Toyota Avalon Rattles and Noises

jimpal

I have an 05 Avalon limited and am experiencing a popping noise from the passenger rear. It happens when turning (right most of the time) and when the back springs are being depressed like in going over a bump or hitting a depression in the road.

Anyone else experiencing anyhting similar?

dan41

My Limited has been in the shop a number of times to get same rattle fixed and back last spring, the rattle was finally isolated and was found to be coming from the right side of the moonroof. To see if this is the source of your noise, when you hear the rattle, apply upward pressure of the front portion of your moonroof and, if it goes away, then you know the source. Unfortunately, I have had my Limited back to the dealership a number of times to get this resolved. I even had a Toyota rep meet with me and he acknowledged the rattle. Although I thought this was finally fixed last Spring, it has now returned. The rattle always occurs during "cold" periods, so my guess is that it was never fixed and now that the mornings here in New England are becoming cool,I have to get this addressed again. Good luck! dan

johndjr

Does anyone here know if the 05 Avalon Limited has an electric fuel pump that is located in the rt side of the tank?
I get a pulsating noise just after starting and it sounds as if that is what it may be.
At times I get it before the car starts to move, so I am assuming a fuel pump?
Thanks.

John D

buzz123

I have an '06 Avalon XL and I've been noticing a squeak/rattle somewhere in the dashboard area when going over bumps. The car was very quiet when I first bought it a year ago, but I started noticing the noise a month or so ago. I'll probably have the dealer look at it during the next oil change, but in the mean time, has anyone else experienced this and do they have any suggestions? Thanks in advance!

jimpal

Yes and they finally found it. I alos thought it was in the dash but it wasn't. After trying a rear strut TSB that didn't work, someone on this forum told me to have them check the sunroof. That was the problem and it is now fixed.

It took three days to fix it and they ripped the headliner which they had to replace. I made them give me a loaner free of charge.

Too little, too late I was so sick of bringing it to the shop I traded it on a new 06 Acura RL.
Good Luck!

4439

It is in your dash because I have the same problem also. It only occurs if the tempertaure is below 40 degrees and it does not occur all the time. I've had this same rattle last year during the winter. I was able to determine that one of the rattles was coming from the pillar speakers. Toyota fixed it with some foam tape but now the rattle is back again. I'm just turning the stereo louder to drown out the rattles. :P

gpciii

I have an 07 Avalon. Toyota hasn't learned anything. I have this noise. It sounds as if it's coming from the dash but sometimes from the passenger door. And it's when the temp is in the 40s or below. None when car was new. After about 2000 to 3000 miles it came. Not all the time - viturally none when warm outside to almost all the time when colder. Rough road or smooth it's there. I haven't had the dealer chase it yet but plan to. Will try moonroof as source as described in this email chain.

gpciii

Just wanted to add note that I've never had a bothersome noise such as this with any Toyota dating back to 85. This is the most expensive model (07 Avalon) I've bought and so far the worst as far as little nuisances, e.g. windshield wipers squeaking right out of the chute, 2nd master key lost in dealer transfer and new one having to be made, missing an instruction manual.

edmundswitz

I own a 1999 Avalon, 125,000 miles, and have a thumping noise on passenger side of vehicle. Sounds like the muffler pipe is thumping against the undercarriage when going over small bumps around the passenger seat. My garage says the muffler is attached securely and isn't causing the noise, and that nothing is loose. Any ideas? It's been going on for over a year. I had a problem with the air/heat fan making a ton of racket and my mechanic popped the cover off the fan under the dash and found a mouse nest that caused the circular fan to be off balance...disgusting...he says it happens all the time and that the little critters pull the insulation out of various areas which might be causing the thumping noise...doubt that as the thumping sounds pretty heavy. I'm thinking now from discussions that it might be the speaker in the door. I'll have to check that out with my auto body shop. :confuse:
thanks,
Pat

steve326a

This problem has had previous press in the Avalon forum. One of the things mentioned and you may not believe it is the passenger front seat belt. It has been known to hit the sides of the seat and center post the belt is mounted on. Make sure the seat belt is fully retracted. To test this theory, fasten the seat belt together and see if it goes away. Another method is asking yourself does this rattle occur when a passenger is riding along in the front and if so, are they wearing their seat belt? If they are and no rattle then there's your answer. Another rattle that can seem to come from different places inside the cabin is if you have a moonroof, open the ceiling cover and while your riding over bumps and hear the rattling, place your hand on the glass and put a little pressure on it and see if it stops or not. 3rd thing known is when no one is sitting in pass seat, grab it and see if you can wiggle it. There should be very little wiggle room. If there is a lot, you need to tighten it. There is a Toyota service bulletin on that. Last but definately not least is check the struts and mounts. The main top strut center bolt is known to loosen up anywhere from an eighth to half a turn over time and cause big time rattle. This happened to me. The mounts are also known to go. You are roughly at the mileage for these things. Hope this helps. Let me know how you make out.

Thanks,
Steve
97 XLS w/ all the toys!
My baby!
Long Live The Avalon! :shades:

jferg1

Have your shop check the strut plate/mount. Toyotas are known to need them around 75K to 100K. Have the struts or mounts ever been changed? If not you are probably ready.

Hope this helps!

jbw1

I like my 05 XLS except for the wind noise. I had it at a dealer and they say, yeah its pretty noisy..and thats it. Anyone hearing of anything? Thanks

johndjr

My '05 Limited has noticable more wind noise on the drivers side than the passenger side (my wife and I both have noticed it). Mentioned it to the dealer at the service meeting--they said "it's normal".
Oh well!
John D

oldgmowner

I also have the same trouble. Noise in my dashboard. I too notice it more under 40 degrees. It does not matter if I am on a smooth or bumpy road. I can not believe I left GM to go to Toyota the $ I spent and now this car sounds worse than any of the 14 GM cars I have owned! Last year I brought it in and the Toyota dealership said with newer cars sometimes the plastic contracts and expands thus the noise. I knew I shouldn't buy that answer, but didn't want a new car dashboard ripped open! I have another appointment tomorrow 1-15-07 because the noise is now so loud it is distracting when I drive and driving on the highway is dangerous enough without distractions. I do not have a sun roof so I can't go that root! I will post any new finds [ right like they can find anything! ]

rpfingsten

ok boys, I bought my car back in sept, an 07 xls. All along I've been reading all these posts about rattles here and there and have thought to myself, lucky me... no rattle anywhere...that is until today. I pull out of the parking lot at work and for the first time since I"ve bought this car i hear this rather loud rattle.. like a "knocking" sound that sounds like it's coming from the dashboard area in front of the passenger seat.. I should note, that this is the first time we've had a real cold snap down here..temperature was below freezing, around 30 degrees. Funny thing ( good thing I guess ) is that that rattle dosn't last long. It seems like after about 2 miles or so the rattle just goes away. Even after the rattle went away I drove it over a relatively rough road and still no rattle.. yet when I went back out and drove it again, about 4 hours later sitting in the cold, there was the rattle again.. and again, it lasted for 4 or 5 minutes then went away. any ideas. I appreciate your help.

Roland

johndjr

If it is cold when you start up, and then the car interior warms up and that is when the 'rattle' stops, I would say it is normal.
I've had in every car I've ever owned. If you think about it, it has something to do with co efficiency of linear expansion. Most plastics and metal shrink and expand by the temperature change, and they do so differently based on the composition. I guess if everything was bolted tightly together all over the car, then it wouldn't be noticeable. But that is not the way cars are put together.
I think of these noises as more like a 'squeek' than a rattle.
But this is all just my opinion.
John D

gpciii

Best thing to do is to sell it, and just take the loss. Over a lifetime, no big deal. I bought an 07 Avalon XLS in Aug-Sep timeframe. At first, no noises or rattles. Now and for several weeks, when the temp is in the 40s or below, I have the most annoying rattle. But it's coming from the sunroof. It stops if I press up and hold the force on the sunroof. The dealer confirmed its the sunroof. (Sounds like it's coming from the dash or maybe passenger side of car.) The dealer has ordered a new frame and housing or something another and says they know what to do-involves dropping the head liner in the car. First time in 20 yrs I've ever taken a Toyota in for anything under warranty. Have n 04 Highlander also. Toyota has over the years cut costs and cheapened construction & materials. Probably will my last Toyota buy. Geo

memechanic

I did change those struts and still the noise is there! That has to be something else.

geo123

I had a similiar problem with a Avalon 2000 XLS. I installed four new struts. Then everytime I hit a bump in the road I would hear a right front thumping noise. Surposely, the shop that installed them checked everything(twice)--struts, mounts, front-end, tires, retighten, etc. No luck. Even took it to the Toyota dealership and they cound not find the problem. Took to another shop(same company that installed the struts) and found out the right front mount was cracked. They installed a new mount and warranted the right front strut since thought maybe it was also damaged. Now it rides, drives and sounds like new!

If you did not install new mounts I would sure check them out. The guy that fixed my car said the mount was usually the cause of front-end noise problem after insalling new struts.

Good luck!

George

memechanic

I guess they call it "strut tops" or some like that. It looks like there is not much to it and very unnoticeable for anyone unaware but the cost is like $600, an estimate I got. So, I am not sure if he included all the other adjustments like alignment that has to be done as well.
Thanks much,
gp

spottedmoose

have an '05 xls and have a rattle on the right topside of the dash,but this only occurs when i hit a hard bump.
have noticed many comments about toyota quality..my car has 20000 miles and picked it up from the dealer today for 3 warranty fixes..all of these problems had service bulletins issued on them,so they must be common problems.
1. noise(rattle) in the rear of the car seemingly near the rear of the seat..apparently welds have broken loose.
2.on acceleration,the sulfur smell is overpowering with the roof open..replaced exhuast pipe and cat converter.
3.drivings lights were loose..there is a replacement holder for these..

still have to resolve :
4. headlights stay on too long after the car is shut down.
5. rattle in the front dash
6. front bumper cover has pimples,i.e. when you rub your hand over the cover it is rough and there are probalby 150 very small "pimples"..dealer said stone chips and i told him i couldn't get that many chips in a 100 yrs. of driving..besides,chips take out paint,not cause a raised surface..this one looks like court..

i feel with this car i have bought a gm or ford with 100,000 miles on it..it serves me right that i tried to save some money by buying the avalon and not replacing the LS400 which i still have ..that was a car..!!

leanman

I hava a 04 Solara that has driven me bonkers for 11 months. In cold weather (below about 40) I would get a rattle from the front right side of the sunroof (AKA moonroff on this board). Slight upward pressure on the glass would stop it. Problem would sometimes come and go suddenly. Sounded like a teletypewriter at times. Dealer pulled the head liner numerous times trying all sorts of fixes. Finally, I guess with Toyota's blessing, ordered, and intalled a new sunrrof,or at least new tracks and I assume frame. Told me they drove 300 miles and saw no problem. So far I have done 20 miles and no problem, but this is not a guarantee since after the last "fix" the noise returned after 70 miles. I have heard that the Avalon and Solara roof are not identical but have some similarities. Good luck with your car. If the new sunroof does the trick please confirm and knowing what it was about the sunroof that the dealer feels caused the problem could be very helpful in case my problem returns. I am keeping my fingers crossed.

Thanks,

Leanman

gpciii

Precisely the problem with my 07 Avalon sunroof. Exact same spot and scenario. Dealer has ordered and has in a new frame, housing and all. They will drop the headliner and install new parts. They have done this before to fix the problem. I plan to schedule running it in this week. Good luck with your fix holding. Will advise results. Am reluctant to do this, realizing it can cause other problems I don't have but when the noise comes it's nerve racking. gpciii

dan41

I own an 05 Avalon Limited and most of my post during the past two years have been with respect to rattles. Most have been resolved, but the most annoying and loudest one continues to be the moon roof rattle, which occurs on temperatures below 40 degrees. As I posted last year, the rattle goes away when upward pressure is applied to the moon roof on the front passenger side.

Since I took delivery, my car has been back to the dealer a number of times and, on at least two occasions, it was in the service department more than a week. Everyone, including the service director and the local Toyota rep have heard this rattle, yet they can't seem to fix it. Last Spring they replaced the moon-roof assembly, yet this did not fix the rattle. Two months ago, they removed the moon-roof, applied insulation and replaced the headliner. Well, still no fix!

The dealership GSM has told me that they have done everything they can do and the GSM commented that all cars rattle ( inferring I should live with it ). That of course, is a response I would have expected from a US car dealer when they could not fix the problem, but not one I expect from Toyota, especially on a car with an MSRP of $38K+. This car has rattled every cold day from the time I took delivery. I again shared this comment along with my frustration with the GSM and service director and asked for them to set-up an appointment with the Toyota rep. That request was a month ago and I'm still waiting for that appointment. I spoke to the GSM this past week ( second call I had to make to him ) and he said the service director has a call out to the Toyota rep and I'll get a call once a date is scheduled. Well, I didn't receive a call on Friday and if I don't hear back tomorrow, I'll contact Toyota.

This is the 4th new Toyota I purchased ( Celica, Solara, Lexus GS300 ) and, with no exception, the most disappointing experience I had with any new car purchase - this includes, new other new car purchases as well - Honda, Mitsubishi and even my Dodge.

At this point, I'm not sure what the Toyota rep will offer to do. I certainly realize this does not qualify for a lemon law, but I want someone from Toyota to explain to me why this problem can't be fixed. This is either an engineering issue with the moon-roof or the service department is is unable to fix the problem. My guess it is the former and not the latter. In any case, I will no longer keep a car and cringe driving it every time the temperature drops below 40 degrees.

I'll keep you updated!....dan

rpfingsten

Dan... a question for you..you say your rattle is coming form the moonroof. Is that the source of the rattle, or is that actually where you here the rattle. I ask because I have an 07 avalon xls and about 2 weeks back when the temperature dropped down in the 30's, I noticed this loud obnoxious rattle in my car. It sounded as if it was coming from the dashboard area, passenger side. Funny thing was as soon as the car interior warmed up, about 4 or 5 miles down the road, the rattle stops. We don't have alot of very very cold days in Louisiana but here's what I've noticed so far... on cold days, car's parked in the garage when I leave for work, no rattle... cars sitting in the parking lot on cold days, get in it to drive home, the rattles back, but goes away when it warms up. Like I said mine sounds like it's coming from the passenger side dash, but heck, it could be coming from anywhere. Keep me posted on how things work out with yours. Good Luck.

Roland

dan41

Roland, your rattle sounds identical to my rattle and under the same cold weather exposure in which occurs. Both the dealership ans Toyota have been aware that my rattle occurs after my Avalon is exposed in the open cold for a long period and once the car warms up, the rattle stops. It is, at times, like a floating rattle that will occur on almost any type of car movement, under cold conditions.

I am absolutely certain that the moon-roof is the source of the rattle. I know this because when the rattle is occurring, if I push upward on the front glass of the moon-roof, the rattle stops. The dealership service guys have also verified that doing this stops the rattle. I failed to mention it, but during my last service, the dealership also removed my front windshield and reinstalled it with some special anchors that were designed to address the flex & rattle problems that have been occurring on some of the Avalons. No luck!

Unfortunately, the Boston area has many more cold days than Louisiana and I have had two years of living with this quite annoying rattle. The dealership has told me that they have spent over $2K in trying to fix this problem, supplying loaner cars, and they are now saying they are done.

I am quite concerned that a manufacturers approved service provider seems to have a policy that, when confronted with a challenging warranty item that can not be fixed, the response is "sorry, we tried and tried, but we can't fix the problem, so you simply have to learn to live with it".

My other concern is that this rattle may be a metal flex problem that the dealer now knows can not be fixed. That too concerns me and that is why I want to meet with the Toyota rep again.

Regards: Dan

gpciii

Again, the sunroof rattle was very annoying and occurred mostly if the car was out in 40 deg or below weather, and espcially if the car had been setting out. Upward hand pressure on the front of the sunroof would always stop it. The dealer just completed a repair that's claimed to solve the problem. The headliner was dropped and the track or housing for the sunroof was replaced. (One problem noticed right after the fix was that the AM didn't work-the wiring harness from the rear window antenna had been broken when the headliner was dropped as the wiring runs up above it. Required an extra 2 days to replace.) So far so good on the sunroof fix done this week. gpciii

gpciii

Dan, see my Feb 3 post. Believe it's the same issue. Noise always sounding like it was coming from the passenger side-door, dash, behind passenger seat-always moving around until I started reading the owner feedbacks and then always stopped it with upward hand pressure. Then, my dealer confirmed that the source was the sunroof. My dealer actually subbed the work out to a nearby auto trim shop. Good luck, gpciii

leanman

gpciii,

Re: My Message #22 and yours #23. I now have about 600 miles on the new moonroof, 300+ of which the dealer put on, with nearly 300 by me. The infamous cold weather rattle is gone for now (and hopefully forever.). Even though my car is a 2004 Solara, the symptoms have been identical to those reported for some Avalons, which supports the idea that the moonroofs are at least very similar. I am surprised the dealer outsourced the work. I hear that Toyota sometimes wants the removed components for analysis, so having a third party handle it invites potential loss of evidence due to handling. My problem first began at about 18K miles. This suggests that is was a failure of some sort, which changed the deflecions of the moonroof or loosened some component, such as a cable or clip that could then rattle around. The fact that my problem most likely first began in Dec. 2004 or Jan. 2005 also suggests a cold weather fracture. (Some plastics are brittle at rooom temperature, and one common one at about Zero deg. F. Aluminum is not temperature sensitive nor are the steels used in car bodies, but different rates of expansion could create large stresses.) There were some near zero days in December 2004 where I live. Another aspect of this was that the problem grew in loudness and the temperature at which it would occur over time. Early on it was below 40 deg. F. Most recently as high as 58 deg. F. The sudden appearance and disappearance of the noise under the same conditons suggests a loose piece. Pushing up on the glass would stop the problem; this suggests that is was a loose piece with limited travel in its rattling motion.

I must say this for the record: The dealer has been absolutely great in trying to get this solved and for me it is a big selling point to buy Toyotas. I am surprised that some dealers that have been mentioned seem to have a "take it or leave it" attitude about persistent problems. They need to be culled beacuse that is not Toyota's attitude toward customers as far as I know.

Regards,

Leanman

leanman

Correction: My problem's origins relate to December 2005-January 2006. I was off by a year in my first reply to you.

Leanman

dan41

Based on recent posts, it seems that after two years, this annoying problem may be behind me. I spoke to the regional Toyota rep and the service Director of my local dealership yesterday and I my car is going in on 2/26 to be seen by the Toyota field technical rep. This is the same guy I met with two years ago and my second appointment with this guy and I'm hoping that they can finally fix the problem. I'll keep you posted!

abfisch

Unless snow traction was a big problem with the Lexus, you should have asked us first. The old Lexus quality, is much better. Never going to get that kind of quality for the new Avalon built in the states. Just not going to happen at any trim level.

abfisch

rpfingsten

We've all read about the rattle caused by the dreaded sun/moon roof in cold wx.. I've got one, but temps in Louisiana don't dip to extremes often, so I can live with the occasional 5 minutes of rattle now and then.. however, today my car is parked in a grocery store parking lot. It's raining cats and dogs, I mean a downpour with 40 mph winds..in the course of getting in the car, I of course brought some rain with me. Grab a towel, start wiping everything off only to realize that I have water coming in my car thru both stereo speakers located on the A pillars.. I mean water is running out of the speakers, onto the dash and into a/c vents on both sides of the car..took it to the dealership immediately only to find that the drains, which are connected to the "moon / sun" roof were never hooked up at the factory. I was so mad I talked to a salesman about trading in my car for an XL without a sun roof. They must have thought I was nuts. They offered my a trade in of 26K for an 07 XLS with 5500 miles on it..after paying off my car and adding some of the extras on the XL that it dosnt normally come with, they told me i would finance around 33K. No thanks, hell that's nearly 5 grand more than I financed on my current car. Oh, not only that, as I'm leaving the dealership in my car, I notice a big "ding" in the drivers side door.. it wasnt there when I took the car in..fortunetly for me, the serv. dept. manager was honest enough to admit that the blue paint in the ding, happens to be the same blue paint on their lifts, so it obviously happened while in their shop. So now I have to drop it off next week, get a rental while they outsource it to some body shop to fix the ding and paint. what a day... all because of the dreaded Moonroof/sunroof. At least the dealership is being standup and fixing the problem instead of denying they did it..

Roland

gpciii

Toyota has lost it fast since 05 and the new body style of Avalon. Unbelievable. Factory and dealer quality and capability have slipped to the 1980s US level nearly. My 07 Avalon sunroof rattle was fixed so far by replacing the track and all. Outsourced of course to a trim shop who broke wiring the radio antenna in the rear window so the radio didn't work when we picked the car up. Kept the loaner while they ordered a new wiring harness from Toyota, returned the car to the trim shop, trim shop dropped the head liner again and replaces the wiring and all. I'm holding my breath on the sunroof holding water back since the replacement of items in it!

abfisch

That would definitely make me angry. When they have to outsource their own warranty work to another shop, you know that something is very wrong with the whole thing. From the get go. Then the warranty becomes worthless, and the extended warranty becomes less than worthless.

abfisch

larry_steiner

I’m glad I found this blog. I just purchased a 06 Avalon XLS with low mileage. When I went for a test drive all was fine. Now the New England weather has changed and temps are around freezing. Got this annoying rattle that seems to be coming from the passenger side dash near the door. When the car heats up it goes away. Strange! Next cold morning I’ll push up on the sunroof and see if it will stop. Talk about counterintuitive. Considering what I paid for this car, it’s disappointing. I’ll be back to the dealer for a repair. I’ll let the group know how it goes.
Larry

dan41

As you can see from my previous post, this "intermittent cold weather rattle" problem frustrated me, Toyota and the dealership for over two years. Finally, the problem was fixed last month. Long story, but the net is the noise was coming from a metal flex issue in the moonroof and it was addressed by removing the deadline and moonroof assembly and adding some kind of special sound proof material. This was also done last year, but it did not help. Obviously, this doesn't "fix" the flex issue, but as long as I don't hear it, I'm OK. Now, after two years, I have a rattle free Avalon.

Good luck! Dan

lsi

I have a 05 Limited & there is a clacking noise upon backing up or turning sometime (Sounds like bad cv joints)
Took it to dealer & of course it didn't do it. Anyone have this problem? Help anyone!

dan41

There was a TSB out for problems with the steering column related to noise and, I think, vibration. Although, I couldn't notice any issues with noise from my steering column, my steering column on my Limited was replaced last winter.

nc_ace

I have the same problem (clacking noise in rear)when backing up and I also noticed it in front when turning right. The front noise is new but the rear noise has been there for a while. I need to take it to the dealer in the next two weeks for routine service and inspection and will let you know what I find out.

swa2

Toyota dealer gave me two new front mounts. One was 48603-33021 recommended replacement for '98 OEM and the other was 48609-07010 a strut mount from a '95-96 Lexus ES300. The kid was lookign for the second mount and now I know why. He sis not tell me they where for different cars. Did not realize it until I had the assmbles down that they were different. I lived with the larger lexus support but needed to open the top strut area about 1/8" more at the top to accept the larger lexus supprt. I was not going to go back to toyota and wait a week to get the right part. Bottom line is wife said it was great for about a week and then a cold snap hit ht earea last week and wouldn't you know it the 48603-33021 started to make all kinds of noise again. The Lexus mount was perfect. I just went down and got a second Lexus mount for the other side and so far the problem is solved.

dejama6385

We have a 99 avalon. We just replace the struts, mounts and sway bar...everyting was great for 2 days. Now I have a squeak when I do a slow sharp turn. It sounds like rubber on rubber. We have had it looked at and have been told that it is our rack, or our engine mount...also somebody suggest the ball joints needing greasing. All I know is that it developed after the struts were replaced. Our friend who did the work actually replaced all the new work since it was squeaking so bad...and it was great...for 2 days just like the first time...the more we drove it...the more the squeak. Can anybody help us with a solution.
Thanks

jaasongreg08

I would be really interested to know what the dealer told you when you took your Avalon in for service and inspection since I have a 1997 Avalon that is making the same kind of noise that you are talking about in your posting.

dejama6385

We have not taken it to the Toyota dealer yet. We had taken it to auto repair places and got different opinions. We are making an appointment with a dealer for this next week. Will let you know as soon as they tell us, we fix what they say is wrong...and IF it fixes the problem.

foreman5150

Did you ever resolve the knocking noise in your Avalon?

dejama6385

Yes, we did get it fixed...sorry it has taken so long to respond. It ended up being the strut mounts. We had used a after market part and it needs to be a toyota part. When it was replaced with the toyota part...it became totally quite again. Hope this helps you

dan41

I was the one who posted the rattle issue, specifically occuring only during cold weather. I determined that the noise was coming from the area of the moon-roof because, as noted, when I applied upward pressure, the noise went away. My car was in the shop a number of times as the local Toyota dealership attempted to fix the rattle. The Toyota regional rep was also involved. You may want to research my posts before taking your car in for service because it took the dealership and the Toyota rep a number of attempts before they were able to isolate the problem and then ultimately fix it. It was a very frustrating first two years of ownership, but my car has been quiet all winter.

Good luck..dan

foreman5150

I have an 2006 Avalon with about 29000 miles. I have noticed a thumping noise that seems to be coming from the right front or under the dash board when I first start driving my car. It only last for a minute or two. I think it started when the weather changed. Does anyone else have this problem?

rpfingsten

Foreman5150....
Does your car have a sun / moon roof? I have an 07 xls w/ the sun roof. My car only has 15K on it, and the first time it got cold ( lower 40;s ) I started hearing this thumping or ratttle that also sounded like it was coming from the right front part of the car. However someone told me that it had something to do with the sunroof. So the next time It got cold, I put my hand up against the sun roof and applied just alittle pressure and low and behold the rattle stopped. The rattle also stops as soon as the interior of the car warms up from the heater. We live in Louisiana where "cold" temperatures are limited so for that reason only I haven't taken my car into the dealership yet, but as soon as we get another cold snap, my avy will be in thier service dept. I think too you will notice that the rattle isn't there at all when the temperature outside is 50 or above.

Roland

gpciii

The facts on the 07 Avalon rattle and noise which is coming from the right side of the sunroof. Only happens when colder. For me it was 40 degrees or so. Solution: The dealer dropped the headliner in the car and replaced the track and certain parts of the sunroof mechanism. No more problems. He jumped right in and knew what to do. It was so aggrevating to spend so much money on a car that's no better than a US at much less the price. Toyota has gotten cheaper and cheaper with quality. Probably my last one. gpciii

tjc78

"It was so aggrevating to spend so much money on a car that's no better than a US at much less the price"

Ok... go find a large American vehicle that has 268 HP more than capable of 30+ MPG, great resale, ranked top of the class, has every amenity available, and is above average in reliabillity for under 40K. I bet you can't!