Steering Column problems of the 2006 Toyota Avalon

Issues I’ve complained about for year to Toyota only to find out now Toyota was aware of them all along there were recalls & service bulletin. That should have covered my Toyota issue the information below came from sites Toyota issued this warning too. The recall for steering column was on 2005 mine is a early model 2006 with the extact same safety issue. The resolve for me is that Toyota fix the vechical and not try and hold me responsible for half the cost as the are now doing. My car has been cared for only by Toyota service since the day it was purchase from Toyota new in 2006, the distric manager for Toyota bruce pannone made the call not to honor this safety issue service bulletin no. : 00306 component(s): steering NHTSA id number: 10019689 vehicle make/model year(s)Toyota Avalon2005-2006 vehicle slight pull/drift feeling improvement procedure. Toyota: a new adjustment lever detent clip was developed to correct the looseness of securing the telescopic on steering column for some vehicles. Model 2005-2012 Avalon. Item affected: steering: column date announced: 05/18/2005 description of recall: on certain passenger vehicles, the steering yoke was not welded to the steering shaft. If the vehicle is operated in this condition, there is a possibility that the yoke may come off from the.

Issue: after a period of approximately 2,000 driven miles, the locking device on the telescoping steering column will loosen to the point where it becomes fully disengaged. The vehicle is driven with the telescoping column fully extended and the driver is unaware of when the locking device has become disengaged. During hard braking situations the driver naturally applies support pressure to the steering column causing the disengaged steering column to fully collapse. This sudden and unexpected collapse of the steering column causes the driver an additional concern and an emergency reaction, up to and potentially including the loss of vehicle control, to an already hazardous situation (hard braking). The above incident has happened on several occasions over an extended period of time. Reporting: this incident has been reported to the Toyota dealer at every scheduled 5,000 mile check up for at least the last 2+ years. This issue is not new and at my request the service agent continues to add the issue to the service order. Toyota response; Toyota service personnel state that they can not address the issue since they can not replicate the issue. As was stated above the issue occurs after approximately 2,000 driven miles. How Toyota expects to replicate 2,000 driven miles by driving the vehicle around the parking lot is absolutely unbelievable to any reasonable person. Two months of driving can not be condensed into 10 minutes. For safety issues, especially for one consistently reported over a period of years, to be dismissed after a 10 minute cursory inspection or none at all, is beyond willful neglect and is evident that Toyotas safety culture has not improved. The issue within Toyota remains unreported, unacknowledged and unresolved.

I have the same problem with my 2006 Avalon xls. The steering column will suddenly collapse.

2006 Toyota Avalon limited - telescopic steering column collapses under normal driving conditions.

The telescoping steering column lock loosens during normal driving. Usually the lock lever only drops low enough to hit your knees as you exit the car after a drive, but does not loosen enough to release the column telescope. Today it dropped all the way down while I was driving and the column (which I have fully extended normally) collapsed forward (compressed). I lost some vehicle control as I reached down to secure the handle upward. This seems to be a friction device and has no positive locking detent. My wife and daughter have more trouble with it than I do as they cannot force it up as far, so it releases more often. A poor and dangerous design. The dealer wants $79 just to look at it. We have gotten into the habit of checking the lock frequently but whenever we forget it will release the telescope and collapse the wheel unexpectedly after about 2 hours of highway driving. We bought the car new. It is happening about once a week now if we forget to check it. My wife is 65 and does not have the strength to tighten it fully now.

The contact owns a 2006 Toyota Avalon xls. While driving 5 mph, the contact noticed that the steering column made a clunking noise. The dealer offered no assistance when contacted. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer had not been notified. The current mileage was approximately 27,000. The failure mileage was approximately 17,000. Updated 01/24/11 updated 02/03/11.

The contact owns a 2006 Toyota Avalon. While driving at a speeds of 60 mph, the contact depressed the brake pedal and the steering column began to move towards the dashboard. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the dealer advised repairs would be at the expense of the owner. The approximate failure mileage was 30,500 and the current was 31,000.

Unintentional and unexpected unlocking of the telescopic steering column while driving causing potential loss of control of the vehicle.

The steering column telescopic adjustment lever has "slipped out of its locked position" for at least several years. This is the problem that Toyota just issued the "warranty enhancement" for, and while I am grateful for that, I resent their saying ". . . The majority of vehicles will not experience this condition. " from what I understand from other Avalon owners, this is not an isolated problem.

Steering column in 2006 Avalon exhibits pulsing ratchet type vibration and noise. Most severe when turned at lower speeds.

Steering wheel clunks during acceleration, braking, and rotating the steering wheel from side to side. Vehicle was brought into the dealer for which they indicated that the "steering intermediate shaft" had failed and so they replaced it. While picking up the car, I had asked to examine the old shaft and noted corrosion and wear on one of the splines. The car only had 16,500 miles on it. If the splines were completely worn, the steering of the vehicle would be compromised. The dealer indicated that Toyota had a fix to this already, but there is no recall. This should be a safety recall.

Steering vibrations and clicks when turning steering wheel to the right at low speeds.

(1) heavy braking to avoid a collision leads up to the ongoing failures (2) failure is the friction lock for the telescoping steering wheel slowly releases during normal stop and go driving and after a period of time, a heavy application of the brakes will cause the steering wheel to collapse inward resulting in near loss of control of the automobile. (3) the car has been taken to the dealer twice. The first time the dealer could not duplicate the problem and indicated that the driver was improperly locking the steering wheel telescope lock. The second time the car was taken to the dealer, the dealer again could not duplicate the problem and after the owner of the car showed them what causes the lock to come undone they refused to repair stating that the problem is "you are driving with the steering fully telescoped and even a brand new Avalon would do the same thing". The dealer said "this must not be the car for you since you must drive with the steering fully extended". We have approximately 24,000 miles. The problem first began appearing at about 19,000 miles.

Steering column telescoping lever drops during normal driving. Fully down (although not visible through steering column) within 2-3 hours driving. Leaves steering wheel with free play during operation. Safety issue.

The contact owns a 2006 Toyota Avalon. While driving approximately 65-70 mph on normal road conditions, the steering wheel dropped downward unexpectedly. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer for inspection. The vehicle exceeded the mileage under the warranty coverage and has not been repaired. The failure mileage was 12,000 and current mileage was 44,000. The consumer stated the vehicle was equipped with tilt steering and telescoping steering. While driving, the pressure arm under the steering column which held the telescoping column in place became loose due to a vibration. Updated 02/24/09.