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Description of the Complaints:
With cruise control (cc) on, between about 30 & 70 mph, on inclines that cause a speed decrease of 3+ mph, car downshifts more than the normal 1 gear, & surges ahead quite violently, with large rpm increases, to 3+ mph above that set, then slowly settles to the set speed. with the cruise control set at 70 mph on a level interstate, i slowed to 60 mph & set the "resume" function; it downshifted once, accelerating normally, until, @ 64 mph, downshifted again, more than one more gear & surged violently ahead, up about 3000 rpm & to 72-73 mph before returning to 5th gear, & slowing to 70 mph. the rapid increases are startling to all occupants, and could cause a loss of control, and the often rapid braking to maintain control, a real challenge for the tailgater behind on a cell phone! downhill, with cruise control on, it usually, but not always, speeds up excessively; more than with cruise control off. it usually acts normal on flat roads, and, except as stated, on high speed highways with gradual inclines. with cruise control off, none of these abnormal things happen. when the dealers shop foreman had me test drive a 2006 with him as passenger. and both cars did it he decided it was "normal". but even if all 05/06 avalons do, it's not "normal". while i do know that downshifting gently in the right circumstances is normal, as a highly experienced commercial driver & aircraft pilot/mechanic, & avid cc user, i have never had a vehicle act like this. when i phoned corporate toyota, they opened case #2005 0921 1138; had the "area rep." investigate (he/she never contacted me, or drove my car); told me that since the "area rep" considers it "normal" my only recourse with them is to enter "arbitration". we like this car very much, & would like to keep it if this can be rectified. surely it's a software glitch or something along that line. please help solve this obvious design flaw, before a tragedy forces it. thank you. *jb
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