2008 Toyota Avalon

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.

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.

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.