2005 Toyota Avalon VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING SPEEDS OF 5MPH OR LESS IN STOP AND GO TRAFFIC, THERE WAS A DELAYED ACCELERATION FOLLOWED BY A SUDDEN ACCELERATION FORWARD. THE VEHICLE WAS SEEN BY AN AUTHORIZED DEALER. A FACTORY REPRESENTATIVE INSPECTED THE VEHICLE AND REPROGRAMMED THE ELECTRONIC CONTROL MODULE.

CONSUMER BRAKES DID NOT WORK ON TOYOTA AVALON 2005. *TS (11/17/05) THE VEHICLE ALSO WOULD EXPERIENCED SUDDEN ACCELERATION WHEN THE BRAKES WERE APPLIED. ON ONE OCCASION, THE VEHICLE JUMPED 6 FEET BEFORE COMING TO A HALT. *SC

UNEXPECTEDLY THE VEHICLE ACCELERATED WHEN BACKING OUT OF DRIVEWAY WITH FOOT ON BRAKE. WENT TO NEUTRAL AND ENGINE SLOWED DOWN. PUT IN DRIVE AND IT TRIED TO RUN AWAY AGAIN. TOOK TO DEALER AND COULD NOT FIND ANYTHING WRONG AND NO CODES IN COMPUTER LOG. TWICE PREVIOUSLY HAD SIMILAR UNCONTROLLED ACCELERATION WHEN DRIVING ON FREEWAY. BRAKED LIGHTLY TO CHANGE LANES AND CAR UNCONTROLLABLY ACCELERATED. SHIFTED TO NEUTRAL WITH HEAVY BRAKING AND ENGINE RESPONSE CAME BACK UNDER CONTROL. CAR ONLY HAS 3200 MILES ON IT AT THIS DATE. 9/26/05 INCIDENT WAS AT 1975 MILES ON VEHICLE, PRIOR INCIDENTS WERE PROBABLY A MONTH TO 6 WEEKS EARLIER. *JB SEE ALSO VOQ 10149436. *DSY

WITH CRUISE CONTROL (CC) ON, BETWEEN ABOUT 30 & 70 MPH, ON INCLINES THAT CAUSE A SPEED DECREASE OF 3+ MPH, CAR DOWNSHIFTS MORE THAN THE NORMAL 1 GEAR, & SURGES AHEAD QUITE VIOLENTLY, WITH LARGE RPM INCREASES, TO 3+ MPH ABOVE THAT SET, THEN SLOWLY SETTLES TO THE SET SPEED. WITH THE CRUISE CONTROL SET AT 70 MPH ON A LEVEL INTERSTATE, I SLOWED TO 60 MPH & SET THE "RESUME" FUNCTION; IT DOWNSHIFTED ONCE, ACCELERATING NORMALLY, UNTIL, @ 64 MPH, DOWNSHIFTED AGAIN, MORE THAN ONE MORE GEAR & SURGED VIOLENTLY AHEAD, UP ABOUT 3000 RPM & TO 72-73 MPH BEFORE RETURNING TO 5TH GEAR, & SLOWING TO 70 MPH. THE RAPID INCREASES ARE STARTLING TO ALL OCCUPANTS, AND COULD CAUSE A LOSS OF CONTROL, AND THE OFTEN RAPID BRAKING TO MAINTAIN CONTROL, A REAL CHALLENGE FOR THE TAILGATER BEHIND ON A CELL PHONE! DOWNHILL, WITH CRUISE CONTROL ON, IT USUALLY, BUT NOT ALWAYS, SPEEDS UP EXCESSIVELY; MORE THAN WITH CRUISE CONTROL OFF. IT USUALLY ACTS NORMAL ON FLAT ROADS, AND, EXCEPT AS STATED, ON HIGH SPEED HIGHWAYS WITH GRADUAL INCLINES. WITH CRUISE CONTROL OFF, NONE OF THESE ABNORMAL THINGS HAPPEN. WHEN THE DEALERS SHOP FOREMAN HAD ME TEST DRIVE A 2006 WITH HIM AS PASSENGER. AND BOTH CARS DID IT HE DECIDED IT WAS "NORMAL". BUT EVEN IF ALL 05/06 AVALONS DO, IT'S NOT "NORMAL". WHILE I DO KNOW THAT DOWNSHIFTING GENTLY IN THE RIGHT CIRCUMSTANCES IS NORMAL, AS A HIGHLY EXPERIENCED COMMERCIAL DRIVER & AIRCRAFT PILOT/MECHANIC, & AVID CC USER, I HAVE NEVER HAD A VEHICLE ACT LIKE THIS. WHEN I PHONED CORPORATE TOYOTA, THEY OPENED CASE #2005 0921 1138; HAD THE "AREA REP." INVESTIGATE (HE/SHE NEVER CONTACTED ME, OR DROVE MY CAR); TOLD ME THAT SINCE THE "AREA REP" CONSIDERS IT "NORMAL" MY ONLY RECOURSE WITH THEM IS TO ENTER "ARBITRATION". WE LIKE THIS CAR VERY MUCH, & WOULD LIKE TO KEEP IT IF THIS CAN BE RECTIFIED. SURELY IT'S A SOFTWARE GLITCH OR SOMETHING ALONG THAT LINE. PLEASE HELP SOLVE THIS OBVIOUS DESIGN FLAW, BEFORE A TRAGEDY FORCES IT. THANK YOU. *JB

WE PURCHASED A 2005 AVALON LIMITED. FROM NEARLY THE FIRST DAY WE NOTICED A HESITATION DRIVING. THE SYMPTOM IS THAT THE CAR WILL HESITATE AS IT THINKS ABOUT WHAT GEAR TO GO INTO. THIS IS NOTICEABLE GOING UP A HILL, AND IS AT ITS WORST IN A SLOW TURN WHEN THE CAR SEEMS LIKE IT MIGHT STALL. QUITE SIMPLY THIS IS DANGEROUS AND FROM EVERYTHING WE HAVE LEERED A RESULT OF DRIVE BY WIRE. THE DEALER SAYS IT IS NORMAL AND THERE IS NOTHING THEY CAN DO. WE SPENT CLOSE TO $35,000 FOR THIS CAR AND IT IS OUTRAGEOUS TO HAVE THIS PROBLEM. THIS CAR IS DANGEROUS TO DRIVE. THERE ARE NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS ABOUT THIS PROBLEM ON AVALON (AS WELL AS OTHER TOYOTA MODELS).*JB

DT: THE THROTTLE STUCK TO THE FLOOR, CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO GO FORWARD QUICKLY. WITH A LOT OF EFFORT THE CONSUMER WAS ABLE TO GET THE VEHICLE IN NEUTRAL AND SHUT IT OFF. THIS HAPPENED ON SEPTEMBER 18, 2005. WHEN THE CONSUMER TOOK VEHICLE TO THE DEALER FOR REPAIRS THEY TOLD HIM THAT THERE WAS NOTHING WRONG WITH THE VEHICLE. THEY DID NOTHING TO ALTER THE VEHICLE. THE CONSUMER FELT THAT THE VEHICLE WAS UNSAFE TO DRIVE. *AK

NO ACCIDENTS SO FAR. PROBLEM SONAR CRUISE CONTROLLED CARS. I HAVE ANEW TOYOTA AVALON LIMITED. I HAVE THE SONAR CRUISE CONTOL WHICH WORKS VERY WELL. PTROBLEM WHEN MY CAR SLOWS DOWN SUDDENLY BECAUSEOF THE CAR IN FRONT, THERE IS NO WARNING FOR THE CAR BEHIND ME.. TOYOTA WAS NOTIFIED OF THIS [PROBLEM AND TOLD ME NOT TO USE THE SONAR IN HEAVY TRAVELLED ROADS. THAT IS NO SOUUTION. THERE SHOULD BE A FIX TO MAKE THE BRAKE LIGHTS GO ON WHEN THE CAR IS SLOWED DOWN BY THE SONAR. TOYOTA SAYS THAT THEY DO NOT GO ON. THAT IS THE PROBLEM NO WAARNING TO THE DRIVER IN THE REAR OF MY CAR. CAN ANYTHING BE DONE TO CORRECT THAT PROBLEM? PLEASE LET MER KNOW. [email protected]. *AK SEE ALSO VOQ 10119009. *DSY

2002 TOYOTA AVALON HAS A POTENTIAL PROBLEM WITH THE SONAR CONTROLLED CRUISE CONTROL EQUIPMENT.*MR WHEN AND IF THAT CAR IN FRONT FOR SOME REASON OR OTHER, WILL SLOW DOWN QUICKLY. THE DRIVER BEHIND MY VEHICLE HAS NO IDEA AS TO WHAT IS HAPPENING AS THE BRAKE LIGHTS DO NOT SHOW THAT I AM SLOWING DOWN, ESPECIALLY IF CONSUMER ARE TRAVELING AT HIGH SPEEDS. *BF *NM SEE ALSO VOQ 10116392. *DSY

NOTICING HESITATION AT LOW SPEED GEAR SHIFTING . RESULTS IN NO ACCELERATION INSPITE OF PRESSING THE ACCELERATOR AND AFTER A LAG CAR SUDDENLY RESPONDS. HAD TROUBLE WHILE MERGING FROM THE RAMP ON TO THE HIGHWAY NOW FOR A TOTAL OF THREE TIMES. CONCERNED THAT THIS MAY RESULT IN AN ACCIDENT SPECIALLY WHILE MERGING OR DRIVING AT LOW SPEEDS IN HEAVT TRAFFIC.