2005 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER Complaints

I'VE OWNED A 2005 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER SINCE NEW, ONCE IN A WHILE THIS CONDITION WOULD OCCUR, NOW IT IS ALL THE TIME. IT JUST TURNED OVER 80K MILES. I HAVE NOT BEEN NOTIFIED OF ANY RECALLS, NOT EVEN TOYOTA NO. 60F. WHEN YOU ARE COMING TO A STOP,AT NORMAL SPEEDS,NORMAL BRAKING PEDAL PRESSURE, JUST BEFORE THE VEHICLE STOPS, IT LAUNCHES FORWARD WITH YOUR FOOT PRESSURE ON THE BRAKE PEDAL. WHEN YOU APPLY MORE PRESSURE AS IF THERE WAS AN EMERGENCY, IT IS WORSE. MY WIFE AND I HAVE LEARNED TO COMPENSATE BY COASTING THEN STOPPING. I EMAILED TOYOTA.COM ABOUT THIS TWICE, NO ANSWERS. *TR

1. TRAVELING AT ABOUT 45-55 MILES PER HOUR, GAS PEDAL STICKS. ALSO, THE DEALER SOLD ME THE CAR WITH OUT A DRIVER FLOOR MAT. SINCE I PURCHASED THE CAR IN 2007, I'VE NOTICED A GRADUAL EROSION OF THE FLOOR MAT BENEATH MY RIGHT FOOT AND JUST BELOW THE GAS PEDAL. THERE IS NOW A HOLE IN THE CARPET AND AN INDENTATION IN THE FLOOR OF THE CAR. ALSO, THERE IS A SMALL TOGGLE TYPE OBJECT JUTTING OUT FROM UNDER THE CARPET JUST BELOW THE GAS PEDAL 2. IT OCCURS EVERY TIME I DRIVE THE CAR. 3. NOTHING HAS BEEN DONE TO CORRECT THE FAILURE. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER. THE CONTACT STATED THE FLOOR MATS BECAME TRAPPED BETWEEN THE BRAKE AND ACCELERATOR PEDAL ALMOST CAUSING TWO ACCIDENTS. ALSO THE CARPET IN THE VEHICLE WAS RIPPED WHERE THE FLOOR MATS WERE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER AND CONTACT WAS TOLD TO CALL THE TOYOTA MANUFACTURER, INFORM THEM OF THE PROBLEMS SO SHE CAN GET TOTAL COMPENSATION FOR HER MATS. THE CONTACT CALLED AND IS WAITING FOR THEM TO CALL BACK. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 71,000. UPDATED 03/08/10

TOYOTA SHOULD RECALL ALL OLDER MODELS RELATING TO PEDAL ACCELERATOR. TOYOTA SHOULD BE RECALLING ALL RELATED VEHICLES AS FAR BACK AS 2003 MODELS IF IT ALREADY KNOWS THE COMPUTER COMPONENT IN THOSE CARS HAVE THE SAME PEDAL ACCELERATOR PROBLEMS AS THE NEWER MODELS. WHY AREN'T THEY MADE TO DO THAT? I HAVE A 2005 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER AND I AM WORRIED EVERYTIME I GET IN MY CAR NOW. *TR

2005 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER HYBRID. DRIVING TO WORK IN A BLIZZARD ON 12/11/09 ALL DASH BOARD LIGHTS WENT ON. DEALERSHIP FOUND THAT THE SUNROOF HOUSING FAILED CAUSING $3,977.16 WORTH OF DAMAGE. BEING OUT OF WARRANTY THE DEALER AGREED TO PAY 2,000.00. TOYOTA CUSTOMER SERVICE ANOTHER 1,500 AND WE PAID 477.16. WE PICKED UP THE CAR ON 12/24/09. ON 2/2/10 WE RETURNED IT AFTER NOTICING A BURN SPOT ON EACH OF THE PLASTIC HEAD LIGHT COVERS. THE DEALER FOUND BOTH HIGHBEAM BULBS MELTED,AND SUGGESTED I HAD OVERUSED THEM CAUSING THE INTENSE HEAT THAT DID THE DAMAGE. I AM CONCERNED IT COULD BE A RESULT OF DELAYED WATER DAMAGE SHOWING UP. OUR CONCERNS WITH THIS CAR(WHICH WE PURCHASED NEW IN NOV. OF 2005)GOES BACK TO 9/7/06 WHEN THE CRUISE CONTROL DID NOT SLOW THE CAR GOING DOWN HILLS. ON 2/28/07 WE HAD BRAKE AND WIPER BLADE ISSUES. ON 4/20/07 THE BLADES LOCKED DURING A DOWNPOUR ON THE 5 FREEWAY. I HAD TO PULL OVER IN A PANIC. ON 7/12/07 THE CARGO CLIP HAD TO BE REPLACED. ON 9/10/07 THAT PARKING BRAKE DID NOT HOLD PROPERLY AND THERE WAS A RATTLE FROM THE RIGHT REAR. ON 11/6/07 WE COMPLAINED OF SQUEAKY BRAKES. DEALER TIGHTENED LOOSE NUTS AND BOLTS ON 4X4 ASSEMBLY. ON 4/1/08 THE BRAKES WERE REPLACED @ 29,080 MILES.ON 10/22/08 THE SOUND SYSTEM FAILED AND WAS REPLACED UNDER WARRANTY. NEXT WEEK WE ARE HAVING THE 5TH SET OF TIRES PUT ON THIS VEHICLE WHICH HAS ONLY 53,000 MILES ON IT. THE SET TO BE REPLACED HAS ONLY ABOUT 15,000 MILES ON THEM. THEY HAVE A 60,000 MILE WARRANTY. *TR

I AM WRITING ABOUT A PROBLEM I ENCOUNTERED WITH MY 2005 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER. WE PURCHASED IT BRAND NEW IN JANUARY OF 2005. BEAVERTON TOYOTA HAS ADJUSTED THE COMPUTER ON MY CAR SEVERAL TIMES SINCE THE FIRST OIL CHANGE AS MY HIGHLANDER FEELS LIKE IT IS CHANGING GEARS BY ITSELF. THE CAR HAD NOT DONE THIS UNTIL AFTER THE FIRST OIL CHANGE. ON SUBSEQUENT SERVICE CALLS, I WOULD DISCUSS THE PROBLEM AND THEY WOULD TELL ME THAT THEY ADJUSTED THE CAR'S COMPUTER. ON SEPTEMBER 10, 2009, I WAS DRIVING THROUGH THE STORE PARKING LOT AND WAS ABOUT TO PULL INTO A PARKING PLACE BY THE FRONT OF THE STORE WHEN I HEARD A SURGING SOUND AND MY CAR QUICKLY WENT FORWARD AND SMASHED INTO A BRICK COLUMN IN FRONT OF THE STORE AND THEN IT WENT BACKWARDS AND STOPPED. THE FRONT OF THE CAR WAS SMASHED AND WAS NOT DRIVABLE. I HAD NOT SPOKEN ON MY CELL PHONE SINCE THE NIGHT BEFORE, I HAD NO ONE ELSE IN THE CAR WITH ME TO DISTRACT ME, AND I WAS NOT SPEEDING OR SWERVING TO AVOID ANOTHER PERSON OR CAR. I THANK GOD THAT I HIT THE BRICK COLUMN IN FRONT OF THE STORE INSTEAD OF A PERSON OR ANOTHER CAR. MY SHOULDER, NECK AND TEETH STILL HURT FROM HITTING THE BRICK COLUMN SO HARD. I HAD JUST GOTTEN GAS, AND I HAD MY TIRES ROTATED A FEW DAYS BEFORE THIS INCIDENT. I ASKED THE BODY SHOP WHO FIXED MY CAR AND BEAVERTON TOYOTA TO CHECK THE ACCELERATOR. AT THE TIME OF MY ACCIDENT, THEY WERE LOOKING FOR CAR MATS THAT WEREN'T PROPERLY INSTALLED. I WAS TOLD THERE WAS NOTHING WRONG. IT SEEMS STRANGE THAT WITH ALL THE RECALLS NOW, EVEN TOYOTA CANNOT FIGURE OUT WHAT THE PROBLEM IS WITH THE ACCELERATORS. I THINK IT MIGHT HAVE BEEN A GLITCH IN THE COMPUTER. I CAN STILL HEAR THAT SURGING SOUND AND AM AFRAID IT MIGHT HAPPEN AGAIN. THERE IS NO REASON FOR IT TO HAVE SURGED AND SMASHED INTO A BRICK COLUMN AS I WASN'T STOMPING ON THE ACCELERATOR OR BRAKE WHEN I WAS DRIVING THROUGH A PARKING LOT TO PARK MY CAR. I HAVEN'T BEEN IN AN ACCIDENT FOR 38 YEARS. *TR

THE SIDE AIRBAGS FAILED TO DEPLOY. THE TOYOTA HIGHLANDER WAS INITIALLY STRUCK ON THE FRONT PASSENGER SIDE NEAR THE FRONT END OF VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS THEN STRUCK (T-ED) ON THE DRIVER'S SIDE BY A LARGE PICKUP TRUCK (APPROX SPEED 60 MPH). THE IMPACT DENTED THE DOORS TO THE SEATS AND BOTH DRIVER'S SIDE DOORS WOULD NOT OPEN DUE TO THE IMPACT. VSC, ABS WERE ENGAGED AS EVIDENCED BY THE PANEL LIGHTS ON AT THE END OF THEE CRASH, HOWEVER NO AIRBAGS DEPLOYED RESULTING IN TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY (CLOSED HEAD INJURY), POST CONCUSSIVE SYNDROME, GRAND MAL SEIZURE, RETROGRADE AMNESIA FOR DRIVER. VEHICLE ALSO HAD A THIRD IMPACT AS IT WAS PUSHED INTO BARRIER WALL. *TR

TIE RODS SEPARATED WHILE DRIVING, CAUSING TOTAL LOSS OF CONTROL OF VEHICLE. WHEELS TURNED SIDEWAYS. GOING 30 MILES PER HOUR, WAS ABLE TO BRING VEHICLE TO A STOP. VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO DEALERSHIP. THEY CLAIMED RUST, BUT WE RECEIVED VERBAL AFFIRMATION THAT NO RUST WAS FOUND. *TR

2005 HIGHLANDER LTD. HAS A SURGING EFFECT SINCE DAY ONE. ALSO SURGES SLIGHTLY WHEN APPLYING BRAKES. DEALER SAID NOTHING WRONG WITH VEHICLE. TOYOTA SAID AT TIME TO CONTACT DEALER. TOYOTA HAS KEPT IT'S HEAD IN THE SAND TOO LONG. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT APPROX 65 MPH, SHE PRESSED DOWN ON THE ACCELERATOR AND WHEN SHE TOOK HER FOOT OFF, THE PEDAL DID NOT RELEASE FROM THE DEPRESSED POSITION. SHE KEPT PUMPING THE PEDAL BUT IT CONTINUED TO STICK TO THE FLOOR UNTIL SHE CRASHED INTO THE WALL OF SOMEONE'S HOME. THE CONTACT WAS INJURED AS A RESULT OF THE CRASH (BROKEN RIBS AND HEAD INJURIES). A POLICE REPORT WAS TAKEN AT THE SCENE. THE VEHICLE WAS TOTALED. SHE CALLED THE MANUFACTURER AND THEY DID NOT OFFER ANY ASSISTANCE. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE APPROXIMATELY 97,000.