2002 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER Complaints

THE DRIVER'S SIDE SUN VISOR ON MY 2002 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER DROPS DOWN BLOCKING THE DRIVER'S VISION. WHEN PUSHED UP IT SIMPLY FALLS BACK DOWN. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING AT SPEEDS OF 70 MPH, THE VEHICLE ABNORMALLY ACCELERATED. THIS WAS THE THIRD INCIDENT OF UNINTENDED ACCELERATION IN THE VEHICLE. ON THE FIRST INCIDENT, THE CONTACT WAS ABLE TO STOP THE VEHICLE BY APPLYING CONSTANT, STEADY PRESSURE TO THE BRAKE PEDAL. ON THE SECOND INCIDENT, THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL BECAME STUCK IN THE OPEN THROTTLE POSITION AND HE WAS ABLE TO MANUALLY REMOVE THE PEDAL FROM THE STUCK POSITION. THE DEALER WAS UNABLE TO DUPLICATE THE FAILURE AND THERE WERE NO REPAIRS MADE TO THE VEHICLE. THE MANUFACTURER ADVISED THE VEHICLE WAS NOT UNDER RECALL AND WOULD NOT PROVIDE ANY ASSISTANCE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 114,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 114,532.

TRANSMISSION WENT OUT IN THE MIDDLE OF A BUSY INTERSTATE. JUST A WEEK EARLIER, THE DEALER TOLD ME THEY COLD FIND NOTHING WRONG WITH THE VEHICLE. *TR

MY 2002 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER V6 BROKE DOWN ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. I HAD IT TOWED TO THE TOYOTA DEALERSHIP WHERE THEY INFORMED ME THAT OIL SLUDGE HAS CLOGGED MY ENGINE AND I WOULD HAVE TO HAVE IT REPLACED TO THE TUNE OF $6000. I WAS SHOCKED BECAUSE I ALWAYS GOT MY OIL CHANGED WELL BEFORE THE SUGGESTED 7500 MILE MARK. I DID SOME RESEARCH ONLINE AND FOUND OUT MY CAR WAS PART OF A RECALL AND CLASS ACTION SUIT. THEY NEVER SENT A RECALL NOTICE. WE PURCHASED THE CAR WHEN IT WAS 2 YEARS OLD. I CONTACTED TOYOTA USA AND THEY CONFIRMED THAT IT WAS OIL SLUDGE BUT SINCE A WAS A COUPLE MONTHS BEYOND THE CLASS ACTION SUIT OF 8 YEARS. I ARGUED THAT THEY NEVER SENT US A RECALL NOTICE. THEY PRETTY MUCH SAID TOUGH LUCK. I WAS LUCKY I WAS ABLE TO GET MY CAR TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD SAFELY ( MY 5 YEAR OLD DAUGHTER WAS IN THE BACK). I DON'T FEEL TOYOTA MADE ENOUGH OF AN EFFORT TO LET THE CUSTOMER KNOW OF THESE ISSUES.. I FEEL THEY WERE INTERESTED IN PROTECTING THEIR REPUTATION ABOVE THEIR CUSTOMERS SAFETY. I WOULD HAVE CERTAINLY GOTTEN THE CAR FIX IF THEY HAD SENT THE RECALL NOTICE. I WILL NOT PAY $6000 FOR SOMETHING THAT TOYOTA SHOULD. THESE CARS ARE DANGEROUS AND THIS COMPANY IS WRECK-LESS. *TR

HOW MANY COMPLAINTS DO HIGHLANDER OWNERS HAVE TO SUBMIT ABOUT SUN VISORS DROPPING BEFORE SOMETHING DONE ABOUT IT. IS TOYOTA GOING TO WAIT UNTIL SOMEONE GETS IN AN ACCIDENT DUE TO IT. I HAVE A 2002 HIGHLANDER AND HAVE BEEN TRYING DIFFERENT THINGS TO MAKE THE VISOR STAY UP FOR YEARS, WITH LITTLE SUCCESS. WERE THERE ANY DEATHS OR INJURIES? NO NOT YET WHY WAIT UNTIL IT HAPPENS! [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

THE RIGHT BRAKE LIGHT ON MY 2002 HIGHLANDER KEEPS GOING OUT, DESPITE THE NUMBER OF BULB CHANGES I'VE DONE. THERE IS A LARGE NUMBER OF HIGHLANDER OWNERS THAT HAVE FILED THIS SAME REPORT ONLINE VIA BULLETIN BOARDS, ETC. *TR

MY 2002 LIMITED TOYOTA HIGHLANDER HAS A SUN VISOR THAT WONT STAY UP. IT IS THE DRIVER SIDE AND I AM VERY CONCERN ESPECIALLY WHEN HITTING MILD ROAD BUMPS IT FALLS DOWN. I AM HOLDING IT WITH VELCRO AND I HAVE TO CHANGE THAT EVERY OTHER MONTH. THIS IS A SAFETY PROBLEM AND WOULD APPERICATE IF SOMEONE CAN LOOK INTO IT. I LOOKED AT THE ONLINE FORUMS FOR HIGHLANDERS AND THEY ARE REPORTING THE SAME PROBLEM.

THE DRIVERS SIDE SUN VISOR, WHICH HAS THE ELECTRONICS BUILT IN, UNEXPECTEDLY FLOPS DOWN. IT STARTED IN 2004 AND HAS PROGRESSIVELY GOTTEN WORSE. TOYOTA WANTS OVER $750 TO REPLACE IT. REPAIR IS NOT OFFERED. IT OCCASIONALLY FALLS UNEXPECTEDLY AND BLOCKS MY VISION OF TRAFFIC LIGHTS. HOWEVER, I DIDN'T CONSIDER IT A REAL SAFETY HAZARD UNTIL RECENTLY. IT FELL AT AN INOPPORTUNE MOMENT, DISTRACTED ME, AND I WAS ALMOST ENVOLVED IN AN ACCIDENT. THERE IS NO REASON THIS ITEM SHOULD HAVE FAILED AFTER ONLY 1 1/2 YEARS USE AND THERE IS NO REASON A REPLACEMENT SHOULD COST $750. THIS IS A DESIGN DEFECT AND IT IS A SAFETY HAZARD.

AFTER ONLY HAVING MY NEW 2002 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER FOR APPROX. 8 MONTHS, THE ACCELERATOR IN THE CAR STUCK AND I ENDED UP RUNNING INTO A CAR. I COMPLAINED TO TOYOTA AND HAD THE DEALER LOOK AT THE CAR NUMEROUS TIMES, BUT THEY KEPT TELLING ME THERE WAS NOTHING WRONG. WELL 8 YEARS LATER AND THEY STILL HAVEN'T RECALLED MY CAR, EVEN THOUGH THEY HAVE OTHER YEARS. *TR

MY 2002 HIGHLANDER ALSO HAD THE FLOPPY VISOR SYNDROME WHEN OUT OF WARRANTY. COST TO REPLACE WAS $660 BUT NORTH KINGSTOWN TOYOTA DID A COURTESY REPLACEMENT AT NO CHARGE. ALL WHO HAVE PAID FOR THIS REPAIR SHOULD CONSIDER A CLASS ACTION SUIT AGAINST TOYOTA FOR IGNORING ANOTHER SAFETY PROBLEM. *TR