2005 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER Complaints

ALREADY HAVE A CASE NUMBER, REPORTED ON 1/22/2010. I HAD A HORRIBLE ACCIDENT IN MAY OF 2007 WHERE THE PEDAL BECAME STUCK AND THE CAR ACCELERATED AND I WAS UNABLE TO GET THE BRAKES TO WORK. I HIT ANOTHER VEHICLE. WHILE DRIVING BACKWARDS OUT OF A PARKING SPACE IN A GROCERY STORE PARKING LOT. I HAVE HAD TO PAY EXTRA INSURANCE PREMIUMS EVERY SIX MONTHS AND HAVE THAT ACCIDENT ON MY RECORD. THE FL HWY PATROL OFFICER SAID THE ACCIDENT WAS DUE TO BRAKE FAILURE. ONE OF THE WITNESSES WAS AN OFF-DUTY LAKE COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICER SAID HE HEARD THE ACCELERATION AND COULD NOT BELIEVE THAT SOMEONE WAS ACCELERATING IN THE PARKING LOT OF A PUBLIX SUPERMARKET. I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW WHAT TOYOTA IS GOING TO DO TO HELP CAR OWNERS WHO HAVE HAD ACCIDENTS TO CORRECT THEIR DRIVING RECORDS AND TO CONTACT INSURANCE COMPANIES TO HELP THE INSURED TO RECOUP EXTRA MONIES PAID BECAUSE THE CAR HAS BAD EQUIPMENT, WHICH TOYOTA SHOULD HAVE RECALLED LONG AGO.. *TR

I OWN A 2005 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER. I WENT TO A FRIEND'S HOUSE AND PARKED VEHICLE IN FRONT OF THE HOUSE IN THE DRIVEWAY BY PLACING THE GEAR SHIFT IN THE PARK POSITION. I LEFT THE VEHICLE IDLING WHILE I WENT INTO MY FRIEND'S HOUSE TO GET A GROCERY LIST. I WENT IN AND OUT OF THE HOUSE ON 2 DIFFERENT OCCASIONS OVER A PERIOD OF ABOUT 10- 15 MINUTES TO RETRIEVE ITEMS FOR MY FRIEND THAT WERE OUTSIDE. ON BOTH OCCASIONS MY VEHICLE WAS IN THE DRIVEWAY IDLING. WHILE I WAS BACK INSIDE RETRIEVING THE GROCERY LIST MY FRIEND AND I OBSERVED MY VEHICLE MOVING THROUGH HER BACK YARD AND PROCEEDED INTO THE WOODS BEHIND HER HOUSE WHERE IT CAME TO A STOP AFTER HITTING A TREE. THIS VEHICLE SOMEHOW TOOK ITSELF OUT OF THE PARK POSITION AND INTO DRIVE!!!! I REPORTED THIS TO MY TOYOTA DEALER AND THE INSURANCE COMPANY. THE TOYOTA DEALER AND THE REGIONAL TOYOTA MANAGER SAID THERE WAS NO WAY THIS COULD HAVE HAPPENED AND THAT IT WAS NOT THE SAME ISSUE BEING INVESTIGATED (GAS PEDAL ISSUE). I WENT AHEAD AND HAD THE CAR REPAIRED AND THE INSURANCE COMPANY PAID FOR IT (EXCEPT FOR MY $500.00 DEDUCTIBLE) WITH NO INVESTIGATION OR QUESTIONS. I PICKED THE CAR UP TODAY AND NOW I AM HEARING ON THE NEWS THAT MANY OF THE SO CALLED GAS PEDAL INCIDENTS HAVE NOT BEEN EXPLAINED AND THAT IT IS POSSIBLE THAT MANY OF THE PREVIOUSLY REPORTED INCIDENTS CAN ONLY BE EXPLAINED BY A FAULTY COMPUTER. RIGHT AFTER THE ACCIDENT I ASKED THE TOYOTA DEALER/REGIONAL MANAGER SPECIFICALLY IF MY INCIDENT COULD HAVE BEEN CAUSED BY A COMPUTER MALFUNCTION. THE ANSWER WAS NO! *TR

THE DRIVER'S SIDE SUNVISOR DOES NOT STAY UP IN MY 2005 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER. IT FLIPS DOWN FREQUENTLY BLOCKING DRIVER'S VIEW WHILE DRIVING AND CREATES DANGEROUS SITUATIONS. I WENT ONLINE AND DISCOVERED MANY MANY SAME COMPLAINTS ON MESSAGE BOARDS - ONLY ON DRIVER'S SIDE. THIS NEEDS TO BE LOOKED INTO. *TW

2005 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER, CAR WILL ACCELERATE FROM A DEAD STOP ON ITS OWN. CHANGE TRANSMISSION FROM PARK TO DRIVE AND LET OFF BRAKE AND CAR WILL ACCELERATE WITHOUT TOUCHING GAS PEDAL FAST ENOUGH TO CHANGE GEARS AND CONTINUE. HAVE REACHED A SPEED OF 30 MPH BEFORE BRAKING. THE TACHOMETER DOES NOT SHOW THAT THE ENGINE IS REVVING HIGHER THAN A NORMAL IDLE WHEN IN PARK CHANGING INTO DRIVE SO IT SEEMS LIKE AN ELECTRONIC PROBLEM, ETC. ISSUE IS INTERMITTENT. THE CAR HAS BEEN TO 2 DEALERS OVER THE TIME IT HAS BEEN OWNED AND WE WERE TOLD THE ISSUE COULD NOT BE DUPLICATED SO NOTHING COULD BE DONE. I CALLED THE SAME DAY THIS EMAIL WAS SENT AND WAS TOLD THE SAME THING BY THE LOCAL TOYOTA DEALERSHIP. WELL, THE RECALLED GAS PEDALS DON'T STICK ALL THE TIME SO THEY ARE INTERMITTENT PROBLEMS SO WHERE IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THEIR CARS AND OURS! I HAVE TRIED EVERY CONTACT NUMBER FOR TOYOTA AND CANNOT GET ANYWHERE!!!!!! *TR

UNDER A SPECIFIC SET OF CIRCUMSTANCES, THE CRUISE CONTROL CAUSES THE CAR TO SURGE PAST THE SET CRUISE SPEED. I'VE NEVER LET THE SURGE GET PAST 10 MPH ABOVE THE SET CRUISE SPEED, I ALWAYS TURN OFF THE CRUISE WHICH CANCELS THE SURGE. I CANNOT FORCE THE REPLICATION OF THE PROBLEM BUT IT HAS HAPPENED A NUMBER OF TIMES OVER THE LIFE OF THE CAR. THE CIRCUMSTANCES I CAN IDENTIFY ARE THE CRUISE IS SET ON A SPECIFIC SPEED (LIKE 60 MPH), THE CRUISE IS DISENGAGED TO SLOW DOWN (WELL BELOW 60 MPH), USING THE GAS PEDAL TO SPEED UP ON A LONG UPHILL GRADE, ENGAGE THE CRUISE TO TAKE THE CAR BACK TO THE SET SPEED (60 MPH) AND THE CRUISE BLOWS PAST 60 MPH. IN THE SECONDS IT TAKES TO DISENGAGE THE CRUISE CONTROL, I'VE REACHED 70 MPH. *TR

MY 2005 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER, V6 MODEL, ALWAYS ON APPLYING THE BRAKES THE FIRST TIME AFTER STARTING IN THE MORNING IS LIKE THE ABS SYSTEM IS ENGAGED, IT TAKES LONGER TO STOP THAN IT WILL ON THE SUCCEEDING BRAKING APPLICATIONS. THIS IS VERY DANGEROUS, ESPECIALLY TO SOMEONE WHO MAY NOT BE PREPARED FOR THIS OR IS NOT THE USUAL DRIVER. AT FIRST I THOUGHT THIS WAS JUST HYDRAULICS BUT NOW I THINK IT IS TIED TO THE ABS SYSTEM, AFTER READING OF THE PROBLEM WITH ACCELERATION. *TR

MY 2005 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER HAS CHRONIC TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS. WHEN ACCELERATING, THE ENGINE REVS BUT THE TRANSMISSION HESITATES NOTICEABLY BEFORE GOING INTO GEAR. SOMETIMES THE HESITATION LASTS SO LONG THAT IT INTERFERES WITH MY ABILITY TO MERGE ONTO THE FREEWAY AND THOSE ARE VERY SCARY SITUATIONS. SOMETIMES THE TRANSMISSION CANNOT DECIDE WHAT GEAR TO BE IN AND WHEN IT DOES ENGAGE THE WHOLE CAR BUCKS OR SHUDDERS. EVERYONE WHO DRIVES MY CAR EXPERIENCES THE SAME PROBLEM. EVEN THE PASSENGERS NOTICE. THE TOYOTA DEALER CLAIMS THAT THERE IS NO PROBLEM WITH THE VEHICLE AND THAT THE PROBLEM IS MY DRIVING AND THAT I HAVE NOT ADJUSTED TO THE CAR'S "DRIVE BY WIRE" SYSTEM. ONE MECHANIC DID ADMIT THAT THERE WERE ISSUES WITH THE TRANSMISSION'S COMPUTER FOR THIS MODEL YEAR. OTHER THAN THAT, TOYOTA INSISTS THAT THERE IS NO PROBLEM AND THAT I HAVE TO LEARN HOW TO DRIVE THE CAR. *TR

2005 TOYOTO HIGHLANDER, 40,000 MILES TO DATE. ABRUPT ACCELERATION OCCURRED TWICE FOR NO REASON-CAR DOES NOT HAVE FLOOR MATS THAT COULD INTERFERE WITH THE ACCELERATOR, FIRST OCCURRANCE IN 2006 WAS WHILE DRIVING ON HIGHWAY, BRAKING SOLVED THE PROBLEM SECOND OCCURANCE IN 2008- CAR WAS MOVING AT IDLE SPEED-FOOT WAS NOT OR NEAR THE ACCELERATOR BUT ABOVE BUT NOT TOUCHING THE BRAKE. BRAKING SOLVED THE PROBLEM. INFORMED TOYOTA DEALER-THEY WERE CLUELESS AND HAD NO KNOWLEDGE OF A PROBLEM. *TR

ON NUMEROUS OCCASIONS THIS VEHICLE STUTTERS WHEN MERGING ON TO TRAFFIC. ON THIS SPECIFIC INSTANCE I WAS MERGING FROM TURN IN LANE. THE THROTTLE WAS SLOW TO RESPOND AFTER DEPRESSING THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL 3/4 OF THE WAY. THEN IT JUMPED/LURCHED FORWARD. I WAS NEARLY HIT BUT THE TRAFFIC COMING UP FROM BEHIND. THIS HAS OCCURRED ON MULTIPLE OCCASSIONS IN THE PAST, BEGINNING WITH 20000 MILES ON THE CAR. HAD BROUGHT IT TO THE DEALERS ATTENTION IN THE PAST AND WAS TOLD THAT THIS IS A "DESIGN FEATURE" OF THE ELECTRONIC THROTTLE. THEY SEEMED TO BE AWARE OF THE PROBLEM BUT COULD NOT OFFER ANY SOLUTION. THE ECM WAS REPROGRAMMED ONCE UNDER WARRANTY BUT THAT ALSO DID NOT SOLVE THE PROBLEM. *TR

I OWN A 2005 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER AND WAS TRYING TO PARK IN FRONT OF MY HOME BETWEEN TWO CARS WHEN THE CAR SUDDENLY ACCELERATED AND HIT THE SIDE OF MY HOUSE. I AM NOT 100% SURE WHAT HAPPENED, WHETHER I ACCIDENTALLY PRESSED THE ACCELERATOR OR THERE WAS A MALFUNCTION OF SOME KIND. I HAD TO MAKE A 90 DEGREE LEFT TURN BETWEEN TWO OTHER PARKED CARS, SO I AM SURE I WAS NOT DRIVING FAST AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT. *TR