Rear window shade stuck in 'UP' position, cannot see out the rearview mirror, especially at night. Makes for very dangerous driving.

- Lewes, DE, USA

The rear window spontaneously shattered into little fragments of glass and fell into the backseat section of the vehicle. This happened once while parked at work in a gated lot and security camera with motion sensors caught the incident happening on video. Temperature was in the high 80 F, and happened in August of 2022. After 5 months later the rear window shattered again while parked on driveway. Safety of anyone in the back seat is at risk due to sharp glass. Unable to convince the dealer this is a factory defect. Manufacturer said they can do a visual inspection but in realty results will be pointless since the car have not been in any accident. No warning appeared before rear window shattered.

- San Diego, CA, USA

Rear window sunscreen (dark black) stuck in the up position. Poor visibility during night driving with the curtain stuck in the upright position. This has always had this problem and Toyota has not solution.

- Houston, TX, USA

The sun shade in the rear back malfunctions. When it malfunctions you are unable to visibility see when backing up due to the sun shade being in the way which put other people at risk for safety when backing up. Also when this piece malfunctions it makes a gridding nose which can cause a wreck if the person is unaware of the noise in the car while backing up. This function has been looked at by a Toyota Dealer ship which would result of owner paying over $1000 to get it fixed or even disabled. There are no warnings regarding the malfunction besides a loud noise while backing up when not functioning properly.

- Roanoke , TX, USA

The rear sun shade which extends and retracts to cover the back window of my Avalon has a fault which causes it to get stuck in the extended position, covering the rear window. This drastically reduces the visibility out the rear window and there is no obvious or simple fix for the issue. I have found online that many people are having a similar problem. Before the shade got stuck, it would randomly extend or retract during hot days, which seems to be due to a faulty relay. This is clearly a poor design which presents a safety hazard to the driver and anyone behind the vehicle while backing up.

- Placerville, CA, USA

I just purchased a 2013 Toyota Avalon from carmax. During the next several days of driving I had observe the following. One. The rear window is distorted and will not come clean no matter what I attempt to use to be able to have a clear visibility. I also have noticed that while in a stop position, when beginning to accelerate the vehicle hesitates and I have to take my foot off the gas pedal and reapply to accelerate. I have a seven day return policy no questions asked. But I really love this car in been waiting to find that particular color exterior and interior which is black leather. I called Toyota and they could not find any recall or other problems with this.

- Crestwood, IL, USA

This issue happened while the vehicle was in motion on the highway. Rear sunshade randomly deployed and is permanently stuck in the up position completely blocking rear visibility. Sunshade is supposed to go down when vehicle is placed in reverse, this function no longer works further inhibiting safe vehicle maneuvering. The rear facing backup camera has a statement saying to not rely on the backup camera when backing up, this no longer an option for me as I can no longer clearly see out of the rear window. Night time reversing is virtually impossible with any degree of safety. This appears to be a known issue with Toyota as they replaced a relay in the sunshade in model years after 2014 that seems to have remedied this issue. There is no way manually lower the sunscreen. There's no way to easily swap out the defective relay. There's no way to disconnect the sunshade from the wiring harness. There isn't an independent fuse for the sunshade that can be removed. The sunshade appears to be on a fuse that controls the headlights, taillights, braking system and cruise control system. By removing the fuse this would make my vehicle even less safe the it already is.

- Oakdale, PA, USA

The rear sunshade is stuck in the 'up' (extended) position, greatly hindering view to the rear, both with rear-view mirror and when driver turns head to the rear. This device is designed to automatically retract from 'up' position every time the car is shifted to "reverse" gear, so as to not hinder rear views. It worked fine for several years, but last month it became stuck in the extended position, and cannot be retracted. This is a problem at all times; but is especially a dangerous situation at night, when darkness hinders views. From online searching, it appears that this problem occurs very frequently, and most commenters say it's not worth fixing, because replacement units develop the same problem. Removing the unit is my preferred approach. But I understand that several hours of labor are required, as the rear seat needs to be removed. This is not the result of a moving crash; it happened spontaneously, and is now an issue 100% of the time.

- Williamsburg, VA, USA

The rear window shade automatically raised itself and is stuck in the extended position. It makes a loud sound for ~20 seconds whenever the car is put into reverse or whenever you attempt to retract the shade. This is a safety hazard as it makes it more difficult to observe traffic through the rearview mirror, particularly at night.

- Johnson City, TN, USA

The contact owns a 2013 Toyota Avalon. The contact stated that the rear window privacy screen was stuck in the up position; therefore, blocking his visibility when attempting to reverse. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer and dealer were not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 50,000.

- Cranford, NJ, USA

The rear retractable sunshade went up and locked in place and will not retract under any circumstances. At night it becomes very difficult to see any vehicles behind you. Backing up becomes a problem as well for it becomes hard to see pedestrians as they pass behind you in parking lots. Very dangerous defect and I have seen many reports of this happening.

- Sylmar, CA, USA

My rear window shade has stopped functioning. It is in the up position and is impossible to see behind me unless full sun is present. This is a constant situation.

- Anderson, SC, USA

The rear power sunshade, which is standard equipment on the limited model, raises on its own and won't go back down causing low visibility. There is no way to manually lower it either

- Las Vegas, NV, USA

Headliner at top of rear glass is drooping where the headliner meets, and has developed a crease at a point in the center, restricting visibility out of the rear window. It is a defect and the dealer (northtown Toyota - amherst, NY) will not replace/repair as car is out of warranty. Contacted Toyota to address the problem, and they have not responded.

- Buffalo, NY, USA

While driving the vehicle at approximately 45 mph on a clear sunny day the windshield wipers turned on and began to operate at full speed and would not respond at attempts to stop them. The horn started going off with alarm noises in the vehicle. The smell of an electrical odor and white smoke began to enter the cabin through the dash. Attempts to pull the vehicle over were prevented as the steering wheel locked. The brakes would not respond or work despite stepping on them with both feet and attempting to pump them. The vehicle was still traveling on the road and down a hill with no electrical, steering, or power function of the vehicle. As the vehicle slowed the passenger jumped out. Fire began to come through the dash and upon the driver opening his door fire also came into the cabin from beneath the vehicle. The driver jumped out just before the vehicle careened down an embankment and exploded 3 times.

- Herkimer, NY, USA

I am writing about my 2013 Toyota Avalon, there is one really bad design flaw!!! the accent chrome around the controls and air conditioner vents reflect the sunlight into the eyes of the driver and front passenger, and it is blinding. The blinding reflection may cause accidents and/or direct injury to the eyes such as retina, cornea damage as well as any other eye damage as a result of bright sunlight. I have tried the darkest/protective eyewear that I can purchase but the reflection still comes through blinding. I have also had the darkest window tent allowed by law installed (purchased at the dealership). I have contacted the dealership and Toyota directly but have had no offer for a solution. This is a simple to fix with a replacement piece of dash chrome in a non-reflective color such as a flat black, wood-grain, or brushed metal color. A custom designed dash area shade should also offer a solution. I have verified that there have been many other complaints through an internet search.

- Punta Gorda, FL, USA

Sunlight is reflected into the eyes of the driver and front seat passenger from the interior trim. This bright reflection not only makes it difficult to see at times, the sunlight can cause damage to the retina and cornea. The light comes from many different parts of the car so it is impossible to constantly shield with our hands while driving. We keep the sunroof closed. It does not matter if the sun is directly overhead or at an angle because there are so many areas that reflect the light. We noticed this problem within the first week of purchase. We contacted the dealer and manufacturer. While they initially seemed willing to help, it is obvious from their silence, that they hope the problem will go away. There are numerous conditions such as macular degeneration, cataracts, and pterygium, caused by exposure to bright sunlight in the eyes and are concerned about the damage that could result from this constant exposure. It would be great if the manufacturer would correct the design flaw in our car.

- Saint Johns, FL, USA

The contact owns a 2013 Toyota Avalon. The contact stated that he could not see through the rear window because it was distorted. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the failure could not be diagnosed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted about the failure. The failure mileage was 1,700.

- Bend, OR, USA

Very upset Toyota customer, purchased showroom 2013 Toyota Avalon with headliner in the rear drooped down. This is brand new...I was told that probably some kids have pulled the headliner down while in showroom. Waiting for resolution I decided to read on common problems and lone behold! Toyota, you had better get this fixed immediately before there is an accident due to headliner obstructing the drivers view. How fast this is resolved is going to determine how I speak about Toyota and future purchases! get after it! next up, seat back covers also was blamed on kids in showroom pulling them down. I looked at the design and see how sorry the engineering is. Toyota, need fix as soon as possible.. a good one! I will report this to the news if not rectified.

- Henderson, NV, USA

There is a glare in the rear window that tends to always have a negative effect on visibility. I have never seen anything like this in my 40 years of driving and owning over 20 vehicles. It seems the angle of the window combined with the light gray rear deck material creates the distracting reflection/glare. At first I thought it was the port installed tinting that caused the reflection, but now I am beginning to think it is a design flaw. Also, I see you need my name and personal information on this form and you are promising to keep it confidential and private. Now how can anyone trust any government Agency these days to protect information when one of the main functions of our government seems to be spying on all the citizens and acting like the ussr circa 1960?

- Horse Shoe , NC, USA