Problems with 2005 Toyota Avalon VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

Dt*: the contact stated upon initial acceleration the vehicle hesitated. the problem has been present in the vehicle since the date of purchase. the vehicle was taken to the dealer who determined the vehicle was operating normally.

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.

This is a follow up on the incidents reported under 10142940. when starting to slowly proceed forward behind heavy traffic at a stop light the vehicle suddenly surged forward. i placed transmission in neutral and engine rev's to ~7000 rpm before i could shut it off. tried restarting the engine about 6 times with it immediately going to ~7000 rpm. on about the 7th try the engine started normally and ran normally until i reached home (about 4 miles). called dealership again and they did not particularly want to see vehicle as i could not report any check engine light coming on. i insisted on an appointment and was put off until next week. they claimed they have never heard of this problem with toyota avalons and camry's except for my vehicle. called the dealer/zone customer relations and placed complaint but they also do not know what to do except call toyota engineering. *nm see also voq 10142940. *dsy

Tl*the contact owns s 2005 toyota avalon. the contact was driving approximately 25 mph on normal road conditions. there was a sudden increase of acceleration. the driver was able to gain control of the vehicle, and continued normal operation. the failure occurred intermittently at any given speed. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer for inspection. the technician was unable to locate the problem. the failure mileage was unknown.

Re: 2005 toyota avalon// 11/22/05 we were entering the freeway and our vehicle began to accelerate// both feet on brake// accelerated to approx 85 mph// put vehicle in neutral///the car revved to 8000 rpm's// heard a pop and the vehicle stopped accelerating. we drove immediately to nearest toyota dealer and have all of this documented. *tr

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

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

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

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

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 toyota avalon. when attempting to apply the brakes, the vehicle accelerated without touching the accelerator pedal. the vehicle was shifted into neutral to decelerate. the vehicle was towed to two different dealers, but the technicians could not remedy the failure. a complaint was filed with the manufacturer, but no assistance was provided. the current mileage was 45,000 . the failure mileage was 11,000. updated 11/09/09 *bf the consumer stated his foot was on the brake when the vehicle suddenly accelerated. updated 11/09/09

Dt: the consumer complained about an automatic transmission problem. when applying pressure to the accelerator pedal the gear would not engage. the vehicle did not shift gears smoothly. the consumer suspected that there was a problem with the vehicle speed control. the consumer lost control of the vehicle when another vehicle passed. the dealership informed the consumer that they could not do anything because the vehicle was computer controlled. *ak (12/01/05) *sc

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

Tl*the contact owns a 2005 toyota avalon. the contact stated that when the cruise control activated it surged automatically and then level ed off two gears. the failure gave the impression that the vehicle lost control. while driving in light rain at 50 mph the cruise control caused the vehicle's front wheels to spin. toyota stated that the failure was caused by a programming failure that needed to be repaired. the current mileage is 242,000 , and failure mileage was 3,000.*ak

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.

Toyota avalon 2005. although i have not experienced a sudden power surge or runaway car, i do believe there is a link between the accelerator and the electronics. ever since i have owned the car, brand new, in the twilight hours of driving, the dashboard panel lights will dim and go bright when i step on or let off the gas pedal. i reported this to toyota when i first bought the car, but because it didn't react when the supervisor was in the car with me he couldn't report it or say what the problem was. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2005 toyota avalon. when the contact depresses the brake pedal, the vehicle surges ahead or shifts to another gear. the dealer was unable to diagnose the cause of failure. he has spoken with the avalon division of toyota and they stated that someone will contact him in reference to the failure. the vin and engine size were unknown. the current mileage is 22,500 and failure mileage was 20,000.

Since purchasing the avalon in early june, i have been frustrated with how the car operates between 20 and 40 miles per hour. the car does not always know what gear it needs to shift into. it will frequently race 1000 rpm ahead without any change in speed. then suddenly it will accelerate and the rpm's will drop back to normal rpm. it seems to happen most often in rush traffic when trying to change lanes. the hesitation in acceleration will cause me to lose most of my margin of safety in the process of changing lanes. in this regard, the car is not safe. there is no way to predict when the problem will occur, and therein, lies the safety hazard. it would seem that the last effort by the service department to update my computer programming failed to achieve any level of improvement to my satisfaction with one exception. since the first computer upgrade, i have not experienced the complete loss of gear at high speeds. is this a problem in all 2005 avalons? is toyota aware of the problem and do they have plans to resolve it? serviced on friday, october 21. toyota reset the computer learning back to factory default. technical support in ca explained that there are no current plans to address the issue. once the learning process develops a bad pattern, it must be reset back to factory default and the relearning started over. the problem started all over again and there is no "unlearning" the problem. *jb

Tl* the contact had a 2005 toyota avalon. the contact stated that at the end of a long road , which he takes everyday, there is a tight spot were people slow down to make what is a very tight curve that then goes up hill. the contact tried slow down but the vehicle did not respond. the vehicle started to speed up as the contact tried to slow the vehicle. the vehicle was destroyed when the contact crashed into the large rocks on the side of the road. the contact was traveling at 55 mph. the failure mileage was 46000 miles at the failure and currently had 46000 miles.

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