2013 Toyota Avalon visibility problems

Filed Jan 2, 2025 · Visibility · IL

1) System Failure: Back window shade. It is available for inspection at any time. 2) Safety of me and others put at risk: When the shade is down I can not see out the back window posing a significant risk to those behind me particularly pedestrians 3) Has problem been reproduced: Yes 4) Has the component been inspected: No the motor operating the shade has not been inspected 5) Warnings prior to system failure: None Description: The window shade is meant to automatically retract out of sight when the transmission is placed in reverse. It does not retract at all. It stays fully extended covering the entire back window. This problem drastically impairs my ability to see out the back window at all. While being a problem at all times driving the vehicle it is particularly problematic when backing up at night; you simply can not see anyone behind you backing out of a parking space in a mall for example.

Filed Feb 25, 2024 · Visibility · DE

Rear window shade stuck in 'UP' position, cannot see out the rearview mirror, especially at night. Makes for very dangerous driving.

Filed Feb 1, 2023 · Visibility · CA

The rear window spontaneously shattered into little fragments of glass and fell into the backseat section of the vehicle. This happened once while parked at work in a gated lot and security camera with motion sensors caught the incident happening on video. Temperature was in the high 80 F, and happened in August of 2022. After 5 months later the rear window shattered again while parked on driveway. Safety of anyone in the back seat is at risk due to sharp glass. Unable to convince the dealer this is a factory defect. Manufacturer said they can do a visual inspection but in realty results will be pointless since the car have not been in any accident. No warning appeared before rear window shattered.

Filed Apr 18, 2022 · Visibility · TX

Rear window sunscreen (dark black) stuck in the up position. Poor visibility during night driving with the curtain stuck in the upright position. This has always had this problem and Toyota has not solution.

Filed Mar 28, 2022 · Visibility · TX

The sun shade in the rear back malfunctions. When it malfunctions you are unable to visibility see when backing up due to the sun shade being in the way which put other people at risk for safety when backing up. Also when this piece malfunctions it makes a gridding nose which can cause a wreck if the person is unaware of the noise in the car while backing up. This function has been looked at by a Toyota Dealer ship which would result of owner paying over $1000.00 to get it fixed or even disabled. There are no warnings regarding the malfunction besides a loud noise while backing up when not functioning properly.

Filed Jan 7, 2021 · Visibility · 90,000 miles · CA

The rear sun shade which extends and retracts to cover the back window of my avalon has a fault which causes it to get stuck in the extended position, covering the rear window. This drastically reduces the visibility out the rear window and there is no obvious or simple fix for the issue. I have found online that many people are having a similar problem. Before the shade got stuck, it would randomly extend or retract during hot days, which seems to be due to a faulty relay. This is clearly a poor design which presents a safety hazard to the driver and anyone behind the vehicle while backing up.

Filed Dec 24, 2020 · Acceleration, Visibility · IL

I just purchased a 2013 toyota avalon from carmax. During the next several days of driving I had observe the following. One. The rear window is distorted and will not come clean no matter what I attempt to use to be able to have a clear visibility. I also have noticed that while in a stop position, when beginning to accelerate the vehicle hesitates and I have to take my foot off the gas pedal and reapply to accelerate. I have a seven day return policy no questions asked. But I really love this car in been waiting to find that particular color exterior and interior which is black leather. I called toyota and they could not find any recall or other problems with this.

Filed Jul 5, 2020 · Visibility · 86,000 miles · PA

This issue happened while the vehicle was in motion on the highway. Rear sunshade randomly deployed and is permanently stuck in the up position completely blocking rear visibility. Sunshade is supposed to go down when vehicle is placed in reverse, this function no longer works further inhibiting safe vehicle maneuvering. The rear facing backup camera has a statement saying to not rely on the backup camera when backing up, this no longer an option for me as I can no longer clearly see out of the rear window. Night time reversing is virtually impossible with any degree of safety. This appears to be a known issue with toyota as they replaced a relay in the sunshade in model years after 2014 that seems to have remedied this issue. There is no way manually lower the sunscreen. There's no way to easily swap out the defective relay. There's no way to disconnect the sunshade from the wiring harness. There isn't an independent fuse for the sunshade that can be removed. The sunshade appears to be on a fuse that controls the headlights, taillights, braking system and cruise control system. By removing the fuse this would make my vehicle even less safe the it already is.

Filed Jun 10, 2020 · Visibility · 90,000 miles · VA

The rear sunshade is stuck in the 'up' (extended) position, greatly hindering view to the rear, both with rear-view mirror and when driver turns head to the rear. This device is designed to automatically retract from 'up' position every time the car is shifted to "reverse" gear, so as to not hinder rear views. It worked fine for several years, but last month it became stuck in the extended position, and cannot be retracted. This is a problem at all times; but is especially a dangerous situation at night, when darkness hinders views. From online searching, it appears that this problem occurs very frequently, and most commenters say it's not worth fixing, because replacement units develop the same problem. Removing the unit is my preferred approach. But I understand that several hours of labor are required, as the rear seat needs to be removed. This is not the result of a moving crash; it happened spontaneously, and is now an issue 100% of the time.

Filed Oct 7, 2019 · Visibility · TN

The rear window shade automatically raised itself and is stuck in the extended position. It makes a loud sound for ~20 seconds whenever the car is put into reverse or whenever you attempt to retract the shade. This is a safety hazard as it makes it more difficult to observe traffic through the rearview mirror, particularly at night.