2002 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER Complaints

SOMETIME IN 2006, MY 2002 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER EXPERIENCED UNINTENDED ACCELERATION. I WAS STANDING ON THE BRAKE TO MAKE THE CAR STOP AND IT WOULDN'T. I PULLED INTO A PARKING LOT THROUGH THE CAR INTO NEUTRAL, HIT THE BRAKE, THEN THROUGH IT INTO PARK WHILE IT WAS STILL MOVING. I CALLED JIFFY LUBE WHO JUST HAD PERFORMED AN OIL CHANGE. THEY SENT A TECHNICIAN OVER TO LOOK AT IT. WHEN I STARTED THE CAR FOR THE TECH THE ENGINE CONTINUED TO RACE. WE BOTH LOOKED TO SEE IF THERE WAS SOMETHING STUCK UNDER THE ACCELERATOR. THERE WAS NOT. WE BOTH PULLED UP ON THE ACCELERATOR AND IT DID NOT APPEAR TO BE STUCK. THE TECH COULDN'T EXPLAIN IT. I CAN'T RECALL IF I HAD THE CAR TOWED TO TOYOTA OR IF THE PROBLEM STOPPED SUDDENLY AND I DROVE MYSELF. TOYOTA IS ONE MILE FROM WHERE THE INCIDENT OCCURRED. TOYOTA TOLD ME THEY COULDN'T REPLICATE THE PROBLEM AND ASSURED ME THAT IT WOULDN'T HAPPEN AGAIN. I DROVE HIM WITHOUT INCIDENT UNTIL I PULLED IN MY DRIVEWAY, THE CAR ACCELERATED AND I AGAIN HAD TO THROW THE CAR INTO PARK WHILE MOVING. THE CAR WAS THEN TOWED TO TOYOTA AND WE WERE TOLD THE PROBLEM WAS "FIXED" AND GIVEN SOME EXCUSE THAT DIDN'T MAKE SENSE. IT NEVER HAPPENED AGAIN AND WE TRADED THE CAR FOR A NEW ONE IN 2008. THE DEALERSHIP WAS BOB ROHRMAN TOYOTA IN WESTMONT, IL. I THINK THE RECALL NEEDS TO GO BACK FURTHER TO INCLUDE 2002 VEHICLES. *TR

SUN VISOR WILL NOT STAY PUT - IT'S IN THE DOWN POSITION AT ALL TIMES AND WON'T STAY UP OUT OF THE LINE OF SIGHT. *TR

4 CYLINDER ENGINE BLOCKED WARPED WHERE HEAD MEETS BLOCK. HEAD BOLTS WERE STRIPPED AND COULD NOT BE TIGHTENED DOWN. FOLLOWING LINK DESCRIBES THE PROBLEM WE ENCOUNTERED WITH OUR 2002 HIGHLANDER WHICH HAS THE SAME 2.4 LTR 4 CYLINDER ENGINE AS THE CAMRY. HTTP://WWW.TUNDRASOLUTIONS.COM/FORUMS/ CAMRY/148454-CAMRY-WITH-STRIPPED-HEAD-BOLTS/ ALL DIAGNOSIS AND REPAIR OF OUR HIGHLANDER WAS DONE AT A TOYOTA DEALERSHIP IN ROSWELL, GA. *TR

MAY 17, 2002, I WAS IN A CAR ACCIDENT WITH MY 3 MONTH OLD 2002 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER. I WAS TRAVELING IN THE RIGHT HAND LANE ON HIGHWAY 80 WEST BOUND BETWEEN DAVIS, CA AND SAN FRANCISCO CA AT 8:30 AM. ACCORDING TO THE POLICE REPORT FROM EYE WITNESSES, MY VEHICLE LEFT THE ROADWAY WITHOUT ANY BRAKE LIGHTS, WENT THROUGH A CYCLONE FENCE, CONTINUED .10 MILES AND DOWN INTO A RAVINE. BRAKE LIGHTS NEVER CAME ON AND THE CAR NEVER SLOWED. I WAS LIFE FLIGHTED TO THE JOHN MUIR MEDICAL CENTER TRAUMA UNIT. I ARRESTED IN THE HELICOPTER. I SUFFERED A SIGNIFICANT TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY, MULTIPLE FRACTURES, INCLUDING A SHATTERED JAW AND A PARALYZED VOCAL CHORD. NO OTHER VEHICLE WAS INVOLVED IN THE INCIDENT. *TR

MY 2002 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER DRIVER'S SIDE SUNVISOR WILL FALL DOWN UNEXPECTED BLOCKING MY VIEW FOR A FEW SECONDS. FOR SAFETY REASONS, I CANNOT USE MY VISOR AS I BUNGY CORD IT TO STAY UP. BUT ANOTHER SAFETY ISSUE NOW IS THERE NO PROTECTION FROM THE BRIGHT SUN OR SNOW. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER. THE DRIVER STATED THAT THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY ACCELERATED AND CRASHED INTO A WALL OF HIS GARAGE WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 5 MPH. THERE WERE NO INJURIES. A POLICE REPORT WAS NOT FILED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALERSHIP WHO WAS UNABLE TO DIAGNOSE THE FAILURE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 48,690. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 38,000.

THE 2002 HIGHLANDER DRIVER SIDE SUN VISOR DROPS DOWN AND OBSTRUCTS THE DRIVER'S VIEW OF THE ROADWAY. TOYOTA CHARGES +/- $600.00 FOR THE PART ALONE. THERE IS A BLOG WITH TOYOTA OWNERS THAT DEMONSTRATES THIS PROBLEM IS VERY COMMON AND IS DEFINITELY A SAFETY ISSUE. THE VISOR DROPS EVERY TIME THE CAR IS IN USE, ESPECIALLY IN WARM WEATHER. *TR

I PULLED INTO MY GARAGE DURING EARLY AFTERNOON AND CAME TO THE USUAL STOP FACING THE WALL. MY FOOT WAS STILL ON THE BRAKE AND I HAD NOT YET PUT THE CAR INTO PARK. SUDDENLY THE CAR LURCHED FORWARD AND HIT THE WALL WITH GREAT ENOUGH FORCE TO DEPLOY THE AIR BAG. THE BAG FRACTURED MY STERNUM IN TWO PLACES. AT THE TIME I WAS NOT AWARE OF THE PREVALENCE OF UNINTENDED ACCELERATION PROBLEMS AND DID NOT REPORT IT. THERE HAVE BEEN NO EPISODES SINCE. *TR

RIGHT REAR BRAKE LIGHT CONNECTION IS BAD. I HAVE CHANGED THE BULBS AND ALL OTHER LIGHTS ON THAT SIDE WORK. THE TAIL LIGHTS, HAZARDS, REVERSE AND TURN SIGNAL LIGHTS ALL WORK. THE ONLY LIGHT THAT CONTINUES TO NOT WORK IS THE BRAKE LIGHT LIGHTING UP WHEN THE PEDAL IS PUSHED DOWN. OBVIOUSLY, THIS IS A SAFETY HAZARD. THIS HAS BEEN AN ONGOING ISSUE FOR A YEAR NOW AND WITH ONLINE SEARCHES, I'M NOT THE ONLY ONE WITH THE SAME PROBLEM. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER. THE CONTACT PURCHASED THE VEHICLE IN 2007. THE VEHICLE WAS PURCHASED WITH THE WRONG SIZE TIRES, PER A FIRESTONE DEALER. THE DEALER REFUSED TO REPLACE THE TIRES. THE CONTACT HAS PURCHASED 4 NEW TIRES. HE ALSO STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS INVOLVED IN A CRASH PER A LOCAL MECHANIC. THE WRONG TIRE SIZE WAS 215/70/15 AND THE CORRECT TIRE SIZE HE PURCHASED FROM FIRESTONE WAS 195/70/16. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 30,000. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 83,000.