2016 Toyota Avalon

Defect. Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2011-2019 Corolla, 2011-2013 Matrix, 2012-2018 Avalon, and 2013-2018 Avalon Hybrid vehicles. During certain crashes, the air bag electronic control unit (ECU) may malfunction, possibly disabling the deployment of the air bags and/or seat belt pretensioners.

Risk. In the event of a crash, air bags and/or seat belt pretensioners that do not deploy as intended may increase the risk of injury.

Remedy. Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the ECU and install a noise filter between the air bag control module and its wire harness, as necessary, free of charge. Owners were notified of the safety risk beginning March 2, 2020. A second letter notifying owners of the remedy repair will be mailed between March 16, 2020 and June 27, 2020. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-888-270-9371. Toyota's numbers for this recall are 20TB03, 20TA03 and 20TA05.

Defect. Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain model year 2016 Avalon, and 2017 Camry vehicles manufactured August 3, 2016, to September 12, 2016. The front passenger knee air bag module may have been attached to the lower instrument panel with incorrect fasteners.

Risk. If the air bag was installed with incorrect fasteners, the fasteners may become loose over time, affecting the air bag deployment and increasing the risk of injury.

Remedy. Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the fasteners, and if necessary, replace the instrument panel brace and body bracket and reattach the air bag assembly, free of charge. The recall began on February 8, 2017. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's number for this recall is G05.

Defect. Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain model year 2016 Avalon and Camry vehicles manufactured November 30, 2015 to March 4, 2016. The occupant classification system (OCS) that activates or deactivates the front passenger seat air bag system may have been improperly calibrated. As a result, the front passenger air bag and the front passenger knee air bag may not deploy as intended in certain crash scenarios. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 208, "Occupant Crash Protection."

Risk. Air bags that do not deploy as intended during a crash increase the risk of injury.

Remedy. Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will recalibrate the OCS, free of charge. The recall began by May 13, 2016. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-888-270-9371. Toyota's number for this recall is G0J.

The contact owns a 2016 Toyota Avalon. The contact stated that while driving approximately 70 MPH, the sunroof glass shattered. The contact stated that there was no glass inside the vehicle because the sunroof shade was in the closed position. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 95,500.

The manufacturer is no longer producing OEM windshield that comply with the a DAS features which are now in operable because my windshield will not calibrate after replacement because there is not an OEM windshield available. I have contacted Toyota. I have also searched everywhere in the states for an OEM windshield Toyota has tried to calibrate the replacement which is aftermarket, as well as the Auto Glass installer to no avail. Toyota is no longer manufacturing the OEM windshield which is needed for the safety features to function properly. The car should be recalled for a manufacturer defect.

The contact owns a 2016 Toyota Avalon equipped with Cooper Tires, Tire Line: CS5 Ultra Touring, Tire Size: 215/55/R17, DOT Number: U93R1CU1820. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the front end of the vehicle was shaking abnormally without warning. The contact took the vehicle to a tire shop and was informed that the tread on the driver’s and passenger’s side tires were separating. The contact's husband drove the vehicle to the original tire shop where the tires were purchased and was offered a store credit for the replacement tires. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The tire was a replacement tire. The tire failure mileage was approximately 6,000, and the vehicle failure mileage was 84,575.

The contact owns a 2016 Toyota Avalon. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the brake pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to stop immediately and made an abnormal sound. Additionally, the center console was extremely hot, and the driver's side seat electric panel cover had detached. The contact inspected the driver's side seat and noticed there was rust on the seat. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the brake pads were cleaned; however, the mechanic was unable to duplicate the failure for the center console. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 60,000.

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TRAVEL ON THE STREET AND MAY HIT AN OBJECT (COULD BE AN EMPTY TRASH CONTAINER. VEHICLE LEFT THE TRAVEL LANE, GOING UP ON THE SIDEWALK, STUCK 2 GARBAGE CANS AND THROUGH THE NUMEROUS BUSHES.

THERE ARE TWO PIECES OF ACCORDIAN SHAPED TRIM THAT CONTINUALLY FALL FROM INSIDE THE SUNROOF. I HAVE HAD THE DEALERSHIP REINSTALL THEM - AND THEY CHARGED ME. HOWEVER, THEY CONTINUED TO FALL FROM THE SUNROOF AND THEY ARE NOW STORED IN THE TRUNK. POOR DESIGN. PLUS, NOT TOO SAFE HAVING THIS RUBBER PART FALL ONTO YOUR HEAD WHILE DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD. THE ADHESIVE ON THE PART MAY NOT KEEP THE PART IN ITS PROPER PLACE, BUT THE ADHESIVE DOES DO A GOOD JOB STICKING TO MY HAIR. *TR

RECALL OF 1/2020 STILL HAS NO REMEDY FROM MANUFACTURER AND NO ANTICIPATED DATE OF REMEDY AVAILABILITY (NHTSA RECALL NUMBER 20V024).

MY CAR HAS AN SOS SYSTEM THAT NOTIFIES TOYOTA OR THEIR CONTRACTOR IF THE CAR HAS BEEN IN AN ACCIDENT, SUMMONS LAW ENFORCEMENT, TOW TRUCK, ETC. I DO NOT KNOW WHAT OTHER SAFETY ISSUES ARE WRAPPED INTO IT. IT HAS A RED WARNING LIGHT THAT GOES ON WHEN IT STOPS WORKING. IT HAS BEEN INTO MY LOCAL DEALER THREE TIMES TO BE REPAIRED AND EACH "REPAIR" HAS FAILED IMMEDIATELY UPON ME PICKING IT UP AGAIN. TODAY, AFTER THE DEALER WORKED ON IT, THE DECIDED THAT THE "CELL SYSTEM" THAT IS BUILT INTO THE CAR AND IS UNDER THE PASSENGER SEAT NEEDS TO BE REPLACED AND WILL COST $2200.00. I DON'T KNOW WHAT OTHER "SAFETY SYSTEMS" ARE RELIANT ON THIS DYSFUNCTIONAL SAFETY BUT I WOULD LIKE FOR NHTSA TO KNOW ABOUT THIS AND LET ME KNOW IF IT IS A HAZARD FOR ME AND OTHERS. THE RED LIGHT STAYS ON WHENEVER THE CAR IS OPERATED.

ENGINE HESITATES FOR A FEW SECONDS WHEN STARTING FROM A STOP OR A SLOW SPEED IN CITY TRAFFIC. THE DEALER SAID IT WAS A COMPUTER LEARNING PROCESS AND IT SHOULD GO AWAY. PROBLEMS HAS BEEN AROUND SINCE NEW IN 2016.

THE MOON ROOF GLASS EXPLODED WHILE DRIVING DOWN THE HIGHWAY WITH ALL WINDOWS SHUT.

ON OCTOBER 1, 2018, AT 8:25 A.M.I WAS PULLING INTO A PARKING SPACE AT WORK IN MY 2016 AVALON (12,141 MILES). I WAS 'RIDING THE BRAKE' TO PULL ALL THE WAY INTO THE PARKING SPACE. THE CAR TOOK OFF INTO LANDSCAPE, CROSSED A ROAD AND WENT DOWN A HILL. I HIT THE PARKING LOT AND WAS KNOCKED TO MY SIDE. THE CAR WENT BACK UP THE HILL AND CROSSED THE ROAD AGAIN, WENT THROUGH MORE LANDSCAPE, BUSHES, ETC. BACK INTO THE ROAD AGAIN AND STOPPED.THERE WAS OVER 11,000 DAMAGE TO MY CAR AND I HURT MY BACK AND NECK. TOYOTA EXAMINED THE BLACK BOX AND SAID THE GAS PEDAL WAS BEING STRONGLY DEPRESSED WITH NO BRAKING. THAT IS IMPOSSIBLE BECAUSE AFTER I HIT THE PARKING LOT AFTER COMING DOWN THE EMBANKMENT, MY FOOT FLEW OFF THE BRAKE AND WAS ON NOTHING AS I WAS ALL THE WAY ON MY RIGHT SIDE. 2ND INCIDENT YESTERDAY, ON 03/16/19, I WAS PULLING INTO A GAS STATION AND WAS ALMOST STOPPED AFTER TAPPING THE BRAKE TO GET PULLED UP TO WHERE I WAS TO STOP AND THE EXACT SAME THING HAPPENED AS MY FOOT WAS ON THE BRAKE, THE CAR TOOK OFF TOWARDS THE GAS PUMP. I WAS PRESSING THE BRAKE AS HARD AS I COULD AND WAS TRYING TO GRAB THE GEAR SHIFT TO PUT INTO PARK. I ONLY WENT ABOUT 20-30 FEET BEFORE THE CAR STOPPED MISSING THE GAS PUMP BY ONLY ABOUT 1 AND 1/2 FEET. I CAN'T SAY FOR SURE IF THE BRAKES STOPPED THE CAR OR IF I WAS ABLE TO GET IT INTO PARK. I HAD THE CAR TOWED TO MY HOME AND WILL NEVER DRIVE THIS CAR AGAIN. I AM NOT SURE WHAT I AM GOING TO DO BECAUSE THE CAR IS FAR FROM PAID FOR AND I KNOW TOYOTA WILL BE OF NO

THE FRONT TO BACK SIDE RUBBER WEATHERSTRIPPING THAT MOVES WITH THE SUNROOF AS IT OPENS AND CLOSES CONTINUES TO FALL OFF. THERE ARE TWO PIECES LIKE THIS, ONE ON THE DRIVER'S SIDE THE OTHER ON THE PASSENGER'S SIDE. THE TWO PIECES, EACH ABOUT 18 INCHES LONG AND TWO INCHES WIDE, LOOK LIKE BLACK RUBBER SMALL ACCORDIONS. WHILE DRIVING AND OPENING OR CLOSING THE SUNROOF, THESE STRIPS FALL OFF. DEALER HAS REINSTALLED MULTIPLE TIMES, BUT THEY CONTINUE TO LOOSEN AND FALL OFF WITH THE MOVEMENT OF THE SUNROOF. SOMETIMES THIS WILL OCCUR WHILE DRIVING AT HIGH SPEEDS AND DISRUPT THE DRIVER, IN THE LAST INSTANCE I EXPERIENCED, WHILE GOING 70MPH AND FALLING ONTO MY HEAD AND DISRUPTING MY VISION FOR A SECOND. THE DEALER (AND I) "FIX" THIS CONDITION BY REINSTALLING THE LOOSENED PIECE. BUT THE PROBLEM RECURS AND, IN MY VIEW, IS A SAFETY HAZARD. I CANNOT GET THE DEALER TO FOCUS ON THE SERIOUSNESS OF THIS PROBLEM AND THE POTENTIAL JEOPARDY IN WHICH IT PLACES DRIVERS. A BETTER FIX, THAN SIMPLE RE-INSTALLATION IS REQUIRED.

"TAKATA RECALL" AIRBAG. I HAVE BEEN DEALING WITH MY AIRBAG LIGHT AND YELLOW TRIANGLE LIGHT COMING ON WHILE DRIVING FOR 3 DAYS. THE FIRST INCIDENT OCCURED WHILE I WAS DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY DURING THE AFTERNOON AFTER DEALERSHIP HOURS. 2ND TIME WAS DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY AND I IMMEDIATELY TOOK MY VEHICLE TO THE DEALERSHIP TO WHICH THEY TOLD ME MY BATTERY WAS DIRTY AND FAILING WAS THE REASON FOR THE AIRBAG LIGHT TO COME ON. 3RD TIME I WAS TOLD THAT MY CELL PHONE CHARGER WHICH WAS NEVER PLUGGED UP ON ANY OF THE TIMES THE LIGHT CAME ON WAS THE REASON. STILL DEALING WITH THE UNRESOLVED ISSUE.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNED A 2016 TOYOTA AVALON. APPROXIMATELY 30 MINUTES AFTER PARKING AND TURNING THE ENGINE OFF, FLAMES WERE DISCOVERED COMING FROM THE FRONT DRIVER'S SIDE CARPET. APPROXIMATELY 10 MINUTES LATER, THE VEHICLE WAS ENGULFED IN FLAMES. THE FIRE DEPARTMENT WAS CALLED TO THE SCENE AND EXTINGUISHED THE FLAMES. THERE WERE NO INJURIES AND A POLICE REPORT WAS NOT FILED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN UNDISCLOSED LOCATION AND DEEMED DESTROYED. THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE WAS NOT DETERMINED BY A DEALER OR AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 22,000. *LN

MY WIFE'S AVALON HESITATES FOR 3 OR 4 SECONDS INTERMITTENTLY DURING ACCELERATION WITHOUT WARNING. THE YELLOW TRIANGLE LIGHT COMES ON THE DASH BOARD DURING THE HESITATION. I SEEMS TO OCCUR MORE OFTEN AFTER TURNING LEFT AND ACCELERATING. I AM CONCERNED ABOUT HER SAFETY WHEN ENTERING TRAFFIC AND OR CROSSING A ROAD WITH AN UNEXPECTED HESITATION. OUR LOCAL TOYOTA DEALER SAYS THEY ARE NOT AWARE OF THIS KIND OF PROBLEM AND ARE NOT ABLE TO DIAGNOSE IT. WE WOULD LIKE TO KNOW IF THIS IS OCCURRING ELSE WHERE AND WHAT WE SHOULD DO ABOUT IT. PLEASE ADVISE.

INTERMITTENTLY THE CAR WILL NOT SHIFT FROM LOW GEAR. WHEN PLACING THE GEARSHIFT IN THE D POSITION IT WILL INDICATE EITHER D1 AND WILL NOT AUTOMATICALLY SHIFT TO A HIGHER GEAR. ONCE THE CAR COMES TO A COMPLETE STOP THE INDICATOR WILL BY ITSELF CHANGE TO D AND WILL SHIFT NORMALLY.

REAR WINDOW IS DISTORTED. THE DISTORTION APPEARS ESPECIALLY ACUTE WHEN HIGHWAY DRIVING. THIS IS A KNOWN PROBLEM WITH AVALONS OVER MORE THAN ONE MODEL YEAR.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2016 TOYOTA AVALON. WHEN THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED AT LOW SPEEDS, THE VEHICLE HESITATED TO RESPOND AND SUDDENLY SURGED FORWARD. THE FAILURE OCCURRED WITHOUT WARNING. IN ADDITION, THE VEHICLE FELT AS THOUGH IT SHIFTED INDEPENDENTLY INTERMITTENTLY. THE DEALER DIAGNOSED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS OPERATING AS DESIGNED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 114,000.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2016 TOYOTA AVALON. WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS STOPPED AT AN INTERSECTION, A LOUD BOOM NOISE WAS HEARD AND THE SUN ROOF EXPLODED WITHOUT WARNING. THERE WERE NO INJURIES. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE SUN ROOF FAILED AND NEEDED TO BE REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 15,000.