2013 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER Complaints

I BOUGHT MY 2013 BRAND NEW 9/27/12. SHORTLY AFTER I RECEIVED IT I NOTICED SONGS WOULD SKIP OR START OVER ON THE IPOD AS WELL AS THE CD. A FEW MONTHS LATER THE RADIO STATION WOULD CHANGED CHANNELS FOR NO REASON. THESE THINGS HAPPENED IF I WAS BACKING OUT OF A PARKING SPACE, GOING OVER A SLIGHT BUMP OR JUST DRIVING NORMALLY ON A REGULAR ROAD OR A FREEWAY. I'VE GONE TO TWO TOYOTA DEALERSHIP WHO CAN'T FIND ANY PROBLEM AND BECAUSE THE PROBLEMS ARE INTERMITTENT THEY SAY THEY CAN'T DIAGNOSE IT. I'VE HAD TWO CASEWORKERS AT TOYOTA OF AMERICA AND THEY SAY THERE IS NOTHING THEY CAN DO. IN THE PAST MONTH WHEN I PULLED IN THE GARAGE THE HEADLIGHT "SOMETIMES" TURN OFF WHEN I TURN OFF THE IGNITION. OTHER TIMES THEY STAY ON THE NORMAL 30 SECONDS. I'VE ALSO HAD A COUPLE OF ISSUES THAT OTHER HIGHLANDER OWNERS MENTIONED ON YOUR WEBSITE MAINLY WHEN I'M AT A STOP AND THE LIGHT TURNS GREEN A COUPLE OF TIMES WHEN I STEP ON THE GAS THE CAR ENGINE REVS A FEW SECONDS THEN LURCHES FORWARD. ALSO RECENTLY THE DASHBOARD LIGHTS DIM OR BRIGHTEN FOR NO REASON AT ALL. MY CONCERN IS THAT IT SEEMS PROBLEMS ARE INCREASING AND I JUST DON'T KNOW EXACTLY WHAT STEPS TO TAKE NEXT. *TR

WHEN DRIVING THE VEHICLE AT 35MPH WHEN YOU STEP ON THE GAS PEDAL THERE'S A DELAY ON ACCELERATION ESPECIALLY WHEN THE VEHICLE IS GOING UPHILL. IT STARTED WHEN THE VEHICLE MILEAGE WAS AT 1250 MILES ITS ON AND OFF. *TR

I STARTED MY VEHICLE, IN MY GARAGE, TO WARM IT UP FOR ITS FIRST SCHEDULED MAINTENANCE AT THE DEALERSHIP. THE PARKING BRAKE WAS ENGAGED FROM MY LAST USE OF THE VEHICLE THE NIGHT PRIOR (I ALWAYS APPLY THE PARKING BRAKE BEFORE EXITING MY CAR). AS MY HIGHLANDER WARMED UP, I BEGAN REMOVING A FEW PERSONAL ITEMS SO THAT THEY WOULD BE OUT OF THE VEHICLE DURING MY SERVICE AT THE DEALERSHIP. I PLACED MY PERSONAL ITEMS AT THE END OF MY GARAGE, ADJACENT TO THE FRONT-END OF THE VEHICLE. AS I TURNED FOR MY 3RD TRIP BACK TO GET THE LAST OF MY PERSONAL ITEMS OUT, I SEE MY HIGHLANDER STARTING TO ROLL BACKWARDS. I WAS AT THE FRONT-END OF MY VEHICLE WHEN IT STARTED MOVING IN REVERSE. I WAS UNABLE TO SAFELY ENTER THE VEHICLE WHILE IT WAS IN REVERSE MOTION. MY VEHICLE BACKED UP OVER A CURB AND MADE IMPACT WITH BUSHES AND A BUILDING STRUCTURE. I QUESTION IF FAULTY CONSTRUCTION OF THE PARKING BRAKE ALLOWED IT TO DISENGAGE AND INDEPENDENTLY INITIATE MOVEMENT IN REVERSE. *LN *TR

OCCASIONAL THROTTLE NO RESPONSE WHEN TRYING TO ACCELERATE MODERATELY FROM A STOP, OR FROM A VERY LOW SPEED (I.E.-COASTING AROUND A 90 DEGREE TURN WITH THE ENGINE AT IDLE SPEED.) I THEN PUSH HEAVILY ON THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL, AND IT REVS UP, DOWNSHIFTS, AND RACES AHEAD. IT IS DANGEROUS, IN TRAFFIC. I HAVE BROUGHT IT TO THE DEALER TWICE, AND THEY CANNOT REPRODUCE THE PROBLEM. TWO SO CALLED FACTORY REPS RODE AROUND WITH ME THE SECOND TIME, WITH A COMPUTER CONNECTED. DIAGNOSTICS SHOWS NO ERROR CODES. *TR

AT TOTALLY RANDOM TIMES, AFTER A FEW MILES OF DRIVING OR FROM A SLOW SPEED, VEHICLE HESITATES WHEN ACCELERATING. MOST ANNOYING AND DANGEROUS IS THE WAY IT DOESN'T RESPOND TO THE ACCELERATOR FOR A FEW SECONDS AFTER STOPPING AT A STOP SIGN OR STOP LIGHT OR WHEN GOING SLOWLY AS IN ENTERING THE FREEWAY. TOOK VEHICLE TO TOYOTA DEALERSHIP AND OF COURSE VEHICLE RAN FINE FOR THE TIME THEY DROVE IT. TECH CHECKED FOR ANY TROUBLE CODES AND NONE WERE FOUND. THIS PROBLEM SEEMS LIKE AN ACCIDENT WAITING TO HAPPEN. HAVE GOTTEN NOTHING BUT THE RUN-AROUND AND DENIAL FROM THE NATIONAL TOYOTA "CASE MANAGER". (AT FIRST I THOUGHT THIS HESITATION OCCURRED BECAUSE THE VEHICLE WAS NEW, BUT AFTER 5,000 MILES, I AM STILL EXPERIENCING THE SAME ISSUE AT RANDOM TIMES.) *TR

WHEN THE HEADLIGHTS ARE ON DIM, VISIBILITY IS NOT ADEQUATE. A DISTINCT BLACK LINE APPEARS ACROSS THE HORIZON ABOVE WHICH THE DRIVER CANNOT SEE. *TR

I PURCHASED THE TOYOTA HIGHLANDER IN DECEMBER OF 2012. IMMEDIATELY WE KNEW SOMETHING WAS WRONG WITH THE HEADLIGHTS. THEY ARE FOCUSED DOWN TOWARD THE ROAD AND HAVE A LINE OF "SHADE" ABOVE. THE HIGHLANDER LIGHTS ARE SO DIM, WE DON'T KNOW IF THEY ARE WORKING. WE ARE "OVERDRIVING" OUR VISIBILITY AT NIGHT AND WE CANNOT SEE ANY ROAD SIGNS BECAUSE THE LIGHTS ARE FOCUSED TO FAR DOWN THEY DO NOT ILLUMINATE SIGNS ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. IN ADDITION, IN HILLY AREAS, THEY ONLY ILLUMINATE THE BOTTOM OF THE HILL (AND THE SHADED PART IS ABOVE) SO YOU CANNOT SEE WHERE YOU ARE HEADED.THE TOPS OF THE HILLS ARE COMPLETELY BLOCKED BY THE "SHADED" PART. THIS IS A VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION! ALSO, THEY DO NOT GET WARM, SO THE SNOW AND ICE ACCUMULATES ON THESE LIGHTS AND OBSCURES VISIBILITY EVEN FURTHER! I HAVE OWNED MANY MANY CARS, INCLUDING SEVERAL TOYOTA'S AND HAVE NEVER HAD A HEADLIGHT PROBLEM. I DO NOT KNOW WHAT TO DO WITH THIS CAR AS I CANNOT DRIVE IT AT NIGHT. *TR

PULLING INTO PARKING SPACE - BRAKES APPLIED - CAR LURCHED FORWARD (UNINTENDED ACCELERATION) - BRAKES DID NOT ENGAGE - CAR JUMPED THE CURB, CROSSED THE SIDEWALK AND HIT A TREE - AIRBAG DID NOT DEPLOY. *TR

WHILE DRIVING TO MICHIGAN FROM ILLINOIS WHILE USING VEHICLE BUILD IN JBL NAVIGATION UNIT ON A NEWLY PURCHASED 2013 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER LIMITED WITH ONLY 300 MILES AT THE TIME, IN THE MIDDLE OF THE TRIP NAVIGATION UNIT REBOOTED/CRASHED AFTER COMING BACK UP THE PROGRAMMED DIRECTIONS WERE LOST, SINCE THIS NAVIGATION UNIT HAS A PROGRAMMED SAFETY FEATURE THE DESTINATION CANNOT BE RE-PROGRAMMED WHILE DRIVING, WE HAVE TO EXIT THE HIGHWAY AND STOP TO REPROGRAM THE DESTINATION AGAIN, ALSO THE SAME ISSUE HAPPENED ON THE WAY BACK. TOYOTA CUSTOMER SERVICE HAS BEEN CONTACTED AND THE CASE WAS OPEN (#1308280087) THEY ADVISE ME TO TAKE THE VEHICLE TO A DEALER, SO THE DEALER CAN CONTACT TOYOTA TECHNICIAN AND TRY TO ISOLATE AN ISSUE. SERVICE MANAGER CONTACTED THE TECHNICIAN WHO STATED THE PROBLEM HAS TO BE REPRODUCED; OTHERWISE THERE IS NOTHING THEY CAN DO. LOOKS LIKE THIS ISSUE ONLY HAPPENS ON LONG TRIPS, WHICH IS IMPOSSIBLE FOR THE DEALER TO REPRODUCE USING MY VEHICLE. TOYOTA CUSTOMER SERVICE HAS BEEN CONTACTED AGAIN ABOUT THE ISSUE; TOYOTA IS IGNORING THE PROBLEM THAT HAS BEEN REPORTED ON MULTIPLE FORUM SIDES AND UNWILLING TO WORK OUT A RESOLUTION BY DUPLICATING THE ISSUE IN-HOUSE. ALSO THE NAVIGATION UNIT DOES HAVE AN OUTDATED MAPS (HALF OF THE ADDRESSES THAT I HAVE ENTERED COULD NOT BE LOCATED) AND UPDATE IS NOT BEEN OFFERED AFTER THE COMPLAINT. JBL NAVIGATION SOFTWARE VERSION: 2.2.0 NAV ID: NQNA2011Q4. *TR

WHEN TURNING LEFT OUT OF MY NEIGHBORHOOD I SLOWED DOWN AND THEN TRIED TO RETURN TO SPEED BUT THE VEHICLE HESITATED THEN SUDDENLY JERKED UP TO THE DESIRED SPEED. ONE OTHER TIME ON AN INTERSTATE I HAD TO SLOW DOWN BEHIND A TRUCK AND THEN WHEN I TRIED TO ACCELERATE BACK TO SPEED IN THE PASSING LANE THE CAR HESITATED FOR SEVERAL SECONDS AND AGAIN ACCELERATED RAPIDLY (CARS IN THE PASSING LANE HAD TO BRAKE QUICKLY. I COULD DESCRIBE OTHER TIMES BUT THE SAME THING (THE HESITATION AND THEN THE EXTREMELY RAPID ACCELERATION) I HAVE TAKEN IT DO THE DEALER BUT THEY SAID THAT THEY COULD NOT FIND ANYTHING.