Toyota Highlander Complaints (2006)

648 consumer complaints on file.

#10244665October 7, 2008
STEERING
2006 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER HYBRID (43,058 MILES) - LOSS OF ELECTRONIC POWER STEERING ASSIST AFTER DRIVING ONE HOUR IN THE HIGHWAY, I STOPPED AT MY PARENTS HOUSE, WHEN I WAS MANEUVERING TO PARK THE SUV IN THE SIDE OF THE ROAD, I LOST THE EPS ASSIST IN THE MIDDLE OF THE LANE. FORTUNATELY I WAS NOT IN THE HIGHWAY AND THERE WERE NO ACCIDENTS. IT WAS VERY DIFFICULT TO MANEUVER THE SUV TO A SAVE SPOT AFTER THE LOSS OF THE EPS ASSIST. I TOOK MY HIGHLANDER TO TOYOTA AUTHORIZED SERVICE DEALER, AT THE BEGINNING THE TECHNICIANS WERE UNABLE TO DIAGNOSE THE PROBLEM, TOYOTA HAS NOT ISSUED AN TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN ABOUT THE ISSUE, EVEN WHEN I HAVE FOUND INFORMATION IN THIS SITE THAT MORE THAN 109 SIMILAR CASES HAS BEEN REPORTED (INVESTIGATION#PE 06-055). IT IS TOTALLY UNFAIR THAT I HAVE TO PAY FOR REPAIR THAT IS CLEARLY IS A MANUFACTURERS DEFECT. PLEASE FEEL FREE TO CONTACT ME AT YOUR CONVENIENCE. THIS IS SAFETY ISSUE THAT NEEDS TO BE SOLVED ASAP. THERE IS PEOPLE'S LIVES AT RISK. *TR
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#10244427October 5, 2008
STEERING
2006 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER HYBRID. POWER STEERING FAILED PULLING AWAY FROM HOUSE. IMMEDIATE FAILURE WITH NO WARNING SIGNS. I THINK THIS WOULD HAVE BEEN CATASTROPHIC ON THE HIGHWAY WITH MY WIFE DRIVING. THE VEHICLE IS SO HARD TO STEER, I WOULD HATE TO THINK WHAT WOULD HAVE HAPPENED IF MY WIFE WERE DRIVING ANYWHERE. THIS VEHICLE HAS ONLY 52,000 MILES. I TYPICALLY KEEP A VEHICLE UNTIL IT HAS 250, 000 MILES. I HAVE NEVER SUFFERED A FAILURE LIKE THIS IN THE 32 YEARS THAT I HAVE BEEN DRIVING. *TR
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#10241418September 9, 2008
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE
UPON ACCELERATION THE 2006 HIGHLANDER HYBRID 2 WD SUDDENLY AND RAPIDLY ACCELERATED. THIS HAPPENED ONCE IN REVERSE AND ONCE IN DRIVE BOTH TIMES THE VEHICLE WAS STOPPED AT ONSET. IT HAS NOT HAPPENED AGAIN THUS FAR (2 DAYS AGO). THE SUV WAS AT THE DEALERSHIP YESTERDAY WHERE THEY COULD FIND NOTHING WRONG. I AM NOW AWARE THAT THIS HAS BEEN AN ISSUE WITH TOYOTA'S, ESP THE CAMRY, UPON WHICH THE HIGHLANDER IS BASED. *TR
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#10241403September 8, 2008
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
MY 2006 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER HYBRID SUDDENLY STALLED IN THE MIDDLE OF THE STREET. THE CAR WAS LATER TOWED TO THE TOYOTA DEALER IN HANFORD,CA. THE CAR HAS 140 MILES OVER 100,000 MILES AND THE DEALER TOLD ME IT WAS OUT OF WARRANTY. THE PROBLEM IS WITH THE HYBRID SYSTEM WAS LATER POINTED OUT TO THE INVERTER AND IT WILL COST ME ROUGHLY $5,000. *TR
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#10236989August 5, 2008
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
DASH BOARD DWSCRIPTION: CHECK HYBRID SYSTEM. CHECK VSC SYSTEM THE CAR WOULD NOT RESTART. TOYOTA HIGHLANDER HYBRID 2006 HYBRID FAILURE. SUV JUST STOPPED CAUSING ME TO HAVE WHIP LASH. VERY DANGEROUS. EMAIL BELOW EXPLAINS MORE... EMAIL: YESTERDAY 08/04/08 AROUND 05:17 PM, MY HIGHLANDER HYBRID SUV HYBRID SYSTEM FAILED. IT HAPPENED WHILE I WAS DRIVING AROUND 30 MPH. THE CAR JUST HALTED. IT ACTED LIKE IF YOU WENT FROM 5TH GEAR TO 2ND GEAR, A BIG JOLT; CAUSING ME TO HAVE A WHIP LASH. MY LEFT SIDE OF MY NECK REALLY HURTS AND I CANNOT TURN MY HEAD TO MY RIGHT....MY QUESTION TO TOYOTA IS WHY DIDN'T THE SYSTEM DEFAULT TO THE GAS ENGINE INSTEAD OF JUST STOPPING? YOU KNOW IF THIS HAPPENED TO ME ON THE HIGHWAY, I MAY HAVE BEEN SERIOUSLY HURT OR EVEN KILLED. I THINK THIS IS A VERY DANGEROUS FAILURE. WHAT WILL TOYOTA DO TO MAKE ME FEEL SAFE DRIVING THIS CAR WITH MY FAMILY? I DO NOT WANT THIS TO HAPPEN TO ME AGAIN, BECAUSE WHO KNOWS IF I WILL SURVIVE IT OR NOT. *TR
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#10235629July 24, 2008
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
I BOUGHT AN '06 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER HYBRID IN JUNE OF '07. FOR THE LAST 9 MONTHS I HAVE HAD NOTHING BUT PROBLEMS WITH THIS VEHICLE. MY MAIN CONCERN IS IT STALLS OUT IN TRAFFIC. IT HAS STALLED ON THE INTERSTATE, HIGHWAYS, WAITING TO MAKE TURNS AND SITTING IN TRAFFIC. THE ONLY WAY TO GET IT STARTED AGAIN IS TO TURN IT OFF AND RESTART IT. I HAVE COMPLAINED TO THE DEALERSHIP ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS REGARDING THIS BUT BECAUSE IT IS NOT REGISTERING AN "ERROR" CODE THEY CLAIM THAT THERE IS "NOTHING THEY CAN DO." IT HAS BECOME SO BAD THAT I FEAR FOR MY FAMILY, MYSELF AND OTHER DRIVERS SURROUNDING ME. ONE OF THE EMPLOYEES AT THE DEALERSHIP SAYS HE BELIEVES THAT THERE IS A SOFTWARE ISSUE. THE DEALERSHIP MAKES ME FEEL LIKE IT IS GOING TO TAKE SOMEONE GETTING HURT OR KILLED BEFORE THEY DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT! WHY SHOULD IT COST MY FAMILY OR THE SURROUNDING PUBLIC THEIR LIFE OR INJURY FOR DEALERSHIPS TO REALLY MAKE AN EFFORT TO WORK ON A VEHICLE? I PUT THE MOST RECENT INCIDENT DOWN AS THE INCIDENT DATE BUT IT HAS HAPPENED SEVERAL TIMES. *TR
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#10234919July 19, 2008
STRUCTURE
DRIVER'S SUNVISOR CONSTANTLY FALLS WAY FROM GLASS AND POINTS ALMOST STRAIGHT DOWN, BLOCKING MOST VISION OF THE ROAD. HAS BEEN REPLACED 3 TIMES SINCE NEW (12/2006) UNDER WARRANTY, AND NOW THE 4TH VISOR IS FAILING. THEY ONLY SEEM TO LAST ABOUT 3-9 MONTHS BEFORE ROD SLEEVE TENSION BUSHING WEARS OUT. I DO NOT HANG OR CLIP ANYTHING TO THE VISOR. "DATE OF INCIDENT" IS NOT MEANINGFUL; BLOCKED VISION HAPPENS EVERY DAY UNTIL I GET A NEW SUNVISOR. THIS IS ON A LIGHTED VISOR; IT IS NOT THE VISOR WITH THE TOYOTA HOMELINK FEATURE. *TR
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#10233035July 2, 2008
STEERING
I OWN A 2006 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER HYBRID WITH OVER 50K MILES ON IT. ON 1 JULY, 2008 I STARTED MY CAR IN THE MORNING TO DRIVE TO MY COMMUTER LOCATION AND FOUND I HAD NO POWER STEERING. THE POWER STEERING HAD BEEN FINE WHEN I PULLED IN THE EVENING BEFORE AND SOMEHOW JUST FAILED SITTING STILL OVER NIGHT. I HAD THE VEHICLE TOWED TO A TOYOTA DEALERSHIP WHO SAID THEY WERE UNABLE TO DIAGNOSE THE PROBLEM AND RESORTED TO CALLING TOYOTA TECHNICIAN'S IN CALIFORNIA. THEY'VE NOW TOLD ME TODAY THAT THEY HAVE TO REPLACE THE POWER STEERING RACK AND SINCE MY CAR IS OUTSIDE THE WARRANTY TERMS (OVER 36K) IT WILL COST $1,840. IN MY INTERNET RESEARCH ON THIS ISSUE I'VE DISCOVERED THAT THIS IS NOT AN ISOLATED INCIDENT. THERE ARE NUMEROUS REPORTS OF THIS OCCURRING ON BOTH THE 2006 HIGHLANDER HYBRID AND THE 2006 LEXUS RX400 HYBRID. YOUR AGENCY EVEN INVESTIGATED THE ISSUE (#PE06055) BUT UNFORTUNATELY CAME TO THE CONCLUSION THAT SINCE IT ONLY SEEMED TO OCCUR AT LOW OR NO SPEED AND NO ONE HAD BEEN HURT OR KILLED THAT IT DIDN'T WARRANT A RECALL. I THINK THAT TOYOTA AND YOUR AGENCY HAVE JUST BEEN FORTUNATE THAT THERE HAVE BEEN NO INJURIES OR FATALITIES UP TO THIS POINT. YOU RISK SERIOUS PUBLIC EMBARRASSMENT IF TOYOTA IS NOT FORCED TO CORRECT THIS DEFECT. *TR
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#10231182June 16, 2008
AIR BAGS
I WAS HIT AT APPROX 40-50 MPH FORCING MY CAR INTO THE CAR IN FRONT OF ME IN TRAFFIC BOTH OF US AD A DEAD STOP ON RTE 1 SOUTH SAUGUS MA. I HAVE A TOYOTA HIGHLANDER, AIRBAGS WERE NOT DEPLOYED AND LOOKS LIKE THEY SHOULD HAVE CONSIDERING THE IMPACT THAT I MADE TO THE VEHICLE IN FRONT OF ME AFTER I WAS HIT. I HAVE NECK, SHOULDER AND BACK INJURIES. *TR
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
1
Deaths:
0
#10230201June 7, 2008
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:EXHAUST SYSTEM
WE DROVE OUR 2006 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER HYBRID HOME FROM TOWN AT ABOUT 7:00 P.M. ON A COOL EVENING, (SIX MILES) 1/2 MILE IS A FAIRLY STEEP HILL TO CLIMB. ON PULLING INTO THE DRIVEWAY AND STOPPING I NOTICED A BURNING SMELL AND TOLD MY HUSBAND I THOUGHT THE BRAKES WERE HOT. AFTER A COUPLE MINUTES HE NOTICED SMOKE COMING FROM AROUND THE HOOD. HE OPENED IT AND THERE WERE FLAMES COMING FROM THE LOWER CENTER AREA OF THE ENGINE UNDER THE RADIATOR HOSE. HE GOT A FIRE EXTINGUISHER FROM THE GARAGE AND EXTINGUISHED THE FIRE. THE FOLLOWING MORNING WE HAD THE CAR TOWED TO THE DEALER IN UKIAH. THEY HAD THE CAR FOR 22 DAYS. AFTER THE FIRST DAY THEY REPORTED THAT THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER HAD SET THE MOTOR MOUNT ON FIRE AND THAT TOYOTA WAS SENDING A TEAM OF ENGINEERS TO LOOK INTO THE CAUSE. THE FRONT MOTOR MOUNT, THE RADIATOR HOSE, AIR FUEL SENSOR, FRONT WIRING HARNESS, SEALS AND GASKETS WERE REPLACED. ACCORDING TO THE DEALERS SERVICE SUMMARY, "THE ROOT CAUSE OF THE INCIDENT COULD NOT BE DETERMINED. NO MANUFACTURERS DEFECTS WERE FOUND. " WE FIND IT STRANGE THAT A TWO YEAR OLD TOYOTA WITH 24,000 MILES AND HAVING BEEN SERVICED ONE WEEK BEFORE THE INCIDENT SHOULD CATCH ON FIRE AFTER DRIVING 6 MILES. THEY CLAIM THE CAR IS RESTORED TO ITS ORIGINAL CONDITION BUT WITHOUT KNOWING WHAT CAUSED THE FIRE WE DON'T KNOW IF IT IS SAFE TO DRIVE. *TR
Crash:
No
Fire:
Yes
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#10229293May 30, 2008
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER. WHENEVER THE CONTACT ATTEMPTS TO APPLY THE BRAKES AT LOW SPEEDS, THE BRAKES BECOME UNRESPONSIVE, AND THE STOPPING DISTANCE INCREASES. THERE WERE NO WARNING INDICATORS PRIOR TO THE FAILURE. THE INTERMITTENT FAILURE WAS DIAGNOSED BY THE DEALER, BUT STILL PERSISTS. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 52,000 AND FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 46,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#10229218May 29, 2008
TIRES, TIRES:TREAD/BELT
DURING ROUTINE MAINTENANCE OF MY VEHICLE, I WAS ADVISED THAT THE TIRE TREAD WAS SEPARATING AND THAT ALL OF THEM NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE MILEAGE ON THE TIRES WAS LESS THAN 16,000 MILES. THE TIRE MODEL IS TOYO TRANSPATH A11. *TR
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#10229031May 27, 2008
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL, FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE
FRIDAY EARLY MAY 2008, I CARRIED MY HIGHLANDER FOR IT'S 30K SERVICE AT 28K, DUE TO HESITATION, LURCHING, BACKFIRING AT TIMES AND POOR GAS MILEAGE. AT THE SERVICE, I WAS TOLD THEY CLEAN THE ACCELERATOR SENOR. THE VEHICLE RAN FINE GETTING 28 MILES PER GALLON, BUT NOTICE A CHANGE IN THE VEHICLE GROUNDING. I COULD HEAR THE ENGINE NOISE THOUGH THE RADIO SOMETIMES IN THE MORNING. THE ENGINE NOISE WAS ADDED FEATURE. I NOTICED THE ENGINE SHIFTING WAS SMOOTH UNTIL THE FOLLOWING TUESDAY. IT WAS RAIN TRAFFIC MEDIUM DRIVING 65 MPH. THE HIGHLANDER CONSUMED A QUARTER OF A TANK WITHIN 20 MILES. MY HIGHLANDER IS KEPT IN GARAGE NIGHTLY AND MOST OF THE DAY. I MAKE AN APPOINTMENT TO MY NEAREST TOYOTA DEALER ON 16MAY08 31K. THE LOCAL DEALERSHIP RESET MY VEHICLE?S COMPUTER BY CONNECTING THE BATTERY AND RECONNECTION. I WAS TOLD 2 WEEKS BEFORE HAND AT THE DEALERSHIP IT WAS A POSSIBLY OF VEHICLE ?S COMPUTER SOFTWARE NEEDING UPGRADING WHEN THEY CLEANED THE ACCELERATOR SENOR. TODAY, THE VEHICLE DOESN'T HAVE THE SMOOTH ACCELERATING POWER. FOR THIS VEHICLE, RIDING IN TRAFFIC CAUSES SERIOUS PROBLEMS DUE LACK OF POWER LURCHING, POOR GAS MILEAGE OR THE POSSIBLE OF LOSING CONTROL. NO COMPUTER TEST WAS COMPLETED. I CHANGE GAS STATION TYPES AND VARIOUS GAS TREATMENTS, IT ?S NOT THE GAS. I HAVE DRIVING AND WORKING ON CARS SINCE 1978 FROM ENGINE, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM AND BRAKES. I EVEN NOTICED WHEN THE HIGHLANDER IS FULL WITH GAS. THE VEHICLE SOMETIME COUGH OR DELAY. IS THERE A LEMON LAW THIS? *TR
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#10226607May 4, 2008
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC
VEHICLE STARTED TO LOOSE BRAKE PRESSURE WHEN GOING DOWN HILL OR MOVING AHEAD SLOWLY AS IN A FAST FOOD REST LINE. THE BRAKES WOULD HOLD AT FIRST THEN LOOSE PRESSURE TO A POINT WERE YOU HAD TO PUSH HARDER ON THE PEDAL TO MAKE THEM WORK. THIS WOULD HAPPEN ON A HILL WHICH WOULD TAKE YOU BY SURPRISE AND CAUSE THE CAR TO BE OUT OF CONTROL UNTIL YOU PUSHED HARDER ON THE BRAKE. IF A CAR WAS COMING FROM ANOTHER INTERSECTION YOU WOULD NOT HAVE TIME TO STOP YOUR CAR AND COULD CAUSE A ACCIDENT. WHILE IN A LINE AT THE DRIVE THRU THE BRAKE PRESSURE LET GO AND MY CAR HIT THE CAR IN FRONT THERE WAS NO DAMAGE AND THE OTHER DRIVER WAS NICE ENOUGH TO FORGIVE ME BUT THAT MIGHT NOT ALWAYS BE THE WAY. THE CAR WAS GOING IN FOR SERVICE THE NEXT DAY OR SO AND I EXPLAINED THE PROBLEM TO THE DEALER. THEY SAID IT WAS A NORMAL CONDITION OF THE HYBRID. THIS WAS AFTER THE TECH. PERSON DROVE THE CAR AND SAID HE FELT IT, HE ALSO DROVE ANOTHER HYBRID AND HE SAID THE SAME THING HAPPENED WHICH TO ME PROVES MY POINT. I CALLED TOYOTA THEY AND THE DEALER SAY THEY CANNOT FIX THE PROBLEM AND WILL DO NOTHING ABOUT IT. I TOLD THEM IT DID NOT DO THIS WHEN I FIRST BOUGHT THE CAR IT ONLY STARTED ABOUT 2 MONTHS AGO WHICH PROVES IT IS NOT A NORMAL CONDITION. *TR
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#10226120April 30, 2008
SERVICE BRAKES, ELECTRIC, VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY AT A SLOW SPEED DUE TO TRAFFIC, AROUND 20 MPH. THE CAR IN FRONT OF ME UNEXPECTEDLY CAME TO A COMPLETE STOP. I HAD 2 CAR LENGTHS AND PUT ON THE BRAKES, BUT THE CAR NEVER "GRABBED"--I JUST SLOWED AND COASTED INTO THE BACK OF THE CAR AHEAD OF ME. BECAUSE THE ABS ON A HYBRID DOES NOT KICK IN UNTIL THE CAR REACHES 25 MPH, MY CAR WAS BUSY REGENERATING POWER FROM THE BRAKES RATHER THAN DOING A QUICK, EMERGENCY STOP. NOW I AM LIABLE FOR THE DAMAGE TO THE CAR AHEAD OF ME THAT I REAR-ENDED, AND I AM CONCERNED THAT I WOULD NOT STOP PROPERLY IF A CHILD RAN IN FRONT OF ME ON A NEIGHBORHOOD STREET. THIS HAS BEEN SUBMITTED AS A PROBLEM WITH THE TOYOTA PRIUS AS WELL ON HYBRIDCARS.COM FORUM. *TR
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#10223769April 9, 2008
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:MASTER CYLINDER
COMPLETE BRAKE FAILURE WITHOUT WARNING ON THREE SEPARATE EPISODES IN THE PAST TWO MONTHS. BRAKE MASTER CYLINDER REPLACED BY DEALER. BRAKES AGAIN SERVICED BY DEALER, BUT I AM NOT AWARE OF WHAT WAS DONE. BY LUCK ONLY, THE FAILURES OCCURRED IN LOCATIONS WHERE TRAFFIC COULD SWERVE TO AVOID HITTING US, OR WE HAD ROOM TO GO OFF OF THE ROAD AND HIT A SNOW BANK OR COAST TO A STOP. *TR
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#10215823January 23, 2008
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
2006 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER 4WD. THE TRANSMISSION IS A 5 SPEED AND IT CONTINUOUSLY DOWNSHIFTS EVEN ON THROTTLE WHEN UPHILL AND ON FLAT ROAD HIGHWAYS THE VEHICLE IS CONTINUOUSLY GEAR HUNTING. WHEN I NEED IT TO MOVE WITH FULL THROTTLE IT SEEMS EVEN TO SHIFT INTO HIGH GEAR AND ALWAYS GET A FEELING I MAY GET REAR ENDED. IF THE THROTTLE IS PUSHED FURTHER THE VEHICLE BUCKS INTO HIGH GEAR MAKING IT VERY UNCOMFORTABLE AND UNPREDICTABLE AS TO THE RESPONSE TO HIGHER THROTTLE. *TR
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#10212675December 25, 2007
STEERING:ELECTRIC POWER ASSIST SYSTEM
THE STEERING WHEEL SUDDENLY PULLED TO THE LEFT IN THE DIRECTION OF ONCOMING TRAFFIC, THEN TO THE RIGHT AND LEFT VERY QUICKLY. MY HUSBAND HAD TO STEER WITH HIS ARMS BRACED AGAINST HIS KNEES TO DRIVE IT DOWN TO THE DEALER, WHERE THEY TOLD HIM THAT THE STEERING ASSIST MOTORS WERE NOT GETTING THE INFORMATION FROM THE DRIVER PROPERLY AND SO WERE PULLING THE CAR IN RANDOM DIRECTIONS. IF SOMEONE WITH LESS UPPER BODY STRENGTH (LIKE ME) HAD BEEN DRIVING, THE CAR WOULD HAVE GONE RIGHT INTO ONCOMING TRAFFIC. THE HIGHLANDER WILL BE AT THE DEALER FOR A WHILE; THEY CAN'T TELL US HOW LONG IT WILL TAKE TO FIX IT. WE ARE HOPING THAT THE REPLACEMENT ASSEMBLY WILL NOT DO THE SAME THING. *TR
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#10207472October 30, 2007
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL:ACCELERATOR PEDAL, VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
I ACCELERATED TO AVOID A COLLISION AT LOW SPEED IN AN INTERSECTION. THE CAR HESITATED ABOUT 2 SECONDS AFTER I PRESSED THE GAS PEDAL, THEN LURCHED FORWARD, SPINNING THE DRIVE WHEELS. THE LENGTH OF DELAY OR HESITATION IN RESPONSE TO ACCELERATOR INPUT IS FREQUENTLY THERE, BUT IS SOMEWHAT UNPREDICTABLE, MAKING STOP-AND-GO TRAFFIC PERFORMANCE DANGEROUS. POOR PERFORMANCE OF THE CRUISE CONTROL FUNCTION IS PROBABLY RELATED TO THIS DEFECT. THE CAR WAS RETURNED TO THE DEALER FOR SERVICE AT 1500 MILES. THE DEALER DID A THOROUGH CHECK OF THE EQUIPMENT AND FOUND NO DEFECTIVE PARTS. DEALER STATES THAT THERE ARE NO SERVICE BULLETINS FOR THIS PROBLEM, IN SPITE OF THE FACT THAT TOYOTA HAS ACKNOWLEDGED THIS PROBLEM AND PROMISED TO FIX IT SINCE DECEMBER 2004. THIS IS A SERIOUS PROBLEM. HAD THE PAVEMENT BEEN WET, I COULD HAVE LOST CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE. FORTUNATELY, IN THE INCIDENT DESCRIBED, THE OTHER DRIVER WAS ABLE TO AVOID A COLLISION. NEXT TIME, I MIGHT NOT BE SO LUCKY. *TR
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#10206742October 24, 2007
STEERING, POWER TRAIN:AXLE ASSEMBLY
LAST SUNDAY, OCTOBER 14, 2007, I WAS DRIVING MY 2006 HIGHLANDER HYBRID AT HORMIGUEROS, PR (ZIP CODE 00660), WHEN SUDDENLY THE VEHICLE'S STEERING GOT REALLY STIFF. IT ALL HAPPENED AT A CRUISING SPEED OF 40-45 MILES PER HOUR WHEN SUDDENLY THE VEHICLE'S TURNING WHEEL GOT HARD AND IT GOT REALLY DIFFICULT TO CONTROL. I SURELY GOT THE SCARE OF MY LIFE. I EXPERIENCED SOME DIFFICULTIES WHILE TRYING TO STOP THE VEHICLE AND PARK IT IN A SAFE PLACE. THE VEHICLE'S CONTROL PANEL INDICATED THE FOLLOWING MESSAGE: VERIFY THE HYBRID SYSTEM. WE TOOK IT THE SAME DAY TO THE NEAREST DEALER (THE ONE THAT I ALSO BOUGHT THE VEHICLE) TOYOTA DEL OESTE, LOCATED AT HORMIGUEROS, PR (00660). MY VEHICLE HAS RECEIVED EVERY SERVICE RECOMENDED BY TOYOTA SINCE I BOUGHT IT. IN OCTOBER 19, 2007 TOYOTA DEL OESTE GAVE ME A QUOTE (NUMBER PQ2105) FOR $5,957.45 FOR THE REPAIRING COSTS OF MY VEHICLE. THE QUOTE SPECIFIED A TRANSAXLE ASSY FOR $4867.71, PLUS $700 FOR 14 LABOR HOURS AND A LOCAL TAX OF $389.74. THE DEALER INDICATED THAT ONCE THE TRANSAXLE WAS REPLACED IT WILL HAVE ONE YEAR ONLY WARRANTY. THEY ALSO INDICATED THAT THE TRANSAXLE ASSY WAS NOT PART OF THE HYBRID SYSTEM SO THE WARRANTY CAN NOT COVER THE REPAIR COSTS (MY VEHICLE HAD APROX. 66,000 MILES. ACCORDING TO TOYOTA, WARRANTY FOR HYBRID COMPONENTS IS 8 YEARS / 80,000 MILES). MY CONCERNS: 1) HOW I, AS A CONSUMER, MAKE SURE THAT TOYOTA IS NOT MAKING ME PAY FOR A DEFECT THAT MY VEHICLE MAY HAVE FROM THE FACTORY? 2) HOW I AM GOING TO BE SURE THAT IF THEY REPLACE THE TRANSAXLE ASSY I WILL NOT BE EXPOSED AGAIN TO AN UNSAFE SITUATION RELATED WITH A SIMILAR PROBLEM (REMEMBER THAT A LARGE PERCENTAGE OF ROADS ACROSS THE ISLAND OF PUERTO RICO ARE BUILT OVER MOUNTAINS). 3) HOW DO I REALLY MAKE SURE THAT THE DEALER IS TRULY MAKING ME PAY FOR A COMPONENT THAT IS NOT PART OF THE HYBRID SYSTEM AND CAN NOT BE COVERED BY THE WARRANTY (REMEMBER THAT, ALTHOUGH OTHER MANUFACTURERS MAYBE AVAILABLE, HYBRID TECHNOLOGY IN PUERTO RICO IS DOMINATED BY TOYOTA. *TR
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0

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