2006 Toyota Avalon Steering

STEERING COLUMN TELESCOPING LEVER DROPS DURING NORMAL DRIVING. FULLY DOWN (ALTHOUGH NOT VISIBLE THROUGH STEERING COLUMN) WITHIN 2-3 HOURS DRIVING. LEAVES STEERING WHEEL WITH FREE PLAY DURING OPERATION. SAFETY ISSUE. *TR

STEERING VIBRATIONS AND CLICKS WHEN TURNING STEERING WHEEL TO THE RIGHT AT LOW SPEEDS. *TR

STEERING COLUMN IN 2006 AVALON EXHIBITS PULSING RATCHET TYPE VIBRATION AND NOISE. MOST SEVERE WHEN TURNED AT LOWER SPEEDS. *TR

STEERING WHEEL CLUNKS DURING ACCELERATION, BRAKING, AND ROTATING THE STEERING WHEEL FROM SIDE TO SIDE. VEHICLE WAS BROUGHT INTO THE DEALER FOR WHICH THEY INDICATED THAT THE "STEERING INTERMEDIATE SHAFT" HAD FAILED AND SO THEY REPLACED IT. WHILE PICKING UP THE CAR, I HAD ASKED TO EXAMINE THE OLD SHAFT AND NOTED CORROSION AND WEAR ON ONE OF THE SPLINES. THE CAR ONLY HAD 16,500 MILES ON IT. IF THE SPLINES WERE COMPLETELY WORN, THE STEERING OF THE VEHICLE WOULD BE COMPROMISED. THE DEALER INDICATED THAT TOYOTA HAD A FIX TO THIS ALREADY, BUT THERE IS NO RECALL. THIS SHOULD BE A SAFETY RECALL. *TR

(1) HEAVY BRAKING TO AVOID A COLLISION LEADS UP TO THE ONGOING FAILURES (2) FAILURE IS THE FRICTION LOCK FOR THE TELESCOPING STEERING WHEEL SLOWLY RELEASES DURING NORMAL STOP AND GO DRIVING AND AFTER A PERIOD OF TIME, A HEAVY APPLICATION OF THE BRAKES WILL CAUSE THE STEERING WHEEL TO COLLAPSE INWARD RESULTING IN NEAR LOSS OF CONTROL OF THE AUTOMOBILE. (3) THE CAR HAS BEEN TAKEN TO THE DEALER TWICE. THE FIRST TIME THE DEALER COULD NOT DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM AND INDICATED THAT THE DRIVER WAS IMPROPERLY LOCKING THE STEERING WHEEL TELESCOPE LOCK. THE SECOND TIME THE CAR WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER, THE DEALER AGAIN COULD NOT DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM AND AFTER THE OWNER OF THE CAR SHOWED THEM WHAT CAUSES THE LOCK TO COME UNDONE THEY REFUSED TO REPAIR STATING THAT THE PROBLEM IS "YOU ARE DRIVING WITH THE STEERING FULLY TELESCOPED AND EVEN A BRAND NEW AVALON WOULD DO THE SAME THING". THE DEALER SAID "THIS MUST NOT BE THE CAR FOR YOU SINCE YOU MUST DRIVE WITH THE STEERING FULLY EXTENDED". WE HAVE APPROXIMATELY 24,000 MILES. THE PROBLEM FIRST BEGAN APPEARING AT ABOUT 19,000 MILES. *JB