Transmission hesitation when accelerating from a braking situation. Transmission delay impairing ability to merge or safely change lanes. Repeated occurrences since May 2006. Car is once again in shop for inspection.

- Wayne, NJ, USA

Transmission randomly fails to downshift when accelerator depressed half-to-full to gain speed quickly for merging into traffic, etc. At times, downshift simply does not occur, other times there is a one-to-two second hesitation before the downshift/acceleration occurs.

- Pensacola, FL, USA

I' had continuous problems since the first day of ownership, April 2006 with the transmission/linkage slipping/not engaging at slow speeds. It was particularly noticeable when making turns, but also occurs when slowing down, and then attempting to speed up. Attempts to have the problem repaired by the dealership have been unsuccessful; they refuse to acknowledge that there is even a problem!

- River Ridge, LA, USA

- the contact stated that every time he completed a turn in the 2006 Toyota Avalon ( with failure mileage: 5 miles at slow rate of speed under 20 mph, with the foot on the accelerator pedal the vehicle would not accelerate. Then, without any warning, the transmission engaged and the vehicle jerked. The vehicle had been taken to the dealer, who stated that there was nothing wrong with the vehicle and could not duplicate the problem. The current mileage was 22,109.

- River Ridge, LA, USA

2006 Toyota Avalon. At low speeds, especially after slowing, the transmission acts as if it were in neutral, and severely hesitates, when an attempt is made to accelerate. Dealer says it's normal. There are years of complaints all over the web. I can't believe that some have not been rear-ended or struck when attempting to accelerate into traffic from a highway entrance ramp. Toyota should be forced to redo the programming of the responsible computer chip or replace the chip with one that has a faster clock speed. They should also be held legally responsible for all incidents. The date below is for the latest of near daily, usually minor failures like slowing to turn a corner.

- Staten Island, NY, USA

I have a 2006 Toyota Avalon. There is a serious problem with the transmission. At slow speeds the transmission seems to slip. If I am slowing almost to a stop and then starting up again the transmission does not engage, the engine revs up, and then the car lurches forward as the transmission finally engages. We have almost been rear ended when another car is following close and thinks that I am going to move forward but can't because the transmission does not engage. I have almost had an accident because the car lurches forward after the trans slips. We have had this lurching and slipping incident several times.

- Fairport , NY, USA

: the contact stated while accelerating at 10 mph, the automatic transmission was sluggish while shifting gears, and lurched forward without warning. The vehicle was inspected by a dealer who was unable to duplicate the problem. The manufacturer was alerted. Updated 01/19/07.

- Staten Island, NY, USA

: the contact stated intermittently, while accelerating and turning a corner the vehicle hesitated, and then lurched forward. The dealership was unable to determine the cause of the problem. Updated 10/17/2006 -

- Bonaire, GA, USA

Bought the car from Aug 2005. The transmission problem is getting worse. Took few seconds to respond to downshift when step on the gas pedal, few times I almost got hit from behind because of that during heavy traffic.

- Hercules, CA, USA

I own a 2006 Avalon ltd. Upon entering the on-ramp to route 23 in wayne, NJ, I depressed the brake to slow the car. After confirming there was room to merge, I applied the gas and attempted to merge. I noticed and heard the tachometer surge but the transmission did not engage. I lost my opportunity to merge and had to quickly apply the brakes. By then, the ramp lane had ended and I had to turn onto the shoulder to avoid hitting an oncoming car. I brought the vehicle to to the dealer who examined the car and stated that this was/is "normal operation when compared to other cars of this type". I opened a complaint file with Toyota ((#20060719xxx...last 3 numbers left out intentionally). The transmission on this car continues to exhibit erratic behavior (transmission hesitation) under these same conditions (braking followed by acceleration). This situation significantly hinders my ability to safely operate my vehicle while merging into traffic.

- Wayne, NJ, USA

At times the engine speed does not increase when the accelerator pedal is depressed. Such as when I stop at a red light and then try to accelerate when the light turns green and at times when I try to pass another vehicle and I cannot increase speed or when I slow down and then try to accelerate the vehicle does not accelerate as it should.

- Harlem, GA, USA

I purchased a 2006 Toyota Avalon on 24 Dec 2005. On a number of occasions when I come to a stop, no matter what the speed is the RPM will rev up to about 2000 RPM. I have a very hard time stopping the car. It is a very scary situation & dangerous position I am in. This does not happen every time I drive the car. My wife is afraid to drive it now. I took it to the dealer & they could not find anything wrong with the car. What are my options?

- Colorado Springs, CO, USA

I was on my way to the dealer for an oil change and to have our new (picked-up 26 Jan 06) Toyota Avalon looked over as it had 3,500 miles. We live in the ozarks and of course it is very hilly. I normally use the "manual" mode on the automatic transmission to slow the car down as to descend the hills leading into and out of our sub-division. However, on 23 Jun I just left it in the regular automatic mode and used the brakes. When I saw there was no on-coming traffic, I stepped on the accelerator to go---the RPM's jumped to over 3,000 and then the car lurched forward. Thank goodness there was no on-coming traffic--I can only imagine what might have happened. I asked the dealer to check this occurrence out--they couldn't duplicate. Since the first incident I've had the same thing happen on 4 separate occasions--always when left in the automatic mode and after you've slowed down and then press the accelerator to go. I've read on the www.edmunds.com website about others who've experienced the same thing. There is definitely something wrong and before a serious accident occurs Toyota needs to fix the auto transmission problem.

- Camdenton, MO, USA

Re: Toyota 2006 Avalon I recently bought a Toyota Avalon. It now has 3800 miles on it. In the second week after the purchase, I was driving on a ramp to enter a limited access high way. Speed was about 50 mph as I blended in with the flow of traffic. The lane I was in started to slow down and the lane to my left had an open space. I pressed on the accelerator to gain speed and turned the steering wheel toward the left lane. The car, instead of accelerating, appeared to go into neutral, the tachometer reached almost 7000 RPM, then the transmission shifted into the passing gear and leaped forward. I almost hit the rear end of the car in front of me, but since my car had slowed down a little I was able to steer around and get into the left lane. I have gone into this detailed explanation to demonstrate the danger, and potential terrible accident at 50mph that the "?built in?? hesitation of the 2006 Toyota Avalon could have caused. After this experience, I went back to the dealer, got the explanation that the hesitation was normal for 2006 Toyota and nothing could be done about it. I told the dealer I did not want the car and wanted my money back. Of course that was refused. So I?"M still driving a car I think is dangerous. I thinktoyota should make a retro fit to correct the hesitation problem.

- Monroeville, PA, USA

: the contact stated while depressing the accelerator pedal, the transmission momentarily hesitates before properly selecting the correct gear to engage. This occurred at speeds of 5 mph and above. The vehicle was taken to the dealer several times for inspection. The dealer determined the electronic transmission software needed replaced. However, the manufacturer did not have aftermarket software available and no repairs were made. Updated 03/17/06.

- Hockessin, DE, USA