2006 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER Complaints

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER. AS SOON AS THE VEHICLE WAS STARTED, THE VSC LIGHT AND CHECK ENGINE WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED SIMULTANEOUSLY AND REMAINED ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC, BUT COULD NOT BE DIAGNOSED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED; HOWEVER, THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE ISSUE. THE VIN WAS INVALID. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 240,000.

I APOLOGIZE FOR THE DELAY IN FILING THIS COMPLAINT. I JUST LEARNED OF THE COMPLAINT PROCESS. WE TOOK DELIVERY OF THE VEHICLE ON 12/7/09 FROM BURNSVILLE TOYOTA IN BURNSVILLE, MN. ON 12/10/09 WHILE TRAVELING FROM EAGAN, MN TO OMAHA, NE THE POWER STEERING WENT OUT ON THE VEHICLE. WE WERE ABLE TO GET THE POWER STEERING REPAIRED IN BELLEVUE, NE ON 12/12. I FELT FORTUNATE TO HAVE REPAIRS MADE AS IT WAS A SATURDAY AND THE VEHICLE IS A HYBRID. THE BELLEVUE DEALERSHIP MADE THE REPAIRS AT NO CHARGE AND INFORMED ME OF THE OPEN RECALL ON THE POWER STEERING. UPON RETURNING HOME I CONTACTED THE DEALERSHIP. THEY APOLOGIZED AND OFFERED A FREE UPDATE ON THE GPS. I ALSO LATER CONTACTED TOYOTA CORPORATE. MY NOTES FROM THAT CONTACT INDICATE A REFERENCE NUMBER OF 1001108638. UPON LEARNING OF THE COMPLAINT PROCESS I ALSO LEARNED THAT IT IS ILLEGAL FOR A NEW CAR DEALERSHIP TO SELL A VEHICLE WITH AN OPEN RECALL. I DO NOT KNOW IF THAT WAS THE CASE IN 2009. I AM PLEASED TO BE ABLE TO SUBMIT THIS COMPLAINT AS I HAVE ALWAYS FELT CONSUMERS SHOULD BE PROTECTED FROM PURCHASING PRODUCTS WITH KNOWN DEFECTS

WHEN APPLYING THE BRAKES THERE IS A NOISE THAT COMES FROM THE BRAKES AND IT FEELS LIKE THE BRAKES ARE FAILING SO I WENT TO THE TOYOTA DEALERSHIP TO FIND OUT THE PROBLEM AND THEY SAID THAT THE BRAKE ACTUATOR WAS BAD AND HAD TO BE REPLACED. THE COST OF THE REPLACEMENT WAS QUOTED AT $3200.00. I SEARCHED THE WEB AND FOUND THAT THIS HAS OCCURRED NOT JUST ONCE BUT MANY TIMES ON NUMEROUS TOYOTA VEHICLES OVER MANY YEARS. I ALSO DETERMINED THAT EVEN IF I WERE TO PAY TO REPAIR THIS CONDITION THAT IT WOULD REOCCUR DO TO THE DEFECT IN THE DESIGN OF THIS PART OF THE BRAKING SYSTEM. WHY HASN'T THIS BEEN ADDRESSED AND A RECALL ISSUED?

ON 12/02/13 THE BRAKE LIGHT AND VCS SYSTEM LIGHT CAME ON. THE WARNING LIGHT ALSO WENT ON AND A BEEP NOISE INSIDE THE CABIN, BRAKES DOES NOT FUNCTION (BREAKS NOT RESPONDING). I TOOK THE CAR TO AN AUTHORIZED TOYOTA DEALERSHIP. ACCORDING TO THE DEALER CODES (C1241 LOW OR HIGH POWER SUPPLY VOLTAGE, C1256 ACCUMULATOR LOW PRESSURE, AND C1391 ABNORMAL LEAK IN ACCUMULATOR) MUST BE REPLACED THE ACTUATOR ASSY, B PART NO. 4405048190. ACTUATOR WAS REPLACED ON 12/28/13 AT $1,495 WITH TAX FOR $ 1,600 AND LABOR COST OF $333.84. UST BE REPLACED. ON 05/25/15 AGAIN THE BRAKE LIGHT AND VCS SYSTEM LIGHT CAME ON. THE WARNING LIGHT ALSO WENT ON AND A BEEP NOISE INSIDE THE CABIN, BRAKES DOES NOT FUNCTION (NO BREAK). I TOOK THE CAR TO AN AUTHORIZED TOYOTA DEALERSHIP FOR A DIAGNOSTIC AND I PAY $64.20. AGAIN THEY MENTIONED THAT FOR A SECOND TIME THE ACTUATOR ASSY, B PART NO. 4405048190 NEEDS A REPLACEMENT. I ASK FOR THE GUARANTEE AND ONLY WAS VALID FOR 1 YEAR. DIAGNOSTIC TROUBLE CODES REPORT (ABS/VSC/TRAC), CODES (C1252 BREAK BOOSTER PUMP MOTOR ON TIME ABNORMALLY LONG, C1256, ACCUMULATOR LOW PRESSURE, C1391, ABNORMAL LEAK IN ACCUMULATOR). I THINK THAT THERE IS AN ELECTRONIC PROBLEM WITH THE 2006 HIGHLANDER HYBRID AND THEY DO NOT KNOW WHAT THE CAUSE SINCE IS IN A 6 YEARS PERIOD THE ACTUATOR ASSY WAS REPLACED AND LESS THAN 1.5 YEAR AGAIN THE SAME PART (ACTUATOR ASSY) NEEDS REPLACEMENT, CURRENT PRICE IS $2,000. I CANNOT USE THE CAR THE BRAKES ARE NOT RESPONDING AND I CAN HAVE AN ACCIDENT.

DRIVING VEHICLE WHEN WARNING LIGHTS FOR ABS AND SKID CONTROL CAME ON. CHECK VSC SYSTEM IN DASH. WHEN BRAKE IS APPLIED RIGHT FRONT TIRE LOCKS AND CAUSES VEHICLE TO SPIN. SLOW SPEED IS THE ONLY REASON FOR NO ACCIDENT. TOOK VEHICLE TO DEALER AND WAS TOLD "BRAKE ACCUATOR " ELECTRONICS HAD FAILED AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED FOR $3800. RESEARCH SHOWS THIS IS AN ISSUE ON THE HIGHLANDER, THE LEXUS AND THE CAMRY SO WHY HAVE THE HIGHLANDERS NOT BEEN INCLUDED IN THE RECALL?

WHILE DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY AND THE TRAFFIC CAME TO A SLOW AS I WAS BRAKING TO SLOW DOWN I NOTICED ALL THE LIGHTS ON MY DASHBOARD SUDDENLY LIT UP, ALL THE FOLLOWING ENGINE, ABS, BRAKES AND CHECK VSC LIGHTS CAME ON. I TOOK TO A DEALERSHIP, PIERCEY TOYOTA AND THEY DID A DIAGNOSTIC AND CAME BACK WITH CODES C1391 AND B1281.

WHILE DRIVING HOME FROM WORK IN NORMAL FREE-FLOWING TRAFFIC CONDITIONS ON THE FREEWAY, SEVERAL LIGHTS CAME ON THE DASH INDICATING BRAKE ISSUES INCLUDING VSC, ABS, SKID, PARKING BRAKE LIGHT. CONTINUED TO CAUTIOUSLY DRIVE HOME, BRAKES SEEMED OK. HAD OUR NON-DEALER MECHANIC LOOK AT THE BRAKES ALL WERE FINE AND HAD RECENTLY BEEN REPLACED. HE COULD NOT FIND A BRAKE ISSUE. TOOK TO THE LOCAL TOYOTA DEALER AND ONE CODE CAME UP C1391 "ABNORMAL LEAK IN ACCUMULATOR" AND WAS TOLD I NEEDED A NEW BRAKE ACTUATOR AT THE COST OF $3273.00. DIAGNOSTIC COST $138.00. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON DIAGNOSTIC PAPERWORK FROM DEALER SAYS, "CHECK FOR DTC'S FOUND C1391, CHECK FOR FLUID LEAKS, COULD NOT FIND LEAKS, CHECK ACCUMULATOR PRESSURE VOLTAGE (3.5 V), DEPRESSED PEDAL 4-5 TIMES ACCUMULATOR PRESSURE DROPS BELOW 3.0 V, RECOMMEND REPLACE BRAKE/ABS ACTUATOR". OTHER NOTES, SOME PART OF HYBRID SYSTEM SEEMS TO BE CYCLING EVERY FEW MINUTES. OVER THE YEARS, WHEN BRAKING, THERE HAVE BEEN TIMES WHERE THEY "JUMP" OR DON'T GRAB DURING BRAKE PRESSURE AND AFTER READING HAVE FOUND THIS COMPLAINT WITH OTHER OWNERS. I SEE THAT THE CAMRY AND THE LEXUS HAVE BOTH HAD THIS PART RECALLED/REPLACED BY TOYOTA AND WONDERING WHY, WHEN THIS IS LIKELY THE SAME HYBRID SYSTEM AND COMPONENT, THAT TOYOTA WILL NOT STEP UP TO THE PLATE AND OFFER THIS REPLACEMENT PART FOR OWNERS FOR FREE OR AT A DISCOUNT? THE OTHER VEHICLES HAVE HAD ACCIDENTS AS A RESULT OF THIS PART AND TOYOTA SHOULD STEP UP TO THE PLATE ON THE HIGHLANDER HYBRID.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER. WHILE DRIVING AT ANY SPEED, THE INSTRUMENT PANEL DISPLAYED A "VEHICLE STABILITY CONTROL" ERROR MESSAGE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHO DIAGNOSED THAT THE ANTI-LOCK BRAKE SYSTEM ACCUMULATOR PUMP REMAINED ACTIVATED AND DRAINED THE BATTERY. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 122,000.

CONSUMER STATED HE WAS REAR ENDED BY A DRUNK DRIVER. *BF THE AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. *JB

THE SRS AIRBAG WARNING LIGHT IN MY 2006 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER HYBRID WITH 112,000 MILES HAS BEEN TURNING ON AND OFF WHILE TRAVELLING. TOYOTA CUSTOMER SERVICE REFUSES TO ARRANGE AND PAY FOR DIAGNOSIS AND REPAIR SINCE MY VIN IS NOT IN THE RECALL LIST FOR AIRBAG RECALL. IT HAS NOT YET BEEN REPAIRED.