The shop manual shows a relay, limit switch, and small motor as parts of the shade assembly.
I suspect what you hear is the relay operating (a faint click). They may have used a cheap DC motor and the brushes and/or commutator are beginning to wear out. If the shade seems to move just slightly each time you operate the switch, than the problem could be binding in the lift mechanism or gear assembly.

 

On the other hand - it might be binding mechanically and that's what's preventing it from lowering.

I have a similar issue in that mine gets hung up going up. The dealership said it was misalignment and they wanted $250 to remove the back seat, rear shelf, etc. before they could even work on the shade. For what it's worth - they denied any extended-warranty coverage to fix it.

Please do let us know how it works out for ya.

 

Are you saying that you had the complete toyota care coverage and they denied fixing it? Under what circumstance are they able to do this?

 

Rear Shade Problem Possible Solution

In my 2006 Avy, the shade got hung up several times and would not fold up and disappear as it is designed to do. I used some bicycle dry lube to lubricate the mechanism and it worked. Now the shade works as it should. Just be careful not to get the lubricant on the rear deck. You'll have to work with it but I'll bet you can fix it just with the lube.

 

This is so weird! I have a 2005 Avalon and it has been great up to last month when the back sun shade get stuck. I rarely use it until the summer months. So a couple of weeks ago my wife let it up and it never when back down. Same issues with you all I hit the button I hear a click and it acts like it wants to go down but it acts like it gets stuck. After minutes of frustration, I put the car in reverse and click click click on the button and it finally goes down smoothly?? WTF????

I took it to Toyota and they want $95 big ones just to look at it. With that said I guess we will never be using the shade anytime soon.

BGeagle where did you put to oil/lube to make yours work again?

 

Here's What I Did

The two cross bars have small wheels on the ends that run in a channel in the top piece. I put the lube in that top piece in the channel. I also oiled the small wheels. Just be careful not to spill any on the rear deck.

 

They said that the rear package shelf had shifted causing it to bind up. Doesn't matter - I fixed it by 'widening' the slot with a screwdriver - problem gone.

 

Rear shade

They said that the rear package shelf had shifted causing it to bind up. Doesn't matter - I fixed it by 'widening' the slot with a screwdriver - problem gone.

I have had the problem where the shade will not go up, but it always goes down when you either shift into reverse or push the button. Relay is engaging each time as the click can be heard. Removed the assembly (takes < 15 minutes to remove seats, etc.) Tested the motor and it worked every time - looks like a well-built piece. Tore the mechanism apart thinking there was some binding (interesting mechanics inside) and found nothing. After reinstall it worked fine for about a year, but now will not go up at all. Next move I will connect VOM and see if motor is receiving voltage and trace back to relay on module. Best price I have found on module is $325.

 

I use the rear sunshade in the summer months, but not all the time - just here and there.

There has never been a child, or anyone in the backseat who has ever messed with the rear shade, it either goes up or down, and has never been messed with.

Today I went to put the shade up, and all I heard was a click from the back area where the shade is. I tired it several times, but all I heard was a little click, and the shade did not go up.

I put the car in reverse (which causes the shade to go down when its up), I put the car in drive, then returned the car to park. I hit the button again, this time the shade came up.

Once the shade was all the way up, I waited a minute and pressed the button again. The shade arms started to fold down, then stopped. The shade will not go back down. I put the car in reverse, and it attempts to bring down the shade, but it wil not go down.

Does anyone have any suggestions, or experience with this type of problem?

I would like to know what might be the cause/solution.

My thinking is, its not the switch (because the signal is getting to the shade mechanism, I can hear a click back there, even if it doesn't go up or down).
I'm thinking it's not the motor, because it "did" go up, it just won't go back down. Although, it could be that the motor is weak, and not enough power to lift, or lower the shade?

I don't know, and am really looking forward to hearing some input.

Thanks!

So here's my experience and semi-solution to this issue. I have a 2007 Avalon Limited and it was experiencing the same issue (I push the button, hear a click, nothing happens). I bought the car used and the shade was already up and never worked. I decided to see if I could manually put it down as it's a bother at night to see through the stupid thing. What I did was push the vertical bars that raise the shade to the side in an attempt to close it manually. I found the bars would move until the shade was lowered about 2 or 3 inches and then I got resistance. At this point I started the car and pushed the shade button to see what would happen. To my shock the shade motor ran and the shade raised back to fully deployed position. I pushed the button again and it lowered. Then, stupidly, I pushed it again. The shaded raised perfectly......and got stuck, lol. I was back to square one. I attempted the same procedure again and discovered that when the unit is fully deployed you cannot move the vertical bars at all, you get resistance right away. So I pushed the shade button again, heard the click, shade didn't move, but this time I could move the vertical bars as previously described. It took some fiddling (pushing the bars and lowering it manually, pushing the button, repeat) but eventually I got the shade to retract as you would expect. Now that it's down I'm just pulling the fuse since my windows are tinted anyway and this thing seems totally faulty all around. Anyway, hope this helps someone!

 

I have compiled a lot of experience and research on this sunshade issue and, to support others, have summarized it all here. (Of course, some of this information will have already been stated in this forum.)

Issue: 2005-2014 Toyota Avalons, rear window sunshade assembly failure, complete and total, in the 'up' position; most common over 2005-2008 Avalons. The failure obstructs rear view at nighttime, especially if the rear window is also tinted. The sunshade is designed to automatically retract into the 'down' position when the car is put in reverse; if this failure has occurred, the sunshade will make a loud grinding sound for about 15 seconds while the sunshade attempts (and fails) to retract into the 'down' position. It will also make the sound even IF the sunshade is already retracted. Failure can occur at any time, but as early as 15,000-20,000 miles into new ownership. Toyota never released any TSB, any public acknowledgement or any unofficial/goodwill warranty toward this issue.

There is another Avalon sunshade assembly issue where it randomly activates on its own, extending to the 'up' position. That issue has a separate root cause, a relay failure, TSB-0157-14 "Rear Window Sunshade Rises With NO Switch Input," than is discussed here.

Descriptions and part numbers provided herein are based upon my own 2006 Toyota Avalon Limited, for which the sunshade assembly part number is 65333-AC010.

Dealership/Warranty Fix: Replace entire sunshade assembly. This work, when not covered under original warranty, will quote in the range of $1500 to $2000. Not only because the sunshade costs around a grand, but because there is about 6 hours of labor involved in uninstalling the old sunshade assembly and installing the new sunshade assembly. Almost everything near the sunshade assembly has to be removed to obtain access to remove it, including the back seat, the C-panel covers, the rear panel, the rear seat belts, etc.

Do NOT pay for this dealership fix because it WILL NOT LAST. The sunshade assembly is itself defective and so it will also eventually completely fail in the same manner. In my own case, the original sunshade assembly was replaced under original warranty around the second year of ownership (after purchased new), then the replacement sunshade assembly also failed about two years after expiration of the original warranty. Online discussions also report failures of replaced sunshade assemblies.

Temporary Fixes: The sunshade assembly MAY continue to work for an additional, and SHORT, period of time by applying some type of dry lubricant to the wheels that connect the tops of the two vertical sunshade bars to the top horizontal sunshade bar … as well as into the tracks within the horizontal bar within which the wheels move. One of my mechanics applied a white magnesium or lithium lubricant that resolved the issue for a short time. Another of my mechanics applied a spray of dry silicone lubricant that also resolved the issue for a short time. Online posters mentioned obtaining the same effect with other dry lubricants such dry bicycle lubricant. Online posters have also mentioned using a screwdriver to widen the slot through which the sunshade extends and retracts, thereby reducing the resistance the sunshade experiences when moving.

Suspected Root Cause: Inside the sunshade assembly is the sunshade motor assembly. Inside that motor assembly is a small 3.8cm white plastic gear (with 48 teeth and a 0.7cm metal hub with 11 teeth). This is the item that apparently fails. Exposed to heat that builds inside the motor assembly due to the sun radiating down on the rear panel, the plastic gear becomes brittle causing various types of failures including: the gear cracking off entirely, braking off of its teeth, warping of its teeth, warping that allows the metal rod on which the gear turns to slip out of its own placement, etc. There are NO Toyota part numbers for either the sunshade motor assembly or the plastic gear within it. It does not appear that Toyota or its dealerships have actually diagnosed this root cause and will simply assume the entire sunshade assembly has somehow failed or has been torqued into a bind.

Permanent Fix: There WAS an independent gearmaker who had fashioned a 3.8cm solid brass gear to exactly replace the white plastic gear. The owner could pay an independent mechanic the labor to remove the sunshade assembly and detach the motor assembly. Then, for a fee of $200, an owner could send the motor assembly to the gearmaker and he would install the solid brass gear and return the motor assembly to the owner. Then the owner could pay the mechanic to re-attach the motor assembly and re-install the sunshade assembly. The gearmaker offered this service on eBay. However, as of 2017, he has retired and no longer supplies the gear service. To maintain a matter of full record regarding this issue only, I provide the former points of contact for the gearmaker as Mr. Al Meekins, http://gearsmade.com, AMeek3775@AOL.Com, voice 856.858.6421, fax 856.858.1642. A metal gear replacement does not seem to be available anywhere else. Accordingly, there is NOT really any currently available permanent fix available for this issue.

Replacement Plastic Gear: As stated, Toyota does not have a part number for this 3.8cm white plastic gear. However, third-party makers supply a replacement white plastic gear on eBay. For my own Avalon, auction descriptions include terms such as "Mercedes W124 E-Class Toyota Rear Curtain Sunshade Motor Gear" and part numbers may include Bross BGE502, EK-0040, Apwr PH367890. Mr. Meekins confirmed to me by email in 2017 that these are indeed the correct plastic replacement gear (and that he no longer supplies the brass gear service). The cost will be about $12-$15, before shipping and tax. Owners should keep in mind that this white plastic gear would be expected, at some point, to fail as does the original plastic gear. And so the labor to uninstall and reinstall the sunshade assembly will reoccur. However if the owner wants to repair, having an independent mechanic replace the gear will still be much less expensive than purchasing a brand-new entire sunshade assembly.

Best Option (IMHO): Most owners, including myself, end up just 'helping' the sunshade retract into the 'down' position one last time, then disable the sunshade function entirely (and, perhaps, tint the rear window to compensate). The disabling is wise, since the sunshade button sits right next to the gas hatch and trunk release buttons (on my Avalon, at least)… and so sooner or later the driver will accidentally engage it.

To help the sunshade retract one last time: open both rear doors and nudge each of the vertical sunshade bars inward a wee bit so that they are no longer exactly vertical. While having someone else activate the sunshade button, push gently down on the horizontal sunshade bar, helping the sunshade to catch and retract. If it is stubborn and will not retract, recruit an additional helper, then push gently down on BOTH ends of the horizontal bar AND push gently in at the tops of the vertical bars while the button is being activated. It may take a number of attempts, but this approach is likely to eventually work.

To disable the sunshade function entirely: There does NOT appear to be any easy access to the wiring of the sunshade assembly where it is mounted (so as to 'snip' it). On some Avalons, the disabling can be accomplished by simply pulling the appropriate fuse from the INTERIOR fuse box. The fuse box is facing down, under the dash, right next to the emergency brake and has a black cover. On my own Avalon, the top of the fuse box cover has the fuse listed as RR S/SHADE. The fuse is a red 10A and I count it as the eighth fuse from the left on the bottom row. It is located directly under the letter "A" in the word "TOYOTA," and is just to the right of a green 30A fuse. Also it's located between fuses labeled as SPARE and WIP.

On my own Avalon, this fuse is DEDICATED to the sunshade function. However, depending on how your own Avalon is equipped, and/or its model year, this fuse may also be supporting other functions, such as cruise control. In which case pulling the fuse is not an option.

In that case, you can pay an independent mechanic to remove the lower left dashboard knee trim panel (for my own Avalon, 55302-07020) in which the sunshade button is mounted, unplug the sunshade button harness, then reinstall the trim panel.

You can also have the mechanic remove the sunshade button entirely. It just snaps out. Toyota makes a plastic 'cutout cover' of matching color that will snap into the button's cutout so as to be flush and matching with the rest of the panel. For my own Avalon, the part number for the cutout cover is 55539-04040. The cost will be about $10-$12, before shipping and tax. The correct interior color code must be specified.

In my case, after removing the sunshade button, I had my mechanic snap an OEM Toyota toggle switch into the cutout (it fits perfectly) and then wire it to control a third-party accessory I had earlier installed into the vehicle. The switch has a 'fog light' icon on it; I left the icon on it, but I suspect a bit of acetone and magic eraser would remove it, making the switch generic in appearance. The switch has a lighted on/off indicator. For my Avalon, the part number for this switch is 00550-35976. The cost will be about $15, before shipping and tax. This particular switch will marry exactly to cutouts in many older Toyotas, given the cutouts were standardized, but will probably not marry to the cutouts in more recent Toyotas. The wiring for this 3-prong switch is Top prong #4-Ground, Middle Prong #2-12V Power In, Bottom Prong #3-Power Out to Device.

I'm keeping an eye out for one of those custom-cut faux-suede UV-protective fabric covers that fits the rear deck … to camo the sunshade slot … but I haven't seen one yet.