Problems with 2007 Toyota Avalon VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

Tl*the contact owns a 2007 toyota avalon. the contact stated that while his wife was driving the vehicle, she turned into a parking lot and the vehicle suddenly surged forward. although she had her foot on the brake trying to slow down,the vehicle ran into a tree after surging.the vehicle was not totaled.there were no injuries reported. the contact had not spoken with the manufacturer or the dealer to-date. the vehicle had not been inspected. the current mileage was approximately 49,500. the failure mileage was approximately 48,000

Dear nhtsa, i bought the toyota avalon limited edition 2007. my wife is the main driver for this vehicle. she recently experienced the gas acceleration on this vehicle for the past 6 weeks. i just called toyota manufacture and complained to them about my concern and they gave me the documentation # . they advised me to bring the car to the dealership for check up. i told them that when the car accelerates by itself on and off sometimes, it's very difficult for the technician to identifies the issue. i asked toyota customer care to mail me a letter in regarding the issue if they identify the cause. please send me any information regarding the gas accelerator for toyota cars and trucks. i thank you for your support and assistance. *tr

2007 avalon xl. consumer states repeated unintended acceleration. *tgw in september 2009, the consumer experienced sudden acceleration. the consumer reported the incident to the dealer and they told him to check the floor mat. shortly after, the vehicle accelerated out of control again. the consumer contacted the dealer, he was told repeatedly by the dealer it was a floor mat problem and nothing was wrong with the vehicle. *jb

Saturday, august 22, 11:30 am, i drove about 4 miles, got onto a freeway (northbound i-5) in san diego, at which time my car continued to accelerate, without my foot on the accelerator pedal. i looked down at my feet, saw that the floor mat was correctly in place. the car behaved as though "cruise control" were on, so i toggled cruise control on, then off. i also depressed the button for turning the car off (it has a "smart key" ignition), but the car did not stop. engine speed continued to increase. my brakes could slow the car a bit (from 70 mph down to 65 mph, but the car quickly accelerated back up to 70 mph and higher. i down-shifted (into one of the "mountain-driving" gears, then down-shifted again as i contemplated how to navigate around traffic and off the freeway. the engine tachometer indicated that the speed was increasing. i transitioned off the i-5 and onto the eastbound i-8 freeway, and slowed enough, with all my weight on the brake pedal, to the nearest offramp. i could not bring the car to a complete stop, but finally shifted into park before hitting anything. i now shut off the car. i tried to restart the car, in park, and the engine speed meter indicated 4500 rpm in a few seconds. i shut the car off and phoned aaa to tow me to the nearest dealer. the dealer could not find a cause for this uncontrolled acceleration. the manufacturer was also called. they said to pick up the car. i took the car to the dealer that normally services this vehicle, and they had the car for several days. they did some minor repair on the throttle, but said they could not determine nor fix the case of this. they also repaired the brakes, which were badly burned. i was apprehensive to drive the vehicle, and finally told the dealer to get me a replacement, which i am now driving. the car which had uncontrolled acceleration is at the dealers lot as of yesterday. *tr updated 11/18/09

2007 toyota avalon limited. defective laser cruise control. note: vehicle has keyless ignition. when activated the unit would register obstructions that were not there or would not even recognize a vehicle directly in front. when the unit recognizes the object it starts to slow down, apply the brakes, and when the obstruction is far enough away it resumes speed. the problem is when it resumes speed. the accelerator is almost pushed to the floor and acceleration is rapid. the best way to disengage the system is from the control stalk on the steering column. i had this problem from the time i bought the vehicle in july of 2007. after two years of complaining to the dealer the unit was recognized as being defective and replaced in june 2009. the dealer claimed that he had not received any directive from toyota usa concerning a problem with the unit. with all the publicity that toyota is receiving concerning accelerator problems, i thought that in some cases the cause may be related to computer problem in addition to a 'jammed" or stuck accelerator. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2007 toyota avalon. while driving and attempting to slow down and avoid hitting a vehicle in front of her, the vehicle began to accelerate. she was able to avoid an accident with another vehicle; however, she crashed into a drain pipe. she was sustained a minor injury to her leg. a police report was filed. she has not spoken with the dealers or the manufacturer. she received recall notice 09v388000, vehicle speed control, accelerator pedal after the failure occurred. the current mileage was 8,877. the failure mileage was approximately 8,600.

Tl*the contact owns a 2007 toyota avalon. while driving 80 mph in the mountains, the vehicle suddenly accelerated without warning. the brakes were applied but failed to engage. the vehicle failed to stop until the contact shifted into neutral gear and applied the emergency brake. the vehicle was restarted and began functioning normally. the vehicle was taken to the dealer who stated that the failure could not be reproduced. prior to the recent failure, the vehicle was serviced by an authorized dealer for nhtsa recall # 10v017000, vehicle speed control, accelerator pedal. the failure mileage was 11,186 and the current mileage was 19,013.

When parking my 2007 toyota avalon in a parking garage, i entered the parking space and i took my foot off the accelerator pedal so the car would coast into the space. however, when i took my foot off the accelerator pedal, the car, instead of slowing down. suddenly accelerated into the barrier cables at the end of the parking space, causing $2392.86 worth of damage to the front end of the car. updated 03/30/10.

Car was misfiring 1 year after purchase this car was supposedly a fleet car,with know previous problems. but coil pack was malfunctioning. and needed to be replaced. *tr

2007 toyota avalon problems with cruise control. consumer states that when using the cruise control when the road condition changes and he puts the cruise control back on it will jump and the rpm's will jump from 2100 to 4800. *kb the consumer stated the cruise control worked well until the road conditions changed. if the road conditions changed the consumer had to touch the brake and take the vehicle off cruise control temporally. when the road conditions changed again, and the speed was no more than 6-7 mph below the speed set on the cruise control the tachometer reading was 2,100 the consumer restored the cruise control to the setting being used. the vehicle suddenly jolted ahead as if the consumer pressed the accelerator to the floor. the tachometer suddenly jumped from 2,100 to 4,800 rpm to raise the vehicle speed 6 or 7 mph. the dealer informed the consumer it was a normal operation of the vehicle. *jb

1) while driving approx 30 mph experienced unintended acceleration. i was able to take control and stop vehicle 2) upon entering highway felt like car shut off, then accelerated by itself. service advisor tried to tell us it happened because there are two different drivers using the car. finally a technician came in and told the service advisor that there was a service bulletin to correct such problems. the correction was "performed ecm recalibration to improve shifting". i didn't know to report it at the time, but i think our problem should be counted. the dealer downplayed our complaint saying it was how we were driving the car, and that the car couldn't tell which of us was driving. that is the most ridiculous thing i have heard. to date, we still have not received a recall notice on the gas pedal. we did receive one on the mats which we checked and were okay. *tr

On march 19, 2008, my step-son was killed in tampa, florida while driving his 2007 toyota avalon. he had just dropped my sister-in-law off at the airport and was traveling on the courtney campbell parkway when the car accelerated. he exited onto a service road, posted at 15 mph, at a high rate of speed, crashing through a guardrail and plunging into tampa bay. he did not get out of the vehicle. witnesses say he did not appear to brake before hitting the guardrail. nobody could determine at the time why the accident occurred; his toxicology report was clear. the car has long since been salvaged since toyota's acceleration issues were not public knowledge at the time two years ago. i recently received a safety recall notice on the vehicle for accelerator pedal reinforcement bar installation. updated 05/10/10 *bf updated 06/17/10. *jb update 9/27/11*cw

Letter from congressman rothman on behalf of constituent re possible accelerator problem with his 2007 toyota avalon (respond to hackensack nj office). the consumer stated while stopped in traffic for a drawn drawbridge, with his foot on the brake and the gear in park, the vehicle began to buck and slowly moved towards a panel truck that was in front of him. the consumer continued to apply the brake, but to no avail and subsequently hit the panel truck. the dealer installed a reinforcement bar in compliance with the recall. *jb

2007 toyota avalon lunged forward and driver thought he had been hit from behind and knocked out he thought by a concrete wall but he hit another car. a woman, not wearing a seat belt and air bag did not deploy, was killed. man, my husband was convicted of felony manslaughter naming the vehicle as a deadly weapon. because toyota did not report safety issues we rented this vehicle and if we had known we would not have rented the vehicle and my husband would be at home instead of prison, no drugs or alcohol were involved as originally charged but tests prove differently. i know i am not supposed to give personal information but i need help. my name is [xxx] . no attorney wants a case that has a conviction, they want cases that settle out of court with little effort. your agency is getting paid fines from toyota, others are being compensated while we suffer because the car was a rental and the dealership denied access to the car by our attorneys and ourselves. we did not even get our personal belongings. we need help. is there no help for us or are our lives expendable? information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6). *tr

There was an error in the 1st complaint i submitted plus i now have the vin number. 2007 toyota avalon lunged forward and driver thought he had been hit from behind and knocked unconscious. he thought he had hit a concrete wall and he had hit a car (possibly a wall also, the da denies it was a construction zone and we have pictures showing it was). a woman, not wearing a seat belt and her air bag did not deploy, was killed. a witness said her car turned over and uprighted and he called 911 but was not in court. a piece of metal from the roadway is involved in the woman's death but da denies but police reported. vehicle was named as a deadly weapon so sentence was enhanced. my husband was convicted of felony manslaughter, no drugs or alcohol involved but originally charged but tests proved differently. toyota failed to report problems with this car or we would have never rented it from don mcgill toyota in houston, tx. your agency is charging toyota fines, others are being compensated and here we sit, my husband in prison for something caused by toyota's negligence when he should be home with me. no attorney wants a case that has to be litigated when others settle out of court with little effort when ours has to be litigated because my husband was wrongfully convicted because of toyota and an over zealous da that waited almost 8 months to indict my husband. he was never ticketed for anything. we were denied access to the rental car and did not even get our personal belongings. we need help, fines paid by toyota won't help us. we need help. is there no help for us or are our lives expendable? i know i wasn't supposed to give personal information but we need someone to listen and direct us to help. *tr

Arrived at an intersection's light and applied the brakes and car accelerated and crashed into the car which was in front. the air bags failed to deploy as well. the consumer stated when his wife arrived at an intersection, she applied the brakes, but the vehicle accelerated and crashed into the vehicle that was crossing from west to east. while his wife was going from north to south. updated 03/29/10.*jb

Tl* the contact owns a 2007 toyota avalon. while driving at approximately 70mph and attempted to pass another vehicle, suddenly his vehicle accelerated out of control he continued to apply the brake until the vehicle stopped. at first he thought it was drivers error, because he had removed the floor mat. he asked the dealer to reprogram the brake override system, because he felt that the pedal replacement would not correct the failure. the manufacturer took a report. the failure mileage was 12,000 and the current mileage was 54,000. updated 06/29/10 *bf updated 07/06/10.*jb

2007 toyota avalon- rapid acceleration problem. when we first got the new car and were using the cruise control, it shifted down on a hill and went speeding up like crazy. we almost ran down the cars in front of us. it was way above the set speed, so i turned off the cruise control and it stopped speeding up. i thought it was a new car and just doing something strange. i have never had it do that again. but i never use cruise on steep hills. thought it was my problem until now of not knowing how or when to use cruise control. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2007 toyota avalon. the consumer accelerated to pass a vehicle ad it took off and wouldn't slow down or stop. the brakes would hold the vehicle at that speed. the consumer placed the vehicle in neutral and stopped. the engine needle had redlined. the vehicle would also delay when accelerating from a stop and then take off rapidly. updated 12/12/07

On aug. 6th while driving on a two lane road in south carolina in my 2007 avalon, the accelerator became stuck. my car reached speeds of up to 80 mph. i could only reduce the speed to 60 mph by riding the brakes. i finally stopped the car by finding a safe pull-off and shifted into neutral and then park. my brakes were completely ruined and required replacement. my car was towed to a toyota dealer in greenville, sc. the service department determined that the faulty acceleration was due to a rubber all-weather mat. the mat had been placed over the standard floor mat. i feel that avalon owners nationwide need to be notified of this dangerous problem. i noted in my local newspaper last week that you are investigating the same problem in the lexus es 350 which has the same design as the avalon. *tr updated 03/04/10 *bf updated 05/06/10.*jb

Tl*- the contact owns a 2007 toyota avalon. the contact was driving approximately 65 mph with the cruise control activated. the vehicle increased acceleration to 90 mph without warning which was beyond the cruise control set speed. the vehicle speed rate decreased when the brakes were engaged.the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer. there was a recall under nhtsa campaign id number 10v017000 (vehicle speed control: accelerator pedal). the vehicle was repaired for the recall defect. the failure mileage was 700. the current mileage was 24,000.

Tl*the contact owned a 2007 toyota avalon. while driving approximately 10 mph into a parking lot the vehicle accelerated without warning and crashed into a pillar on july 4, 2007. the contact was unable to stop the vehicle. the crash occurred three months after the vehicle was purchased. all 5 of the air bags deployed and injured the driver and passenger. the computer system that controls everything in the vehicle was damaged and repaired for $17,859.81. the air bags were also replaced. a police report and photos of the crash are available. she spoke to a customer service representative and filed case#0910100910 with the manufacturer on october 2, 2009. the contact was advised that she must submit proof to confirm if the crash was related to the floor mats. the failure mileage was 3,723. rk

I am on highway with 65mph speed. i turned the laser cruise control on. when the vehicle in front of me is slowing down, the laser cruise control detects the speed and slow down automatically. however, the defect is: the braking lights never light up while the car is slowing down. it almost causes me an accident because the car behind me can not recognize my car being braked. it happens many times at cruising with highway speed. *tr

We had a driving instructor conducting a class using the 2007 avalon. the instructor was driving and accelerated to pass a vehicle at approximately 35 mph and the accelerators stuck and the car reached 8000+ rpms the instructor had to engage the brake and put the car in neutral and the car would not turn off, using the push button start. it finally turned off after numerous tries on the push button. once the motor turned off the accelerator then came up slowly by its self. we called the dealership, and were told it must have been the floor mats. there were three people in this car and they all saw the same thing. the floor mats had nothing to do with this problem. we had the dealer go over the car and again were told there was nothing wrong. we however do not believe their findings. *ak

2007 toyota avalon,27.00 miles. when in cruise going up hill car races to get to cruise speed. has been doing this since day one of purchase. i have reported sever times. dealer says they all do it and there is no fix for it. *tr

Re: toyota avalon as per my conversation with toyota, my car has had involuntary acceleration since the day we leased it. each time i was told no problem could be found. it is not a case of the pedal sticking because the car has jumped many times when i was not pressing the pedal at all. therefore, i do not have confidence that the proposed fix will solve my problem. *tr

This complaint is related to the recent reports of unintended acceleration. ever since my 2007 avalon was new, i have experienced a rapid acceleration when the cruise control tries to return to the pre-selected speed after bring slowed by the laser gap distance controller or when selecting a higher preset speed setting. this condition is most prevalent as the difference between set speed and actual speed increases. initially, i thought that it was merely a design quirk that was just slightly irritating. however, since learning about other more serious complaints of unintended acceleration, i'm thinking that i could have a more serious problem in the future. *tr

I purchased a 007 toyota avalon limited in 11/2006 before a month passed i had to take it to the local dealership in visalia, ca. i told the shop manager the footpedal had gotten stuck and the car was wide open, i stomped on the gas pedal and it wouldn't come up, then i reached down and grabbed it and pulled it up, i told the shop manager if i had been in traffic or town there would have been injuries or death and this was a serious problem, they checked it out and told me i didn't know how to drive the car and it was ok. i was a mad customer, then i told him there was also a problem with the computer, the thing wouldn't idle down coming up to a stop sign , and if you put the car in neutral as you braking coming up to a stop it would almost put you through the window, and they needed to fix this , i got the same answer the car is ok. well by then i really mad, but i also knew then they had no intention of fixing or acknowledging there was a problem, the car has 85k miles on it now and i'm on the 3rd set of tires, 2nd set of brakes, 2nd set of rotors, and had the front end aligned and new bolts installed in the front end so the camber could be adjusted, what a !@#$%, i have been asked to leave dealerships for raising !@#$% about this car, i've also said the paint on this car is junk to and they refuse to do anything about it. i have three years of diesel and gasoline mechanics, was the top of my class and sought after by many large corporations when i graduated in 1978, and i used to work at a chevy dealership as a line mechanic when i graduated. i can assure you toyota knew they had problems, and refused to do anything as far back as 2006, if i had the extra money or the time i would have sued them a long time ago, but they are so big as a company i probably didn't have a chance until now. i will bet you if you interview workers at the toyota plants where the cars were built you will find ...

Nov 23, 2006: in repositioning my 2007 avalon xls in the driveway of my sister's house, i slowly pulled forward to re-park and applied the brakes to stop and the accelerator immediately went to high rpms - i had to brake very hard to keep from hitting my brother-in-law and his house. i was braking - and turned off the ignition. on dec 23, 2006 the same problem occurred two blocks in a row in our congested downtown area. the 1st time, i was stopping very slowly; the second time i was braking to wait for a parking space. the 1st time i tried changing gears and then turned off the ignition. the second time i immediately turned off the ignition. my wife was a witness. i drove this car for the month after it's purchase new (sep 6, 2006), every 2nd/3rd day for the month of oct 2006, and off/on during nov 2006 without this problem. i told the local/district toyota personnel that i could not trust this particular vehicle. it has been parked either at the dealership or in my garage almost every day since dec 23, 2006. the district toyota personnel said that they did not consider my car unsafe because they 'could not find any error codes' in the car's system, and on the 102 mile test drive they did, without me present, they did not experience my problem. they did simulate it by stepping on the brake and accelerator at the same time!!!! i was on the highest alert the second time it happened on december 23rd! my foot was not on the accelerator! i was braking all three times - or else my brother-in-law would have been injured, his house damaged, and cars downtown hit. i resent the insinuation that i was pushing both pedals all three times. no explanation why i had not experienced this problem in the nearly three months (with the same shoes on) before the problem first arose. toyota closed my problem report as 'solved' even though the local service manager stated he did not consider it 'solved'. why? *nm

Tl*the contact owns a 2007 toyota avalon. while driving 50-55 mph with the cruise control activated, the vehicle automatically shifts to the lowest gear. as a result, the engine revs and the tires skid. the failure occurs while driving up the slightest incline. he called the dealer and was informed that this was the vehicle's new drive by wire system and all of the new toyota's perform in this manner. the vin and engine size were unavailable. the current mileage was 7,800 and failure mileage was 100.