2008 Toyota Avalon Exterior Lighting

DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD AND THE HEADLIGHTS GO OUT. *TR

HAVE HAD INTERMITTENT PROBLEMS WITH HEADLIGHTS GOING OFF. THE LAST INCIDENT THAT OCCURRED WAS WHILE DRIVING ONE NIGHT AT AROUND 70 MPH.. ALL LIGHTS WENT OFF! WE WERE ABLE TO SAFELY PULL OVER AND TURN LIGHTS TO OFF AND THEN BACK TO ON. WERE ABLE TO GET LOW BEAMS BACK ON BUT NOT THE HIGH BEAMS. LATER DISCOVERED AT THE DEALERSHIP THAT BOTH HIGH BEAM BULBS HAD EXPLODED. WE HAVE BEEN TOLD BY DEALERSHIP AND AN INSURANCE ADJUSTER THAT THIS IS A DESIGN PROBLEM WITH OUR MODEL/YEAR OF CAR WHICH IS A 2008 AVALON. STILL FEARFUL THAT WE COULD HAVE SIMILAR ISSUES WITH THE LOW BEAMS. THIS IS AN URGENT SAFETY ISSUE! IN ADDITION, WE HAVE BEEN TOLD THAT THE COST TO REPLACE THE HEADLIGHT ASSEMBLIES WOULD RUN AROUND $2500.00! WE ARE LUCKY THAT WE ARE UNDER EXTENDED WARRANTY. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 TOYOTA AVALON. THE CONTACT STATED THAT ALL OF THE EXTERIOR LIGHTING FAILED AND SHE WAS UNABLE TO SEE WHILE DRIVING AT NIGHT. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHERE THE VEHICLE WAS INSPECTED AND THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THERE WAS A MALFUNCTION WITH THE LIGHT BULB AND WHEN THE LIGHTS BECAME HOT, THEY WOULD CRACK THE HEAD LAMP. THE MANUFACTURER WAS AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 94,000. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS UNKNOWN. THE VIN WAS UNAVAILABLE.

HIGH BEAM LIGHTS STOPPED WORKING SUDDENLY. INDICATOR ON THE DASH SHOWS THEY ARE ON BUT THE LIGHT BULBS DO NOT TURN ON. CHECKED EDMUNDS AND OTHER AUTO WEB SITES AND SEE THIS IS A PROBLEM WITH MANY 2008 MODELS - VERY EXPENSIVE ($131 EACH)LIGHT BULBS BURN OUT WITHIN A YEAR AND DESIGN HAS BEEN MODIFIED ON 2009 MODEL. TOYOTA ADMITS IT HAS A PROBLEM BUT IS NOT REPLACING ANYTHING AFTER 36,000 MILES OR 3 YEARS. SEEMS THE ONES REPORTED ARE GOING OUT AT ABOUT OUR MILEAGE. TSA HAS REPORTED IT AS TSA ODI #TSB-0044-10. COST TO REPLACE HAS BEEN QUOTED AS HIGH AS $3,000. MY CONCERN IS THAT THE ENTIRE LIGHTING SYSTEM COULD GO OUT WHEN I AM DRIVING AT NIGHT ON THE INTERSTATE AT 70 MPH. ANOTHER CONCERN IS THAT DRIVING THE SPEED LIMIT WITH LOW BEAMS IS DANGEROUS HERE WHERE THERE ARE DEER THAT GET ON THE ROAD. WHY DOES TOYOTA EXPECT CONSUMERS TO PAY FOR THEIR DESIGN MISTAKE THAT CREATES THE POTENTIAL DEATH FOR THEIR CUSTOMERS?

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 TOYOTA AVALON. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLES HIGH INTENSITY LIGHT BULB WORKED INTERMITTENTLY AND WOULD SHUT OFF RANDOMLY. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED TOYOTA DEALER WHO REPLACED THE RIGHT SIDE HID LIGHT TWICE AND THE LEFT SIDE ONCE; HOWEVER, THE LIGHTS CONTINUED TO SHUT OFF. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 60,032. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 58,000. UPDATED 06/0611 *BF UPDATED 06/10/11

VEHICLE IS 2008 TOYOTA AVALON LIMITED. BOTH HID HEADLIGHT BULBS GO OUT AND COME ON INTERMITTENTLY WITHOUT ANY PATTERN AS TO WHEN THEY WILL GO OUT. THE DEALER SAID THIS IS A KNOWN PROBLEM WITH THIS MAKE AND MODEL AND WITH SOME PRIUS MODELS. SINCE THIS IS A KNOWN PROBLEM THE DEALER SAID THE BULB HAD BEEN REDUCED TO "ONLY" $140.00 AND THEY COULD PUT ONE BULB IN FOR ABOUT $350.00. ASIDE FROM THE OUTRAGEOUS PRICE FOR A HEADLIGHT BULB, THIS IS A KNOWN DEFECT THAT MANY PEOPLE HAVE EXPERIENCED AND ONE THAT RECURS AFTER THE REPAIR. IT IS CLEARLY THE ASSEMBLY THAT IS DEFECTIVE. THE DANGER IN YOUR HEADLIGHTS GOING OUT UNEXPECTEDLY AND REGULARLY IS OBVIOUS. THE DEALER SAID IT COULDN'T HELP, BECAUSE THIS WAS NOT COVERED BY THE WARRANTY. I WROTE TO TOYOTA. THEY GAVE ME A REPORT OR INCIDENT NUMBER, BUT AFTER MANY MONTHS HAVE OFFERED NO RELIEF. BASED UPON THE NUMBER OF COMPLAINTS THAT I SEE FOR THIS SAME ISSUE,I FEEL THAT TOYOTA SHOULD BEAR RESPONSIBILITY FOR THIS DEFECT. *TR

THE HIGH BEAM BULBS ON BOTH SIDES HAVE FAILED THREE TIMES. ONE BULB HAD EXPLODED. TOYOTA STATES THEY HAVE RECORD OF ANY PROBLEMS WITH THIS TYPE OF FAILURE. THIS OBVIOUS SAFETY ISSUE SHOULD BE CORRECTED BY TOYOTA.

I OWN A 2008 TOYOTA AVALON WITH HID HEADLIGHTS. I WAS ON A VACATION WITH MY WIFE AND 2 MONTH OLD DRIVING AT NIGHT IN A STORM WHEN I DECIDED TO USE MY HIGH BEAMS. THIS WAS APPROXIMATELY MARCH 25TH 2010, WHILE DRIVING THE HIGH BEAM BULBS EXPLODED. THERE IS A TSB ON THE HEADLIGHTS BEING DESIGNED DEFECTIVE. WHEN THE HIGH BEAMS EXPLODED IT RUINED THE INTEGRITY OF THE LOW BEAMS. WHEN I CAME TO A STOP BOTH LOW BEAMS SHUT OFF. I TURNED THE LIGHTS OFF AND THEN BACK ON AND THEY CAME BACK ON BUT ANYTIME I SIT FOR A MINUTE OR SO THEY TURN BACK OFF. I BROUGHT IT TO THE DEALERSHIP AND CALLED TOYOTA AND THEY BOTH TOLD ME SINCE I WASN'T IN BUMPER TO BUMPER WARRANTY ANY MORE THAT IT WOULD COST ME $1,088.00 A SIDE FOR PARTS PLUS LABOR TO INSTALL THEM. I WAS ALSO TOLD TO FIX THE LOW BEAM PROBLEM I WOULD HAVE TO BUY NEW BULBS AT $175.00 A PIECE. I WAS TOLD IT WAS NOT A SAFETY ISSUE SO THEY DID NOT HAVE TO ISSUE A RECALL, AND THAT THERE ISN'T EVEN ANYTHING ON FILE ABOUT THEM LOOKING INTO IT. HOW IS YOUR HEADLIGHTS SHUTTING OFF NOT A SAFETY ISSUE? WHY SHOULD I HAVE TO PAY TO GET HEADLIGHTS THAT AREN'T DEFECTIVE. I UNDERSTAND IF THEY WERE CRACKED OR DAMAGED IN SOME WAY BUT A DESIGN DEFECT??? PLEASE LOOK INTO THIS. I ONLY HAD 48K MILES ON THE CAR AT THE TIME. I DROVE THE CAR THE 1400 MILES BACK TO MY HOME AND IT HAS BEEN PARKED SINCE BUT ON THE DRIVE THE HEADLIGHTS STARTED CUTTING OUT WHILE DRIVING. *TR

THE PASSENGER SIDE HEADLIGHT OF MY 2008 TOYOTA AVALON LIMITED DIMMED FOR 3 DAYS AND THEN WENT OUT. THE VEHICLE WAS STILL UNDER WARRANTY AND THE DEALER REPLACED AT NO CHARGE. 4,000 MILES LATER (OUT OF WARRANTY) THE DRIVER SIDE HEADLIGHT DIMMED FOR 2 DAYS AND NOW IT IS OUT. DURING EACH INSTANCE, I WAS ABLE TO TURN THE HEADLIGHTS OFF AND ON AND EACH TIME THE HEADLIGHT WOULD WORK PROPERLY BUT AFTER A FEW MINUTES, THE HEADLIGHT WOULD DIM AND THEN GO OUT COMPLETELY. *TR

HIGH BEAM EXTERIOR LAMP LIGHTING FAILURE. AUTO REPAIR SHOP STATED THAT BULBS WERE SHATTERED INSIDE OF HEAD LIGHT ASSEMBLY AND REPLACED THE BULBS. HIGH BEAM BULBS FAILED AGAIN AFTER 9 MONTHS. TOYOTA STATES THAT BOTH HEAD LIGHT ASSEMBLIES MUST BE REPLACED AT $1088 EA TO PREVENT HIGH BEAM BULBS FROM SHATTERING IN THE FUTURE. *TR

I PURCHASED MY 2008 AVALON TOURING IN FEBRUARY 2008 WITHIN TWO YEARS OF OWNING, I NOTICED THAT MY HIGH-BEAM NO LONGER WERE WORKING. I TOOK INTO THE DEALERSHIP TO HAVE CHECKED, THEY INDICATED THE HIGH-BEAM BULBS HAD BURNED OUT. WHEN INQUIRING WHY THEY WOULD BOTH BURN-OUT IN SUCH A SHORT PERIOD OF OWNING THE VEHICLE THE SERVICE TECHNICIAN INDICATED THE HIGH BEAM BULB ALSO WORKS AS YOUR DAY RUNNING LIGHTS, THEY QUOTED A FIGURE OF OVER $160 FOR THE BULBS AND ANOTHER $180 TO COMPLETE THE WORK. I PURCHASED THE BULBS AND PUT THEM IN MYSELF. UPON INSPECTING THE BULBS ON REMOVAL, BOTH HAD COMPLETED EXPLODED WHEN THE WENT BAD. KEEPING FINGERS CROSSED THAT THIS WILL BE THE LAST TO TIME TO REPLACE. OVER THE PAST COUPLE WEEKS I NOTICED THAT THE LOW-BEAM LIGHT ON THE PASSENGER SIDE SEEMED TO BE SHUTTING DOWN PERIODICALLY. AFTER RESEARCHING ON THE INTERNET, I FOUND THAT IT APPEARS TO BE AN ONGOING ISSUE WITH OTHERS. ALL INDICATIONS WERE THE ONLY WAY TO CORRECT IS REPLACING THE BULB. ONCE AGAIN OUT OF POCKET FOR OVER A $150. WAS ABLE TO REPLACE MYSELF. READ A FORUMS WHERE PEOPLE INDICATED THEY HAD TO PULL THEIR ENTIRE BUMPER OFF TO REPLACE. NOT THE CASE. THERE IS A SAFETY CLIP THAT HOLDS THE BULB IN PLACE, AND IT TAKES ALITTLE WORK TO GET IT OFF THE FIRST TIME, BUT NOT THAT DIFFICULT ONCE YOU'VE DONE. SCHEDULE TO TAKE MY CAR IN FOR AN OIL CHANGE THIS WEEK, AND I PLAN TO INQUIRE AT THE DEALERSHIP AS TO THE NUMBER OF COMPLAINTS THAT I'VE NOTICED ON THE WEB WITH THEIR HEADLIGHTS ASSOCIATED WITH THE 2008 AVALON. *TR

HIGH BEAMS STOPPED WORKING WHILE DRIVING AT NIGHT. FUSES ARE FINE. NOTHING DONE TO CORRECT THE PROBLEM AND BASED ON THE COST IN OTHER COMPLAINTS, IT MAY BE AWHILE. HAVE EMAILED LOCAL TOYOTA ASKING IT THIS WAS COMMON WITH 2008 AVALON BUT HAVE NOT RECEIVED A REPLY. *TR

I JUST HEARD ON THE RADIO THIS MORNING THERE IS A RECALL ON THE HEADLAMP'S INTERMITTENTLY WORKING/NOT WORKING ON THE PRIUS. PLEASE ADD THE 2008 TOYOTA AVALON TO THIS RECALL. ON DECEMBER 24,2010, AS MY WIFE AND I WERE LEAVING MY DAUGHTER AND SON IN-LAW'S HOUSE AT APPROX. 8:30 P.M., I USED MY REMOTE START AND STARTED MY CAR. MY SON-IN-LAW LOOKED OUTSIDE AND SAID, 'YOU HAVE A HEADLIGHT OUT'. IT WAS THE RIGHT FRONT HEADLAMP. I GOT IN THE CAR AND TURNED THE LIGHT SWITCH OFF AND TURNED IT BACK ON TO 'AUTO' AND BOTH HEADLIGHTS CAME ON ONCE AGAIN. HOWEVER, I HAD TO TURN THEM OFF AND TURN THEM BACK ON TO GET THEM BOTH WORKING. ON JANUARY 16, 2011, MY WIFE, MOTHER-IN-LAW AND MYSELF WERE LEAVING A RESTAURANT. I AGAIN USED MY REMOTE START AND STARTED THE CAR. I WALKED PAST THE FRONT OF THE CAR ON MY WAY TO THE DRIVER'S DOOR AND WOULD HAVE NOTICED A LIGHT OUT BUT I DID NOT. APPROXIMATELY 1 MILE DOWN THE ROAD FROM THE RESTAURANT, WE ENTERED A DARK AREA AND WE NOTICED WE COULD HARDLY SEE THE ROAD. I SAID TO MY WIFE, I THINK I HAVE A HEADLIGHT OUT? I AGAIN TURNED THE HEADLIGHTS OFF AND BACK ON TO THE AUTO POSITION AND THEY BOTH CAME ON ALLOWING US TO SEE THE ROAD AGAIN. THIS TIME IT WAS THE LEFT FRONT HEADLAMP THAT WENT OUT. AGAIN, PLEASE ADD THE 2008 TOYOTA AVALON TO THE RECALL LIST ABOVE. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 TOYOTA AVALON. THE CONTACT WAS DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 55 MPH WHEN THE HEADLIGHTS FAILED. THE CONTACT ENGAGED THE SWITCH SEVERAL TIMES BEFORE THE HEADLIGHTS RE-ILLUMINATED. THE FAILURE OCCURRED INTERMITTENTLY. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHERE THE TECHNICIAN STATED THAT THE FRONT LIGHT UNIT WOULD NEED TO BE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT CONTACTED IN REGARDS TO THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 53,925.

HEADLIGHT TRANSFORMER IS NOT WORKING, TOOK TO DEALER AND THEY TOLD ME IT WOULD COST ME 2,096 TO FIX IT. *TR

RIGHT SIDE HEADLIGHT STOPPING WORKING WHILE DRIVING AT NIGHT, TURNED LIGHT SWITCH OFF AND BACK ON AND HEADLIGHT WORKED, HAS HAPPENED NUMEROUS TIMES WITHOUT WARNING, WORRIED IT WILL HAPPEN TO BOTH HEADLIGHTS AT THE SAME TIME WHILE DRIVING AT NIGHT. *TR

HIGH BEAM HEADLIGHTS FAILED- ARE TOTALLY INOPERATIVE. FUSES CHECKED OK. THIS IS A KNOWN PROBLEM WITH TOYOTA AVALON MODELS USING HID HEADLIGHTS. IN MANY CASES, LOW BEAMS WILL ALSO FAIL SOON. REPAIR IS EXPENSIVE, AND DOES NOT CORRECT THE DESIGN PROBLEM. *KB

HID HEADLIGHTS ON TOYOTA AVALON TOURING INTERMITTENTLY GO OUT. YOU HAVE TO RESET THEM BY TURNING OFF YOUR HEADLIGHTS. THIS IS SCARY WHEN YOU ARE DRIVING AT ANY SPEED BUT AT HIGHWAY SPEED IS DOWNRIGHT RIDICULOUS. IT HAS HAPPENED OVER AND OVER. IF YOU DO RESEARCH ONLINE YOU WILL FIND THAT THIS IS A PROBLEM WITH BOTH THE TOURING AND THE LIMITED (THE AVALON VERSIONS WITH HID HEADLIGHTS) AND NOT THE XL OR XLS VERSIONS WITH HALOGENS. THIS IS A HEADLIGHT SYSTEM PROBLEM ($2500 AT DEALER) NOT A BULB PROBLEM! EVERYONE IS HAVING THIS PROBLEM WITH THESE MODELS OF THE AVALON. NHTSA PLEASE FACTOR THIS IN TO YOUR RESEARCH IF YOU ARE DOING A % OF COMPLAINTS TO CAR MODELS BUILT NOT TO FACTOR IN THE AVALONS BUILT WITH HALOGENS. THIS PROBLEM IS ABUNDANT ONLINE AND SOME SIMPLE RESEARCH WILL LET YOU SEE THAT TOYOTA HAS A SERIOUS SAFETY CONCERN ON THEIR HANDS. I KNOW THEY HAD A RECALL ON THE PRIUS FOR THE SAME ISSUE. YES I HAVE 2 KIDS IN THE BACK SEAT IN CAR SEATS. PLEASE KEEP THEM SAFE AND MAKE TOYOTA FIX THIS ISSUE BEFORE I AM CHECKING THE DEATHS BOX ON THE ABOVE FORM! THANK YOU! *TR

2008 TOYOTA AVALON LIMITED, 40,000 MILES. BOTH HIGH BEAM HEADLAMPS BROKE. DEALER KNOWS IT'S A MANUFACTURER DESIGN PROBLEM DUE TO OVERHEATING. REPLACEMENT COST FOR BOTH HEADLIGHT ASSEMBLIES IS MORE THAN $2,000. MANUFACTURER HAS BEEN CONTACTED AND WILL NOT COVER COST. *TR

HEADLIGHTS TURN OFF, INTERMITTENTLY. I WENT TO MY GREEN TOYOTA IN LEXINGTON KY FRIDAY JANUARY 29, 2011 AND THEY DIDN'T FIX THE PROBLEM, THEY SAID THEY COULDN'T DUPLICATE IT. NOW I HAVE DONE RESEARCH AND FOUND THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH TOYOTAS. THE NEXT EVENING (TONIGHT) I HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM, DRIVING AND THE LEFT LIGHT WENT OUT. SOMETIMES IT IS THE RIGHT. WHEN I TURN OFF THE SWITCH AND THEN ON AGAIN THEY RESUME OPERATION...FOR AN UNPREDICTABLE TIME. *TR

HAVE BEEN REPORTED AND STILL NO RECALL. PLEASE HOLD TOYOTA ACCOUNTABLE TO CORRECT THIS PROBLEM BEFORE PEOPLE ARE KILLED OVER IT!! *LN

2008 TOYOTA AVALON. CONSUMER STATES PROBLEM WITH HIGH BEAM LIGHTS *TGW THE CONSUMER STATED AS HE WAS DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD USING THE HIGH BEAM LIGHTS, THEY ALL OF A SUDDEN STOPPED WORKING. AN INSPECTION REVEALED THE HIGH BEAM LIGHTS HAD BURNED OUT. THE DEALER INFORMED THE CONSUMER THE REPLACEMENT COST WAS $1300 PER HIGH BEAM LIGHT. *JB

WE HAVE A 2008 TOYOTA AVALON LIMITED. COMING HOME AT DARK, PULLED INTO NEIGHBORS DRIVEWAY, HEARD A "POP" NOISE. DIDN'T NOTICE ANYTHING DIFFERENT AT THE TIME. THREE OR SO MINUTES LATER, PULLING INTO OUR OWN DRIVEWAY JUST DOWN FROM THE NEIGHBORS, HEARD ANOTHER "POP" AND THIS TIME NOTICED THE EXTERIOR LIGHTS HAD CHANGED. NOW HIGH BEAM/DRL BULB IS INOPERATIVE OR PERHAPS HAS SHATTERED. WE ARE LEFT WITH ONLY LOW BEAM LIGHTS. *TR

OWNER OF 2008 TOYOTA AVALON. TWO WEEKS AGO THE LEFT HIGH BEAM HEADLIGHT WENT OUT (SHATTERED), HAD THAT REPLACED AND THIS WEEK BOTH HIGH BEAMS WENT OUT AT THE SAME TIME. BOTH HIGH BEAM LIGHTS WERE SHATTERED WITHIN THE HOUSING AREA. WENT TO LOCAL DEALERSHIP AND ADVISED OF THE $2,000 PLUS COST SINCE VEHICLE IF OUT OF WARRANTY WITH 76,000 MILES. LUCKILY, WE HAVE NOT HAD THE TOTAL LIGHT FAILURE SITUATION. THIS IS A SEVERE SAFETY CONCERN AND SHOULD BE CORRECTED AT TOYOTA EXPENSE. *TR

SEVERAL HEADLIGHT FAILURES. FIRST ABOUT 2 MONTHS AGO, THE DRIVER'S SIDE HEADLIGHT WOULD GO OFF INTERMITTENTLY, AND COME BACK ON AGAIN. THEN ABOUT A MONTH LATER THE HIGH BEAMS QUIT WORKING. THEN 2 NIGHTS AGO, ON A DARK 2 LANE ROAD, WITH HEAVY RAIN FALLING, THE HEADLIGHTS WENT OUT ALTOGETHER. I IMMEDIATELY TURNED ON THE FLASHERS AND CONTINUED DRIVING SLOWLY AS I WAS ALMOST HOME. WHEN I GOT HOME, I FOUND I COULD TURN THE LIGHTS OFF AND BACK ON, AND THE LOW BEAMS WORKED FINE. THE HIGH BEAMS STILL DO NOT WORK. HAVE NOT TAKEN CAR TO DEALER. IN MY 5 YEARS OF DRIVING VARIOUS MAKES OF CARS, I HAVE NEVER HAD THIS PROBLEM. MAY BE MY LAST TOYOTA. I FOUND THIS WEBSITE AND FOUND MANY PEOPLE WITH THE SAME PROBLEM. PROBABLY FOR EACH PROBLEM REPORTED HERE, THERE ARE MAYBE 20-30 NOT REPORTED. SEEMS TO BE A SAFETY RECALL ISSUE TO ME. *KB