2010 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER Complaints

SAFETY HAZARD - BEGINNING IN MID 2014, MY DRIVER SIDE DOOR LOCK STARTED TO GIVE ME PROBLEMS NOT LOCKING WITH THE REMOTE. I CHANGED THE BATTERY SEVERAL TIMES TO NO AVAIL. SOON, THE OTHER DOOR LOCKS STOPPED WORKING ONE BY ONE. EVENTUALLY, NONE OF THE LOCKS WORKED WITH THE REMOTE OR BY PRESSING THE POWER LOCK BUTTONS ON THE DOORS. WHEN THIS PROBLEM INITIALLY STARTED, I NOTICED MY RADIO STATION INFORMATION WOULD ALSO DISAPPEAR OR BE ILLEGIBLE. WHEN I TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER, IT WAS OVER $1,000 TO HAVE THE ACTUATORS REPAIRED, SINCE THEY HAD "GONE BAD". AFTER RESEARCHING A BIT, I NOTICED SEVERAL MAKES, MODELS AND YEARS OF TOYOTA VEHICLES ARE ALSO HAVING THESE PROBLEMS. MY VEHICLE ONLY HAD $50,000 MILES AT MOST WHEN ALL THIS STARTED, AND I MAINTAIN THE SUGGESTED MAINTENANCE. I THINK TOYOTA IS WELL AWARE OF THE FAULTY PARTS THEY HAVE INSTALLED BUT DON'T WANT TO MAKE THE NECESSARY REPAIRS DUE TO THE COST. THIS IS A MAJOR SAFETY ISSUE IF SOMEONE THINKS THEY HAVE LOCKED THEIR VEHICLE AND COULD BE A VICTIM OF A SERIOUS CRIME OR OTHER SAFETY HAZARD.

WHEN STATIONARY OR DRIVING, DASHBOARD DOOR-OPEN LIGHT STAYS ON. ALL DOME LIGHTS STAY ON WHEN DRIVING UNLESS TURNED COMPLETELY OFF ON DASHBOARD BUT THEY WILL STILL FLICKER AND WARNING SOUND WILL GO ON AND OFF WHEN DRIVING, TURNING A CORNER, OR GOING OVER A BUMP ON ANY ROAD. WHEN LOCKING THE CAR WITH THE DOOR-REMOTE, THE WARNING SOUND GOES ON AND STAYS ON UNTIL CAR IS UNLOCKED. CAR MUST BE LOCKED BY HAND TO STOP WARNING SOUND. CAR WAS SENT TO TOYOTA REPAIR CENTER FOR ELECTRICAL REPAIRS, BUT THIS WARNING LIGHT ISSUE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THERE IS A BUMP IN THE REAR HATCH FROM BACKING UP IN A GARAGE. SERVICE DEPT. SAID REAR DOOR NEEDED TO BE REPAIRED BECAUSE REAR HATCH WOULD NOT CLOSE CORRECTLY. HOWEVER, REAR HATCH HAS ALWAYS CLOSED AND STILL CLOSED. TOYOTA COULD NOT GUARANTEE A NEW HATCH OR REPAIRED BODY WORK WOULD FIX THE PROBLEM. WARNING LIGHTS PROBLEM STARTED MONTHS BEFORE REAR DOOR ISSUE. TOYOTA OFFERED TO TURN WARNING SOUND OFF, BUT I FEEL IT IS A SAFETY ISSUE. I ROUTINELY CHECKED IF ANY DOOR IS OPEN.

VEHICLE MAKES A POPPING NOISE WHEN YOU MAKE A TURN. NOISE CAN BE HEARD WHEN TURNING LEFT OR RIGHT AT ANY SPEED.

VERY COMMON PROBLEM IS BEING REPORTED IN ALL OF THE HIGHLANDERS OF 2008 FORWARD. AT LOW MILEAGE, THE STEERING COLUMN HAS A BEARING IN IT CALLED A STUB SHAFT BUT APPARENTLY GETS LOOSE LEAVING TO A CLUNK AND LOOSENESS IN THE STEERING. IT IS SO COMMON THAT OUR DEALER HAS TO KEEP MULTIPLE REPLACEMENT PARTS IN STOCK. PEOPLE ARE REPORTING THIS WITHIN THE 36,000 MILE WARRANTY, MY CAR BEGAN TO DO IT AT ABOUT 60,000 MILES. IT IS A $700 REPAIR. LOSS OF CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE IS POSSIBLE.

AIR BAG LIGHTS COMES ON AND OFF AT DIFFERENT TIMES OF THE DAY WHEN OPERATING MY VEHICLE

DOOR SENSORS SHOW DOOR OPEN, DOOR CHIMES, AND INTERIOR LIGHTS FLASH WHEN IN MOTION DRIVING OVER LIGHT BUMP ON ALL ROADS, HIGHWAY OR CITY STREETS. AND/OR WHEN DRIVING FROM THE STREET INTO DRIVEWAY AT 1MPH AT ALL TIMES AS UP OVER SLIGHT CURB. HAPPENS WHEN I SHIFT THE GEARS INTO MOTION. STARTED IN SEPT. 2015 TO CURRENT DATE.

ACCELERATOR MOVED TO FULL SPEED AS BACKING UP BEGAN. AUTO PLOWED 110 FEET FULL SPEED THROUGH PLANTS AND TREES, COMING TO A STOP BY SOME TREES. CAR WAS PARKED ON PRIVATE DRIVEWAY. DRIVER SLIGHTLY INJURED. REAR END CAR DAMAGE IS $6,000+.

DOOR LOCKS ON PASSENGER FRONT AND REAR, DRIVER FRONT AND REAR, HAVE ALL BEEN REPLACED OR REPAIRED AT LEAST TWICE DUE TO MALFUNCTIONS. AS OF DECEMBER 2015, THE LOCKS ARE FAILING AGAIN FOR A THIRD TIME, CREATING A SAFETY HAZARD. LOCKS DON'T WORK. THEY WILL EITHER STAY LOCKED, FAILING TO OPEN, OR NOW, THEY WILL NOT LOCK AT ALL. THIS IS AN ONGOING PROBLEM THAT HAS NEVER BEEN FIXED PROPERLY. KEEPS RECURRING.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2010 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE FRONT PASSENGER AND REAR PASSENGER SIDE WINDOWS FAILED TO CLOSE. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 15V689000 (VISIBILITY) AFTER THE FAILURE WAS EXPERIENCED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHERE UNKNOWN AREAS WERE LUBRICATED, BUT THE FAILURE PERSISTED. THE DEALER DID NOT INSPECT OR REPLACE THE PWM CIRCUIT BOARD; HOWEVER, THE REMEDY DID NOT PREVENT THE FAILURE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS NOT AVAILABLE.

WHILE DRIVING DOWN A ROAD WITHOUT WARNING ONE OF THE IGNITION COILS FAILED CAUSING THE ENGINE AND THE CAR TO IMMEDIATELY STOP IN TRAFFIC. FORTUNATELY, WE WERE ON A RURAL ROAD AND GOING LESS THAN 30 MPH, BUT ON A FREEWAY AT SPEED WE WOULD HAVE BEEN IN AN EXTREMELY DANGEROUS SITUATION. THE HIGHLANDER HYBRID UNLIKE MOST CARS WILL NOT RUN AT ALL WITH AN IGNITION COIL FAILURE. THUS, THERE IS A RISK OF A SUDDEN LOSS OF POWER. THE TOYOTA DEALER WAS UNABLE TO OFFER ANY EXPLANATION OTHER THAN THEE THINGS HAPPEN. THE VEHICLE HAD ONLY 80,000 MILES, HAD BEEN MAINTAINED BY TOYOTA DEALERS ON A REGULAR BASIS AND IS FIVE YEARS OLD. I HAVE BEEN DRIVING FOR 58 YEARS AND HAVE NEVER EXPERIENCED AN IGNITION COIL FAILURE.