2002 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER Complaints

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER. WHILE STARTING THE VEHICLE HE HEARD A LOUD NOISE, AND THE RPMS RAPIDLY INCREASED FOR APPROXIMATELY 15 SECONDS BEFORE THE RPMS DECREASED. THE FAILURE OCCURRED ONE TIME AND DIDN'T RECUR WHEN THE CONTACT WAS DRIVING THE VEHICLE. THE DEALER STATED THAT THERE WERE NO RELATED RECALLS. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 23,000. THE CURRENT MILEAGE IS 23,500. UPDATED 03/12/10. *LJ UPDATED 07/12/10*JB

2002 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER. DRIVER'S SIDE SUN VISOR DOES NOT STAY UP OR DOWN. WHILE TRYING TO MAKE IT WORK PROPERLY I AM DISTRACTED FROM MY PRIMARY DUTY OF DRIVING THE VEHICLE. TOYOTA DOES NOT RECOGNIZE THIS A SAFETY OR RECALL ISSUE. COST TO REPLACE $1000.00. IF YOU CHECK THE INTERNET THIS IS NOT AN ISOLATED PROBLEM AND HAS BEEN IGNORED BY TOYOTA FOR MANY YEARS. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER. WHILE DRIVING 40 MPH, THE VEHICLE ACCELERATED AN ADDITIONAL 10 MPH. THE CONTACT STATED THE FIRST FAILURE OCCURRED APPROXIMATELY FOUR TO FIVE YEARS AGO AND HAS RECURRED WITHIN THE LAST SEVEN MONTHS. THE DEALER ADVISER HER THAT THERE ARE NO RELATED RECALLS. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 86,000. UPDATED 03/30/10 *BF UPDATED 08/30/10*JB

I BOUGHT A 2002 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER LIMITED IN MAY 2008. THE CAR HAD JUST UNDER 60,000 MILES ON THE ODOMETER. THIS CAR IS MY SECOND CAR, MAINLY TO BE USED TO TOW MY HORSE TRAILER. WITHIN A MONTH OF OWNING THE CAR IT SHOWED THE SUDDEN UNEXPECTED ACCELERATION. THIS WAS NOT UNFAMILIAR TO ME BECAUSE I ALSO OWN A 2002 TOYOTA CAMRY. I HAVE OWNED THE HIGHLANDER NOW FOR 1 AND 3/4 YEAR AND THE CAR HAS SHOWED THE DESCRIBED BEHAVIOR OFF AND ON. IT HAPPENS MOSTLY ON THE FREEWAY AND MOSTLY WHEN I AM NOT TOWING. IT DOES NOT HAVE ANYTHING TO DO WITH FLOORMATS OR STICKY GASPEDALS. SINCE THE SAME BEHAVIOR HAPPENS IN BOTH TOYOTA'S I OWN, IT IS TIME THAT TOYOTA STARTS LOOKING AT SOMETHING ELSE THAN THE SILLY EXPLANATIONS OF FLOORMATS AND STICKY GASPEDALS. IT IS THE ENGINE WHICH RUNS AWAY, LEAVING THE DRIVER NO CONTROL OVER THE SPEED. I HAD NOT EXPECT THIS FROM TOYOTA. I BOUGHT TOYOTAS BECAUSE OF THEIR RELIABILITY AND BECAUSE I TRUSTED THE COMPANY (AS OPPOSED TO FORD, WHICH I ALSO OWNED AND EXPERIENCED A PROBLEM WHICH TURNED OUT THE COMPANY KNEW A LONG TIME ABOUT AND DID NOT DO ANYTHING ABOUT). I GUESS TOYOTA IS NOT DIFFERENT. ALSO, IT IS TIME THAT THE RECALL GOES FURTHER BACK THEN THE 3-4 YEARS. I EVEN HAVE A COPY OF A PROFESSIONAL CAR REVIEW OF THE CAMRY WHO EXPERIENCED THE PROBLEM IN 2002. *TR

TOYOTA HIGHLANDER 2005. PETERBORO , NH. 11 AM. DRIVER WAS REPORTED TO PASS VEHICLE ON RIGHT IN BREAK DOWN LANE, THEN TRIED TO PASS ANOTHER CAR BY GOING INTO LEFT LANE AND HIT ONCOMING VEHICLE. FOUR PEOPLE KILLED. DRIVER WAS VERY EXPERIENCED --EXCELLENT SAFETY RECORD. I HAD BEEN IN HIS CAR WITH HIM HUNDREDS OF TIMES. VERY SAFE DRIVER --NO COWBOY. BELIEVE CAR HAD UNCONTROLLED ACCELERATION. *CN UPDATED 05/10/10 *BF UPDATED 10/04/10 UPDATED 9/27/11*CW THE INVESTIGATING POLICE OFFICER INSPECTED THE INTERIOR OF THE TOYOTA AND NOTED THE DRIVER'S CARPETED FLOOR MAT WAS OUT OF POSITION FORWARD UNDER THE ACCELERATOR AND BRAKE PEDALS.

AWHILE BACK IN THE SUMMER OF 2009, I NOTIFIED YOU ABOUT MY CONCERN FOR SAFETY IN MY 2002 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER. THE CAR TOOK OFF FOR NO APPARENT REASON ACCELERATING TO AN UNSAFE SPEED. I WAS ONLY ABLE TO STOP BY SHIFTING TO NEUTRAL AND SLAMMING ON THE BRAKES MISSING SEVERAL CARS. THE FEEDBACK I GOT WAS THE FLOOR MAT...WHICH I TOLD THE DEALER WAS BULL. I BELIEVE THE PROBLEM MAY BE IN THE COMPUTER. I CHECKED ALL THE CABLES AND THROTTLE BODY CABLES INCLUDING LINKAGE. I HAD THE WHOLE FUEL SYSTEM CLEANED INSIDE AND OUT INCLUDING THE THROTTLE BODY. THIS SEEMED TO TEMPORARY SOLVE THE PROBLEM. MY CONCERNS ARE 1. I THINK TOYOTA NEEDS TO LOOK FURTHER BACK IN YEARS THIS HAS BEEN A CONCERN BY GOGGLING THIS PROBLEM. 2. WHEN THE PROBLEM(S) ARE IDENTIFIED YOU NEED THE LOOK AT REPAIRS WHERE THE PARTS MAY HAVE BEEN USED. 3. I BELIEVE THIS PROBLEM MAY BE CAUSED BY SEVERAL FACTORS. 2002 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER *CN

THE SUN VISOR ON MY TOYOTA HIGHLANDER 2002 DOESN'T REMAIN IN PLACE. IT STARTED LAST YEAR AND NO MATTER WHAT I DO IT KEEP ON FALLING. I BELIEVE THIS IS A DESIGN PROBLEM AND A SAFETY HAZARD THAT NEEDED TO BE ADDRESSED OR FIXED BY TOYOTA CORPORATION. *TR

BRAKE LIGHT ASSEMBLY IN TOYOTA HIGHLANDERS 2001 AND BEYOND FAIL. THEREBY CAUSING THE BRAKE LIGHTS NOT TO WORK. THE LIGHTS AND FUSES ARE NOT BROKEN. THERE ARE 16 POSTINGS MADE SINCE 2007 AT HTTP://WWW.TOPIX.COM/FORUM/AUTOS/TOYOTA-HIGHLANDER/T7H7LD934GSQLC6BE THAT REPORT THE EXACT SAME PROBLEM. *TR

BRAKE LIGHT ASSEMBLY IN TOYOTA HIGHLANDERS 2001 AND BEYOND FAIL. THEREBY CAUSING THE BRAKE LIGHTS NOT TO WORK. THE LIGHTS AND FUSES ARE NOT BROKEN. THERE ARE 16 POSTINGS MADE SINCE 2007 AT HTTP://WWW.TOPIX.COM/FORUM/AUTOS/TOYOTA-HIGHLANDER/T7H7LD934GSQLC6BE THAT REPORT THE EXACT SAME PROBLEM. *TR

WITH ONLY 106,000 MILES ON MY HIGHLANDER, THE TRANSMISSION HAS FAILED AND NEEDS TO COMPLETELY BE REPLACED. A $4600 REPAIR RIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS. I AM IN TEARS. THE DEALERSHIP DIDN'T SEEM VERY SURPRISED THAT THIS WOULD OCCUR. IRONIC? BUT THE TRANSMISSION SPECIALIST I WENT TO FOR A SECOND OPINION SAID THIS SHOULD NEVER HAVE HAPPENED. HE ADVISED EVEN PROPER MAINTENANCE WOULDN'T HAVE PREVENTED THIS KIND OF FAILURE. IT'S JUST BAD EQUIPMENT. HE REPEATEDLY STATED HOW ABNORMAL THIS WAS AND TOYOTA USED TO HAVE A GREAT REPUTATION ON THE TRANSMISSION AND RELIABILITY. I PURCHASED MY TOYOTA BASED ON THAT REPUTATION. AND HAVE HAD NOTHING BUT PROBLEMS. AT 35,000 MILES I WAS A VICTIM OF THE "SLUDGE ENGINE" ISSUE TOO. BEFORE THE RECALL WAS ISSUED ON THAT. THE ENTIRE ENGINE HAD TO BE REPLACED. BEFORE THEY WERE WILLING TO FIX IT, I HAD TO PROVE THAT I HAD CHANGED THE OIL REGULARLY. THEY ACCUSED ME OF NOT DOING THIS. TOYOTA KNOWS THERE IS A MAJOR PROBLEM WITH THIS VEHICLE TRANSMISSION AND FROM WHAT I SEE, THIS IS HAPPENING TO OTHERS. IT IS HAPPENING IN THE RAV4'S TOO. THEY NEED TO STEP UP AND TAKE CARE OF THEIR CUSTOMERS AND TAKE CARE OF THESE VEHICLES. THIS IS THE FIRST AND LAST TOYOTA I WILL EVER OWN. *TR