Bulletins
| Bulletin | Bulletin date | Replacement Bulletin | Item no. | Summary | Added |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| STEERING | |||||
| ST00901 | 12/21/2001 | ST00500 | 628688 | Subject regarding steering rack end noise. *tt | 03/19/2002 |
| ST00700 | 09/22/2000 | 618291 | Steering angle sensor calibration on certain vehicles with vehicle skid control (vsc) system. *jb | 04/11/2001 | |
| 298 | 12/18/2000 | 614976 | Properly calibrating the steering angle sensor on certain vehicles with vehicle skid control (vsc) system. *tt | 12/18/2000 | |
| STEERING - HYDRAULIC POWER ASSIST SYSTEM | |||||
| 5193B | 09/14/2005 | 10017618 | Steering - power steering gear. repair manual correction. 00400-rm746-u2 - '00 avalon. *tt | 11/14/2005 | |
| STEERING - WHEEL AND HANDLE BAR | |||||
| ST00401 | 10/19/2001 | 627204 | Subject regarding steering column noise. *yd | 02/05/2002 | |
Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| STEERING | |||
| 07/15/2009 | 1 | ||
| 2000 toyota avalon. consumer writes in regards to toyota recall steering column upper bracket *tgw the consumer stated the steering bracket in his vehicle had to be replaced, prior to toyota issuing a recall. the consumer wrote toyota two months later requesting reimbursement. toyota responding by saying the repairs that were done on the consumers vehicle, were not recalled repairs. the consumer stated the recall as well as his invoice stated the steering bracket was the problem. *jb | |||
| 07/03/2008 | 104837 | ||
| On july 3, 2008, my 2000 toyota avalon steering column locked while on vacation in sedona, az. it was towed to the nearest toyota dealership which was in prescott, az. the dealership repair receipt reads: faulty lock pin, removed ignition lock bracket, removed lock pin, reinstalled bracket. needs new lock bracket and break-off bolts. (please refer to the mechanic notes that i needed a new lock bracket and break-off bolts - did toyota know at this time this was a defective problem?) recently i received a safety recall notice for certain 2000 - 2004 toyota avalon steering column upper brackets. i have contacted toyota by mail and phone and they refuse to reimburse me for the expenses i have incurred because of their defective manufacturing. the recall notice describes the recall condition as follows: due to the improper casting of the steering lock bar, which is a component of the steering interlock system, there is a possibility that minute crack may develop on the surface. such a crack may expand over a long period of repeated lock and unlock operations, and eventually the bar could break. it this occurs, the interlock system may become difficult to unlock when stationary. ..... | |||
| 11/12/2010 | 104000 | ||
| Tl-the contact owns a 2000 toyota avalon. the vehicle was included in the recall associated with nhtsa campaign id number 10v345000, steering. he was notified by two authorized dealers that the parts needed to remedy the recall were on back order. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure and current mileages were 104,000. sm. | |||
| 09/14/2010 | 112889 | ||
| Could not put car into park or neutral driver shaft clip totally failed on my toyota 2000 avalone xls new shaft assembly installed westbury toyota would not repair unless i paid a $300 dianogist fee will call to see if part is available | |||
| 11/14/2009 | 114000 | ||
| Tl*the contact owns a 2000 toyota avalon. when the contact was attempted to make a right turn at 5 mph, the steering wheel suddenly locked causing the contact to crash into a vehicle. there were no injuries. a police report was not filed. the vehicle was taken to the dealership where the contact was informed that the steering lock needed to be replaced. there were no prior warnings. the current and failure mileages were 114000. | |||
| 03/03/2008 | 81000 | ||
| Tl* the contact 2000 toyota avalon xls. the steering on the vehicle has a tendancy to lock up on the vehicle. the dealer was able to fix the problem, but they had never heard of this problem. the contact stated that the failure happened when the vehicle was making a right hand turn on a street corner at a 90 degree angle. the failure mileage was 81000 and the current mileage 83100. updated 03/30/10. *lj | |||
| 09/10/2009 | 49500 | 1 | |
| My 2000 toyota avalon steering would randomly lockup when making turns. the pin that locks up the steering wheel for theft protection would activate while driving down the road which in turn would lock the steering up making it impossible to steer the vehicle. my son was driving the car when the steering locked up when he was making a right turn running car into the curb. a week later i was making a left turn and the steering locked causing me to veer into oncoming traffic. luckily there was very little traffic and i avoided a collision. my toyota dealership had no explaination for the problem. the estimate for replacing the part with labor would be about $800.00. i had a mechanic at a local garage just remove the locking device for $200.00 and not replace it. *tr | |||
| 01/13/2010 | 108000 | 2 | |
| Dear sir or madam, i am writing to you because there was an incident with my vehicle while driving on the freeway. my car is a 2000 toyota avalon xs, and the problem i experienced could have been life threatening. i drive about 25 miles to work daily through the freeway and yesterday while driving on the freeway my steering wheel locked itself while the car was on, for about 2 minutes i was unable to go in any other direction other than straight because it had locked itself. after using force to turn the steering wheel it had finally dislodged, it was a scary experience because i had started to drift into the other lane so i slowed down a little. i was fortunate enough for it to be locked in a straightaway instead of a turn. however that was only the first time it had happened, later that night when i was doing errands it had locked up once again, this time outside our house. after trying to budge it for a whole hour it finally unlocked and i immediately took it to our car shop. the owner of the shop, a friend of ours, encouraged us to write to you to prevent this from happening to anyone else. *tr | |||
| 09/30/2009 | 92000 | 1 | |
| While i was turning a 90 degree right hand turn onto a city street at approximately 20 mph, the steering column completely locked up while the car was in motion. not power steering assist failure, but complete lock up. i slammed on the brakes and stopped the car. after turning the ignition off, then back on, the car could again be steered. this had never happened before, and we had bought the car new in 2000. car now has 92,000 miles. the dealer removed the steering column lock at my insistence. no other part was repaired or replaced, according to the dealer. old part is not available. *tr | |||
| 10/10/2009 | 137301 | 1 | |
| Power steering became intermittently effective, with sections of steering wheel turning being hard to turn, and easy to turn. mechanic replaced the lower steering assembly u-joint, and stated that we were lucky that it did not break. the old unit is operable on one axis, whereas it is froze up on the other90 degree axis. *tr | |||
| 08/10/2009 | 121044 | 1 | |
| When making a right turn from southbound eastern ave. to west bound warm springs the steering wheel locked in the turned position causing the car to go over a curb nearly hitting a utility pole. the right front wheel was bent and that tire was destroyed and the front end likely knocked out of alignment. in other circumstances a disastrous crash could easily have occurred. i have a phone call in to a toyota dealer to fix things. *tr | |||
| 06/20/2009 | 130000 | 1 | |
| The steering wheel locks while i'm driving my 2000 toyota avalon. *tr | |||
| 03/08/2009 | 94000 | 1 | |
| I own a 2000 toyota avalon. i purchased the car new and it now has 94,000 miles on it. the car has been regularly serviced and has never been in an accident. recently i have had a problem with the steering wheel locking while i am driving. the first time it happened i was driving approximately 20 mph and was turning right into a parking lot. the wheel locked, i stopped the car and tried turned the wheel right and left to unlock it and it would not unlock. i put the car in reverse backed up a few feet and then pulled forward while trying to turn the steering wheel and then it unlocked. i thought this was a freak occurrence. the same thing happened about one month later during another right hand turn into a parking lot and then again two weeks later while backing out of a parking space. all three times the car has been moving and the engine running. i asked a local repair shop about repairing the vehicle and they have called several toyota dealers and no one has ever heard of this problem. i called toyota customer service and they have no record of this problem. i am now afraid to drive the car! *tr | |||
| 01/17/2009 | 124000 | ||
| Tl*the contact owns a 2000 toyota avalon. while driving 10 mph in rainy weather conditions, the steering wheel locked completely without assistance. the unexpected failure caused steering difficulty and the contact crashed into a parked vehicle on the street. the police was called to the scene and a report was filed. there were no injuries; however, both vehicles sustained minor damages. suddenly, the vehicle began to steer normally and was driven to her residence. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer and they stated that the failure was related to the steering column. the vehicle is currently being repaired. the vin was unknown. the failure and current mileages were 124,000. | |||
| 06/01/2006 | 30000 | 1 | 12/01/1999 |
| Dt*: the contact stated the steering wheel locked up for 20 seconds, while the vehicle was being driven nearly causing an accident. the contact was able to correct the steering by maneuvering the steering wheel. the service dealer was not able to duplicate the issue. | |||
| 06/14/2005 | 0 | 12/23/1999 | |
| I started my 2000 toyota avalon lx and found the steering wheel to be locked. the key easily started the car and i was able to shift easily into any gear, and drive or go forward. but the steering remained locked. i had to have the car towed to the dealer and they replaced the ignition cylnder housing and bracket assy. steering. no explation was given as to why the locking happened. the tow truck driver said he had never seen such a thing in his 20 years of towing cars. | |||
| 06/06/2005 | 88000 | 1 | 02/23/2000 |
| Dt: the consumer was involved in an accident and the air bags did not deploy. there was no indication that the air bags would not deploy. the manufacturer was called and the consumer is waiting for a reply. the dealer had not been contacted yet. *ak the driver sustained bruises to her sternum, abdomen and left side from the seat belt. *nm the cruise control was on when all of a sudden a hail storm hit and instantly changed the road into ice. the consumer swerved from the outer lane across the highway and into the median where the vehicle struck two vehicles. the traction control did not activate and the steering had become inoperative. *sc the traction control was non-existent on all 4 wheels. *jb | |||
| 10/06/1999 | 5 | 10/06/1999 | |
| Problems with consumer getting locked in vehicle as well as brake problems. *mr the problem had been present since the vehicle was purchased. the steering wheel would not turn, neither would the key turn the ignition. the brake problem remained unresolved. on another occasion the consumer tried to slow down to make a turn and the vehicle accelerated uncontrollably. the only way the vehicle wold stop, was to turn the key and the shut the motor off. the vehicle lost power when backing out of a parking space, the ignition problem was intermittent and the brake problem was intermittent. *sc *jb | |||
| 01/01/1901 | 1 | ||
| 2000 toyota avalon xls steering wheel vibrations. nar 07/10/2003.*mr the consumers vehicle pulled to the left and the steering wheel vibrated and became stiff on frequent occasions. please take immediate action in resolving matters. *cb the dealer rotated and balanced the tires, and performed several alignments, but the problem continued. *jb | |||
| STEERING - COLUMN | |||
| 12/19/2006 | 2 | ||
| While car parked steering locked would not release, later the same evening steering locked while car was being driven, causing no steering ability, almost crashed into fence. car taken to dealer needs steering column replaced, at my expense. i can have old part as soon as i receive car back from dealer. *nm | |||
| STEERING - COLUMN LOCKING - ANTI-THEFT DEVICE | |||
| 06/26/2007 | 99682 | 1 | 06/22/2000 |
| My wife was driving our originally purchased 2000 toyota avalon which has never been in an accident and has routinely been serviced by toyota dealer. upon leaving a street parking location and pulling away from the curb the steering wheel locked forcing the vehicle to proceed in the frozen direction into the lane of oncoming traffic. luckily all oncoming traffic was avoided and no one was injured. she had just come off the freeway with grandchildren in the car and had just dropped them off. she stopped the vehicle in a relative safe position, angled into the lane of traffic and awaited a tow from aaa to our toyota dealer in el cajon. there was no advance warning of this condition. the dealer dismantled the steering column and found the locking mechanism failed and slipped into the locked position. they repaired the vehicle at a cost of $581. it could have been catastrophic! *tr | |||
| STEERING - HYDRAULIC POWER ASSIST SYSTEM | |||
| 02/09/2007 | 22000 | 1 | 12/08/2004 |
| Tl* - the contact owns a 2004 gmc envoy xuv. the contact purchased the vehicle in 12/04, and had a warranty for 3 years. the contact stated that in december 2006 the vehicle was in a rear end crash. the contact took the vehicle to be repaired in december 2006, and the repairs have not been made to date because of unavailable parts. the contact wanted the vehicle to be either repaired or repurchased. an agreement was reached with the manufacturer to repurchase the vehicle. the contact and manufacturer were supposed to go to settlement on february 9, 2007, and the manufacturer has not responded to the contact since he signed the settlement agreement and faxed it back to them on february 5, 2007. the contact stated that gmcwas not in compliancewith the agreement by not having the parts to repair the vehicle. the bodyshop wont release the vehicle because it waw part of a safety issue, and they were waiting on the parts to complete the repair. the current and failure milage were 22000.*ak | |||
| 06/01/2000 | 1 | 12/06/1999 | |
| Power steering prematurely stiffens, and consumer can feel grabbing at the front end for a short time. steering wheel will vibrate at speeds 50 and over. dealer says abs could be the cause.*ak | |||
| 1 | 10/30/1999 | ||
| Consumer was driving at 60-65 mph , steered to right to avoid rage road and then made a sharp left ,lost control of vehicle , and hit a concrete bridge head-on, and then rolled over 5 times. dual airbags did not deploy. there was no warning of airbags being inoperative.*ak *jb consumer states side air bags did not deploy when vehicle rolled over. *jb | |||
| STEERING - WHEEL AND HANDLE BAR | |||
| 01/01/1901 | 1 | ||
| Problems with steering wheel vibrations on 2000 toyota avalon xls.*mr *cb | |||
| 05/13/2000 | 01/01/2000 | ||
| Steering wheel installed 30-45 degrees off center. after correcting/alignment car exhibited extreme pull to left. 3 plus further attempts do not cure pull to left. pulling contributed to accident 5/13/2000. requested arbitration, unsatisfied. currently suing under federal magnuson-moss warranty act and ohio lemon law. dash lights also annoyingly reflect in windshield in direct line of sight. *ak | |||