2006 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER Complaints

2006 HIGHLANDER HYBRID INVERTER FAILURE CAUSED A COMPLETE POWER SHUT DOWN AND LEFT ME STRANDED ON THE ROAD. THERE WAS NO POWER, NO BRAKES, NO STEERING. I COULD HAVE BEEN HIT BY CARS IN FRONT OR BEHIND. LUCKY THAT I WAS NOT ON THE FREEWAY GOING 70 MPH. THE FAILURE HAD NO WARNING NOR ANY SYMPTOMS. PRIOR TO THE FAILURE, I DROVE THE CAR APPROXIMATELY 70 MILES EARLIER DURING THE DAY. *TR

ON JUNE 9, 2011 AT APPROXIMATELY 11:00PM CENTRAL TIME, MY FAMILY (WIFE, TWO DAUGHTERS, ONE SON AND I) WERE DRIVING OUR 2006 TOYOTA HIGHLAND HYBRID DOWN I65 ABOUT 20 MILES NW OF LAFAYETTE, INDIANA. WE SUDDENLY LOST POWER AND COULD NOT DRIVE THE CAR. WE WERE GOING ABOUT 70MPH AND LUCKILY THERE WERE NO CARS AROUND US AT THE TIME, AS WE HAD EXTREME DIFFICULTY IN STEERING THE CAR AND STRUGGLED TO PULL IT OFF TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. IT SAID SOMETHING ON THE SCREEN ABOUT CHECK VSD AND HYBRID SYSTEM. THE ENGINE CONTINUED TO WHIRL, BUT WE COULD NOT START CAR OR DO ANYTHING WITH IT. WE CALLED A TOW TRUCK & WAITED IN THE DARK ON SIDE OF INTERSTATE 65 TO WAIT FOR THEM TO PICK US UP. IT TOOK ABOUT 45 MINUTES TO GET THE TOW TRUCK THERE AND FOR SOMEONE TO COME PICK US UP. WE DEFINITELY FELT LUCKY TO GET OFF OF THE HIGHWAY WITHOUT GETTING HURT AS THIS AREA HAD NO LIGHTS AND WAS VERY DARK (EXCEPT FOR THE RED LIGHTS ON THE WIND MILLS ALL AROUND US). WE WENT TO A HOTEL IN LAFAYETTE AND THE TOW TRUCK DROPPED THE CAR OFF AT THE DEALERSHIP. THE NEXT MORNING, THE DEALERSHIP SENT A COURTESY CAR TO PICK ME UP & TAKE ME OVER THERE. I SPOKE WITH THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT AND THEY SAID THEY WOULD EVALUATE THE PROBLEM. I TOLD HIM IT MIGHT BE THE INVERTER, AS MY FATHER OWNED A LEXUS RX400 HYBRID AND THE INVERTER ON HIS CAR FAILED AND LEXUS GAVE HIM THE PART. THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT TOLD ME THAT HE PERSONALLY HAD NEVER CHANGED AN INVERTER, SO HE DID NOT THINK IT WAS THAT. I RENTED A CAR AND MY FAMILY AND I CONTINUED OUR TRIP TO FLORIDA. A COUPLE OF DAYS LATER, THE TOYOTA DEALERSHIP CALLED ME AND SAID THEY HAD TO TAKE THE ENGINE APART AND IT COULD BE AN EXPENSIVE REPAIR JUST TO FIGURE OUT WHAT WAS WRONG. HE THOUGHT IT MIGHT BE RODENT DAMAGE. DAYS LATER HE CALLED BACK AND SAID THAT IT WAS IN FACT THE INVERTER AND THAT THE REPAIR WOULD COST ME $9,600.00. I WENT ONLINE & DETERMINED THAT MANY PEOPLE WITH 2006 TOYOTA HIGHLANDERS HYBRIDS WITH VIN# SIMILAR TO MINE HAVE HAD THE SAME ISSUE. *TR

AT 0130 I WAS ACCELERATING QUICKLY FROM A STOP IN MY 2006 HIGHLANDER HYBRID. WITHOUT WARNING THE ACCELERATION OF MY CAR CEASED; PRESSING THE GAS PEDAL ALL THE WAY DOWN HAD NO RESPONSE. [FORTUNATELY, I HAD NOT YET TURNED IN FRONT OF THE LARGE TRUCK I WAS ABOUT TO PASS, BECAUSE IF I HAD CUT IN FRONT OF HIM THEN SUDDENLY DE-ACCELERATED, A COLLISION WOULD HAVE BEEN THE LIKELY RESULT.] THE DASH HAD LIT UP SEVERAL CHECK ENGINE LIGHTS. I WAS 1/2 WAY THROUGH AN INTERSECTION HEADED TOWARDS THE ON-RAMP TO HIGHWAY 96. THE CAR WAS STILL ROLLING, I STEERED IT AWAY FROM THE ON-RAMP AND ONTO THE SERVICE DRIVE, WHERE I COASTED TO A STOP. ALL OTHER ELECTRIC SYSTEMS WERE TO BE WORKING: LIGHTS, RADIO, BRAKES, WIPERS, FAN, SIGNALS, LOCKS. MY GAS TANK WAS MORE THAN HALF FULL. MY DISPLAY WAS ALTERNATING 'CHECK HYBRID SYSTEM" AND "CHECK VSC.' I ATTEMPTED TO RESTART THE SUV SEVERAL TIMES, WITH THE SAME RESULT. A LOCAL POLICE OFFICER HAD TO USE HIS VEHICLE TO PUSH MY SUV OFF THE ROAD FOR SAFETY. MY CAR HAD TO BE TOWED, AND IT TOOK OVER AN HOUR FOR A TOW TRUCK TO ARRIVE, FORTUNATELY I WAS ONLY 30 MINUTES FROM MY DEALERSHIP- AS I DOUBT MANY OTHER MECHANICS COULD HAVE DIAGNOSED THE PROBLEM. THE NEXT BUSINESS DAY, MY LOCAL TOYOTA DEALERSHIP SERVICE MANAGER CALLED TO TELL ME THE INVERTER WAS BROKEN, AND THE INVERTER WOULD COST $7000 PLUS LABOR. THE PART WOULD HAVE TO BE SHIPPED FROM CORPORATE. MY CAR WAS BEYOND THE 100,000 MILE DRIVETRAIN WARRANTY (100K MIGHT BE MICHIGAN SPECIFIC), AND WAS AT 105,000 MILES. VIN [XXX] A FRONT WHEEL DRIVE HIGHLANDER HYBRID. ONE OF THE SERVICE EMPLOYEES CONFIRMED MY VIN WAS 'BEFORE THE PRODUCTION BREAK' IN 2006 HIGHLANDER HYBRIDS WHEN A 'NEW AND IMPROVED' INVERTER WAS USED INSTEAD OF THE 'DEFECTIVE' ONE. **TT UPDATED 07/10/2012 *JS INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

2006 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER HYBRID SUN VISOR DROPS DOWN UNEXPECTEDLY HINDERING DRIVERS VIEW. COULD NOT SEE TRAFFIC LIGHT WHICH CHANGED TO RED. FORTUNATELY NO OTHER VEHICLES IN THE INTERSECTION. VISOR WILL NOT STAY UP. INTERNET SEARCH SHOWS THIS IS A VERY COMMON PROBLEM AND DESIGN DEFECT. *TR

ON A 2006 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER HYBRID 4X4. ENGINE STALLED WHILE DRIVING AT 70 MPH ON HIGHWAY. VEHICLE COASTED TO SIDE AND WOULD NOT RESTART. HAD TO HAVE IT TOWED HOME AND ENGINE STILL WILL NOT START. WILL HAVE TO TAKE IT TO DEALER. *TR

OUR 2006 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER HYBRID SIMPLY STOPPED RUNNING YESTERDAY IN THE MIDDLE OF A VERY BUSY STREET. WE HAD IT TOWED TO THE DEALER WHO TOLD US THAT THE INVERTER ( PART OF THE HYBRID PORTION OF THE VEHICLE ) WAS FINISHED AND THAT THE REPAIR WOULD BE $7800.00. THEY ALSO TOLD US THAT THIS IS THE ONLY YEAR OF THIS VEHICLE WHICH IS EXEMPT FROM THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA REQUIREMENT OF A 150,000 WARRANTY ON HYBRID VEHICLES . TOYOTA WILL NOT STAND BEHIND THIS VEHICLE ALTHOUGH IT IS A PROBLEM WITH THIS CAR THAT THEY ARE FAMILIAR WITH AND HAVE MADE CORRECTIONS TO. THIS IS A SERIOUS, DANGEROUS AND EXPENSIVE PROBLEM FOR WHICH TOYOTA SHOULD TAKE RESPONSIBILITY. THE CAR AS EASILY HAVE STOPPED ON THE FREEWAY OR SOME OTHER MORE DANGEROUS SPOT. *TR

MY WIFE WAS DRIVING OUR 2006 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER. SHE DROVE APPROX 1/2 MILE FROM OUR HOUSE AT AN AVERAGE SPEED OF 35 MPH WHEN THE TEMPERATURE GAUGE SUDDENLY WENT PAST THE RED LINE. WE HAD OUR CAR TOWED TO CROWN TOYOTA WHERE THEY TORE DOWN THE ENGINE AND FOUND WATER PUMP LEAKING AND HEAD GASKET LEAKING OIL . THEY REMOVED ENGINE HEAD AND FOUND WARPED BLOCK AND BUT HEAD WAS OKAY. WE THEN TOWED THE HIGHLANDER TO A PRIVATE MECHANIC TO HAVE BLOCK REPLACED AND WE WERE INFORMED THE BLOCK WAS NOT WARPED BUT INSTEAD THE BOLTS ON THE ENGINE ARE STRIPPED/DEFECTED. TOYOTA WANTS $5,400 TO REPAIR VEHICLE BY INSTALLING A USED ENGINE. TOYOTA REFUSES TO HELP WITH THE COST EVEN THOUGH IT APPEARS TO BE A MANUFACTURE DEFECT AND HAS ALREADY CHARGED US $654 TO DIAGNOSIS THE PROBLEM AND DID NOT EVEN REASSEMBLE OUR ENGINE. THE CAR WAS NO LONGER UNDER WARRANTY AT 68,970 MILES. WE HAVE NOT YET REPAIRED THE PROBLEM. *TR

WHILE TRAVELING DOWN HIGHWAY 101 DURING RUSH HOUR AT 70+ MILES AN HOUR, THE VEHICLE MADE A CLUNKING SOUND AND SUDDENLY STALLED. I SWERVE ACROSS SEVERAL LANES OF HIGHWAY WHILE COASTING TO A STOP NEARLY COLLIDING WITH TWO VEHICLES WHILE CHANGING LANES TO PULL OFF TO THE SHOULDER. I HAD TO PUSH THE VEHICLE TO COMPLETELY REMOVE IT FROM THE HIGHWAY. SEVERAL ATTEMPT TO RESTART IT WERE UNSUCCESSFUL AND THE ERROR MESSAGE "CHECK HYBRID SYSTEM" APPEARED ON THE DASHBOARD. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE NEAREST TOYOTA DEALERSHIP WHO INSPECTED THE VEHICLE AND THE FOLLOWING DAY INFORMED ME THE INVERTER HAD FAILED. THEY ESTIMATED THE COST OF REPAIRS AT NEARLY $10,000.00. THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE FOR A CAR THAT IS ONLY 5 YEARS OLD AND COST OVER $45,000 NEW, NOT TO MENTION THE FACT THAT I HAD TO PUSH THE VEHICLE OFF OF A BUSY HIGHWAY. *TR

TOYOTA HIGHLANDER HYBRID 2006 MODEL HAS 58,212 MILES ON THE ODOMETER. WAS PULLING AWAY FROM A STOPLIGHT ON A BUSY STREET WHEN THE CAR SUDDENLY LOST POWER. WE HAD TO PULL OVER TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. THE CAR WAS COMPLETELY DISABLED, WITH NO MOTIVE POWER WHATSOEVER. THE POLICE CAME AND ASSISTED, WE HAD THE CAR TOWED TO THE DEALER, AND WE ARE CURRENTLY WAITING FOR A HYBRID INVERTER (A COMMON PART CITED IN NHTSA ACTION PE11005. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER HYBRID. THE CONTACT WAS DRIVING THE VEHICLE AND IT STALLED WITHOUT WARNING AND THE HYBRID SYSTEM LIGHT CAME ON. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER WHO STATED THAT THE INVERTER HAD FAILED. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 130,000.