2013 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER Complaints

WHILE TURNING THE STEERING I FEEL A KLUNK THIS IS HAPPENS ALWAYS WHEN TURN THE WHEEL. FRUSTRATED REALLY NEED YOUR HELP. REGARDS..

I HAVE A 2013 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER AND RECENTLY WHILE DRIVING TOWARD A STOP SIGN, I WENT TO SLOW MY VEHICLE TO STOP AND MY BRAKE PEDAL WAS STUCK. ALSO, THE BRAKE PEDAL SEEMED TO BE IN A HIGHER THAN NORMAL POSITION BECAUSE I REMEMBER HAVING TO RAISE MY LEG TO REACH THE HEIGHT OF THE PEDAL. NO MATTER HOW HARD I PRESSED I COULDN'T GET THE BRAKE PEDAL TO THE FLOOR AND I WAS UNABLE TO STOP THE CAR. I WAS FORCED TO GO THROUGH THE STOP SIGN AND INTO WHAT IS OFTEN A VERY BUSY STREET IN MY CITY. THANK GOD NO CARS WERE COMING DURING THE TIME OF MY INCIDENT. AFTER THAT THE BRAKE PEDAL WENT BACK TO PERFORMING NORMALLY AND I GOT THE CAR BACK HOME. LATER I HAD MY VEHICLE FLATBED TO A VERY GOOD GARAGE. MECHANICS DISASSEMBLED THE ENTIRE BRAKE SYSTEM AND DROVE MY VEHICLE BUT, THEY DIDN'T FIND A PROBLEM. ROAD CONDITIONS THAT DAY WERE DRY OTHER THAN A SMALL ICE PATCH I HAD TO GO OVER PRIOR TO THE STOP SIGN. IT HAD SNOWED DAYS BEFORE SO THE ROADS WERE PLOWED AND VERY CLEAN EXCEPT THIS SMALL ICE PATCH REMAINED. BUT, BECAUSE IT WAS ON THE ROAD MY SPEED WAS MUCH SLOWER THAN NORMAL. MONTHS PRIOR TO THIS INCIDENT I HAD A DIFFERENT A ISSUE WITH THESE BRAKES AND BOUGHT IT TO THE DEALER AND THEY DIDN'T FIND ANYTHING AND TOLD ME MY EXPERIENCE WAS NORMAL. UNCOMFORTABLE WITH THEIR ANSWER A MONTH LATER I HAD THE BRAKES CHECKED AT A DIFFERENT AUTO SHOP AND AGAIN THE MECHANIC FOUND NOTHING. HOWEVER, THIS LATEST INCIDENT WAS THE MOST SERIOUS ONE. I'M NOT CONVINCED IT'S NOTHING AND HAVE READ ABOUT OTHER HIGHLANDER OWNERS WHO HAD SIMILAR BRAKE ISSUES WITH THEIR VEHICLE. HOWEVER, I CAN'T SEEM TO FIND ANY FORMAL INVESTIGATIONS OR RECALLS RELATED TO ANY BRAKE ISSUES REGARDING TOYOTA HIGHLANDERS. EVEN SO I FELT I HAD TO SHARE MY STORY NOT JUST TO GET TO THE BOTTOM OF MY SITUATION BUT, TO ALSO ALERT OTHERS OF A SAFETY ISSUE THAT I AM EXPERIENCING WITH MY HIGHLANDER.

THIS VEHICLE HAS A KNOCKING OR CLUNKING SOUND WHEN TURNING THE STEERING WHEEL. THIS IS A COMMON COMPLAINT ON TOYOTA HIGHLANDERS BUT TOYOTA IS NOT OFFERING TO FIX THESE VEHICLES WHEN OUT OF WARRANTY. THIS IS A DEFECT IN THESE VEHICLES AND SHOULD BE FIXED BY TOYOTA FREE OF CHARGE.

THE VEHICLE HAS AROUND 37K MILES AND STARTED TO GET A BUMP OR THUD SOUND WHEN TURNING TO RIGHT AND TURNING OVER ALL BEGIN TO GET SLUGGISH. I TOOK IT TO THE DEALSHIP FRED HAAS IN HOUSTON AND IT WAS DIAGNOSED WITH A DRIVE SHAFT PROBLEM AND REQUIRED A EXPENSIVE REPAIR AND FRONT END ALIGNMENT. I QUESTIONED THE SERVICE REP AS IT SEEMED TO BE VERY LOW MILEAGE FOR A ISSUE WITH THE DRIVE SHAFT. HE ADVISED THAT IT WAS NOT COVERED AS MY 36K 3 YEAR STANDARD WARRANTY HAD RUN OUT. AFTER RESEARCHING IT SEEMS THAT THIS IS A HIGHLANDER DEFECT AND SHOULD BE COVERED BY A RECALL. IF THIS CAR HAD 80K OR MORE MILES I MIGHT BE OF A DIFFERENT OPINION BUT THIS CAR IS WAY TOO NEW TO HAVE AN ISSUE LIKE THIS ESPECIALLY ON SUCH AN IMPORTANT ELEMENT LIKE STEERING. THIS IS AN OBVIOUS ENGINEERING AND MANUFACTURING PROBLEM AND A REPLACEMENT PART THAT WILL ONLY HAVE A 1 YEAR WARRANTY IS NOT GOOD ENOUGH.

THERE IS A CLUNKING NOISE WHEN TURNING AT LOW SPEEDS. MY MECHANIC SAYS THERE IS A DEFECT IN THE DESIGN OF THE STEERING SHAFT. HE SAID THIS COMMONLY OCCURS WITH THIS MODEL HIGHLANDER, SOMETHING SUPPORTED BY NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS ABOUT THE SAME ISSUE. TOYOTA DENIES RESPONSIBILITY AND WON'T ISSUE A RECALL, THOUGH IT IS A SAFETY RISK.

OVER NIGHT MY PARKED SUV MOVED 10 FEET BACKWARDS ON A VERY SLIGHT UP SLOPED PARKING SPACE AT MY HOME. IT WAS LOCKED, IN PARK AND NO ICE UNDERNEATH. I DID NOT MOVE IT AFTER FIRST NOTICING INCIDENT, BUT IT THEN MOVED ANOTHER 2 FEET THIS MORNING. THEN LATER I GOT IN AND MOVED IT BACK TO ORIGINAL PLACE, PUT IT IN PARK AND IT CAME TO AN ABRUPT STOP. THEN SET PARKING BRAKE SO THIS DOESN'T HAPPEN AGAIN. CALLED SOUTH HILLS TOYOTA AND THEY WERE NOT AWARE OF ANY CAUSE OR PROBLEM. PLEASE ADVISE, RJM PS: NO ICY CONDITIONS INVOLVED. SMART KEY WAS IN HOUSE ON TABLE. NO ONE IN HOUSEHOLD MOVED IT.

POWER TRAIN FAILED WHILE DRIVING ALONG A CITY STREET AT 30MPH- CAR HAD NO POWER- CHECK HYBRID COMPONENTS AND CHECK BRAKE SYSTEM LIGHTS APPEARED ON THE CENTER CONSOLE- I BELIEVE IT FAILED DUE TO THE HYBRID ELECTRICAL SYSTEM AND IS IDENTICAL TO DESCRIPTIONS OF EARLIER HYBRID INVERTER FAILURES IN 2006-2010 MODELS OF HIGHLANDER AND LEXUS THAT WERE RECALLED BY TOYOTA-

WHEN TURNING RIGHT THE STEERING WAS MAKING A CLICKING/KNOCKING SOUND. I ONLY HAVE 30000 MILES ON THE CAR, WHICH I HAVE HAD 100000 PLUS MILES ON CARS AND NEVER HAD THIS ISSUE. APPARENTLY TOYOTA HAS DIAGNOSED THIS WITH A BAD U-JOINT IN THE STEERING INTERMEDIATE SHAFT WITH A HEFTY PRICE TAG TO FIX. THIS SEEMS LIKE A COMPLAINT FROM MULTIPLE PEOPLE AND ON MULTIPLE SITES. I THINK THIS SHOULD BE LOOKED INTO BY TOYOTA AND CONSIDERED A RECALL ITEM. VERY DISAPPOINTED IN MY TOYOTA RIGHT NOW.

ON MULTIPLE OCCASIONS SINCE PURCHASING MY 2014 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER LIMITED THE CAR LURCHES FORWARD WHILE MY FOOT IS FIRMLY PRESSED ON THE BRAKE. ON TWO OCCASIONS I COULD NOT STOP THE LURCHING OF THE VEHICLE WITHOUT STANDING UP WITH BOTH FEET ON THE BRAKE PEDAL HAVING HIT THE CAR IN FRONT OF ME WHILE MY CAR CONTINUED TO PUSH THEM AGAIN WHILE APPLYING BOTH FEET ON THE BRAKE PEDAL. I WAS NOT IN CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE AS IF SOMETHING WAS PRESSING THE GAS PEDAL WHILE I WAS STOPPED. IN BOTH OF THESE ACCIDENTS SITUATIONS I HAD PROGRESSED FORWARD STOPPING AND STARTING. ONCE IN A DRIVE THRU AND THE SECOND TIME IN LINE LEAVING A SHOPPING CENTER. IT IS AS IF THE CAR WANTS TO KEEP GOING FORWARD AFTER MULTIPLE STOPS AND STARTS.

THE SIDE MIRROR ON THE DRIVERS SIDE CREATES A TERRIBLE BLIND SPOT WHEN MAKING LEFT HAND TURNS. MYSELF AND HUSBAND HAVE BOTH NEARLY BEEN IN ACCIDENTS HAD THE PERSON IN PASSENGER SEAT NOT YELLED AT THE DRIVER. A CAR IS EASILY HIDDEN BEHIND THE MIRROR.