2006 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER Complaints

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 15 MPH, THE TEMPERATURE GAUGE INCREASED. IN ADDITION, THE TRACTION, CHECK ENGINE, AND VHC WARNING INDICATORS ILLUMINATED. AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC STATED THAT COOLANT FLUID WAS LEAKING AND AN ENGINE KIT NEEDED TO BE INSTALLED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS AWARE OF THE ISSUE. THE VIN WAS UNAVAILABLE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 130,000.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER HYBRID. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE TRAVELING APPROXIMATELY 20 MPH, THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS APPLIED AND FAILED TO RESPOND. AS A RESULT, THE CONTACT CRASHED INTO A PLANTER POT. A POLICE REPORT WAS NOT FILED AND THERE WERE NO INJURIES REPORTED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE AND STATED THAT THE VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED IN NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER: 11V112000 (VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL) AND NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER: 10V499000 (SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC ).THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 58,160.

IN JUNE 2014 WE HEARD A SQUEAKING NOISE WHEN WE PUT THE CAR IN DRIVE AND THE BRAKES WERE APPLIED WHILE WE WERE ON A TRIP. TWO DAYS AFTER WE RETURNED THE"CHECK VSC SYSTEM" CAME ON AND THE CAR WOULD NOT START.. THE DEALER SAID IT WAS DUE TO THE BATTERY. WE REPLACED IT AND THE WARNING LIGHT WENT AWAY. HOWEVER, THREE MONTHS LATER THE NOISE IS BACK. THE DEALER (DIFFERENT ONE) SAID THE BRAKE ACTUATOR NEEDS REPLACEMENT. VERY EXPENSIVE REPAIR COSTING $3,600. AFTER DOING RESEARCH, I SAW MANY COMPLAINTS (AND A RECALL) FOR THIS DEFECTIVE PART IN OTHER TOYOTA VEHICLES. TOYOTA NEEDS TO DO A RECALL FOR THE HIGHLANDER AS WELL. OUR CAR HAS BEEN METICULOUSLY MAINTAINED. WE BOUGHT IT NEW. VERY UNHAPPY. *TR

TOOK 2006 TOYOTA HYBRID HIGHLANDER IN FOR A POPPING SOUND AND VSC LIGHT , ABS BRAKE LIGHTS ON. THE TOYOTA DEALER TOLD ME IT NEEDED A NEW ABS ACCUMULATOR FOR $ 28881.71 . I WAS TOLD THIS WAS DANGEROUS THAT BRAKES COULD FAIL !!! UPON LOOKING I FIND THIS TO BE A PROBLEM WITH OTHERS ... TIME FOR A RECALL !!!!!!!!!! *TR

2006 HIGHLANDER GENERATES ROARING TYPE NOISE HEARD FROM THE FRONT END WHILE DRIVING AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS AND HUMMING NOISE HEARD AFTER 40MPH. TOYOTA SERVICE DEALER FOUND THAT FRONT DIFFERENTIAL IS BAD. ESTIMATE $4,500 TO REPAIR. *TR

MY 2006 HIGHLANDER HYBRID HAS BEEN MAKING A SQUEAKING NOISE AT THE END OF A MODERATELY HARD STOP. IT ALSO MAKES THE SAME SOUND SOMETIMES WHEN BEGINNING TO MOVE AFTER START-UP AND THE BRAKES ARE RELEASED. I TOOK MY VEHICLE TO A SHOP TO HAVE THEM INSPECT THE PROBLEM. THEY SAID IT WAS THE ABS ACTUATOR CONTROL MODULE MAKING THE NOISE. THE SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE SAID THAT TOYOTA IS AWARE OF THE PROBLEM AND THERE IS A TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN REGARDING IT, BUT THEY HAVE DONE NOTHING TO CORRECT THE PROBLEM. THEY ALSO SAID THAT ANY PROBLEM INVOLVING THE ABS SYSTEM WAS A POTENTIAL HAZARD IF THE BRAKES FAILED COMPLETELY AS A RESULT. AT THIS POINT, I DON'T KNOW IF I SHOULD CONTINUE DRIVING THE VEHICLE. THE PART IS OVER $2700 TO REPLACE. WITH LABOR, THE COST IS ABOUT $3200. I READ ONLINE THAT ABS ACTUATORS HAVE BEEN AN ISSUE IN HIGHLANDER HYBRIDS, BUT NOTHING HAS BEEN DONE BY TOYOTA. *TR

BOTH DRIVER AND PASSENGER HEADLIGHTS ARE MELTED, BURNED AND GREY IN FRONT OF THE DAYTIME RUNNING LIGHT BULBS. GOOGLE SEARCH INDICATES THAT IT IS A FAIRLY COMMON ISSUE. CALLED TOYOTA AND WAS TOLD THAT THERE WAS NOTHING THEY WOULD DO TO CORRECT THE ISSUE. *TR

WHILE DECELERATING TO TURN INTO OUR DRIVE WAY THE VEHICLE RAPIDLY ACCELERATED. WE WERE ABLE TO GET IT STOPPED BY USING THE BRAKES, ENDING UP IN THE YARD/SIDEWALK. THERE WERE APPROXIMATELY 10 FEET OF SKID MARKS. THE ENGINE WAS RACING WHILE THE BRAKES WERE BEING APPLIED. THE FLOOR MAT WAS NOT INVOLVED. THE INCREASED ENGINE RPM WAS NOT INITIATED NOR CONTROLLABLE BY THE OPERATOR. THIS WAS TRULY AN UNCONTROLLED RUN AWAY THAT COULD HAVE BEEN LIFE THREATENING. *TR

STEP ON BRAKE PEDAL, HIT A SMALL BUMP IN ROAD, BRAKES LET GO FOR A SECOND AND THEN GRAB. IT'S LIKE YOU HIT A PATCH OF ICE. THIS HAS BEEN HAPPENING SINCE I GOT THE CAR. I WENT ONTO THE EDMUNDS FORUM HTTP://FORUMS.EDMUNDS.COM/DISCUSSION/5357/TOYOTA/HIGHLANDER-HYBRID/HIGHLANDER-HYBRID-BRAKE-PROBLEMS/P5 AND COUNTED OVER 350 EXACT SAME COMPLAINTS FOR 2006 HIGHLANDER HYBRIDS, INCLUDING MANY FENDER BENDERS. *JS

VEHICLE A RAN A RED LIGHT WHILE BEING DISTRACTED BY PUTTING ON HER SHOE AND RAN A RED LIGHT AT THE INTERSECTION. VEHICLE B CRASHED INTO THE SIDE OF THE VEHICLE A AND VEHICLE B HAS BODY DAMAGE TO FRONT BUMPER FENDERS AND HOOD AND BODY RAILS. VEHICLE B WAS TOTALED OUT BY THE INSURANCE CO. NO AIR BAGS DEPLOYED IN NEITHER VEHICLE. MILEAGE WAS AROUND 25-30 MILES PER HOUR AND NO ONE WAS SERIOUSLY HURT. WHY HAVE AIR BAGS FOR SAFETY IF THEY DO NOT DEPLOY? NEED STIFFER PENALTIES FOR DISTRACTED DRIVING, DRIVER A WAS CITED FOR RUNNING THE RED LIGHT. I WAS ALSO TOLD BY THE INSURANCE COMPANY THAT INDUSTRY TOOK OUT BODY FRAMES TO CUT GAS MILEAGE. WHERE IS THE SAFETY WHEN LIVES ARE AT RISK? *TR