This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.
So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.
I have been pulled over numerous times due to having a headlight out. However it's never blown. Once I show the officer by turning the lights off for a few seconds then back on the light is on. From reading many Toyota forums and going to a Toyota dealer, it is a faulty wiring system and to repair it will cost at least $1300 or more. It is a hastle as well as a safety hazard. The light doesnt stay on once turning the lights off then on. Within a few miles it goes off again and it is constantly blowing the light bulbs. In the 3 years I have had my car I have replaced the lights at least 7 times. The light will always be off when I start my car with the remote starter and when I start it with the ignition if it's on, within a few miles of driving it goes off again.
From the day I purchased used vehicle in 2015, I've experienced headlights that flicker and go off only to be fully illuminated by turning off then back on. Mostly, it's the driver side and sometimes the passenger side; infrequently, both headlights are affected. I've searched the internet for a solution and found hundreds of similar reports with 'solutions' ranging from simple few dollars to above $1000. My local dealer had the car on several different occasions...to no avail and was willing to 'fix' it for $1200. Because of the number of similarly described on internet forums, I think that Toyota should recall the vehicles if, for no other reason, than that this is a significant safety issue.
I have had continuous problems with either one or both front headlights going off randomly. This happens almost daily and I have taken the car to the shop numerous times. This is a very dangerous problem as on occasion I do not even know that the lights are off. Additionally, I have been pulled over by the police and issued a warning with the excepectation that the problem will be fixed. This poses another great concern as the mechanic has not been able to diagnose the issue, therefore, it cannot be fixed. The mechanic has also reached out to the dealer as well as other mechanics along with conducting his own research all to no avail. During my research, I discovered numerous compliants stating the exact same problems that I am experiencing, also with no resolve or remedy. I am shocked that Toyota would place people in such danger and not take any action to rectify this very significant problem. I would appreciate any help you may be able to provide.
Headlights and fog lights go off while traveling. May or may not come back on when switch is reset. They go off unpredictably and may be at a very inopportune time causing collision.
- Hot Springs, AR, USA
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Rear sun shed break very fast makes a lot of noise. It can't be disabled without causing other problem such as engine light on and cruz control disabled and all kind of sensors that need to be replaced. Its very dangers and frustrating
July 30, 2018 while in parking space I turned on ignition and heard a mild pop, the looking towards passenger seat I saw white smoke rising between chair and window and smoke coming from under seat. It smelled as if doming was burning. I turned ignition off. Smoke stopped. I did not see anything under the chair. I checked movement of chair and it was ok. I called Toyota: No idea of cause and claimed no recalls. I mentioned what I saw on line, to no avail. I observed 6/2/2016 recall: 16V396000 and 11/19/2014 # 14V743000. I would like these heating wires on both sides to be disconnected to prevent possible fire while driving. Thank you
Recently purchased a car. When driving at night the headlights randomly goe off after a few minutes. Unfortunately this issue was discovered while my recently licensed teen was driving the car... huge safety issue! I went to dealer to have light system checked out. They informed me that the lights were broken. I asked if they could have exploded do to some system malfunction. I was assured that was not the case as they insinuated that whoever put them in is responsible for the damage, offering me a very costly solution. However they had no idea what could cause this problem. Before agreeing to any repairs, I decided to do some research. Their uncertainty left me uneasy and very uncomfortable with coming out of pocket for anything at that point and my child's safety is my top priority. Upon researching, I found out these problems are known to Toyota. They extended the warranty to 72,000 miles, but, would not cover my car issue due to mileage and year surpassing that which is outlined in the warranty extension. Headlights are essential and quite frankly required by law. The extension should be applied with no mileage restraint as headlights are a major safety component of a vehicle. Every where you go dealers swear by the Avalon being a cost effective and very safe choice with this issue existing, they have non the less shoved a foot right down their own throats! this should either be a recall or an extended warranty with unlimited miles. If you can't do this take the car off the market/quit letting dealers sale the car assuring unbeknownst buyers of the car's undeniable quality for christ's sake!
The high beam lights are known to explode on some 2008 and 2010 models. My high beam lights exploded with 66,000 miles on the vehicle. This problem happened while my vehicle was in motion. I routinely drive in an area with a heavy deer population. I cannot see these hazards at night with out high beams. Toyota had an extended warranty on this issue (5 years, 70,000 miles). Since my car is over warranty in years but not miles, Toyota refuses to replace the headlight assemblies. They are telling me the cost will be over $2,000. I consider this a safety hazard and am very upset that Toyota will not fix this problem on my $40,000 top of the line Toyota. I am filing this complaint to the dot, ntsb, and attorney general. You can contact me at [xxx]. information redacted pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).
All of a sudden the high-beam head lights stopped working when the car was in motion on the freeway. Low -beam lights work. This is a real safety hazard and is obviously a Toyota engineering flaw. Toyota did have a warranty enhancement for this vehicle - 75,000 miles or 5 years, whichever comes first. My car has 52,000 miles buts is over 5 years old. Toyota is well aware of this problem and should be required to fix this, free of charge and I should not be required to pay for the fix of $2,500 plus labor, which is outrageous.
All of a sudden the high-beam head lights stopped working when the car was in motion on the freeway. Low -beam lights work. This is a real safety hazard and is obviously a Toyota engineering flaw. Toyota did have a warranty enhancement for this vehicle - 75,000 miles or 5 years, whichever comes first. My car has 52,000 miles buts is over 5 years old. Toyota is well aware of this problem and should be required to fix this, free of charge and I should not be required to pay for the fix of $2,500 plus labor, which is outrageous.
While driving down a two lane country highway at night with my bright lights on, I hit a bump and the bright lights simultaneouslywent off. Fortunately, my low beams then came on. I tried several different things including flicking the lights, stopping the car and turning the lights off/on. The brights no longer work. I did check to see if they exploded as reported by many others in this database, but they do not appear to have. They just do not work. Living in a very rural area of northern Wisconsin, bright lights are a necessity. I called the dealer who services my car and they pleaded ignorance with regard to know problems with the headlights on this vehicle. They suggest I bring the car in to replace the bulbs. I will attempt to replace the bulbs myself before I will pay for the assembly mentioned in the many other complaints. This is a huge safety issue for me and my wife as car/deer collisions are rampant where we live. If the bulbs have not exploded yet, I'm sure they will when I have my first collision with a deer I did not see because I had no high beam lights. This is definitely a safety issue that needs to be addressed. If we were to lose low beams also, we would be stranded and unable to drive.
I put on my brights while driving at night, on a dark part of the interstate. After a while they went out... immediately and simultaneously. The left hand side stalk controls the headlights ("on" and "auto-on" positions), and brights. Notably the brights are a separate bulb. The "auto-on" (if it gets dark) was the setting for which they went out. I pulled over at an exit, tried the brights again after turning off my headlights and putting them to the "on" setting (as opposed to "auto-on"), and the brights did not work and actually turned off my regular headlights. This is dangerous. I see it is not the first time this problem has been reported. I found Toyota had a quiet, unannounced service upgrade for faulty design, did not advertise it, recall it, or send a warning note or offer to fix to owners, and arbitrarily set the limitation at 5 yrs / 72,000 miles. If they acknowledged a problem, why put a limit on something that is not safe? thank you for your time.
I was driving in a rural area in Illinois where we have a lot of deer, so I flipped on my high beams for better visibility. I had purchased the car with 87,000 miles on it that summer and may not have even used them yet. The high beams stayed on for a few seconds and then flashed and went back to low beam. I checked them upon arriving home and could see that they shattered. I replaced these with bulbs from O'reilly auto - using gloves to avoid touching them - these high beams were seldom used but worked. It is now November of 2014 and these also failed; did not shatter but failed to illuminate. I assume they are burned out. I am concerned that I may never be able to use the high beams for safety on this otherwise fantastic car. I have avoided using the high beams ever since I replaced them the first time, so I am not sure when they actually quit working this time.
I don't remember the exact time & date this started, but it is continuous & repetitive. The headlights consistently turn off while driving. For a trip of about ten miles, I can expect for one or both to fail about three times. It's dangerous. I was told that the company has sent notifications to the dealers but are refusing to administer a recall. They offered me a $750 credit to have it repaired. However, as you can see from the many previous complaints about this problem, it costs over $2,000 to fix it (and that's not a guarantee). This is a design flaw. Therefore, it should not be affected by a warranty. I'm shocked at the volume of complaints about this issue with no actions by the company. They are morally (if not ethically and legally) obligated to issue a recall and repair their R&D failure.
Went to use high beams on desert road towards lancaster ca, put high beams on, they stayed on for about 3 minutes then all front lighting went out. Went to dealer (roseville Toyota) to check on the problem, dealer said they were not covered by warranty even though Toyota knows of problem. Will cost $3,000 to repair with replaced headlight assemblies. Car has only 39,000 miles on it and an extended warranty.
I was utilizing the high beam lights periodically on a dark evening. Near the end of a 1 hour and 45 minute trip, the high beams gave a slight flicker and went out. Upon examination today, both lights had blown or shattered. I ordered new bulbs today with $35 each.
Low beam light flickered on and off, tried the high beam lights of which neither would come on. Took the car to the dealer the next day. The dealer tried new bulbs which immediately blew out. The dealer said that both light assemblies were defective and needed to be replaced at a cost of $ $1400 each. Was advised that Toyota knew that these lights were defective and issued the service bulletin tbs #0044-10 rev 1 extending their warranty from 36,000 miles to 72,000 miles but would not recall them. This car was 1600 miles past the warranty so was not covered. If Toyota thinks that lights going out while driving down the highway at night is not a safety issue, I don't know what is.
Vehicle experiencing the inoperative of daytime running lights(drl) and high beam and low beam bulbs. Previously replaced bulbs. Problem continues after bulb being replaced. Lights return to normal operation when switched to off position and back on. No specific patterns of occurrence. Explanation by dealership when checked was that they did not detect a problem at the time of service. Note entered by service advisor stated "electrical problem".
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Johnston, RI, USA