2014 Toyota Avalon Fuel System Problems

I HAVE 95000 MILES ON MY TOYOTA AVALON LIMITED HYBRID. WHILE DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD IT JUST QUIT - DEAD STOP (VERY DANGEROUS) AND, HAD IT NOT BEEN A HYBRID, I WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN ABLE TO GET IT OFF OF THE INTERSTATE. TURNS OUT THAT THE FUEL PUMP STOPPED WORKING WITH NO WARNING. MY LAST AVALON WENT ALMOST 300,000 MILES ON THE SAME FUEL PUMP. THE PUMP, IN MY OPINION, IS FAULTY BUT OUT OF WARRANTY. TOYOTA IS CHARGING OVER $1,000 TO FIX IT. I TRIED TO GET TOYOTA MANAGEMENT CONTACT INFORMATION (DISTRICT MGR.) FROM THE DEALERSHIP BUT THEY WOULD NOT SUPPLY IT IN ORDER FOR ME TO DRAW ATTENTION TO TOYOTA OF THE PREMATURE FAILURE OF A KEY COMPONENT OF THE CAR. I CALLED TOYOTA HEADQUARTERS, GOT THE SAME RESPONSE AND FELT LIKE THEY COULD CARE LESS THAT THERE MAY BE A DEFICIENCY IN THEIR COMPONENTS. THIS IS A SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE. I HAVE SEEN ONLINE OTHERS THAT HAVE HAD THIS EARLY FAILURE OF THE FUEL PUMP. TOYOTA NEEDS TO LOOK INTO THIS LIFE THREATENING PROBLEM AND THEY NEED TO ISSUE A TSB ON IT AND PERFORM THE WORK AT COST VS MAKING MONEY ON SOMETHING THAT COULD KILL ME AND MY FAMILY MEMBERS. I STILL CAN GET OVER THEIR LACK OF CONCERN.

WHILE TRAVELING AT HIGHWAY SPEED 50-70 MILES PER HOUR ENGINE SUDDENLY SLOWED TO IDLE SPEED. CAR WOULD NOT TAKE GAS EVEN AFTER PULLING TO SIDE OF ROAD. ENGINE WAS SHUT OFF AND RESTARTED AND HAD NO MORE PROBLEM.

FUEL DOOR WOULD NOT OPEN NORMALLY (PRESSING CENTER REAR EDGE) NOR WHEN USING THE EMERGENCY RELEASE PULL CORD LOCATED INSIDE THE VEHICLE TRUNK WHILE PRESSING REAR CENTER EDGE. ALSO, FUEL DOOR COULD NOT BE OPENED WHILE PULLING EMERGENCY RELEASE CORD AND PULLING ON REAR CENTER DOOR SIMULTANEOUSLY. CAR WAS PLACED IN SERVICE IN FEBRUARY 2015 AND HAS 2300 MILES. TOOK CAR TO AUTHORIZED SERVICE CENTER AND SERVICE WRITER COULD NOT OPEN FUEL DOOR WITH EMERGENCY RELEASE EITHER. CAR COULD NOT BE REFUELED WITHOUT DAMAGING DOOR OR LOCK MECHANISM.

RECEIVED A RECALL NOTICE FROM TOYOTA. THE WORLD TOYOTA DEALERSHIP HAS NO IDEA WHEN PARTS MAY COME IN. THE RECALL SOUNDS SERIOUS, COULD POTENTIALLY BE A FIRE. IT IS SHAMEFUL THAT THEY DO NOT HAVE THE PART AND THEY HAVE NO IDEA WHEN THEY WILL GET IT. WHEN RECALLS ARE INITIATED ARE THEY NOT UNDER SOME KIND OF ORDER TO CORRECT THE PROBLEM IN A TIMELY FASHION? *TR

THE COVER TO THE GAS TANK LOCKS WHEN THE CAR IS LOCKED, AND CAN BE OPENED WHEN THE CAR IS UNLOCKED. IF, FOR SOME REASON, THIS MECHANISM IS INOPERATIVE, AND ONE CANNOT OPEN THE GAS TANK COVER, ONE IS INSTRUCTED TO OPEN THE TRUNK, REMOVE THE TRUNK LINING, REACH IN BLINDLY PAST ALL THE WIRES AND CONNECTERS, AND FIND A LITTLE WHITE PLASTIC LEVER. THE LEVER EMERGES FROM BEHIND THE TRUNK THROUGH A HOLE IN THE TRUNK THAT IS COMPOSED OF SHARP METAL. THE LEVER IS ATTACHED BY A FLIMSY LITTLE PLASTIC WIRE. ONE MUST PULL THE LEVER PERFECTLY HORIZONTALLY. IF ONE EXERTS THE SLIGHTEST UPWARDS PRESSURE WHEN PULLING ON THE LEVER, THE FLIMSY LITTLE PLASTIC WIRE IS SHEARED BY THE SHARP EDGES OF THE HOLE THROUGH WHICH THE WIRE EMERGES. EVEN IF ONE MANAGES THE ABOVE FEAT, THE GAS TANK COVER IS NOT GUARANTEED TO OPEN. SO ONE IS STUCK AT THE GAS STATION WITH NO WAY TO ADD GASOLINE TO THE TANK. AND IF THE WIRE IS SHEARED OFF, ONE IS REALLY IN DEEP TROUBLE. FIRST OF ALL, THE WIRE IS NOT COVERED UNDER WARRANTY, SO I AM REQUIRED TO PAY FOR THE REPLACEMENT. THEY SAY IT WAS MY FAULT; I PULLED TOO HARD. THE TRUTH IS IT IS THE FAULT OF THE ENGINEERS FOR DESIGNING SUCH A POOR SYSTEM. THE WIRE IS FLIMSY PLASTIC; THE EDGES OF THE HOLE ARE SHARP METAL; HOW IS IT POSSIBLE TO PULL THE LEVER WITHOUT SHEARING THE WIRE. THE WHOLE SYSTEM NEEDS TO BE REDESIGNED. SECONDLY, PULLING THE WIRE DOESN'T ALWAYS WORK. WHAT IS THE BACKUP PLAN? THIRDLY, I WAS ABLE TO REMOVE THE FELT LINING OF THE TRUNK, REACH IN BLINDLY, AND FIND THE LEVER. THERE IS NO WAY IN THE WORLD THAT MY WIFE COULD HAVE DONE THIS. THE LEVER SHOULD BE READILY AVAILABLE SIMPLY BY OPENING THE TRUNK. *TR

I WAS STOPPING IN A TENNIS COURT PARKING LOT WHEN THE CAR SUDDENLY ACCELERATED AND HIT A TREE. THE DAMAGE CAME TO ABOUT $7,000. THIS WAS THE SECOND TIME THIS HAPPENED. THE FIRST TIME WAS 4/2/2014. THE CAR SUDDENLY ACCELERATED WHEN I WAS GOING APPROX. 5 MILES AN HOUR BUT I WAS ON A STRAIGHT STRETCH OF ROAD AND STOPPED THE CAR WITHOUT DOING ANY DAMAGE. THE FIRST TIME I TOOK THE CAR TO THE TOYOTA DEALER AND THEY COULD NOT FIND ANYTHING WRONG. I FELL THAT THIS CAR HAS A SERIOUS DEFECT AND SHOULD NOT BE DRIVEN UNTIL THIS PROBLEM IS FIXED. *TR