2004 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER Complaints

WHILE DRIVING HOME FROM WORK PULLED UP TO STOP LIGHT WITH MANY OTHER CARS THE LIGHT TURNED GREEN AND I GOT UP TO 20 MPH AND THE BRAKES KICKED ON SLOWING ME DOWN TO ALMOST A STOP, AND CREATING A LOUD NOISE. THE CAR BEHIND HIT ME, BUT DID NOT CAUSE ANY DAMAGE. HE SAID I HAD NO BRAKE LIGHTS. IT WILL ONLY GO 15 MPH BEFORE THE VEHICLE TRACTION CONTROL WENT ON AND STOPPED THE CAR. THERE WAS NO WARNING. THE DEALER SAID THERE WAS A TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN IN FOR THE PROBLEM. I THINK TOYOTA SHOULD FIX THIS IN A RECALL BECAUSE IT COULD CAUSE SERIOUS INJURY , ESPECIALLY SINCE IT WAS THE TRACTION CONTROL SYSTEM WHICH ACTIVATED FOR NO REASON AND NO BRAKE LIGHTS WENT ON. *AK

STEERING SHAFT ON THE 2004 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER DID NOT FEEL SAFE, FELT LOOSE AND NOISY WHEN TURNING. TOYOTA REFUSESD TO FIX THE PROBLEM UNDER WARRANTY, A TSB WAS ISSUED IN JANUARY 2006, WHICH INDICATED TOYOTA'S AWARENESS OF THE PROBLEM, BUT DID NOT WANT TO PUBLICLY ADMIT IT. WHILE DRIVING IT FELT LIKE THE STEERING COLUMN COUD BREAK OFF, AND IF THAT HAPPENED, IT COULD HAVE CAUSED MANY DEATHS.*AK

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER. WHEN MAKING A LEFT TURN THE CONTACT HEARD A CLICKING NOISE NEAR THE STEERING COLUMN. THE CONTACT STATED THAT UNDER NORMAL DRIVING CONDITIONS THE VEHICLE SWERVED WHILE DRIVING FORWARD. THE DEALER REPLACED THE STEERING SHAFT AND THE CLICKING STOPPED, HOWEVER, THE SWERVING CONTINUED. THE DEALER STATED THAT THE POWER STEERING RACK NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE CURRENT MILEAGE IS 46,000 , AND FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 41,000. *AK

NOISY STEERING SHAFT CAUSED ME TO TAKE CAR TO DEALERSHIP, WHERE I WAS TOLD THE SHAFT WAS 'WORN' (TINY BEARINGS WITHIN THE SHAFT WERE WORN) AND THE SHAFT WAS REPLACED. DEALER INFORMED ME THEY'D SEEN THIS PROBLEM ON OTHER TOYOTA HIGHLANDERS, AND ON THEIR ECONOMY TOYOTA PRISMS AS WELL, BUT MANUFACTURER HAD NOT ISSUED ANY RECALLS. I PAID THE BILL USING MY EXTENDED WARRANTY.*AK

2004 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER BEGAN MAKING A NOISE WHICH COULD BE FELT IN THE STEERING WHEEL, PARTICULARLY WHEN TURNING OR GOING OVER A BUMP AT SLOW SPEED. TOYOTA HAS A TSB OUT ON THIS BUT IT IS NOT KNOW TO OWNERS, AND IS NOT WELL KNOW AT THE DEALERSHIP. THIS DESPITE HUNDREDS IF NOT THOUSANDS OF COMPLAINTS ON THE WEB. FURTHERMORE, TOYOTA REPS AND THE DEALER'S SERVICE WRITERS WILL TELL YOU FACE TO FACE IT IS NOT A SAFETY ISSUE, BUT WON'T PUT IT IN WRITING. WHEN THE PROBLEM WAS FINALLY REPAIRED BY REPLACEMENT OF THE STEERING SHAFT, I BECAME AWARE THAT PRIOR TO THE REPAIRS THE CAR WAS PULLING TO THE LEFT AND THE STEERING WHEEL WAS HARD TO TURN AS THE VEHICLE NOW TRACK STRAIGHT AND THE WHEEL EASY TO TURN. WITH SUCH SYMPTOMS I FEEL VERY STRONGLY THAT TOYOTA SHOULD BE COMPELLED TO NOTIFY VEHICLE OWNERS. *NM

I HAD A TIRE GO VERY NEARLY FLAT AND THE LOW TIRE INDICATOR ON MY 04 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER NEVER ILLUMINATED. A PASSING MOTORIST MADE ME AWARE OF THE TIRE CONDITION. I BARELY WAS ABLE TO MAKE IT TO A STATION WITHOUT RUINING THE ALMOST NEW TIRE. I HAD JUST CAME INTO TOWN, AND WAS PREVIOUSLY AT HIGHWAY SPEED WITH 2 ELDERLY PASSENGERS BESIDES MYSELF. MY LOCAL TOYOTA DEALER HERE IN MCKINNEY TX SAID THAT TOYOTA TECH SUPPORT SAYS THERE IS NOTHING THEY CAN DO. EVEN THOUGH I HAD JUST DRIVEN ABOUT 5 MILES TO THE DEALERSHIP WITH ONE TIRE PURPOSELY UNDER INFLATED BY 10 POUNDS TO PROVE TO THEM THAT IT WAS NOT WORKING, THEY ARE TELLING ME THAT TOYOTA WILL DO NOTHING ABOUT IT, EXCEPT TO VERIFY THAT THERE IS NO CODES SET IN THE COMPUTER! *JB

TRANSMISSION SHIFT HESITATION ON ACCELERATION AT LOWER SPEEDS. JUST ENOUGH LAG TIME TO SCARE ME A FEW TIMES THAT I WOULDN'T MAKE IT ACROSS TRAFFIC. *JB

TRANSMISSION FLUID LEAKING FROM DIFFERENTIAL - 2000 MILES OUT OF WARRANTY - DEALER SAID THEY HAVE AT LEAST TWO OTHER VEHICLES THAT HAVE HAD SIMILAR PROBLEMS THIS VEHICLE IS A 2004 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER. *NM

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED AT VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE VEHICLE HESITATED WHEN THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED. ALSO, THE VEHICLE SHIFTED ERRATICALLY. THE DEALERSHIP HAD REPROGRAMMED THE COMPUTER MULTIPLE TIMES, BUT THE PROBLEM PERSISTED.*AK

DEALER (GREEN'S TOYOTA, LEXINGTON, KENTUCKY) MAKING RECALL REPAIRS ON MY 2004 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER (RECALL # 06V253000) FAILED TO COMPLY WITH REQUIREMENTS OF NHTSA RECALL, BY REPLACING DEFECTIVE RETAINING CLIPS WITH VELCRO. NO REPLACEMENT CLIPS WERE USED.