10.0
really awful- Crashes / Fires:
- 10 / 2
- Injuries / Deaths:
- 4 / 0
- Average Mileage:
- 38,302 miles
About These NHTSA Complaints:
The NHTSA is the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints can be spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem. See the Back button — blue bar at the very top of the page — to explore more.
Takata recall March 9th 2016 9:30pm I was accelerating onto the highway from the onramp to about 70mph when the car kept accelerating after pressing the brake so I continued to press the brake but there was no release of acceleration so put the gear in neutral and I found room to pull to the right side and turn the engine off and put the vehicle in park. I gave it 15 seconds and re-started but it was still accelerating, I repeated this again with the same results. I left ithe engine off for a full minute and re-started to find it had reset. I then checked the floor mat and found it intacked and pinned to the floor pins.
- Richfield, MN, USA
The contact owns a 2008 Toyota Avalon. While driving at 40 mph, the contact released the accelerator pedal, but the rpms increased and the vehicle independently accelerated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The vehicle was serviced under NHTSA campaign number: 10V017000 (vehicle speed control), but the remedy failed to repair the vehicle. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 100,000.
- Centreville, VA, USA
The car accelerated on it's own, brakes were locked !!! I made a left turn after a stop sign and the car just took off on it's own - accelerating up to 50 miles per hour. I slammed on the brakes, but they were locked. I quickly put the car in neutral, it slowed the car down about 10-12 miles. To avoid cars in front of me - I then put the car in park. After an ugly noise and jerking of the car...it did stop! there were no injuries or property damage. It was a horrific experience. The car was in full throttle! had it towed to a mechanic.....it was still at full throttle when he looked at it a couple days later. He advised me to call Toyota. Toyota said it was out of warranty. I just want my car fixed,
- Palos Park, IL, USA
I was coasting, barely moving when I heard the engine rev up and accelerate. My foot was not on the gas. Before I could apply brakes my car hit the house. I was about 2 feet from the house so there was not much time to react. This all took place in 1-2 seconds. I had turned into a driveway to park.
- Baton Rouge, LA, USA
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 for my life every time I use it. It would seem to me that others have had similar problems, and may have had significant accidents as a result. I hope you will look into this matter.
- Huntingdon Valley, PA, USA
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.
- Richmond, VA, USA
2008 Toyota Avalon. Consumer writes in regards to vehicle sudden acceleration. 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.
- San Gabriel, CA, USA
The contact owns a 2008 Toyota Avalon. The contact was at a complete stop with the brakes applied when the vehicle abnormally accelerated. The contact crashed into a residence. The contact sustained a fractured right foot and injuries to the face, knees, back, and neck. The vehicle was towed to a local auto body shop. The contact stated that prior to the crash, the vehicle was repaired under NHTSA campaign id number: 10V017000 (vehicle speed control:accelerator pedal). The vehicle was not further repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 33,000.
- Memphis, TN, USA
Driver was pulling into a parking space when the car had unexpected, sudden acceleration and hit a concrete wall. Driver was wearing a seat belt; air bags deployed. The person was uninjured except for chest bruises. The car had been taken in when it was recalled and was " fixed" in response to 2 recall notices by the dealer on March 4, 2010. The front of the car is bashed in, hood is bent upward, radiator damaged and the front doors jammed. Men had to force the driver side door open to get the driver from the car. Toyota and the insurance company have been notified but neither have had time to examine the car.
- Raleigh , NC, USA
The contact owns a 2008 Toyota Avalon. The contact stated that while driving 55 mph, he heard a noise and pulled over when the vehicle engine suddenly caught fire between the firewall and the rear of the engine. The contact extinguished the fire. The service manager and district manager inspected the vehicle and found holes in the engine block. The vehicle was included in recall 10V017000 (accelerator pedal) and was repaired at the dealer. The vehicle had also previously been repaired according to NHTSA item number (10032630) engine and engine cooling, oil supply hose. The vehicle was at the dealer awaiting repair at the time of the complaint. The failure mileage was 29,836. Updated 12/30/10 upadted 01/07/11
- West Plains , MO, USA
The contact owns a 2008 Toyota Avalon. The contact stated that the vehicle that he purchased was equipped with a safety feature which was the laser cruise control. The laser in the vehicle malfunctioned and it did not warn him that he was getting close to the vehicle in front of him. The contact had to apply the brakes in order to deactivate the laser cruise control in order to drive the vehicle. The dealer stated that he needed to replace the laser beam in the cruise control. The vehicle was not serviced. The failure mileage was 10000. The current mileage was 52000.
- Weyauwega, WI, USA
The contact owns a 2008 Toyota Avalon. While attempting to shift into park, the vehicle suddenly surged forward, accelerated over a curb, and crashed into a sign. The vehicle continued to accelerate and crashed into a tree and then another curb. The contact was able to stop the vehicle by shifting into neutral gear. A police report was filed. This failure occurred twice. The vehicle was towed to the authorized dealer to be repaired. The current and failure mileages were 39,606.
- Jacksonville, FL, USA
My 2008 Avalon experienced unexpected acceleration twice, ,,once in 2008 and once in 2009...both times I had the cruise control on, which has a safety feature, a laser, which keeps you from getting too close to the car in front of you....my car accelerated and ignored the safety laser. It slowed down immediately when I applied the brakes. The key is, the pedal was not stuck, I did not have to do anything with the floor mats, I did not have to keep applying the brakes, they worked as designed. Therefore it, in my opinion, was all electronic, as far as the acceleration malfunction.
- West Chester, OH, USA
My Toyota Avalon 2008 does accelerate after fixes mad by Toyota. Sudden acceleration happen again yesterday again.
- Yorba Linda, CA, USA
The contact owns a 2008 Toyota Avalon. While driving into the garage at speeds of approximately 10 mph, the vehicle abnormally accelerated and proceeded to crash into the garage door. The vehicle was repaired by the dealer; however, it persisted. The VIN was not available. The failure mileage was 750 and the current mileage was 25,000.
- Bedford, TX, USA
The contact owns a 2008 Toyota Avalon. The contact stated that the vehicle experienced sudden acceleration. The vehicle sped off after being stopped at a traffic light. When the accelerator was pressed the vehicle rapidly moved forward about 2000 feet. The contact stated when he pressed the ignition button the engine shut off. The contact also stated that the dealer replaced acceleration system. The failure mileage was about 22,000. The current mileage was 23,000.
- Whitehall, NY, USA
2008 Toyota Avalon brake override. I just had all my Avalon recall fixes placed on my car, and the brake override fix does not work. I check my brake override to see how it operated before the fix, and after going to the dealership to get the repairs it still does the same thing. When the gas pedal is pressed, and speed is around 45mph step on the brakes while continuing to press on the gas, and you can hear the engine still trying to accelerate. The service advisor told me on the phone before going there that the brakes would override the gas pedal when the brake pedal is pressed. I still will not allow my pregnant wife, and 2 year old daughter ride in the car until a better fix is put into place.
- Louisville, KY, USA
The contact owns a 2008 Toyota Avalon. He took the vehicle to the dealer to have the accelerator pedal repaired. When he applied the brakes, the vehicle surged forward and forced him to apply extreme pressure to the brake pedal in order to stop the vehicle. The dealer was contacted and advised him to have the vehicle diagnosed again. The failure and current mileages were 47000.
- Hudson, OH, USA
The contact owns a 2008 Toyota Avalon. He drove approximately 2 mph into his garage and the vehicle lunged forward. The vehicle stopped accelerating immediately after he applied pressure to the brakes. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where they test drove it and they could not duplicate the failure. No repairs were made to the vehicle. The failure mileage was 49450 and the current mileage was 49476. Updated 4/13/10 updated 05/20/10.
- Dutte, MT, USA
- Portland, OR, USA