Bulletins


BulletinBulletin dateReplacement BulletinItem no.SummaryAdded
EQUIPMENT - ELECTRICAL
EL0109812/11/1998603192Trip vehicles built before 4t1bf18b through wu231096 have a design change to the trip meter reset. *yc02/08/1999
EQUIPMENT - ELECTRICAL - AIR CONDITIONER
AC0059912/03/1999610043Information introducing a production change make for the air conditioner amplifier. *tt04/14/2000
AC0059912/09/19996088663Subject regarding auto a/c system improvement. *tt12/29/1999
AC0059911/05/1999609180Information on system improvement for auto a/c amplifier. *tt12/23/1999
EQUIPMENT - MECHANICAL - WRECKER AND WHEEL LIFT DEVICES
AX0049903/19/1999604667Subject regarding toyota dinghy towing guide. *tt05/07/1999

Consumer Complaints


Fail datemilesoccurencesPurchase date
EQUIPMENT
06/09/20058700001/25/2001
 The ac cuts out intermittently; sometimes it will restart after the car has been sitting a while. in addition to causing discomfort, this also is potentially dangerous since the front windshield will not defog. i took the vehicle to a toyota dealer and was told that there is a tsb for this problem (ac00599) but there is no recall. the repair cost me over $1,000. there are several other complaint for this known problem and i feel that toyota should reimburse me for my expenses. the dealer told me toyota would not, however.
06/12/2003670001005/27/2001
 The entire heating and air conditioning system went off while i was driving. the system fan remained off no matter what settings i chose. after not running the car for a while, the system would work again, only then to shut itself off within a time period of seconds to as much as a whole day. i had the problem repaired by my local toyota dealer, who charged me approximately $1500. though the cost of repair was very high, i did not have a choice but to have it repaired, since i could not use the car in that unsafe and unsatisfactory condition. the dealer told me that toyota limited any financial support to that repair to 36,000 miles or less. my car has 67,000 miles on it, so no support was given. *nlm
EQUIPMENT ADAPTIVE
09/26/20091200001
 Retaining hook on driver side floormat has broken off causing floormat to move forward towards brake and gas petals. foot gets caught on mat and blocks petals. have not attempted to repair as not able to locate area under rug to secure hook. *tr
EQUIPMENT - ELECTRICAL - AIR CONDITIONER
08/27/2004440001
 Air conditioner heater blower, failed to work intermittently. dealership was notified, but did not resolve the problem. *ak
07/23/200349000101/19/2001
 At 49,000 miles, the entire air conditioning system failed. both the compressor and the condensor have leaks and the whole system must be replaced. toyota has failed to offer any goodwill assistance for this repair which costs in excess of $ 1200.00 simply claiming its out of warranty. all this is a luxury, flagship vehicle. don't buy this car! toyota customer service stinks!! they are alot of talk about reputation but they fail to live up to their promises!! i am very dissatisfied with this car! additionally, my mechanic has told me that he has several avalons with this same problem which he will be repairing. toyota fails to accept it is a manufacturing defect in their air conditioning parts!*ak
06/17/200220000111/15/1998
 A/c climate control shuts itself off automatically after a short period usage. the outside temperatur eindicator,fan speed,ventilation direction, and outside air recirculation controls all go out. almost gotten into an accident when the windshield a/c defrost did not work due to this problem. still under the milage warranty(>36000), and went to toyota dealer and was quoated $900 to get this problem fixed. will contact toyota customer service next. *ak
06/17/200220000111/15/1998
 A/c climate control shuts itself off automatically after a short period usage. the outside temp.indicator,fan speed,ventilation direction, and outside air recirculation controls all go out. almost gotten into an accident when the windshield a/c defrost did not work due to this problem. still under the milage warranty(>36000), and went to toyota dealer and was quoated $900 to get this problem fixed. will contact toyota customer service next. *ak
07/27/20021510/01/2099
 The air-conditioning fans go out at random, which means that de-fogging/de-frosting are impossible. this is apparently a problem well-known to toyota and they quote $850-1000 to repair what seems to be a manufacturing defect. it's hard to understand why toyota is not made to take responsibility for this.*ak
05/17/200106/01/1998
 The entire automatic climate control system (heating & ac) cuts out arbitrarily. it restarts after the car has been sitting idle for some time. this has caused several problems as the front windshield will not defog and vision through the windshield is impaired. this compromises my vision and has put me in danger several times. when contacted dealer, they mentioned that there is no recall on this dangerous problem and that the repair will cost ~$1,000. this is a serious hazard.*ak
10/20/200010012/01/1998
 Automatic temperature control fails to maintain vehicle temperature. temperature swings +/- 5 degrees. frequent driver action required to adjust/moderate temperature. selling dealer unable to duplicate the problem. alternate toyota dealer diagnosed problem, but will not honor the extended warranty sold to me by the selling dealer (approximately $1000 of repairs required).
07/01/20012005/01/2001
 The automatic air conditioner and the ambient temperature failed. there blower motor does not work. contacted toyota who informed me that there is a tsb which essentially admits that there was a faulty servo installed in this car but toyota will not pay for a repair of a problem that was a direct result of their poor quality control. they have quoted this repair to be at about one thousand dollars to correct their problem.
01/15/19992510/01/1997
 This system malfunction is a serious harzard. when the electronic temperature control system fails, the defroster also fails. the loss of defroster has put me in jeopardy many times during poor weather. because i don't know when the failure will occur, and only own one car, i can't choose not to drive when the poor weather conditions occur.
 Intermittently air conditioner would go dead, and dashboard temperature gauge would flash on /off. dealer has been informed. please provide further information. *ak
05/06/199904/01/1998
 Toxic substance via ventilation ducts causing drowsiness and numerous other potentially fatal health related symptoms. a/c system independently switches from fresh air to recirculated air which may contribute to the problem.
07/16/1999311/01/1997
 No summary
07/20/1998102/20/1998
 A/c system blower motor failed. yh
06/06/199925
 While vehicle is underway, automatic climate control system arbitrarily cuts off and cannot be restarted automatically or manually. this leaves the vehicle without a/c, fan ventilation or front window defogging capability. the absence of defogging, in particular, is a safety hazard because window can fog up quickly on hot, humid rainy days and severely compromise driver visibility.
EQUIPMENT - ELECTRICAL - RADIO/TAPE DECK/CD ETC.
08/12/1998207/01/1998
 Radio reception is poor, resulting in radion fading in and out. *ak