2002 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER Complaints

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER. THE CONTACT WAS DRIVING 5 MPH INTO A PARKING GARAGE WHEN SUDDENLY, THE VEHICLE ACCELERATED. SHE ATTEMPTED TO ENGAGE THE BRAKE PEDAL TO STOP THE VEHICLE AND CRASHED INTO A TREE. THE CONTACT NOTIFIED THE INSURANCE COMPANY AND THEY COVERED THE REPAIR COST. THE CONTACT WAS SORE AFTER THE CRASH OCCURRED DUE TO MINOR INJURIES. THREE WEEKS AGO WHILE PARKING THE VEHICLE IT SURGED FORWARD AND HIT ANOTHER VEHICLE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED AND STATED THAT THEY WOULD SEND SOMEONE TO INSPECT THE VEHICLE AND IF THERE WAS SOMETHING WRONG WITH THE VEHICLE THEY WOULD REIMBURSE HER IN 35 DAYS. THE CONTACT IS CONCERNED ABOUT THE SAFETY RISK AND CHOSE TO RENT A VEHICLE TO DRIVE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 62,000. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 75,000.

I BOUGHT A NEW TOYOTA HIGHLANDER IN 2002. I'M NOT SURE ABOUT THE EXACT YEAR, BUT I'M GUESSING IN 2004-5, I ALSO EXPERIENCED THE SUDDEN RACING ACCELERATOR PROBLEM AROUND 4 TIMES. EACH TIME I WAS ABLE TO PULL OVER AND PUT THE CAR IN NEUTRAL WHILE THE ENGINE RACED. I TURNED THE ENGINE OFF, AND IT WORKED PROPERLY AFTER RESTARTING. IT HASN'T HAPPENED IN THE LAST MAYBE 5 YEARS. I REPORTED THIS TO THE TOYOTA DEALER, AND THEY TOLD ME IT WAS A FLOOR MAT PROBLEM. I DIDN'T BELIEVE IT, BECAUSE I EXPERIENCED THIS, AND THE FLOOR MAT HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH IT. AS I SAID, IT HASN'T HAPPENED SINCE, SO I DIDN'T FOLLOW UP ON IT. THERE WAS NO ACCIDENT, AND NO ONE HURT, BUT I SEE THAT TOYOTA HAS NOT INCLUDED THE 2002 HIGHLANDER AS A PROBLEM CAR, BUT I KNOW THAT IT IS. I DON'T WANT ANYONE BEING HURT BY THIS YEAR AND MODEL CAR EITHER. I STILL DRIVE THIS CAR. THANKS FOR ANYTHING YOU CAN DO TO FIX THE PROBLEM. *TR

2002 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER WITH UNEXPECTED ACCELERATION. CONSUMER STATED THAT THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY ACCELERATED WITHOUT WARNING. DRIVER HAD TO SLAM THE VEHICLE INTO PARK FOR THE VEHICLE TO STOP. *KB THE DEALER KEPT THE VEHICLE FOR 3 DAYS, RAN VARIOUS DIAGNOSTIC TESTS, BUT WAS UNABLE TO DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM. *JB

THE DRIVER SIDE VISOR CONSTANTLY FOLDS DOWN BLOCKING MY VISION WHEN I AM DRIVING. VISOR IN LOOSE. THIS HAPPENS ALL THE TIME. AVOIDED A FEW ACCIDENTS ALREADY. *TR

2002 HIGHLANDER VISOR DOES NOT STAY IN POSITION, TENDS TO FALL DOWN WHEN IT SHOULD BE UP. *TR

02 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER DRIVERS SIDE SUN VISOR DROPS DOWN WHILE DRIVING $650 FOR A TOYOTA REPLACEMENT OR $450 AT THE AUTO WRECKERS , MANY PEOPLE HAVE THE SAME COMPLAINT. *TR

AIRBAG WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATES IN FREEZING TEMPS AND BLINKS AT DIFFERENT RATES. ONCE THE TEMPERATURE WARMS UP, UPON RESTART THE LIGHT NO LONGER BLINKS. I'M NOT SURE IF THIS WILL CAUSE A PROBLEM IF I NEED AIR BAG SUPPORT IN COLDER TEMPERATURES. THIS HAS HAPPENED IN THE PAST SEVERAL TIMES AS WELL. *TR

2002 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER ACCELERATOR STICKING IN THE FULL DOWN POSITION WHEN PASSING ANOTHER VEHICLE. FIRST HAPPENED SUMMER OF 2008. SECOND TIME THIS HAPPENED AUGUST 13, 2009. PUT ON FULL BRAKE AND TURNED IGNITION KEY OFF. AFTER VEHICLE STOPPED, ABOUT 5-10 SECONDS, PEDAL RELEASED. SERVICE APPOINTMENT WITH DEALERSHIP AUGUST 18, 2009 TO CORRECT PROBLEM. DEALERSHIP COULD NOT FIND ANYTHING WRONG WITH VEHICLE. SAID IT WAS THE FLOOR MAT THAT MADE THE ACCELERATOR STICK IN THE OPEN POSITION. DON'T THINK TOYOTA INFORMED OF THIS COMPLAINT. SINCE TOYOTA RECALL HAS TAKEN PLACE, I WANTED TO GET MY VEHICLE BACK IN THE DEALERSHIP TO CORRECT MY PROBLEM. APPOINTMENT MADE 2/09/10 AT 10:30 WITH DEALERSHIP. DEALERSHIP CHECKED THROTTLE BODY AND THROTTLE CABLE. SAID ALL OKAY. DEALERSHIP CONTINUES TO TELL ME RUBBER MAT COULD CATCH PEDAL AND CAUSE PROBLEM. I DISAGREE WITH THIS DIAGNOSIS. I ASKED DEALERSHIP TO PLEASE INFORM TOYOTA ABOUT THIS PROBLEM IN MY MODEL SINCE THE RECALL IS ONLY CORRECTING 2010 MODELS. THE ONLY WAY I WILL TRY AND PASS ANOTHER VEHICLE NOW, ESPECIALLY ON MOUNTAIN ROADS, IS PLACE THE CAR IN SECOND GEAR AND ACCELERATE. I DON'T TRUST PLACING THE PEDAL DOWN TO FLOORBOARD. I OFFER THIS AS ADDITIONAL INFORMATION REGARDING THIS DANGEROUS PROBLEM. I HOPE TOYOTA WILL CORRECT THIS SITUATION IN "ALL" MODELS OF THEIR CARS. *TR

LEFT (DRIVER SIDE) FRONT ABS BEGAN ACTIVATING SPONTANEOUSLY AS MY 02 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER CAME TO STOP. SERVICE AGENCY FOUND NO CODE. REMOVING FUSE ON ABS SENSOR ELIMINATED 'FALSE ACTIVATION' PROBLEM, BUT DISABLED ABS; REPLACING SENSOR HAD NO EFFECT. DISCOVERED BROKEN SENSOR RING ON REAR AXLE, DUE TO CORROSION. (NECESSARY REPLACEMENT OF ENTIRE AXLE) ELIMINATED ABS ACTIVATION ON BRAKING, BUT INDUCED ABS ACTIVATION ON ACCELERATION FROM STOP. REPLACEMENT OF ANOTHER SENSOR (ALSO CONTAMINATED/DAMAGED BY AXLE CORROSION/INFILTRATION) SEEMED TO SOLVE THE PROBLEM, BUT I NOW EXPERIENCE NOISE/ACTIVATION WHEN REAR WHEEL DRIVE ENGAGES IN WINTER DRIVING. MY ONLINE RESEARCH (AND SERVICE AGENCY) INDICATE THIS IS A RECURRING, GROWING PROBLEM IN HIGHLANDERS AND LEXUSES AND OTHER TOYOTA MODELS SHARING THE REAR AXLE ASSEMBLIES, THAT ARE PRONE TO INFILTRATION CORROSION DAMAGE, ESPECIALLY IN THE NORTHERN STATES. *TR

DRIVERSIDE VISOR FLOPS DOWN. I WAS TOLD BY THE WATERTOWN AND LEXINGTON TOYOTA SERVICE DEPTS THAT THIS WAS A UNIQUE PROBLEM TO MY CAR. NOW I HEAR THAT OTHER TOYOTA HIGHLANDER 2002 OWNERS ARE HAVING THE SAME PROBLEM. I FOUND THE FLOPPING SO DISTRACTING THAT I TOOK THE SUNVISOR OFF. *TR