2007 Toyota Avalon Structure

The contact owns a 2007 Toyota Avalon. The contact stated that the dashboard had cracked. The contact stated that the vehicle was garage kept. The contact also stated there were three recalls on the vehicle related to the floorboard and front assembly heater and accelerator that were already repaired. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer but was not diagnosed with a defective dashboard. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 80,000.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2007 TOYOTA AVALON. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE DASHBOARD CRACKED WITHOUT WARNING OR IMPACT. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A LOCAL DEALER (HYANNIS TOYOTA, 1020 IYANNOUGH RD, ROUTE 132, HYANNIS, MA 02601, 508-775-1230) WHERE THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN ANY RECALL. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED AND DID NOT ASSIST. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 37,000.

THE DASHBOARD HAS DEVELOPED SEVERAL CRACKS ALL ACROSS IT. AND THE TAPE BETWEEN THE WINDSHIELD AND DASHBOARD HAS ALSO COME LOOSE AND IS PEELING AWAY FROM THE INTERIOR BASE OF THE GLASS. AT THE TIME I MADE A COMPLAINT TO THE DEALER BUT THEY TOLD ME TO CALL TOYOTA BECAUSE I WOULD HAVE TO PAY FOR FIXING IT MYSELF AS THEY COULD DO NOTHING. *TR

STICKY, CRACKED, AND SHINY DASHBOARD CAUSES GLARE ON WINDSHIELD. *TR

CRACKS IN DASHBOARD STARTED APPEARING. FIRST SMALL, THEN EXTENDING ALL THE WAY ACROSS THE DASH. NOW MULTIPLE CRACKS IN DASH, AIRBAG COVER, GLOVE BOX SURROUND. DASH STARTED GETTING STICKY. I SPOKE TO THE ASSISTANT SERVICE MANAGER WHERE I BOUGHT THE CAR IN OCTOBER 2006. SINCE IT'S OUT OF WARRANTY AND THERE IS NO SERVICE BULLETIN OR RECALL, THEY WON'T HELP. ESTIMATED $2100 TO REPAIR/REPLACE. SAID REPLACEMENT WOULD BE ORIGINAL FACTORY MATERIAL, SO I WOULD EXPECT IT TO BE DEFECTIVE AS WELL. HE SAID THEY SEE AT LEAST 2 CARS A WEEK WITH THIS PROBLEM. CALLED THE MANUFACTURER 800 NUMBER. THEY SAID DUE TO THE EXPENSE, OUT OF WARRANTY, NO SERVICE BULLETIN OR RECALL, THEY WOULD NOT HELP. SAID THE ONLY THING I COULD DO WAS REPORT IT, AND THAT THE MANAGER REVIEWS ALL COMPLAINTS. THIS WAS A $35,000 CAR WHICH NOW HAS 68,000 MILES AND IT HAS LOST THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS IN RESALE VALUE. I'VE HAD CARS LAST 20 YEARS WITHOUT ANY CRACKS IN THE DASH, AND CERTAINLY THE TACKINESS/STICKINESS IS NOT NATURAL. I WORRY THAT IT MIGHT EMIT SOME TOXIC FUMES IN THE SUMMER. *TR

MY 2007 TOYOTA AVALON DASHBOARD BEGAN CRACKING ~ 2 YEARS AGO. MY CAR IS LOW MILEAGE AND HAS ALWAYS BEEN GARAGED KEPT. THE CRACKING HAS GOTTEN PROGRESSIVELY WORSE. THERE ARE NUMEROUS INTERNET COMMENTS ABOUT THIS DEFECT, BUT TOYOTA IS STONEWALLING US CUSTOMERS. I WOULD REQUEST THAT YOU ALL LOOK INTO THIS ISSUE. MELTING AND CRACKED DASHBOARDS IN VARIOUS TOYOTA VEHICLES COULD CAUSE SAFETY ISSUES. FOR BACKGROUND INFO, JUST SEARCH THE WEB. WHEN WE CALLED TO COMPLAIN TO TOYOTA ABOUT THE SAFETY IMPLICATIONS AND REDUCTION IN CAR VALUE, THEY ACTED LIKE WE WERE THE 1ST PEOPLE TO COMPLAIN ABOUT THIS ISSUE. UNLESS YOU ALL ACT, TOYOTA IS JUST GOING TO BLOW US OFF. PLEASE HELP. *TR

THE DASHBOARD ON MY CAR IS CRACKED, PEALING, STICKY, MELTING. I WENT TO WEST KENDAL TOYOTA AND SHOWED THEM THE PROBLEM. THEY CONTACTED THE TOYOTA REPRESENTATIVE [XXX] MIAMI, FLORIDA AND WAS TOLD THAT THEY WOULD DO NOTHING ABOUT IT; THAT IT IS MY PROBLEM. THIS IS A SERIOUS MANUFACTURING DEFECT WHICH MAY BE THE CAUSE OF VERY SERIOUS DAMAGE AND POSSIBLE ACCIDENTS. THEIR ARGUMENT IS THAT THE CAR IS OUT OF WARRANTY AND SO IS NO LONGER THEIR RESPONSIBILITY. THIS IS NONSENSE. THEY MADE THE CAR WITH THIS INHERENT DEFECT (WHICH THEY SEEM TO ACKNOWLEDGE) AND ARE SAYING THEY ARE NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR THE DEFECT THAT THEY ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR CREATING. NEEDLESS TO SAY IT HAS BEEN FRUSTRATING TRYING TO DEAL WITH THEM. THEY BELIEVE THEY ARE SO POWERFUL AND I AM SO HELPLESS THAT THEY NEED DO NOTHING TO REMEDY A PROBLEM THEY CAUSED, THEY RECOGNIZED, AND THAT THEY ARE COMPLETELY UNWILLING TO CORRECT. WITH THEIR POWERFUL ATTORNEYS THEY SEEM TO THINK THEY CAN GET AWAY WITH ANYTHING THEY PLEASE! IS THIS TRUE? INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

DASH JUST STARTED CRACKING AND MELTING FOR NO REASON. THIS CAR IS GARAGE KEPT. IT IS IN PERFECT SHAPE EXCEPT FOR DASHBOARD WHICH WILL ONLY GET WORSE. CONTACTED TOYOTA AND THEY SAID THEY COULD NOT HELP ME SINCE THEIR IS NO RECALL ON THIS VEHICLE. *TR

UNEXPLAINED CRACKS IN A NUMBER OF AREAS OF DASHBOARD, WHICH HAS BEEN POLISHED AND MAINTAINED REGULARLY. HAVE HAD TOYOTA AVALONS BEFORE, 2000, 2005, AND TOYOTA CARS SINCE 1973 (CORONA, CAMRY ETC.) BUT HAVE NEVER EXPERIENCED THIS TYPE DAMAGE. TOLD DEALERSHIP. THEY SAY NOT UNDER WARRANTY. TOLD IT WILL COST $5,00 TO REPAIR DO I HAVE A ANY GROUND? *TR

ON OR ABOUT MAY, 2012, MY WIFE AND I STARTED TO NOTICE SMALL CRACKS ALL OVER THE DASHBOARD! THEN WITHIN A COUPLE OF MONTHS THE ENTRE DASHBOARD LOOKED AS IT WERE MELTING AND I COULDN'T FIGURE OUT WHY SINCE THE CAR HAS BEEN GARAGE KEPT SINCE THE DAY I BOUGHT IT. THEN THE MELTING TURNED INTO A SHEEN, MAKING IT IMPOSSIBLE TO SEE WITHOUT SQUINTING AND WEARING SUN GLASSES AND PUTTING THE SUN VISORS DOWN SO I WAITED A WHILE AND SAW ON THE INTERNET THAT IT WAS A VERY SERIOUS PROBLEM SO ON 9-5-13 I CALLED TOYOTAS HOTLINE AND WAS GIVEN A COMPLAINT NUMBER ([XXX]) AND TOLD THE THEY WOULD NOT DO ANYTHING SINCE THE CAR WAS OUT OF WARRANTY. I EXPLAINED THE IT WAS A SERIOUS SAFETY PROBLEM AND STILL NOTHING! I ALSO WENT TO LIPTON TOYOTA ON 8-20-13 AND SPOKE TO THE SERVICE DIRECTOR, [XXX], AND EXPLAINED THE PROBLEM TO HIM AND HE ALSO TOOK PICTURES TO SHOW TO HIS REPRESENTATIVE. HE CALLED ME BACK A COUPLE OF DAYS LATER AND TOLD ME THAT HIS BOSS WANTED NOTHING TO DO WITH IT BUT THAT HE WOULD SPLIT THE COST WITH ME AND REPLACE THE DASH BOARD FOR $900 OUT OF MY POCKET. I TOLD HIM THAT THE OFFER WAS OUTRAGEOUS, I EXPLAINED THAT IF IT WERE MY FAULT 100% I WOULD PAY THE &1,800, IF IT WERE 50% MY FAULT I WOULD PAY THE $900, BUT SINCE IT WAS TOYOTA'S FAULT 100% THEY SHOULD REPLACE THE DASHBOARD AT THEIR EXPENSE. HE TOLD ME FORGET IT! ([XXX] PHONE # IS 954-735-1330 EXT [XXX]) THE LOCATION OF THE DEALERSHIP IS 1700 W. OAKLAND PARK BLVD. FT. LAUDERDALE, FL. 33311.... INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2007 TOYOTA AVALON. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE FRONT DRIVERS SEAT LEANED TO THE LEFT AND THE HINGE FELL OFF. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHO STATED THAT THE HOUSING FOR THE SEAT BROKE IN FOUR DIFFERENT PLACES. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE WAS NOT REPORTED TO TOYOTA. THE VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 90,000.

AS I WAS WIPING DOWN MY DASHBOARD I NOTICED A FINE HAIRLINE CRACK ABOUT AN INCH LONG. WITHIN A WEEK IT GREW ANOTHER 2 INCHES. NOW APPROXIMATELY TWO MONTHS SINCE I NOTICED THE FIRST CRACK I HAVE ANOTHER CRACK IN A DIFFERENT SPOT. THIS CRACK IS ABOUT AN INCH AND A HALF LONG. BOTH ARE IN THE AREA OF THE AIR BACK. MY CAR IS IN PERFECT CONDITION AS I HAVE ALWAYS DONE THE RECOMMENDED MAINTENANCE AND I KEEP MY CAR PARKED IN A GARAGE AT HOME AND AT WORK. I AM EXTREMELY DISAPPOINTED THAT MY TOP OF THE LINE AVALON IS TURNING TO CRAP! *TR

THE DASHBOARD ON MY 07 TOYOTA AVALON HAS BECOME STICKY, ALL CRACKED UP AND EMITTES A STICKY CHEMICAL THAT CREATES A BLINDING GLARE DURING DAYTIME HRS. ESPECIALLY WHEN ITS SUNNY OUTSIDE! I WENT TO MY LOCAL DEALER AND WITHOUT EVEN LOOKING AT THE CAR HE SAID THAT HIS DEALERSHIP WOULD SPLIT THE COST WITH ME OF ABOUT $800 EACH TO REPLACE THE DASHBOARD. HE SAID THAT TOYOTA HAS BEEN AWARE OF THE PROBLEM FOR SOME TIME BUT REFUSES TO ACKNOLEDGE THAT THE SUBCONTRACT THAT MADE THE DASHBOARDS USED A FAULTY MATERIAL AND SINCE THE WARRANTY HAS EXPIRED, THEY WERE NOT WILLING TO DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT. I BOUGHT THE TOP OF THE LINE AVALON WITH ALL THE BELLS AND WHISTLES NEW, GARAGE KEPT IT, WASHED AND WAXED IT MYSELF AND NOW THIS. I ALWAYS THOUGHT THAT TOYOTA WAS A RELIABLE COMPANY AND WOULD STAND BEHIND THEIR PRODUCTS, BUT FOUND OUT JUST THE OPPOSITE. NOT ONLY THE AVALON BUT THE CAMRY, COROLLA AND THE LEXUS 350 WHICH IS MADE BY TOYOTA. I HAVE SEARCHED THE WEB EXTENSIVELY AND THERE SEEMS TO BE NO 'ONE' ANSWER. SOME DEALERS ARE REPLACING THE DASH, SOME ARE OFFERING TO COVER MATERIALS AND SOME ONLY OFFERING 20% DISCOUNTS. CAN YOU CONTACT ME OR REFER ME TO THE PROPER DEPARTMENT TO SUBMIT A CLAIM FOR A REPLACEMENT. AS THIS IS CLEARLY A TOYOTA 'PRODUCT RELATED' PROBLEM, I WOULD EXPECT THAT TOYOTA WOULD HAVE A RESOLUTION TO FIX/REPLACE THE DASH AS NEEDED! SINCE I'M RETIRED AND ON A FIXED INCOME, PAYING OUT OF POCKET FOR TOYOTAS FAULTY, DANGEROUS MATERIAL IS NOT AN OPTION, I'LL MAKE SURE THAT ANYONE THAT I KNOW, AND WITH ALL THE ASSOCIATIONS THAT I BELONG TO THERE ARE PLENTY OF PEOPLE, KNOW THAT TOYOTA HAS DROPPED THE BALL ON THIS ONE! THIS HAS BECOME A VERY SERIOUS SAFETY HAZARD WITH ALL THE GLARE THAT IT'S CAUSING. TOYOTA HAD BETTER HOPE THAT NEITHER MY WIFE OR I HAVE A SERIOUS CAR ACCIDENT DUE TO THEIR MISHANDELING OF ALL THE COMPLAINTS AND TURNING A DEAF EAR TO THE LOYAL TOYOTA OWNERS! *TR

THE DASHBOARD CRACKED VERY CLOSED TO THE PASSENGER BAG IN THE DRIVER'S SIDE. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2007 TOYOTA AVALON. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THERE WAS A CRACK ON THE DASHBOARD WHERE THE FRONT PASSENGER SIDE AIR BAG WAS HOUSED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR DIAGNOSTICS. THE CONTACT WAS UNAWARE OF THE REPAIRS NECESSARY TO CORRECT THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 58,000.

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2007 TOYOTA AVALON. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THERE IS SPOTS IN THE PAINT ON THE HOOD AND TRUNK OF THE VEHICLE. THE DEALER HAS INSPECTED THE VEHICLE ON FOUR OCCASIONS. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE NOT AVAILABLE.

ON 3/3/07 MY WIFE AND I PURCHASED A NEW 2007 TOYOTA AVALON LIMITED. ON MAY 9 MY WIFE NOTED A NOISE COMING FROM THE FRONT OF THE CAR. SHE TOOK IT TO THE DEALER, WHO STATED THEY FIXED THE CAR, AND SHE PICK THE CAR UP ON MAY 14. THE NEXT DAY, SHE NOTICED THAT THE CAR WAS MAKING THE SAME NOISE AS BEFORE, AND TOOK THE CAR RIGHT BACK TO THE DEALER. THE DEALER HAD THE CAR UNTIL MAY 26. DURING THAT TIME, WELDING WAS PERFORMED ON THE FRAME, WHICH MADE THE NOISE WORSE. THE DEALER ULTIMATELY DECIDED TO GIVE US A 2ND TOYOTA AVALON, WHICH WE PICKED UP ON MAY 26, 2007. IN NOVEMBER 2007, MY WIFE BEGAN TO NOTICE A NOISE COMING FROM THE FRONT OF THE 2ND VEHICLE. IT SOUNDED LIKE THE SAME NOISE FROM THE 1ST VEHICLE. SHE TOOK THE CAR TO THE DEALER ON DECEMBER 13, AND THEY SUPPOSEDLY FIXED THE PROBLEM. WHEN MY WIFE WAS DRIVING HOME, THE NOISE BEGAN AGAIN. THE PROBLEM WAS NOT FIXED. SHE CALLED THE DEALER TO INFORM THEM OF THE PROBLEM. WITH THE HOLIDAYS AND OTHER THINGS COMING UP AT WORK (SHE CANNOT KEEP TAKING TIME OFF TO RUN TO THE DEALER ALL THE TIME), SHE WAS NOT ABLE TO TAKE THE CAR BACK RIGHT AWAY (THERE WAS ONLY AROUND 6300 MILES ON THE CAR). BY THE TIME SHE WAS ABLE TO TAKE THE CAR BACK ON MARCH 24, 2008, THE PROBLEM HAD GOTTEN WORSE. THERE WAS LESS THAN 9000 MILES ON THE CAR. SHE TOOK THE VEHICLE BACK AND THEY DETERMINED THEY NEEDED TO TAKE OUT THE ENGINE AND TRANSMISSION AND HAVE SOME WELDING WORK DONE AROUND THE FIREWALL. AS OF TODAY, APRIL 7, MY WIFE STILL DOES NOT HAVE HER CAR. WE BELIEVE THE PROBLEM FROM BOTH CARS IS THE SAME, AND THERE MAY BE A DEFECT IN THIS CAR. WE FOUND A TSB ON THIS CAR FROM FEB. 2003 (EXTERIOR BULLETIN #122), WHICH REFERS TO ALL TOYOTA/LEXUS, THAT STATES THAT WELDING SHOULD NOT BE DONE ON THE CAR, AND IS NOT APPROVED BY TOYOTA OR LEXUS. WE BELIEVE THIS PROBLEM CAN COMPROMISE THE STRUCTURAL INTEGRITY OF THE CAR, AND WE WILL FEEL CONCERNED FOR OUR SAFETY IF WE GET THIS CAR BACK. THIS IS A PROBLEM THAT WE FEEL NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED. *TR

CAR HAD WATER LEAK THAT WAS IMPROPERLY CORRECTED IN AUG 2007. IN APR 2008 REALLY BAD LEAK SAME PLACE. SOAKED CARPET AND HAS LEFT VERY STRONG MILDEW-MOLDY ODOR IN ALL INTERIOR PARTS, MATS AND TRUNK AREA. DEALER REPLACED CARPET AND DETAILED MATS. CAR STILL SMELLS STRONGLY OF MOLD & MILDEW. DEALER SAYS CAR IS FINE. *TR