2009 Toyota Avalon owner complaints

The steering wheel on my 2009 avalon limited automobile collapses while driving with no apparent reason. My vehicle is equipped with an adjustable telescoping steering wheel which one can adjust for comfort & then lock into its set position. A lever below the steering column on the left side is made to lock such position. In many cases the locking lever dis-engages suddenly cause the steering wheel to collapse while one is driving. I have taken the vehicle to my dealer but to this date, they have not duplicated the same issue. My occurrences have been sporadic; however, it should be a major concern of any driver when they looses control of a major steering ability of any vehicle. *tr

Telescopic steering wheel lock fails while driving and steering wheel collapses. Took to Toyota of temecula valley and they said there is no known problem and no tsb. I looked on line there is a tsb for this. This failure of this dealership puts my family's safety at risk. *tr

Steering placement lock came loose while driving and steering column dropped to lowest level. This has happened 3 other times in city traffic. Trying to tighten the steering placement friction lock only seems to hold temporarily. *tr

The telescopic steering column adjustment lever will not stay secure and comes loose frequently while driving allowing the steering column to collapse in or pull out. This is a safety concern I reported to my Toyota dealer (gilroy Toyota - gilroy, ca) in july of 2019 when taking the car in to have the ac blower motor repaired and asking for a solution. After multiple calls I finally gave up. Now I'm back talking to the dealer regarding a recall on my 2018 highlander and asking them again about a fix for my steering column. They now inform me of a known issue with the telescopic lever detent clip and a technical service bulletin tsb-0147-13 and also that Toyota had a warranty enhancement program - zty to address it which expired in september of 2019. The dealer now tells me they can not he

While driving down the highway the at 70 MPH telescopic steering wheel collapsed.

The steering column telescoping mechanism drops, making the steering wheel telescope all the way down while driving the car. It has almost caused multiple accidents in the past few months that we have had the 2009 avalon. Our 2005 did the same exact thing. I am now being told that we need to pay over $1100 to have the steering column replaced and have the car aligned again. This is not a freak thing with just this car, as our other one was the same way. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 Toyota avalon. The contact stated that while driving approximately 50 MPH, the driver's side headlight failed. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was advised that the high intensity discharge (HID) lamp bulb needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was repaired but the failure recurred. The approximate failure and current mileage was 62,842.

High beam light bulb shattered, no high beam lights. Possible hazard for fire or accident at night.

While driving during dark hours , the headlights go off or just driver side headlight go off at some time .I have to turn it off and back on by switch attach to sterling . They work back on for some time and then go off again.it does happend every day to me on city street and highway. It's scary and unsafe . Its high risk safety issue while driving at dark time hours. Please make Toyota corp. Fix this issue . They know about that problem, deffect for so long.

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 Toyota avalon. The contact stated that while driving 60 MPH, the headlights failed intermittently. The vehicle was repaired, but the details of the repairs were unknown. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 165,000.

The contact owns a 2009 Toyota Avalon. The contact stated that the dashboard was cracking. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer where it was diagnosed that the oil and plugs needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The contact stated that while at the dealer he was notified about an extended warranty on the dashboard by another customer. The manufacturer was notified and informed him that the warranty had expired. The contact was referred to NHTSA. The contact had not received notification for the extended warranty on the dashboard. The approximate failure mileage was 134,000.

While driving my 2009 Toyota Avalon on a sunny day, I could not see clearly through my windshield due to the intense sunlight reflection from my dashboard. Upon searching the Internet, I see this is an ongoing issue with my car model. The manufacturer does not provide any remedy to address this issue and I feel very unsafe driving my car. Please help address this issue with the manufacturer.

I have owned the car for 2-1/2 years. In that time I have replaced the high beam lights twice. Currently, the right hand high beam light is burned out and will need replaced a third time. I got a rude awakening when the right hand low beam light burned out yesterday. I discovered that the local auto zone wants $170 for the bulb ... Alone. I can't imagine what it will cost to have someone put it in the car. In my opinion, the cost of replacing this headlight is excessive and should have been considered by Toyota when they used this system in their automobiles. The average joe. Is going to be reluctant to replace the bulb. This renders the car unusable in the non-daylight hours. Help.

I just purchased a 2009 avalon and noticed the high beams are not working. I called Toyota and they limited the warranty on this known issue to only 76k miles. My vehicle has 97k miles. Toyota should have done a recall for this issue and not a warranty extension as it causes a potential hazard. I live in a rural area with no street lights. Not having high beams impacts my ability to see clearly on these roads. Reference NHTSA reference #10037591 tsb reference #sb-0044-10 rev 1

When slowly pulling into a parking space in front of a building, the vehicle suddenly accelerated across a 3-foot wide sidewalk and into one of the storefronts of a building--resulting in extensive damage to the front of the vehicle (currently in the body shop) and extensive damage to the storefront. Fortunately, no one was on the sidewalk at the time. This is the first sudden unintended acceleration for us...but apparently not the first for the 2009 avalon. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 Toyota avalon. The contact stated that when turning the steering wheel, the vehicle accelerated independently. As a result, the contact's vehicle crashed into a few vehicles driving on the road, a curb, and a parked vehicle.the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. A police report was filed. The contact was transported to the hospital and sustained unknown injuries. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 42,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 Toyota avalon. During brake application the vehicle lurched forward. As a consequence she rear-ended the proceeding vehicle. The vehicle has not been taken to the dealership. The current and failure mileages were 18000. Updated 1/28/10 *cn the consumer stated she was driving slowly and when she looked to her left a vehicle in front of her stopped to turn and they failed to signal. When she tried to stop, the vehicle accelerated. The consumer also stated the air bags did not deploy. Updated 02/03/10.*jb

It has a melting dashboard which is also shiny. It may cause an accident as it distracts the visibility.

The manual lock mechanism for telescoping steering wheel will unlock itself when car is in motion & seems like a safety hazard!

As I pulled into a parking space at my hairdresser's (part of a strip mall) and had almost reached the cement parking stop, my car suddenly lurched forward, jumped the curb, and crashed into the glass storefront before I was able to stop. It felt as if the car had suddenly accelerated on its own. Luckily, the storefront was vacant, so no one was injured, including myself, but there was significant damage to the storefront and my vehicle.