2005 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER Complaints

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE THE REAR WINDOWS WERE DOWN AND THE VEHICLE WAS DRIVEN AT SPEEDS ABOVE 60 MPH, THE VEHICLE SHUTTERED. THE MANUFACTURER DETERMINED THIS WAS A NORMAL CONDITION FOR THE VEHICLE. *AK UPDATED 4/19/2006 - *NM

I WAS REAR ENDED BY A TRUCK WHILE STOPPED COMPLETELY ON THE HARDY TOLL ROAD IN HOUSTON. THE TRUCK WAS GOING APPROX 30 MPH. MY SEAT BELT DID NOT WORK AND MY HEAD HIT THE STEERING WHEEL RESULTING IN A CONCUSSION. TOYOTA TOLD ME THAT SEAT BELTS PROVIDE NO PROTECTION DURING A REAR END COLLISION. I THINK THEY ARE WRONG. *JB

PRODUCT BRAND/MODEL: GARMIN / STREET PILOT I5 (NAVIGATION/GPS): THERE IS A SINGLE BUT SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE. MY I5 LOSES SUCTION FROM THE WINDSHIELD DAILY WITHOUT WARNING AND/OR CONSISTENT CONDITIONS (I.E. HOT/COLD/WET/DRY/MOVING/STILL). THERE IS NO DAMAGE TO THE RUBBER SUCTION CUP AND MY CAR IS NEW (2005 HIGHLANDER) AND CLEAN. I TOLD A NEIGHBOR ABOUT IT (HE IS AN ENGINEER) HE SAID THE DEVISES SUCTION CUP IS TOO SMALL RELATIVE TO IT'S WEIGHT AND THUS GRAVITY AND LEVERAGE OVER POWER THE VACUUM OF THE SUCTION OVER TIME (I.E. THE SUCTION CUP IS TO SMALL RELATIVE TO THE WEIGHT IT MUST HOLD UP). THIS CREATES A VERY DANGEROUS TRAFFIC SAFETY ISSUE AS THE UNIT HAS FALLEN ONTO MY LAP SEVERAL TIMES IN THE MIDST OF DRIVING MY CAR AND CAN BE A POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS DISTRACTION (IT COULD JUST AS EASILY FALLEN ON THE FLOOR UNDER MY BREAKS AS WELL). I HAVE CONTACTED THE COMPANY THROUGH OUT THEIR WEB SITE BUT HAVE NOT RECEIVED A RESPONSE TO DATE. THE BIGGER ISSUE IS THAT I AM SURE THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE HAVE THIS AND PRIOR MODELS (I1 TO I4) WHICH WILL ALL HAVE THE SAME SAFETY ISSUE (WHY WAIT FOR A SERIES OF ACCIDENTS TO TAKE ACTION) HELP!*JB

2005 HIGHLANDER STEERING COLUMN SHAFT WAS BENT, THIS CAUSED VEHICLE TO MAKE A RATTLING NOISE. *TS THE RATTLING OCCURRED WHEN GOING OVER ROAD EXPANSION GAPS AND MINOR BUMPS. ***NAR***

MULTIPLE TIMES, I HAVE TRIED TO ACCELERATE THE VEHICLE AND THERE HAS BEEN "HESITATION" WHEN I DEPRESSED THE GAS PEDAL--THE CAR SEEMED TO BE IN NEUTRAL, THERE WAS NO RESPONSE. THIS HAS HAPPENED MANY TIMES AT DIFFERENT SPEEDS/GEARS--IT IS NOT PREDICTABLE. I HAVE ALMOST BEEN REAR ENDED ONCE; IN THAT INSTANCE THE CAR ACTUALLY "BUCKED" AND STOPPED. I HAD TO TURN OFF THE ENGINE, RESTART, AND DRIVE A SHORT DISTANCE TO A SAFE PLACE TO STOP. AT OTHER TIMES, I HAVE BEEN ON A RELATIVELY EMPTY STREET AND IT HAS NOT BEEN AS MUCH OF A PROBLEM SINCE NO ONE WAS BEHIND ME. HOWEVER, THIS IS AN ACCIDENT WAITING TO HAPPEN AS I HAVE A LONG COMMUTE TO WORK (AND BOUGHT THIS CAR BECAUSE OF WHAT I THOUGHT WAS ITS SAFETY AND RELIABILITY). ON MY FIRST VISIT TO THE DEALER, TOYOTA MADE A FIX ACCORDING TO A TECHNICAL BULLETIN. ON THE SECOND VISIT, THEY DID NOTHING BECAUSE THEY COULD NOT REPLICATE THE PROBLEM--EVEN THOUGH THEY WERE TOLD THAT THE PROBLEM HAPPENS INTERMITTENTLY. ON THIS SECOND VISIT, THEY MERELY TEST DROVE THE VEHICLE AND WE WERE TOLD WE COULD RENT A LOANER VEHICLE FROM THEM AT THEIR COST BECAUSE THERE WAS NO PROBLEM WITH THE VEHICLE. *JB

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED SINCE PURCHASE OF THE VEHICLE THE DASHBOARD PANEL WAS BLACK DURING THE DAY. SHINING A FLASH LIGHT ON THE DASH IS THE ONLY WAY THE DASHBOARD GAUGES CAN BE SEEN. THE GAUGES ARE NOT DIGITAL. THE DEALERSHIP DETERMINED THE DASHBOARD PANEL WAS NOT ABLE TO BE READ BUT THIS IS HOW THE VEHICLE WAS MADE. THE DASHBOARD WORKED PROPERLY AT NIGHT.*AK UPDATED 01/25/06. *JB

WHO DO I NEED TO SPEAK WITH REFERENCE EASE OF ROLLOVER OF THE TOYOTA HIGHLANDER AND THE FACT THAT THE AIR BAGS DID NOT OPEN AT ALL WHEN I WAS FLIPPED OVER THREE TIMES? THE SPEED WAS NOT A FACTOR I WAS DOING 25 MILES WHEN BROADSIDED BY A 87 FORD RANGER GOING 25, WHICH HIT THE DRIVER DOOR LOW IMPACT ON THE HIGHLANDER SENT MY HIGHLANDER AIRBORN FLIPPING AND SPINNING. THE PRINCE WILLIAM POLICE HAVE THE REPORTS ON THE ACCIDENT. THE HIGHLANDER IS IN STATE FARM HANDS NOW. THE ACCIDENT HAPPENED ON MAY 14TH IN PRINCE WILLIAM COUNTY ON ROUTE 1. *NM

RECURRING ISSUE: WHILE TRAVELING AT BOTH HIGHWAY AND CITY STREET SPEEDS, THE DRIVER ATTEMPTED TO PASS BY FULLY DEPRESSING THE ACCELERATOR AND THE VEHICLE FAILED TO ACCELERATE FOR APPROXIMATELY 1-2 SECONDS. THIS HAS RESULTED IN NEAR-MISS ACCIDENT/INJURY INCIDENTS. THE DEALER WAS CONTACTED AND STATED THIS WAS A ROUTINE COMPLAINT FOR THIS VEHICLE AND THE LEXUS RX-330. THE MANUFACTURER, TOYOTA CORPORATE, WAS CONTACTED AND THE INDIVIDUAL STATED THIS WAS NOT A KNOWN ISSUE. NO MEDIATION WAS PROVIDED FROM EITHER CONTACT. THIS ISSUE SEEMS TO BE RELATED TO EXISTING ODI ID NUMBERS: 10113278, 10114325, 10115243, 10120592, 10128880, 10129705, 10131894, 10132578, 10137651, 10145021. *JB

CAR IS A 2005 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER LTD. V-6 4WD WITH 5-SP AUTO. ENGINE HESITATES SEVERELY WHEN ASKED TO ACCELERATE HARD AT SPEEDS SEEMINGLY BETWEEN 15 AND 70 MPH. (THESE ARE SPEEDS I'VE NOTICED IT) WHEN YOU "FLOOR" THE THROTTLE TO QUICKY MERGE WITH TRAFFIC OR TURN ACROSS A LINE OF ONCOMING TRAFFIC, THERE IS A RATHER LONG DELAY BEFORE VEHICLE BEGINS TO ACCELERATE. THIS BEHAVIOR ALSO OCCURS EXACTLY THE SAME WAY IN MY WIFE'S 2004 LEXUS RX-330, WHICH HAS THE SAME POWERTRAIN. I COMPLAINED TO LEXUS SHORTLY AFTER THE PURCHASE (BOUGHT NEW) AND THEY SAID THEY FOUND NOTHING WRONG. I'VE BEEN ON SEVERAL TOYOTA HIGHLANDER NEWSGROUPS AND THIS PROBLEM IS BEING WIDELY REPORTED. I HAVE HAD SEVERAL "CLOSE CALLS" BECAUSE OF THIS DELAYED ACCELERATION. IN THE TIME THAT THE CAR DECIDES TO DOWNSHIFT AND ACCELERATE, TRAFFIC HAS CLOSED IN ON YOU ENOUGH THAT SEVERAL ACCIDENTS HAVE BEEN NARROWLY AVOIDED. I HAVE NOT REPORTED THIS TO TOYOTA AS YET, BUT FEEL THAT THEY WILL SAY THE SAME AS LEXUS DID. *NM

CONSUMER 2005 HIGHLANDER HAS EXPERIENCED HESITATION DURING ACCELERATIONS AND SOMETIMES DECELERATION. *TS THE DEALER RECALIBRATED THE ECM WHICH IMPROVED THE HESITATION PROBLEM WHILE SHIFTING BUT ALSO REDUCED THE GAS MILEAGE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO ANOTHER DEALER AND THEIR COMPUTER INDICATED THAT EVERYTHING WAS FINE. *NM