WHILE DRIVING. THANK GOODNESS, THEY OPERATED IN THE AUTO POSITION. I TOOK THE VEHICLE TO A SHOP WITH A LONG STANDING REPUTATION FOR QUALITY WORKMANSHIP INVOLVING ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS. I WAS INFORMED I NEEDED A NEW HID BULB AND BALLAST. THE TOTAL FOR THE PARTS AND LABOR TOTALED $696.95. HE CHECKED THE PASSENGER SIDE AS WELL, WHICH FLICKERED TWICE WITHIN 45 MINUTES. THEY DID NOT NOTICE ANY PROBLEM THE REST OF THE DAY. SHOULD IT BECOME A PROBLEM IN THE NEAR FUTURE. THAT WILL BE ANOTHER $696.95! I HAVE COME ACROSS NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS FROM OWNERS OF THIS MODEL AND DISCUSSIONS SEEKING SOLUTIONS. IT WOULD BE A SHAME FOR SOMEONE TO DIE IN A SITUATION SIMILAR TO THE ONE I EXPERIENCED BECAUSE HE OR SHE PANICKED AND HIT SOMEONE, OR LOST CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE. *TR

I OWN A 2008 TOYOTA AVALON. WHILE DRIVING AT APPROXIMATELY 55 MPH ON A HIGHWAY, I ATTEMPTED TO TURN ON THE HIGH BEAM HEADLIGHTS WHICH FAILED TO ACTIVATE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A TOYOTA DEALER FOR A DIAGNOSTIC TESTING. THE TECHNICIAN STATED THAT THE HIGH BEAM BULBS FAILED IN THE HEADLAMP ASSEMBLY AS A RESULT THE HEADLAMP ASSEMBLY NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER KNOWS ABOUT THIS DEFECT AND HAS EXTENDED THE WARRANTY TO 5 YEARS OR 75000 MILES, WHICHEVER OCCURS EARLIER. MY CAR HAS COMPLETED 5 YEARS, BUT THE MILEAGE IS BELOW 75000. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 67,000. THE MANUFACTURER SHOULD BE ASKED TO REPLACE THE DEFECTIVE PARTS WITH OUT ANY CHARGE. *TR

THE DASHBOARD OF MY TOYOTA AVALON STARTED MELTING OVER A YEAR AGO. THE FRONT DASHBOARD PANEL IS ALL CRACKED UP. THE CAR WAS PURCHASED NEW AND IS KEPT IN THE GARAGE. IT NEVER BEEN IN AN INCIDENT AND HAS VERY LOW MILEAGE ON IT. IT'S OBVIOUSLY A MANUFACTURING DEFECT AND SHOULD BE FIXED. *TR

MY 2008 TOYOTA AVALON HAS A DEFECTIVE PASSENGER DAYTIME RUNNING LIGHT/HIGH BEAM. DOCUMENTED DEFECT AND TOYOTA ISSUED A WARRANTY ENHANCEMENT TO INCREASE THE COVERAGE TO 5 YEAR/ 72000 MILE TO COVER REPLACEMENT BUT ONLY IF YOU HAVE AN ISSUE. THERE WAS NO RECALL. 6 YEARS OUT AND UNDER THE MILEAGE LIMIT I AM STUCK PAYING FOR A $2500 REPAIR FOR SOMETHING THAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN A RECALL. I DON'T SEE HOW HAVING HEADLIGHTS THAT ARE KNOWN TO BE DEFECTIVE WOULD NOT BE CONSIDERED A SAFETY ISSUE. IF HIGH BEAMS WERE NOT NEEDED THAN THEY WOULDN'T BE ON THE CAR. CAN'T ALERT ONCOMING TRAFFIC TO A POTENTIAL TRAFFIC SAFETY CONDITION AHEAD. CAN'T TURN ON HIGH BEAMS ON COUNTRY ROAD TO SAFELY SEE FAR ENOUGH AHEAD TO PREVENT POTENTIAL ROAD HAZARDS. NOT HAVING HIGH BEAMS IS DEFINITELY A SAFETY ISSUE. *TR

WHILE DRIVING ON A 2 LANE MOUNTAIN ROAD AT NIGHT I TURNED THE HIGH BEAMS OFF FOR ONCOMING TRAFFIC AND WHEN I TURNED THEM BACK ON THERE WAS A BRIGHT FLASH AND THE HIGH BEAMS NO LONGER WORKED. TOYOTA HAS ISSUED A TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN THAT READS: "ON SOME 2008-2010 AVALON VEHICLES, THE HIGH BEAM/DRL BULB MAY BECOME INOPERATIVE OR SHATTER. A NEWLY DESIGNED HIGH BEAM/DRL HOUSING ASSEMBLY (INCLUDING THE APPLICABLE BULB) IS AVAILABLE IN THE EVENT THIS CONDITION HAS OCCURRED." TOYOTA WILL PROVIDE THE REPLACEMENT UNDER WARRANTY IF THE VEHICLE IS UNDER 5 YEARS OR 70,000 MILES. ORIGINALLY THEY ISSUED THE BULLETIN AUTHORIZING REPLACEMENT FOR 36 MONTHS OR 36,000 MILES AND SUBSEQUENTLY INCREASED IT TO 5 YEARS, 70,000 MILES. MY 5 YEARS WAS UP ON MARCH 20, 2014. THE LOCAL DEALER QUOTED ME $2,583.88 FOR THE REPAIR. IT SEEMS TO ME THAT THIS IS A DEFINITE SAFETY ISSUE THAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN RECALLED, SINCE IT INVOLVES THE HEADLIGHTS. WHILE HIGH BEAMS ARE NOT ALWAYS REQUIRED, 2 LANE ROADS AT NIGHT ARE CERTAINLY SAFER USING HIGH BEAMS. *TR

HIGH BEAM/RUNNING BULBS WERE BURNT OUT. ON JULY 18,2014 HIGH BEAM BULBS BOTH FAILED A SECOND TIME AS I WAS DRIVING IN THE DARK AT FREEWAY SPEEDS. VEHICLE MILEAGE AT THE TIME WAS 80540. TOYOTA MUST BE MADE TO HAVE A RECALL ON THESE VEHICLES. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 TOYOTA AVALON. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT APPROXIMATELY 35 MPH ON A DARK ROAD, THE CONTACT ATTEMPTED TO TURN ON THE HIGH BEAM HEADLIGHTS WHICH FAILED TO ACTIVATE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER FOR A DIAGNOSTIC TESTING. THE TECHNICIAN STATED THAT THE HIGH BEAM BULBS FRACTURED IN THE HEADLAMP ASSEMBLY AS A RESULT THE HEADLAMP ASSEMBLY NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 64,300. UPDATED 9/4/14*CN THE CONSUMER STATED THE FAILURE WAS THE RESULT OF POOR DESIGN BY TOYOTA. WHICH WAS EVENTUALLY RE-DESIGNED IN 2010. THE ASSEMBLY WAS TOO SMALL FOR THE HEAT GENERATED BY THE LAMPS AND AS A RESULT, THE LAMPS BECAME WELDED TO THE ASSEMBLY. WHEN IT WELDED, IT WAS IMPOSSIBLE TO REPLACE A BURNED OUT LAMP. THE ENTIRE LIGHT ASSEMBLY NEEDED TO BE REPLACED AT A COST OF $2700. UPDATED 11/17/14

FRONT HEADLIGHTS SUDDENLY CUT OFF. I QUICKLY SWITCHED INTERIOR LIGHT CONTROL AND THEY IMMEDIATELY CAME BACK ON. WITH NO FURTHER OBVIOUS PROBLEMS I DISMISSED ISSUE AS INCIDENTAL. HOWEVER, APPROXIMATELY 6 WEEKS LATER I WAS TOLD MY PASSENGER SIDE HEADLIGHT WAS OUT. HOWEVER, WHEN I CHECKED IT WAS WORKING. ON 7/7/14 I WAS STOPPED BY FHP AND GIVEN WARNING FOR PASSENGER SIDE HEADLIGHT OUT. ON 7/12/14 GATORLAND TOYOTA REPLACED PASSENGER SIDE HEADLIGHT BULB ($214.15) AND SAID EVERYTHING OK. ON 7/15/14 I WAS ADVISED THAT DRIVER SIDE HEADLIGHT OUT. ON 7/18/14 GATORLAND TOYOTA ADVISED BOTH FRONT HEADLIGHT ASSEMBLIES REQUIRED REPLACEMENT AT $2,219.95 PLUS TAX (FREE LABOR) TO INSTALL. SINCE OUT OR WARRANTY COSTS ALL MINE. THIS IS IN SPITE OF THE FACT THAT I HAVE FOLLOWED SERVICE MANUAL TO THE LETTER AND ALL WORK SINCE PURCHASE DATE PERFORMED AT GATORLAND (APPROXIMATELY 20 SERVICE CALLS). ON 7/29/14 THE TOYOTA REPRESENTATIVE INDICATED THEY COULD DO NOTHING AS CARE OUT OF WARRANTY. *JS

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 TOYOTA AVALON. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 45 MPH, BOTH HIGH BEAM HEADLIGHTS MALFUNCTIONED WITHOUT WARNING. THE FAILURE OCCURRED ON ONE OCCASION. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE HEAD LAMP ASSEMBLY NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 4,500.

MY LASER CRUISE CONTROL BECAME UNRELIABLE TOWARD THE END OF 2013. I HAD USED IT ON A DAILY BASIS FOR OVER 5 YEARS AND AM VERY FAMILIAR WITH THE WAY IT SHOULD PERFORM. WHEN TRACKING A VEHICLE DIRECTLY AHEAD OF ME ON A STRAIGHT AND LEVEL ROAD, THE LASER CONTROL SHOULD MAINTAIN A SAFE DISTANCE AND A SPEED THAT IS ESSENTIALLY IDENTICAL TO THE "LEAD" VEHICLE. THIS HAS NOT BEEN THE CASE FOR THE PAST 7 MONTHS. MY CAR WOULD OFTEN CONTINUE TO MAINTAIN A SPEED THAT WAS FASTER THAN THE "LEAD" CAR,AS IT WAS SAFELY SLOWING DOWN, AND COME SO CLOSE THAT I WOULD HAVE TO JAM ON MY BREAKS. I BROUGHT IT INTO THE DEALER, WHO INSISTED THAT THE LASER CRUISE CONTROL HAD BEEN DAMAGED IN AN ACCIDENT (THEREFORE MY EXTENDED WARRANTY WOULD NOT APPLY) AND I WOULD HAVE TO MAKE A CLAIM ON MY CAR INSURANCE. MY INSURANCE COMPANY AS WELL AS MY REPAIR SHOP COULD SEE NO DAMAGE THAT WOULD HAVE CAUSED THE MALFUNCTION. EVENTUALLY MY INSURANCE COMPANY AGREED TO PAY FOR THE "REPAIR". AFTER THE DEALER REPAIRED THE CAR WITH A NEW LASER CONTROL SENSOR THE PROBLEM HAS CONTINUED, ALTHOUGH NOT AS OFTEN. I'VE HAD IT BACK TO THE DEALER SEVERAL TIMES AND THEY INSIST IT MEETS ALL SPECIFICATIONS AND IS PERFORMING TO MANUFACTURER'S SPECS, AND THAT THERE IS NOTHING MORE THEY CAN DO FOR ME. CORPORATE TOYOTA BASICALLY WASHES THEIR HANDS OF THE INCIDENT BY SAYING EVERYTHING RELATED TO THIS MATTER IS AT THE DEALERS DISCRETION. ALTHOUGH I HAVE NOT HAD AN ACCIDENT YET, THIS MALFUNCTIONING "SAFETY" FEATURE PUTS ME AT JEOPARDY. I FEAR F

MY HUSBAND AND SON WERE RECENTLY IN OMAHA AND EXPERIENCED SEVERE WEATHER (TORNADOS/THUNDERSTORMS/FLOODING). AS THEY WERE DRIVING BACK TO THE CAMPGROUND WEST OF OMAHA, DURING TORRENTIAL RAINS, THE HEADLIGHTS ON OUR 2008 TOYOTA AVALON TURNED OFF REPEATEDLY. MY HUSBAND HAD TO CONTINUE TO SWITCH THE LIGHTS OFF AND ON WHILE DRIVING TO GET THE LIGHTS TO STAY ON. THIS HAS HAPPENED IN THE PAST; HOWEVER, IT WAS NOT DURING ADVERSE DRIVING CONDITIONS. ABOUT A WEEK LATER, AS I WAS DRIVING THROUGH THE BLACK HILLS AT NIGHT (WHERE WE HAVE AN ABUNDANCE OF WILDLIFE), I EXPERIENCED THE SAME PROBLEM. I RESEARCHED A RESOLUTION TO FIGURE OUT WHAT MIGHT BE WRONG WITH THE HEADLIGHTS, THINKING IT MIGHT BE A LOOSE WIRE OR BAD BULBS. DURING MY RESEARCH, I DISCOVERED THAT TOYOTA HAD ISSUED A SERVICE BULLETIN IN 2011 (TCS-11-030) RELATED TO THIS PROBLEM. WE PURCHASED OUR VEHICLE IN NOVEMBER 2012, WHEN THE MILEAGE WAS AROUND 47,000 MILES. HAD WE KNOWN ABOUT THIS SERVICE BULLETIN WHEN WE PURCHASED THE VEHICLE IN 2012, WE WOULD HAVE HAD THE ISSUE ADDRESSED. HOWEVER, SINCE WE DID NOT KNOW ABOUT THE RECALL AND HAVE NOT UNTIL VERY RECENTLY, DURING DANGEROUS DRIVING CONDITIONS, HAD PROBLEMS WITH THE LIGHTING, WE DID NOT ADDRESS IT. WHEN I CALLED TOYOTA TODAY, I WAS TOLD THAT, DUE TO OUR MILEAGE ON THE VEHICLE (100,000 NOW), OUR VEHICLE WAS NO LONGER COVERED UNDER THE EXTENDED THAT WAS ISSUED (UNBEKNOWNST TO US) IN 2011. I WAS TOLD THAT I COULD TAKE THE VEHICLE TO A TOYOTA DEALER IN OUR AREA FOR DIAGNOSIS (AT O

REAR WINDOW SUNSCREEN ACTIVATES SPONTANEOUSLY AND WITHOUT DRIVER ACTIVATION AND WILL NOT RETURN TO THE DOWN POSITION BY USE OF DASHBOARD SWITCH. WHEN THIS OCCURS AT NIGHT VISIBILITY THROUGH REAR WINDOW IS EXTREMELY DIMINISHED AND HAZARDOUS.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 TOYOTA AVALON. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE PASSENGER SIDE LOW BEAM HEADLIGHTS WOULD ERRONEOUSLY SHUT OFF. WHEN THE HEADLIGHT SWITCH WAS TURNED OFF AND BACK ON THE PASSENGER SIDE HEADLIGHTS WOULD FUNCTION NORMALLY; HOWEVER, THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER, WHO DIAGNOSED THAT THE HEADLIGHT ASSEMBLY NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 25,000.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 TOYOTA AVALON. THE CONTACT STATED THAT BOTH THE DRIVER AND PASSENGER SIDE HEADLIGHTS (HIGH BEAMS) MALFUNCTIONED WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO A DEALER. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 36,600. UPDATED 9/4/14*CN UPDATED 09/16/2014 *JS

IN NOVEMBER 2011 A CRACK DEVELOPED ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE DASHBOARD OF MY 2008 TOYOTA AVALON. I CONTACTED THE DEALERSHIP REGARDING THE PROBLEM. THE DEALERSHIP CONTACTED GULF STATES TOYOTA IN HOUSTON WHO REFUSED TO REPLACE THE DASHBOARD UNDER WARRANTY. I THEN CONTACTED TOYOTA HEADQUARTERS IN CALIFORNIA AND THEY ALSO REFUSED TO COVER THE REPLACEMENT OF THE DASHBOARD. TWO YEARS LATER ANOTHER FOUR CRACKS HAVE APPEARED ON THE DASHBOARD. ONCE AGAIN I APPROACHED THE LOCAL DEALERSHIP, WHO THEN CONTACTED GULF STATES TOYOTA, AND ONCE AGAIN THEY REFUSED TO REPLACE THE CRACKED DASHBOARD UNDER WARRANTY. THIS CAR IS GARAGED AND WHEN IT IS PARKED OUTSIDE A SUN SHADE IS ALWAYS PLACED IN THE WINDSHIELD. I PAID FOR A PLATINUM TOYOTA EXTENDED WARRANTY COVERING 72 MONTHS OR 100,000 MILES AND TOYOTA REFUSES TO COVER THIS PROBLEM UNDER THE WARRANTY. I HAVE SEEN MANY COMPLAINTS OF CRACKED DASHBOARDS ON 2008 TOYOTA AVALONS ON DIFFERENT WEBSITES. *TR

THE HEADLIGHTS GO OFF INTERMITTENTLY. FIRST IT WAS THE DRIVER SIDE THEN THE PASSENGER SIDE AND RECENTLY BOTH ON A DARK ROAD. VERY DANGEROUS AND I HAVE READ OTHER ACCOUNTS THAT TOYOTA CHARGES HUGE AMOUNTS WHEN THIS IS CLEARLY A SAFETY ISSUE. *TR

ON SERVICING OF MODEL XLS, SERVICE ADVISER NOTED THAT HI BEAM/DRL'S WERE NOT FUNCTIONING. INVESTIGATION REVEALED EXPLODED HALOGEN LAMPS. CORRECTION REQUIRED A REDESIGNED REPLACEMENT OF BOTH HEADLIGHT ASSEMBLIES, AS NOTED IN TSB 44-0010, AT AN APPROX. COST OF $900.00 . THIS WAS APPARENTLY DUE TO A DESIGN FLAW IN THE ORIGINAL HEADLIGHT HOUSING WHICH ALLOWED OVERHEATING AND CAUSED THE LAMP EXPLOSION. THE TSB RECOGNIZED THIS CONDITION BUT DOES NOT REPLACE THE DEFECT AFTER A PROVIDED WARRANTY EXTENSION TO 5 YEARS/72,000 MILES. THE LOSS OF HIGH BEAM LIGHTING IS A SAFETY ISSUE WHICH CAN GO UNDETECTED UNTIL NEEDED. ALTHOUGH DAYTIME RUNNING LIGHTS, (DRL'S), ARE NOT REQUIRED, THEY DO PROVIDE THE REQUIRED LIGHTING DURING TIMES WHEN WINDSHIELD WIPERS ARE REQUIRED (RAIN, SNOW, SLEET. LOSS OF EITHER AFFECTS DRIVING SAFETY. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 TOYOTA AVALON. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE TOP SURFACE OF THE DASHBOARD AND THE GLOVE COMPARTMENT AREA EXHIBITED SEVERAL CRACKS. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 36,000.

I AM THE OWNER OF A 2008 TOYOTA AVALON. RIGHT AFTER WE PURCHASED THE CAR, WE HAVE HAD ISSUES WITH THE HEADLIGHTS GOING OUT. THE HEADLIGHTS ARE FLICKERING ON AND OFF AT RANDOM TIMES. ON DECEMBER 14, 2013 WHILE DRIVING AT NIGHT, BOTH HEADLIGHTS WENT OUT AT THE SAME TIME NEARLY CAUSING AN ACCIDENT (LUCKILY THE LIGHTS CAME BACK ON WHEN I TURNED THEM OFF/ON QUICKLY). I TOOK THE CAR TO OUR LOCAL TOYOTA SERVICE CENTER AND THEY TOLD ME THAT THE ONLY WAY TO FIX THE PROBLEM IS TO COMPLETELY REPLACE THE WHOLE LIGHTING ASSEMBLY AT THE TUNE OF $2570.04. THE SERVICE CENTER ALSO EXPLAINED THAT THE HOUSING FOR THE BULBS WAS TOO SMALL AND THIS IS CAUSING THE BULBS TO OVERHEAT AND GO OUT. IT WAS AFTER 2010 THAT TOYOTA REDESIGNED THE HOUSING AND FIXED THE ISSUE. APPARENTLY, TOYOTA EXTENDED THE WARRANTY TO 5 YEARS/72,000 MILES. IRONICALLY, IT APPEARS WE ARE JUST OVER THAT. I AM UNABLE TO DRIVE MY CAR AT NIGHT DUE TO THIS SAFETY ISSUE. I ALSO DON'T AGREE THAT WE SHOULD HAVE TO PAY $2500 TO HAVE NEW LIGHT ASSEMBLIES INSTALLED IN OUR CAR. THIS IS AN ISSUE OF A BAD DESIGN ON TOYOTAS PART AND I REFUSE TO PLAY A VICTIM IN THIS RIDICULOUS SOLUTION TO SUCH A SEVERE SAFETY ISSUE. I AM ASKING TOYOTA TO DO THE RIGHT THING AND REPLACE THE HEADLIGHT ASSEMBLY AND TAKE CARE OF THEIR CUSTOMER. THE FACT THAT THERE IS AN ISSUE WITH THE HEADLIGHT DESIGN AND THE FACT THAT TOYOTA IS FULLY AWARE SHOULD BE ENOUGH TO HAVE THIS FIXED. THERE SHOULD BE NO LIMITTIME WISE OR MILEAGE WISE ON A SAFETY ISSUE THIS HUGE FOR TOYO

I PURCHASED MY 2008 AVALON NEW IN DECEMBER 2008 WHICH INCLUDED AN EXTENDED WARRANTY FOR 84 MONTHS OR 100,000 MILES. IN NOVEMBER, 2013, I STARTED TO NOTICE THAT MY HEADLIGHTS WERE LOW. I TURNED THEM OFF AND BACK ON WHICH SEEMED TO RESOLVED THE ISSUE. (I TYPICALLY DRIVE WITH THE DRL) HOWEVER, THE SAME ISSUE RETURNED OFF AND ON OVER THE NEW FEW MONTHS. MY CAR WAS TAKEN IN FOR SERVICE ON MARCH 22, 2014 AND THEY WERE ADVISED. I WAS THEN INFORMED THAT THE ENTIRE ASSEMBLY FOR MY LIGHTS/DAYTIME RUNNING/HIGH BEAMS NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. I WAS TOLD THERE WAS AN ENHANCEMENT FOR 5 YEARS OR 72000 MILES...WHICHEVER CAME FIRST. UNFORTUNATELY, MY EXTENDED WARRANTY WHICH I PURCHASED WAS NOT APPLICABLE, AND THE 5 YEAR ENHANCEMENT EXPIRED IN DECEMBER 2013. I WAS NEVER NOTIFIED BY MAIL OR DURING ANY SERVICE APPOINTMENT ABOUT THIS EXTENDED WARRANTY OR PROBLEMS WITH THE EXTERIOR LIGHTING. I WAS QUOTED A COST OF $2,600 FOR THE REPAIRS. THIS IS NOT FAIR. *TR

I WAS COASTING TO A STOP AT A RED LIGHT WITH MY FOOT ON THE BRAKE AND AS I APPLIED THE BRAKE HARDER TO COME TO A COMPLETE STOP THE ENGINE BEGAN TO UNCONTROLLABLY RACE AND THE CAR BEGAN TO ACCELERATE. I APPLIED THE BRAKE AS HARD AS I COULD, FLIPPED THE TRANSMISSION INTO PARK AND TURNED OFF THE ENGINE, MISSING THE CAR IN FRONT BY INCHES. I WAITED APPROXIMATELY 10-15 SECONDS, RESTARTED THE CAR WITH MY FOOT ON THE BRAKE AND THE TRANSMISSION IN PARK AND THE ENGINE BEGAN TO UNCONTROLLABLY RACE AGAIN. I TURNED OFF THE ENGINE AND WAITED APPROXIMATELY 2 MINUTES RE-STARTED THE CAR AND IT STARTED SOMEWHAT ROUGHLY BUT THE UNINTENDED ACCELERATION STOPPED AND I WAS ABLE TO MOVE THE CAR OFF THE ROAD. WHEN I PARKED THE CAR I CHECKED THAT THE FLOOR MAT WAS FIRMLY ANCHORED AND NOWHERE NEAR THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL AND IT WAS. PRIOR TO THE INCIDENT I WAS BRAKING AND THE CAR WAS SLOWING APPROPRIATELY SO IT DOESN'T SEEM THAT THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL ITSELF BECAME STUCK. I WAS ABLE TO DRIVE THE CAR SAFELY TO THE DEALER AND NOTIFIED TOYOTA. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 TOYOTA AVALON. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING 65 MPH AT NIGHT TIME, THE FRONT DRIVERS SIDE HEADLIGHT STOPPED WORKING. BOTH LIGHTS WENT OUT AT VARIOUS TIMES. OCCASIONALLY AT THE SAME TIME. HE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER AND COULD NOT DETERMINE THE CAUSE OF FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 90,000. UPDATED 5/19/14*CN

I WAS UTILIZING THE HIGH BEAM LIGHTS PERIODICALLY ON A DARK EVENING. NEAR THE END OF A 1 HOUR AND 45 MINUTE TRIP, THE HIGH BEAMS GAVE A SLIGHT FLICKER AND WENT OUT. UPON EXAMINATION TODAY, BOTH LIGHTS HAD BLOWN OR SHATTERED. I ORDERED NEW BULBS TODAY WITH $35 EACH. *TR

WE WERE DRIVING ON ROUTE 95 IN SOUTH CAROLINA IT WAS RAINING WE HAD BEEN USING OUR BRIGHT LIGHTS WHEN WE SUDDENLY LOST OUR BRIGHT LIGHTS. WHEN WE GOT TO OUR DESTINATION WE PULLED INTO A TOYOTA DEALERSHIP WE WERE INFORMED OUR HEAD LIGHT AND FIXTURES WOULD NEED TO BE REPLACED DUE TO THE FACT THEY BOTH SIDES HAD EXPLODED WE WERE TREATED VERY POORLY BY TOYOTA.UPON INVESTIGATION THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH THE TOYOTA AVALON AND A EXTENDED WARRANTY HAD BEEN ISSUED OF WHICH WE WERE NEVER NOTIFIED OF AND IT HAD EXPIRED.A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME BEFORE THE EVENT HAPPENED AND IT COST US $2600 DOLLAR AND HAD TO DRIVE WITH A HAZARDOUS VEHICLE. *TR

THE HEADLIGHT HIGH BEAMS WENT OUT WHILE DRIVING. THIS IS A KNOWN DEFECT AND TOYOTA IS NOT ADDRESSING. THEY WANT 3500 WITH LABOR TO FIX THIS ISSUE. SHOULD BE A RECALL. HEADLIGHTS GOING OUT AT NIGHT AT UNPREDICTABLE TIMES SHOULD BE PAID BY TOYOTA. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 TOYOTA AVALON. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE HEADLIGHTS WOULD FAIL SPORADICALLY AND WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHERE THE TECHNICIAN DIAGNOSED THAT THE HEADLIGHT ASSEMBLY NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 90,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 97,614.

HAD TO REPLACE BOTH HIGH BEAM BULBS ON TWO OCCASIONS (AUGUST 4, 2010 (UNDER WARRANTY) AND FEBRUARY 4, 2010) INCLUDING HAVING AN ELECTRICAL COMPONENT EVALUATION PERFORMED WITH THE LAST INCIDENT. *TR

BOTH HIGH BEAMS WENT OUT AT SAME TIME WHILE ON DARK COUNTRY ROAD. LOW BEAM ON RIGHT SIDE CUTS OUT AFTER A FEW MINUTES OF DRIVING. TOYOTA KNOWS THERE IS A PROBLEM BECAUSE THEY EXTENDED WARRANTY TO 72000 MILES FOR THE HID LIGHTS. THIS HAPPENED AFTER THE WARRANTY. THE SUDDEN LOSS OF BOTH HIGH BEAMS CREATED A DANGEROUS SITUATION. FORTUNATELY IT DID NOT CAUSE A CRASH. THE LOW BEAM CUTTING OUT AS IT DOES IS DANGEROUS. MY LOCAL DEALER SAYS BOTH HEADLIGHT ASSEMBLIES NEED TO BE REPLACED AT A COST OF $2660.00. HEADLIGHTS ARE A NECESSARY SAFETY FEATURE. TOYOTA MUST KNOW THEY HAVE A PROBLEM BECAUSE OF THE WARRANTY EXTENSION AND THE NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS ON THE INTERNET. A FRIEND WITH THE SAME MODEL HAD THE SAME ISSUE. I AM REQUESTING NHTSA TO DEMAND TOYOTA RECALL THE TOYOTA AVALON LIMITED CARS WITH THIS TYPE OF HEADLIGHT ASSEMBLY AND REPLACE THE LIGHTS WITH A RELIABLE SYSTEM. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 TOYOTA AVALON. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE HEADLIGHTS WOULD FAIL SPORADICALLY. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER, WHO DIAGNOSED THAT THE HEADLIGHT ASSEMBLY NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 45,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 48,000.

WE PURCHASED THIS CAR IN MAY 2013. FOR THE PAST FEW MONTHS, THE RIGHT HEADLIGHT HAS BEEN GOING OFF INTERMITTENTLY AND NOW THE LEFT HEADLIGHT IS STARTING TO DO THE SAME THING. THE HEADLIGHT MAY OR MAY NOT COME BACK ON WHILE DRIVING BUT WILL COME BACK ON THE NEXT TIME THE CAR IS STARTED. CHECKING ONLINE REVEALED OTHER COMPLAINTS CONCERNING THE SAME ISSUE, INCLUDING BOTH HEADLIGHTS GOING OFF AT THE SAME TIME - DEFINITELY A SAFETY ISSUE. AT THIS POINT IN TIME, IT APPEARS THE HIGH BEAMS ARE OKAY. *TR

THE HIGH BEAM HEADLIGHTS STOPPED WORKING. I LATER LEARNED THE BULBS WERE SHATTERED. TOYOTA DEALER SAYS BECAUSE THE CAR NOW HAS 80,000 PLUS MILES THEY WILL NOT FIT IT. THE COST TO REPAIR IS $2600. *TR

HEAD LIGHTS QUIT WORKING IN DECEMBER OF 2010 HIGH BEAMS, TOYOTA FIXED THEM, HIGH BEAMS QUIT WORKING AGAIN ON DECEMBER 24TH 2013. THIS HAS HAPPENED TWICE. *TR

MY 2008 TOYOTA AVALON HAS A DEFECTIVE HIGH BEAM / LOW BEAM HEADLAMP. THE HIGH BEAM BULB BURST WHILE IN USE ONE NIGHT. THE VEHICLE HAS LESS THAN 43,000 MILES, BUT THE 60 MONTH WARRANTY EXPIRED IN JULY 2013. I NOTICED THE PROBLEM IN AUGUST, JUST AFTER THE WARRANTY EXPIRED. MY VEHICLE WAS DUE FOR A SAFETY INSPECTION IN OCTOBER, SO I RESEARCHED INFORMATION TO REPAIR THE HEADLAMP AND DISCOVERED THAT IT IS A COMMON PROBLEM FOR 2008 TOYOTA AVALONS. I WENT TO THE DEALERSHIP IN SEPTEMBER TO DETERMINE THE REPAIR COST. WHEN THE SERVICE REP. SAW LOW MILEAGE, HE THOUGHT THE CAR WAS UNDER WARRANTY AND ESTIMATED THE REPAIR TO BE APPROX. $1000 TO REPLACE THE DEFECTIVE HEADLAMP ASSEMBLY. WHEN HE REALIZED THE CAR WAS OUT OF WARRANTY, HE SUGGESTED REPLACING THE $65 BULB. I'M CONCERNED THAT A $1500 REPAIR WAS INSTANTLY REDUCED TO $65 BECAUSE THE CAR IS OUT OF WARRANTY. IF THE PROBLEM IS REPORTED WITHIN THE ORIGINAL WARRANTY PERIOD THE WHOLE ASSEMBLY IS REPLACED AT NO CHARGE AND THE WARRANTY IS EXTENDED ANOTHER 12 MONTHS OR 12,000 MILES. NOW I AM CONCERNED THAT THE BULB WILL BLOW OUT AGAIN AT SOME INCONVENIENT TIME. HIGH AND LOW BEAMS ARE REQUIRED IN MA AS AN ANNUAL SAFETY INSPECTION ITEM. OBVIOUSLY, THEY ARE CRITICAL FOR SAFE DRIVING AT NIGHT. WHY ISN'T A REPAIR FOR A COMMON PROBLEM / SAFETY HAZARD LIKE THIS A RECALL ISSUE? *TR

TL- THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 TOYOTA AVALON. THE CONTACT STATED THE DRIVER'S AND PASSENGER'S SIDE HEADLIGHT STOPPED ILLUMINATING INDEPENDENTLY. THERE WAS A MANUFACTURER RECALL FOR THE EXTERIOR LIGHTING. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE AND STATED THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 49,500. DA

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 TOYOTA AVALON. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 65 MPH, THE PASSENGER'S SIDE HEADLIGHT MALFUNCTIONED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER. THE TECHNICIAN DIAGNOSED THAT THE WIRING HARNESS AND HEADLIGHTS NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 73,000.

WHILE DRIVING MY VEHICLE THE HEADLIGHTS WILL GO OUT INTERMITTENTLY. INITIALLY WE THOUGHT IT WAS THE RIGHT BULB BUT SOMETIMES ITS THE LEFT BULB. AFTER CONTACTING THE DEALERSHIP, WE WERE TOLD THAT IT WILL BE ABOUT 1500.00 TO FIX THIS PROBLEM. AFTER DOING SOME RESEARCH, I FOUND OUT THAT THE PROBLEM WILL NOT BE SOLVED AND MANY OWNERS OF THE CARS ARE SPENDING IN EXCESS OF 2500.00 AND THE PROBLEM CONTINUES. ITS A SAFETY HAZARD. I CONTACTED TOYOTA CO AND THE RESPONSE I RECEIVED WAS "THE HIGH INTENSITY DISCHARGE BULB HAS AN ENHANCED LIGHT OUTPUT FOR A BETTER FIELD OF VISION AND THUS SAFETY. THE BULBS WILL TURN OFF IF THE BULB IS STARTING TO OVERHEAT IN ORDER TO PROTECT THE ELECTRONIC CONTROL UNIT. THERE ARE TIMES BY SIMPLY TURNING OFF THE HEADLIGHTS AND THEN BACK ON THE HID WILL TURN BACK ON." THE LIGHTS CAN BE ON FOR 5 MINUTES AND THEY WILL TURN OFF. AFTER DOING FURTHER RESEARCH I LEARNED THIS IS NOT AN ISOLATED INCIDENT BUT WIDESPREAD WITH 2008 TOYOTA AVALON. ITS DANGEROUS AND A SAFETY HAZARD. SOMETHING SHOULD BE DONE. *TR

BOTH HIGH BEAM LAMPS WENT OUT AT THE SAME TIME WHILE DRIVING AT NIGHT ON A HILLY ROAD WITHOUT ANY OTHER LIGHTS ON ROAD -- BOTH BULBS WENT BAD. DEALER AT SERVICE JUST WANTED TO REPLACE THEM. SEVERAL MONTHS LATER I CAME ACROSS BULLETIN ONLINE THAT STATED TOYOTA WOULD REPLACE HOUSING FOR LAMPS WITH NEW ONE PROVIDED CAR WAS UNDER 72,000 MILES AND 5 YEARS. ALTHOUGH MY CAR WAS AT 4.5 YEARS AT TIME OF INCIDENT, WHEN I CALLED INTO TOYOTA, I WAS AT 5 YEARS 1 MONTH, ALTHOUGH STILL UNDER MILEAGE. I WAS TOLD TO HAVE DEALER CALL TOYOTA, WHICH THEY DID NOT DO, DESPITE ME REPEATEDLY ASKING THEM TO DO SO OVER THE NEXT FEW MONTHS. IN THE END, I CALLED TOYOTA AGAIN AND AFTER THEY WERE ABLE TO REACH THE DEALER, THEY SAID THAT SINCE IT WAS OUT OF THE WARRANTY, I AM RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY REPAIRS OR REPLACEMENT OF HOUSING TO THEIR NEW DESIGN. I HAD REPLACED THE HIGH BEAM BULBS OF COURSE, AT SIGNIFICANT EXPENSE SINCE THEY ARE NOT STANDARD BULBS AVAILABLE AT AUTO PARTS STORES, BUT I FEAR THEY WILL AGAIN FAIL ME AT NIGHT WHILE ON A DARK HILLY ROAD. PLUS NOW, RIGHT AFTER FINISHING ANOTHER DEALER SERVICE, ONE LOW BEAM HID LAMP IS NOT STAYING ON AND GOES OFF. CHECKING ONLINE, I DO NOT SEEM TO BE THE ONLY ONE WITH HEADLAMP ISSUES ON THIS MODEL, HIGH BEAM OR LOW BEAM. PLEASE INVESTIGATE. *TR

LOW BEAM LIGHT FLICKERED ON AND OFF, TRIED THE HIGH BEAM LIGHTS OF WHICH NEITHER WOULD COME ON. TOOK THE CAR TO THE DEALER THE NEXT DAY. THE DEALER TRIED NEW BULBS WHICH IMMEDIATELY BLEW OUT. THE DEALER SAID THAT BOTH LIGHT ASSEMBLIES WERE DEFECTIVE AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED AT A COST OF $ 1400.00 EACH. WAS ADVISED THAT TOYOTA KNEW THAT THESE LIGHTS WERE DEFECTIVE AND ISSUED THE SERVICE BULLETIN TBS #0044-10 REV 1 EXTENDING THEIR WARRANTY FROM 36,000 MILES TO 72,000 MILES BUT WOULD NOT RECALL THEM. THIS CAR WAS 1600 MILES PAST THE WARRANTY SO WAS NOT COVERED. IF TOYOTA THINKS THAT LIGHTS GOING OUT WHILE DRIVING DOWN THE HIGHWAY AT NIGHT IS NOT A SAFETY ISSUE, I DON'T KNOW WHAT IS. *TR

BOUGHT USED IN FEB 2013. USED LITTLE UNTIL MAY. HEADLIGHTS OFF AND ON WITHOUT WARNING. GOT PROGRESSIVELY WORSE. TOOK TO DEALER AND THEY HAD TO INSTALL NEW HEADLIGHT ASSEMBLY AS PER TOYOTASERVICE BULLETIN 0044-10 AT A COST TO ME OF $2600. CALLS TO TOYOTA CORPORATE AND TOYOTA EXTRA CARE RESULTED IN THERE MAINTAINING THAT THOUGH THEY KNEW THE PROBLEM EXISTED (THEY EVEN DESIGNED A NEW SYSTEM) BUT MAINTAINED IT WAS MY RESPONSIBILITY AND AT MY COST. FOR SURE MOST MANUFACTURERS WOULD HAVE ISSUED A RECALL. *TR

WHEN DRIVING, MY CAR HAS THE DRL OPTION THAT UTILIZES THE HIGH BEAMS AT A LOWER VOLTAGE DURING THE DAY. ABOUT A COUPLE WEEKS AGO I NOTICED THAT MY HIGH BEAMS SEEMED TO NOT BE WORKING WHICH IS VERY ODD FOR BOTH BULBS TO BE OUT AT THE EXACT SAME TIME. SOMETIMES, I NEED MY HIGH BEAMS ON DARK CURVY ROADS IN THE AREA THAT I LIVE IN. I CALLED MY DEALERSHIP(CAPITAL TOYOTA) ABOUT IT AND OF COURSE THEY SWEPT IT UNDER THE RUG OF: "WE HAVENT HEARD OF THAT BEFORE" THE SERVICE WRITER WAS GRATIOUS ENOUGHT TO GIVE ME A TOYOTA CORP. NUMBER 18003314331. SO I CALLED AND THROUGH A COUPLE HOLDS THEY PROCEEDED TO TELL ME THAT DUE TO "LEGAL" (YOU WOULD THINK THAT THEY WOULD BE CONCERNED "LEGALLY" THAT OWNERS ARE HAVING ISSUES SEEING AT NIGHT DUE TO AN SUBSTANDARD PARTS)RESONSIBILITIES THEY WOULD NOT COVER MY CAR IN WHAT THEY ARE CALLING AN EXTENDED WARRANTY SOLEY FOR THE HEADLIGHT ISSUE THEY ARE FULLY AWARE OF. THEY SAID THE WARRANTY WAS FOR 5 YEARS FROM THE DATE THE VEHICLE WAS PUT INTO SERVICE. MY CAR IS ONE MONTH PAST SAID DATE. KEEP IN MIND THAT I PURCHASED THIS CAR IN EARLY JUNE '13. SO I WAS NOT AWARE NOR DID I RECEIVE ANY SORT OF NOTIFICATION THAT THERE WAS ANYTHING THAT NEEDED TO BE DONE OR IT WOULD HAVE. IN FACT WHEN I PURCHASED THIS VEHICLE I CALLED MY LOCAL DEALERSHIP TO SEE IF IT NEEDED TO BE CAUGHT UP ON ANY RECALL'S/TSB'S AND THEY SAID "NO". THIS IS A BIG SAFETY ISSUE THAT NEEDS TO BE BROUGHT TO THE NATIONAL RECALL LEVEL OF SERVICE IF TOYOTA DOES NOT SEE THE NEED IN FIXING SOMETHING

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 TOYOTA AVALON. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE LOW BEAM HEADLIGHT MALFUNCTIONED AND WOULD FAIL SPORADICALLY. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC. THE TECHNICIAN WAS UNABLE TO DIAGNOSE THE FAILURE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 71,500 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 78,697. ## VIN PASSED ## TOYOTA AVALON 2008 ##...UPDATED 11-12-13 *BF

REAR SUNSHADE STUCK IN THE UP POSITION AND WILL NOT GO DOWN AUTOMATICALLY, REDUCES VISIBILITY. *TR

2008 TOYOTA AVALON. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARDS TO VEHICLE SUDDEN ACCELERATION. *SMD THE CONSUMER STATED AS HIS WIFE TURNED INTO A PERPENDICULAR PARKING SPACE, ALL OF A SUDDEN, THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY ACCELERATED ON ITS OWN, ONLY STOPPING WHEN IT HIT A PARKING BARRICADE. HIS WIFE DID ATTEMPT TO APPLY THE BRAKE, BUT TO NO AVAIL. THE CONSUMER STATED THE AIR BAG DID NOT DEPLOY.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 TOYOTA AVALON. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 50 MPH, THE DRIVER'S SIDE HEADLIGHT FAILED. THE CONTACT MENTIONED THAT THE DRIVER'S SIDE HEADLIGHT WOULD FAIL INTERMITTENTLY. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER WHERE IT WAS ADVISED THAT THE ENTIRE HEADLIGHT ASSEMBLY NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 65,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 85,000. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE.

LOW-BEAM HEADLIGHTS FAIL INTERMITTENTLY AND RANDOMLY, INCLUDING WHEN NEEDED MOST ON DARK WINDING ROADS CREATING A SEVERE SAFETY HAZARD. TEMPORARY SOLUTION IS TO TURN OFF HEADLIGHTS AND TURN BACK ON TO RESTORE LIGHTS. FAILURE IS OCCURRING MORE FREQUENTLY. TOYOTA ACKNOWLEDGES PROBLEM BUT REFUSES TO CORRECT FOR VEHICLES WITH MORE THAN 75K MILES. IT COSTS OVER $1500 TO REPAIR, WHICH IS NOT COVERED BY MANUFACTURER EXTENDED 100K MILE WARRANTY. THEY CLAIM IT IS A WEAR ISSUE. A FULL RECALL MUST BE ISSUED BEFORE SOMEONE IS SEVERELY INJURED OR KILLED. MANY SIMILAR COMPLAINTS ARE FOUND ON-LINE. MANUFACTURER KNOWS IT IS PROBLEM. *TR

HIGH BEAMS WORKED SOMETIMES AND NOT OTHER TIMES. NOW THE HIGH BEAMS AND DAYTIME RUNNING LAMPS ARE COMPLETELY OUT. WHILE GETTING SERVICE AT THE DEALER LAST YEAR, I ASKED THEM TO CHECK THE HIGH BEAMS, BUT THEY JUST SAID THAT THEY WERE WORKING AT THE TIME AND THEY COULDN'T FIND ANY PROBLEM AT THE TIME. NOW THAT THEY HAVE STOPPED WORKING ALL TOGETHER - I WENT TO A NEW DEALER AND THEY SAID THAT TOYOTA WAS AWARE OF THE PROBLEM BUT DIDN'T DO A RECALL TO NOTIFY OWNERS, INSTEAD TOYOTA JUST REPLACED THE HEADLIGHT ASSEMBLIES AS NEW CUSTOMERS WENT INTO DEALERS WITH HEADLIGHT PROBLEMS. THEN TOYOTA EXTENDED THE REPLACEMENT TO CARS UP TO 40K MILES. WHEN I COMPLAINED TO THE ORIGINAL DEALER WHO COULDN'T FIND ANY PROBLEM, MY CAR WAS WELL UNDER 40K MILES; HOWEVER, NOW I'M TOLD THAT IT WILL COST $2,600 TO FIX SINCE THE CAR IS NOW OVER 40K MILES! WHY DIDN'T TOYOTA PROACTIVELY ALERT OWNERS TO THIS PROBLEM SO THE LIGHTS COULD BE REPLACED? I WILL NEVER BUY ANOTHER TOYOTA PRODUCT AGAIN. *TR

HEADLIGHT ON LOW BEAMS GOES OUT WHILE DRIVING. WILL COME BACK ON IF THE CAR IS TURND OFF AND RESTARTED. HAPPENS MULTIPLE TIMES. REPLACED THAT LIGHT, NOW THE OTHER LIGHT STARTED DOING THE SAME. *TR

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. A DEALER SUGGESTED THAT IF I CAN CRAW IN THE BACK SEAT AND MANUALLY MANEUVER IT INTO THE DOWN POSITION, I COULD REMOVE THE FUSE AND IT WOULD BECOME INACTIVE; THEREBY, KEEPING IT IN THE DOWN POSITION. I HAVE CHECKED VARIOUS WEBSITES AND CUSTOMERS ARE REMOVING THE FUSES TO RESOLVE THE PROBLEM. *TR

HIGH BEAM HEADLIGHT BULB BURSTS. SEEMS TO BE A WELL REFERENCED DESIGN FLAW THE TOYOTA HAS FAILED TO RECALL. 21300 EXTERIOR LIGHTING:HEADLIGHTS:HIGH/LOW BEAM DIMMER SWITCH BULLETIN NO:TSB-0044-10 DATE OF BULLETIN:08/16/2010 SUMMARY DESCRIPTION: TOYOTA: HIGH BEAM/DRL BULB INOPERATIVE. ON SOME VEHICLES, THE HIGH BEAM/DRL BULB MAY BECOME INOPERTIVE OR SHATTER. A NEWLY DESIGNED HIGH BEAM/DRL HOUSING ASSEMBLY (INCLUDING THE APPLICABLE BULB) IS AVAILABLE IN THE EVENT THIS CONDITION H. *TR

ON FEBRUARY 27, 2013 I NOTICED THAT BOTH HIGH BEAM HEADLIGHTS WERE NOT WORKING. AT THAT TIME OUR 2008 AVALON HAD ABOUT 73,000 MILES ON IT. AFTER DOING SOME RESEARCH ON THE INTERNET, I LEARNED THAT TOYOTA HAD A KNOWN PROBLEM WITH THE HEADLIGHT ASSEMBLY MECHANISM ON THE 2008 AVALON AND HAD EXTENDED THE WARRANTY TO ADDRESS THIS ISSUE IN CERTAIN CIRCUMSTANCES. I CONTACTED MY TOYOTA DEALER AND WAS INFORMED MY CAR WAS NOT ELIGIBLE FOR THIS ASSISTANCE DUE TO THE AGE AND MILEAGE. ON MAY 3, 2013, I NOTICED THAT MY DRIVER'S SIDE LOW BEAM LIGHT WAS NOT WORKING. I DID SOME ADDITIONAL RESEARCH AND LEARNED THAT THE PROGRESSION OF THE KNOWN HEADLIGHT ASSEMBLY PROBLEM WOULD EVENTUALLY LEAD TO THE INTERMITTENT FAILURE OF ALL HEAD LIGHTS. I CALLED TWO REPAIR LOCATIONS AND RECEIVED QUOTES IN EXCESS OF $2800 TO REPLACE THE HEADLIGHT ASSEMBLY MECHANISMS. I THEN CALLED TOYOTA'S CUSTOMER SERVICE NUMBER AND WAS INFORMED THAT TOYOTA WOULD NOT DO ANYTHING TO ASSIST FIXING A KNOWN SAFETY DEFECT. *TR