2005 Toyota Avalon Touring from North America - Off Topic Comments

Ha Ha!

My friend has a 2006 Corolla. I know this isn't a Corolla section, but I just wanted to mention something because it IS a Toyota.

The first time I drove this BRAND NEW car was on a two hour trip, about 90% highway travel. I had it in cruise set at 75 MPH. Everytime it climbed a hill it would decide to stay in 4th gear until the last second and make a harsh downshif, then stay in lockup (3rd) for another half mile before going back to overdrive (4th).

I thought that was horrible and told her to mention that at her next service appointment. The dealer said that was normal and she left it at that.

I'm just going to say that my first car, a 1986 Oldsmobile Ciera with a little engine and a three speed (P R N D 2 1) transmission had much better shifting and equal fuel economy.

So perhaps the slipping the reviewer talks about is nothing more than forced downshifts and lagging upshifts due to the brain of the car and the "brains" at Toyota!

Toyota has had a DISASTROUS drop-off in quality in recent years, and that, coupled with already horrible customer service is making life miserable for many Toyota owners.

The transmission problems also seem to be a common complaint now in both Toyota and Honda (including the expensive Acura lines).

I'd stick with a more reliable domestic. The extremely nice Cadillac CTS costs less than an Avalon and is a far more reliable and better quality vehicle. In addition, GM service is absolutely top notch. We own 2 GM vehicles. One has 60,000 miles with absolutely ZERO problems, and the other had a very minor problem with an air conditioner vent at 40,000 miles, which our dealership repaired at no cost even though we were beyond the 36,000 mile warranty period.

To 19:11. There has been NO dropoff in quality with Toyota products. Maybe, as a domestic vehicle owner, your pride has taken a DISASTROUS hit watching Toyota expand and conquer, and watching your feeble Big 3 nearly run themselves out of business. I believe that a good number of the negative Toyota reviews on this site are posted by jealous domestic owners, just trying to put a blemish on an otherwise perfect list of comments (all smiley faces). The bad ones that are genuine are almost always written by people who have neglected their vehicle so badly that it FINALLY has something go wrong, and all of the sudden it's the Toyota's fault because no one that sold them the car mentioned that they should check and change their oil at some point in the car's life! The issue of recalls has been beaten more than any dead horse ever could be. YES, Toyota has recalls, so does every other mass produced machine in the world. At least Toyota has had very few in their history, and they take care of them as early as possible. And don't let a sour dealership experience steer you away from a good car. You're dealing with CAR SALESMEN! What do you expect? They're still just trying to get as much money as they can, just like at the Chevy, Dodge, and Ford dealerships, although Big 3 salesmen DO have to be a little more polite because they're having a hard time selling their product.

Also.

There IS a major drop in toyota quality control...it's been in several papers... I think consumer reports is one? Check the internet about the transmission problems...it's all over the internet. Numerous people have been trying to get it fixed. I also have calls into Toyota with complaints...

A 2003 buick century for 5000 sounds like a deal to me. Can't wait to sell this yota..

My 85 year old grandpa has a 2003 Century...

See, with age shows wisdom... perhaps I should follow in his footsteps..:)

O.k., let's assume for a minute that Toyota has dropped some in quality. NOT true, but lets pretend it is. They're STILL better than everything else! IF they were slipping, they'd have a LONG way to fall before they were as bad as any Chevy or Ford.

They have had more recall issues in the past couple of years, but no company is perfect, and this does NOT signify a drop in quality. It just means that they had a couple of years of uncharacteristically high (for them) recalls. They're still on top by far. The only other automaker in the same ballpark of quality is Honda. If you buy anything other than those two makes, then it'll be of lesser quality. It's that simple.

I think it's against the law to buy a Buick unless you're over the age of 85. If it's not illegal, it should be.

At least ford and chev recalls the problems so they can fix them. Toyota is ignoring these problems for their entire 3.5 liter line up. Do you even own a vehicle with a 3.5 liter motor?

Toyota quality is dropping, PERIOD. Their engines I agree are more reliable than domestic in my opinion. This is why I always bought imports. BUT their quality is dropping... no one ever said anything about their engine reliability, however, who knows how long my transmission is going to last. And I am not about to find out. Because of the demand and increase in their sales, they are no longer able to keep up with quality control and it also made them rush certain designs like the 3.5 liter engine, trans, computer combo. And keep in mind the avalon was designed and built right here in the good old USA. So is it an import? Hard to tell nowa days, toyota does have a joint venture with GM, I bet you didn't know that.

It is YOUR opinion that quality has not dropped. My 05 av with 25k has too many quality flaw issues. Loose fog lights that a body shop is repairing now, dash board is crooked and doesn't line up to the door, toyota claimed it is just a minor flaw that they do not feel the need to correct. Also, the transmission problems\or computer problem whatever is creating my transmission to crap out on me all the time.

I own a Toyota... and this is my 3rd toyota...sorry, but they need to make some changes before I gain my trust back from their 3.5 liter vehicles at least..

My GF has a nissan maxima, this would be the 3rd maxima in our family and never has ever had any issues with them. I may just go back to nissan and buy an altima with the 3.5 liter.. Their much better than my avalon will ever be.

You have to promise to not drive into crowds while confusing the brake and the accelerator first.

To 07;19; and it is your OPINION that their quality HAS dropped. Once again, it has NOT.

Do they have some bugs to work out on their new cars? Yes.

Are they still as completely reliable as they were in the 80's and 90's? YES.

Their vehicles are getting larger and more complex, and they do have some issues to work out. But, this does NOT mean that their quality has dropped, because they will work the issues out correctly.

If they were low quality, like a Chevy for instance, they would just continue to sell them like that without fixing the issues properly. THAT is low quality.

Toyota still holds the high standards that they always have. There is no dropoff in quality.