Major Leak on 2010 XLS

[brad_i2001]

I bought my Avalon back in January with 26k miles on it from Hertz. I had always noticed a smell in there, but could not figure out what is was. Today, I was washing it, and noticed the rear seat was soaking wet. I opened the door, and the whole driver's side rear column was soaked. This included the seat belt, chair, foam, airbag, and mats. I called Toyota and took pictures to document (Which I hope to post here soon). So far, I have called Serra Toyota, and they said they would take a look on Monday. I was wondering if anybody on here has had a similar issue, and what you guys think would be the best thing to do after they repair it. It is still under warranty, but since the leak is coming from the "Curtain Side Airbag" logo, I am kind of nervous about keeping it and them not doing a good job in case I ever need the airbag.

[Minus (-)]

If It's Still Under Warranty You Don't Have Anything To Worry About....make some noise about it...they'll accommodate u.....my highbeams shattered and I Didn't Have The Car 2 weeks yet.....I made that dealership remember me....now my avy Has a Toyota ipod interface and avs rain guards....And Them Apology Letters Keep coming in the mail...these cars are too expensive to be malfunctioning months after purchase....good luck

[MAToyotaSales]

I wonder if the car was ever in an accident in that area. Door seals are often overlooked or installed incorrectly. TBH the Avalon really does have just about Toyota's best build quality, thus I doubt it's due to factory defect.

[Billiam]

The fact that it's from Hertz would give me pause. Perhaps it's been in an accident?

[brad_i2001]

I ran a personal carfax before buying it. Everything came back clean, both on mine and theirs. It also came with the 5 year/65k mi warranty, so I am hoping this will be a simple fix. Right now, my rear seat foam is soaked, airbags are also wet, and floor carpet is mildewed. Either way, this is going to be a long process... It sucks! I paid a load of money for this car, and I agree with you guys, this quality is far less than what i paid for... Oh well... Thanks for the responses everybody!

Cheers!

[rwd_3tc]

It could be a loose hose for the sunroof, that might of got undone.

[brad_i2001]

I think you guys can see the pictures here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/48558933@N04/
I tried to upload to flickr for the first time, so cut me some slack if it doesn't work. lol!

Thank you again for your responses! You have all saved me so much in the past, that this is almost a minor issue!

[GoFaSSter]

Just to put your mind at some ease. Hertz, Enterprise etc. have very strict standards for the cars they will sell on their lot. If the car is turned back with too many miles or has had any damage or even too many warranty repairs it will probably be tossed from them selling the car themselves. I am sure someone will disagree and tell a story about their bro in law's room mate who had an issue, but I have seen this first hand.

[brad_i2001]

So, I scheduled an 8:30 am appointment with Serra Toyota of Decatur Saturday. This appointment was supposed to be a quick drop off/rental pickup. The technician I spoke to said water damage usually takes a long time to repair. Anyways, I went in at 8:20 and they took the Valle Key and told me that they would take a look. I had made a quick list of the problems that I was having and gave the "Secretary" a copy. It read as such:

PROBLEM STATEMENT FOR 2010 TOYOTA AVALON

SUMMARY
I noticed a major leak while washing my 2010 Toyota Avalon on 04/23/2011. While washing, I noticed that the rear seat was wet with drops of water. Upon further examination, I noticed that the seat belt, side curtain airbag, seats, foam, and lower carpet were all in this condition. Later on in the day, I noticed a smell of mold. I then pulled back the seat between the trim and leather, and noticed little, black spore looking objects. Below are the pictures with brief descriptions of each.

HOW TO FIX IT
I want the following done with the PAID for 5 yr/ 65000 mi warranty

-New Rear Seats
-Drain (possibly sunroof leak) repaired
-Upper trim replaced
-Curtain Airbag replaced, full assembly
-Carpet and mats since they have absorbed the water/mold
-Rear seating foam as shown in picture
-Wiring harnesses in this area
-Rear windshield inspection for leaking
-All recalls

I also want a full detailed worksheet of all the work done for a reference if I should ever have this problem again. According to Edmunds.com and multiple online forums, this has been a major issue with this generation of Toyota Avalons. I expect all this work to be done in a timely manner, and a rental car due to the loss of use with this issue.


So, I waited and waited. Finally, I caught the Sales Manager at 10:30 and asked for a status on my car. She then went back there and got them to start working on it. So, at 11:30, they said it was fixed. The sunroof drain port had been disconnected, and they reconnected it.

At this point, I got the tech that worked on my car to go through my above stated list. While doing so, the rear seats still showed water damage/mildew, the foam cushions below were soaking like a we sponge, the wiring harnesses affected still had some exposed wire, and the surrounding trim also had water damage. I clearly pointed these issues out to him. He said that there was nothing else he could do. So, I said that I wanted to speak with the manager.

At this point, I am furious! I did the same walkthrough with the manager. His response was, and I quote "Get a shopvac and drive with the windows rolled down... It will dry itself out." I responded saying that he would hear from me again since this "repair" was FAR below satisfaction.

After saying all this, I was wondering if any of you knew of the address for the Corporate location of South East Toyota. I have searched it some, and could not find a proper mailing address. I was also wondering if anybody was aware of the next step up the chain when there are issues with management like this. I have never had such TERRIBLE support from a dealership. Yes they are expensive, but they are usually grateful that you come to them with your problems. Lastly, would this fall under the "Lemon Law?" Like GoFasster said, Hertz is usually on the ball with issues like this, so I am fairly certain they would not be selling a defective car.

Once again, thank you everybody for reading! You comments have also been most helpful!

[MAToyotaSales]

You've got every right to be as demanding as you were, but you'll never get most of the things you want replaced. Airbags, rear seats and rugs are a nice thought and in a perfect world would be replaced. But since you don't have an airbag light on the dash, they will consider it trouble free (rightfully so). The rugs and seat wouldn't have mold had you (or the first owner) caught this the first time it leaked. The upper trim you should get as it would be water damaged even with one leak and will be stained.

[grandpapa]

Long to do list but it's just a "wish list".
I can understand as a consumer, we have all the right to demand for what we 'want' but from the seller/dealer's point of view, no way they will YES, YES to your list. It's not going to happen.

Your listed work would have cost thousands of dollars vs a half an hour (just my guess) putting the connection together.

From my experience with most dealerships, I find the best approach is to give them a chance to fix the problem (once). If you are not happy, then you start to address the issue with management, more aggressive.

[arabianobsession]

Unfortunately, it is not covered under the Lemon Law as the Lemon Law is more for mechanical defects. For instance, if your air bag light were to come on, and you took it to the dealership to fix it, and down the road it came on again, etc., after a certain amount of times, then the Lemon Law would come into effect.

[HATEnFATE]

5 year 65k plan? Is that an option that you purchased when you get the vehicle new? Is it a Toyota plan or an Outside company. Toyota's bumper to bumper is only 3 years, 36,000 miles. I'd think that you would be dealing with an outside company, not toyota on that one.

I'm also not familiar with the common issue of Avalon's and sunroof drains coming off. I've never ordered any interior pieces for any avalons due to water damage and I;ve worked for Toyota for 10 years.

One thing to think about too, is how you approached the dealer you took the car to. If someone came to your job, demanded that you do something a certain way and expected nothing less then what you demanded, how would you take it? I know that I am always willing to go the extra mile for my customers but when one comes to me and acts the way that you are describing, in my head, I'd fix the problem with the car(the leaking roof) and knowing the car was repaired(outside of any warranty) would leave it at that.

You don't yell at the person cooking your food/waiting tables do you?

Just something to think about........

Also, just because you did a Carfax, doesn't mean the car was never in an accident. It just means it wasn't written in a police report. Maybe it was damaged on a Hertz Lot and never reported to the police.

[brad_i2001]

The 5 year/65000 mi warranty is by Toyota. It was part of the extended plan paid for by Hertz. It is listed in my Toyota manual, and warrants everything in the car, just for an extended period. The reason I was so pushy is because of the initial phone call. I had spoken to them describing the problem on Saturday, and they said that I could drop it off (8:30 appointment) and they would have a rental ready at 9:00. I had went in cool headed and brought the problem statement just to summarize my issue. I understand that it is a lot, but if you saw the car in person, you would agree that it needed to be replaced.

The biggest issue is how it was handled really. I would be perfectly satisfied if they simply checked the airbag while the roof was off, fixed the source of the leak, and at LEAST vacuumed or swapped the soaking rear seat foam. It just really bugged me that they PROMISED a rental for me to go to class, and I ended up spending half the day there waiting.

On a side note, it rained here bad last night, and they are expecting it to continue for the next few days. The rear carpet was soaking when I got in this morning, and the problem area of the roof is still dripping. I am going to get more pictures to document this case, and try a different dealer around here.

Thank you all again for your help on this case! I really do appreciate your comments and hope to have this case resolved soon!

[arabianobsession]

I wish you the best of luck with this. Sounds like there's more of an issue than with just the sunroof drain port.