2018 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER Complaints

I PURCHASED A NEW TOYOTA HIGHLANDER FROM MASSEY TOYOTA IN KINSTON, NC IN MAY OF 2018. ON AUGUST 11, 2018, THE REAR HATCH GLASS SPONTANEOUSLY EXPLODED AND FELL OUT OF THE CAR WHILE IT WAS SITTING UNTOUCHED IN THE DRIVEWAY OF THE OWNERS HOME. THE WEATHER WAS CLEAR AND WARM. TOYOTA INITIALLY REFUSED TO COVER THIS UNDER THE TOYOTA NEW CAR WARRANTY, HOWEVER FINALLY THEY AGREED TO COVER THE WINDOW. A FEW DAYS LATER MY WIFE STARTED NOTICING A SQUEAK AND RUBBING NOISE COMING FROM THE BACK HATCH WHEN THE CAR WAS WAS WARM FROM THE SUN. AFTER TAKING THE CAR BACK NUMEROUS TIMES TO THE DEALER. THE TOYOTA SERVICE DEPARTMENT DISCOVERED THAT THE BACK HATCH/BACK DOOR WAS RUBBING NEAR THE SPOILER AREA OF THE HING, AT SUCH A FORCE TO CAUSE PAINT TO COME OFF THE AREA. THE SERVICE MANAGER AGREED THAT THIS WAS A MANUFACTURER DEFECT AND THAT TOYOTA WAS REQUIRED TO COVER THIS NEW CAR DEFECT. HOWEVER, AFTER HAVING THE CAR FOR 2 WEEKS TOYOTA REFUSED TO COVER THE MANUFACTURE DEFECT. IN CONCLUSION, THE 2018 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER MODEL HAS A DEFECT THAT RESULTS IN THE BACK REAR DOOR & SPOILER TO RUB AND RESULTS IN THE BACK HATCH GLASS BREAKING AND EVEN FURTHER DAMAGE TO THE PAINT AND BODY OF THE VEHICLE. TOYOTA HAS SHOWN A THEY CAN NOT BE TRUSTED TO FULFILL THEIR OBLIGATION TO NEW CAR CUSTOMERS.

RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF OF SAFETY RECALL FOR HIGHLANDER 2018 NHTSA RECALL NO 18V-211 VACUUM PUMP. CAR WAS TESTED AT DEALER ON JUN 13TH, AND IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THE VEHICLE NEED THE REPAIR. VACUUM PUMP NEEDS TO BE REPLACED. REPLACEMENT PART WAS ORDERED BUT IT HAS NOT BEEN AVAILABLE, ITS BEEN 10 WEEKS. THE CAR PRESENTED FAILURE FOR THIS PROBLEM 4 WEEKS AGO. IT IS NOT LONGER SAFE TO DRIVE IT. TOYOTA HAS NOT PROVIDED AN ESTIMATE REPAIR DATE, CAR IS AT THE DEALERSHIP SINCE AUGUST 6TH.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2018 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 18V211000 (SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC); HOWEVER, THE PART TO DO THE REPAIR WAS UNAVAILABLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR THE RECALL REPAIR. PRICE TOYOTA (168 N DUPONT HWY, NEW CASTLE, DE 19720, (302) 322-8600) WAS CONTACTED AND CONFIRMED THAT THE PARTS WERE NOT AVAILABLE FOR THE RECALL REMEDY. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE. PARTS DISTRIBUTION DISCONNECT.

I HAD JUST MADE A LEFT HAND TURN. I WASN'T GOING MORE THAN 40 MPH. I DIDN'T HAVE ANY CARS NEXT TO ME OR IN FRONT OF ME WHEN I HEARD A LOUD EXPLOSION. I PULLED OVER BECAUSE I ASSUMED SOMETHING HIT MY CAR, BUT DIDN'T SEE ANY BODY DAMAGE. I STARTED DRIVING AGAIN AND COULD HEAR AIR COMING IN LIKE A WINDOW WAS DOWN WHEN I REALIZED IT WAS COMING FROM MY SUNROOF. I PULLED BACK THE SUN SHADE TO LOOK AT THE SUNROOF WHEN I SAW MY SUNROOF WAS SHATTERED. I PULLED OVER AGAIN TO LOOK AT IT AND DIDN'T SEE ANY ROCK OR OBJECT THAT WOULD HAVE BROKEN THE SUNROOF. THE SUNROOF HAD A HOLE AND THE GLASS WAS SOLDERED THROUGHOUT. IT ACTUALLY EXPLODED ON OWN.

THE BLIND SIDE MONITOR, BSM, ON THE PASSENGER SIDE DOES NOT WORK! IT DOES NOT CONSISTENTLY DETECT LARGE SEMI-TRUCKS, LARGE PICKUP TRUCKS, SOME SUV VEHICLES AND RANDOM CARS. THE BSM ON THE DRIVER'S SIDE OF THE VEHICLE WORKS VERY WELL. I HAVE BEEN TOLD BY THE TOYOTA DEALERSHIP THAT THIS IS HAPPENING TO 2018 COROLLA'S AND ALSO THE HIGHLANDER. THIS IS VERY DANGEROUS SINCE THE SYSTEM DOES NOT SHOW A LARGE VEHICLE IN YOUR BLINDSPOT AS ADVERTISED AND COULD LEAD TO A SERIOUS ACCIDENT. I PRESENTED THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT OF TOYOTA VIDEO FILES SUBSTANTIATING BY CONCERNS AND THE IMMEDIATELY CALLED FOR A TOYOTA CORPORATION FTS WHO REQUESTED MY VEHICLE FOR THEIR REVIEW. THE SERVICE MANAGER STATED THAT THEY DID INDEED REPLICATE THE FAILURE MODE WITH THE TOYOTA CORPORATION REPRESENTATIVE BUT THE TOYOTA REPRESENTATIVE SAID THE SYSTEM IS WORKING AS DESIGNED! SO TOYOTA HAS A BSM THAT WILL NOT SENSE A SEMI-TRUCK IN YOUR BLIND SPOT ON THE PASSENGER SIDE BUT WILL ON THE DRIVE SIDE. I PERCEIVE THAT TO BE A PROTECT TOYOTA LIABILITY RESPONSE NOT A SAFETY ISSUE FOCUS. I HAVE SEVERAL VIDEO FILES DOCUMENTING THE BSM NOT WORKING WHICH I WOULD BE WILLING TO SHARE. THE FILES ARE MOV FORMAT AND NOT A FORMAT LISTED AS UPLOAD ABLE IN YOUR SYSTEM. THE BSM MONITOR HAS NOT WORKED APPROPRIATELY SINCE I PURCHASED THE VEHICLE MARCH 8, 2018. THE DENIAL BY THE TOYOTA FTS WAS WEDNESDAY, JULY, 18, 2018.

RECENTLY INVOLVED IN AN ACCIDENT WHEN GOING IN REVERSE. THE SRS ALARM MALFUNCTIONED AND THE AIRBAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. THE REVERSE BRAKING SYSTEM DID NOT INDICATED THAT I WAS CLOSE TO THE OBJECT.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2018 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER HYBRID. WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED IN A PARKING LOT, THE CONTACT WAS NOTIFIED BY THE FAIRFAX FIRE MARSHALL THAT THE VEHICLE SPONTANEOUSLY CAUGHT FIRE. THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE FIRE STARTED ON THE PASSENGER SIDE OF THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT. THERE WERE NO INJURIES AND A FIRE REPORT WAS FILED. THE CONTACT CALLED A LOCAL DEALER (PRIORITY TOYOTA SPRINGFIELD, 7601 LOISDALE RD, SPRINGFIELD, VA 22150 (703) 269-1400) AND WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE, BUT INFORMED THE CONTACT TO CALL THE INSURANCE COMPANY. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 6,000. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE.

I WAS RECENTLY IN A VEHICLE ACCIDENT IN MY 2018 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER WITH THE PRE-COLLISION SYSTEM. THE PRE-COLLISION SYSTEM WAS WORKING WELL THROUGH OUT OUR TRIP BUT UNFORTUNATELY DID NOT WORK WHEN IT WAS MOST NEEDED. WE WERE INVOLVED IN A PILE UP ON INTERSTATE I-5 GOING AT LEAST 45MPH AND NOTICED THAT THE PRE-COLLISION SYSTEM THAT IS SO MUCH BEING ADVERTISED DID NOT WORK AT ALL. THERE WAS NO WARNING WHAT SO EVER AND DEFINITELY DID NOT BREAK ON IT'S OWN AS ADVERTISED. AT THE TIME OF THE HIT THE AIRBAGS DEPLOYED A LITTLE TO LATE AT LEAST THE PASSENGER ONE WHERE I WAS SITTING. I AM AWARE THAT WE SHOULD NOT RELY ON THOSE ITEMS BUT I SURE WISH IT WOULD HAVE WORKED THE WAY IT WAS INTENDED TO DO SO.

VEHICLE IS DUE FOR AN INSPECTION AFTER 5000 MILES. A CERTIFIED INSPECTION IS TO BE PERFORMED BY NEW OWNER (XXXX) AT AN APPROVED CA INSPECTION SITE. PARTS OF THIS DOCUMENT HAVE BEEN REDACTED TO PROTECT PERSONALLY IDENTIFIABLE INFORMATION PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

ON JUNE 11, 2018 I WAS DRIVING MY 2018 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER (THAT WAS PURCHASED ON JANUARY 31, 2018) ON I-40 NEAR BURLINGTON, NC WHEN THE MOONROOF ON MY CAR SUDDENLY SHATTERED. I HAD THE VISOR CLOSED ON THE MOONROOF SO NO GLASS ENTERED THE CABIN. THE ENTIRE MOONROOF SHATTERED AND THERE WAS A HOLE TOWARDS THE REAR OF THE MOONROOF. IT WAS A CLEAR DAY AND THE PAVEMENT WAS LEVEL. I DID NOT SEE ANY OBJECTS FROM THE ROAD APPROACH MY CAR PRIOR TO THE MOONROOF SHATTERING. LATER THAT DAY I TOOK THE VEHICLE TO MY CAR DEALER AND WAS TOLD THAT IT LOOKED LIKE AN IMPACT HAD CAUSED THE MOONROOF TO SHATTER. I HAD THE MOONROOF REPAIRED BY THE DEALER AT A COST OF $968. I LEARNED FROM RESEARCH ON THE INTERNET THAT THERE HAVE BEEN NUMEROUS INCIDENTS OF SHATTERING SUNROOFS/MOONROOFS INVOLVING MULTIPLE MANUFACTURERS. I REPORTED THE SITUATION TO TOYOTA'S NATIONAL CUSTOMER SERVICE CENTER. I EXPRESSED MY CONCERN ABOUT HOW THE MOONROOF CAN SHATTER ON THE SUNROOF WHEN I DID NOT SEE ANYTHING THAT COULD HAVE CAUSED THAT TYPE OF DAMAGE AND THAT I WAS AWARE THAT TOYOTA AND OTHER MANUFACTURERS HAD EXPERIENCED PROBLEMS WITH SUNROOFS/MOONROOFS. I PROVIDED PHOTOGRAPHS OF THE MOONROOF. AFTER INITIAL BEING TOLD THAT MY SITUATION WOULD BE HANDLED AT NO CHARGE TO ME, I WAS DIRECTED TO A CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE WHO I WAS TOLD WAS SPECIFICALLY ASSIGNED TO ADDRESS THESE TYPES OF CLAIMS. THAT REPRESENTATIVE ADVISED ME THAT THE MOONROOF SHATTERING WAS CAUSED BY AN "OUTSIDE INFLUENCE" AND THAT TOYOTA WAS NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR FIXING THE MOONROOF. HE FURTHER ADVISED THAT THERE WAS NO "PROGRAM" IN EXISTENCE THAT WOULD ALLOW MY VERHICLE TO REPAIRED AT NO CHARGE TO ME. I ASKED THE REPRESENTATIVE IF TOYOTA'S POSITION WAS THAT THE MOONROOF WAS FUNCTIONING PROPERLY WHEN IT SHATTERED BASED ON SOME UNKNOWN AND UNDEFINED "OUTSIDE INFLUENCE" AND I WAS THAT IT WAS NOT THE CASE.