2006 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER Complaints

WHEN BRAKING MODERATE TO HARD, USUALLY GOING DOWNHILL AT ANYWHERE FROM 20 TO 40 MPH, BRAKES WILL OCCASIONALLY "RELEASE", CAUSING VEHICLE TO SURGE FORWARD, AND REQUIRING REAPPLICATION OF BRAKE PEDAL, WHICH USUALLY THEN FUNCTIONS NORMALLY. FAILURE OCCURS SEVERAL TIMES A WEEK, BUT NOT DAILY. HAS HAPPENED EVER SINCE PURCHASING THE VEHICLE USED IN 2009. HAVE NOT REPORTED IT TO DEALER, BUT KEEP EXPECTING A RECALL FOR THIS MALFUNCTION. *TR

I PURCHASED A 206 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER SUV HYBRID IN DEC 2005 1ST GENERATION. MY CAR HAS 166K MILES. THE SUV STOP RUNNING WITHOUT ANY WARNING ON THE HIGHWAY AS I PROCEEDED ON A SUNDAY MORNING GOING TO VOLUNTEER FOR THE AVON BREAST CANCER WALK, 1 MAY 11. I CONDUCT REGULAR MAINTENANCE CHECKS ON MY VEHICLE. I WAS QUITE SURPRISE TO LEARN THAT THE PART COST OVER $9K TO REPLACE NOT INCLUDING LABOR. THE PART TO REPLACE IS CALLED INVERTER ASSEMBLY. I CONTACTED HQ'S TOYOTA TO ASK FOR SOME ASSISTANCE WITH THE REPLACEMENT OF THIS PART. I WAS REFUSED HELPED. I PROCEEDED TO CONDUCT RESEARCH AND FOUND THIS WEBSITE: A CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT AGAINST TOYOTA FOR THIS SAME MAKE, MODEL AND YEAR AS MINES. SEE WEBSITE: HTTP://WWW.COURTHOUSENEWS.COM/2011/03/14/TOYOTA.PDF. I WAS QUITE SURPRISE TO SEE THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH THIS PART ONCE YOU REACHED OVER 100K AND TOYOTA WAS NOT PROVIDING A RECALL FOR THIS DEFECTIVE PART SINCE IT USED THE SAME TECHNOLOGY AS THE PRIUS WHICH EXPERIENCED THE SAME PROBLEM BUT WAS RECALLED. I SEEK HELP WITH OBTAINING TOYOTA TO PAY FOR PART. HERE ARE OTHER WEBSITES CONCERNING THIS ISSUE: HTTP://WWW.GOOGLE.COM/SEARCH?HL=EN&SOURCE=HP&IE=ISO-8859-1&Q=2006+HIGHLANDER+HYBRID+INVERTER&RLZ=1R2ADBR_EN&AQ=1B&AQI=G-V1G-B1&AQL=&OQ=2006+HIGHLANDER+INVER. THANKS FOR YOUR ASSISTANCE IN ADVANCE. HAVE A MARVELOUS DAY! [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

WHILE DRIVING MY 2006 HYLANDER HYBRID @ 55 MPH, AT NIGHT, THERE WAS A LOUD POP / THUD AND LURCH, THEN TOTAL LOSS OF POWER AND THE DASH BOARD LIT UP LIKE A CHRISTMAS TREE. I BARELY MADE IT TO THE SHOULDER OF THE ROAD WITHOUT GETTING GETTING HIT FROM BEHIND SEVERAL TIMES AS VEHICLES STEERED AROUND ME. HONKING THEIR HORNS AND FLASHING THEIR LIGHTS AT ME. AS I CRAWLED TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD @ 10:30 AT NIGHT. I FEEL LUCKY TO BE ALIVE. VEHICLE HAS JUST OVER 40,000 MILE ON IT AND HAS HAD ALL REQUIRED MAINTENANCE. TURNED OUT TO BE THE HYBRID INVERTER FAILED. THIS IS A NON SEVICABLE PART. *TR

ON MAY 18, 2011, MY 2006 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER HYBRID STALLED WITH A LOUD POP AND NO POWER WHILE PULLING OUT AT A BUSY INTERSECTION. THE CAR WAS ON A HILL AND I HAD TO LET IT "COAST" IN NEUTRAL BACKWARD DOWN THE HILL TO TURN INTO A LESS BUSY STREET. IT WOULD NOT START NOR WOULD THE ENGINE RUN. I HAD TO TOW IT TO THE TOYOTA DEALERSHIP WHERE ALL MY SERVICE HAS BEEN PERFORMED ON THE SCHEDULED BASIS. IT TOOK OVER A WEEK TO DIAGNOSE THE PROBLEM AS AN INVERTER FAILURE WITH AN ESTIMATED REPAIR AT APPROXIMATELY $9000. THE CAR IS LESS THAN 5 YEARS OLD WITH 160,000 MILES BUT IN EXCELLENT SHAPE. UPON RESEARCH, I NOTED THAT THERE ARE ISSUES WITH THE 2006 MODEL HIGHLANDER HYBRID INVERTER SYSTEM THAT MAY WARRANT INVESTIGATION/RECALL. *TR

MY 2006 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER HYBRID HAD PROBLEMS WITH THE POWER INVERTER SIMILAR TO THOSE REPORTED BY OTHERS WHERE, WITHOUT ANY WARNING AND WHILE DRIVING THE CAR, THERE WAS A LOUD SOUND AND THE CAR WOULD NO LONGER MOVE FORWARD NOR BACKWARDS ALTHOUGH THE ENGINE WAS ON. THE VEHICLE DASH TURNED ON WARNING LIGHTS WITH "CHECK VSC HYBRID SYSTEM" THERE WAS NO PREVIOUS WARNING OF THIS PROBLEM, EVEN THOUGH I HAD TAKEN THE CAR TO REGULAR MAINTENANCE IN THE DEALER A MONTH OR TWO AGO. NO-ONE WAS HURT BUT THE COMPLETE SUDDEN LACK OF PROPULSION COULD POTENTIALLY HAVE LED TO SERIOUS ACCIDENT. I WAS FORCED TO TOW THE CAR TO THE DEALER AND HAD TO GET A RENTAL CAR TO CONTINUE ON MY REGULAR DAY TO DAY ACTIVITIES. AFTER INVESTIGATION I WAS INFORMED THAT THE POWER INVERTER NEEDED TO BE REPLACED AT A COST OF OVER 7,000 FOR PARTS, PLUS EXTRA COSTS FOR LABOR. THIS SEEMS UNREASONABLY HIGH. I RECOMMEND THIS IS INVESTIGATED AND TOYOTA BE ASKED TO: 1. INITIATE A RECALL FOR THIS PART. THIS IS AN EXTREMELY DANGEROUS PROBLEM. DON'T WAIT UNTIL SOMEONE IS INJURED OR DIES. 2. OFFER FREE REPLACEMENT OF THIS PART TO ALL TOYOTA OWNERS WHO HAVE HAD THIS PROBLEM, INCLUDING PART, LABOR, TOWING AND ANY RENTAL CAR COSTS ASSOCIATED WITH THE DOWN TIME CAUSED FOR THIS. 3. ISSUE REIMBURSEMENTS FOR ANY CUSTOMER WHO HAVE HAD TO SUFFER THROUGH THIS PROBLEM AND PAID FOR IT FROM THEIR OWN MONEY. 4. EXTEND THE WARRANTY ON THE HYBRID RELATED PROBLEMS TO AT LEAST 150,000 MILES ACROSS ALL STATES - AS IT CURRENTLY IS BY LAW IN CALIFORNIA. 5. OFFER A FREE AND COMPREHENSIVE EVALUATION OF ALL HYBRID SYSTEMS COMPONENTS FOR EVERYONE WITH A HIGHLANDER HYBRID THAT IS OVER OR NEAR 100,000 MILES, AND REPLACE ANY COMPONENTS THAT ARE CLOSE TO FAILURE. 6. TRAIN YOUR SERVICE PROFESSIONALS TO LOOK FOR POTENTIAL HYBRID SYSTEM FAILURES AS PART OF ANY REGULAR MAINTENANCE SCHEDULE. THIS IS A SERIOUS ISSUE AND I DON'T THINK TOYOTA IS HANDLING IT IN A FAIR AND REASONABLE WAY. UPDATED 06/09/11 *TR

I RECEIVED YOUR RESPONSE TO MY LETTER OF COMPLAINT DATED FEB 24, 2011. IT DID NOT ADDRESS MY CONCERN WITH THE DELAYED RESPONSE BETWEEN THE DEPRESSED ACCELERATOR AND A DELAYED ENGINE RESPONSE. RATHER I WAS INFORMED BY A FORM LETTER THAT NY COMPLAINT WOULD BE SATISFIED WITH A "FLOOR MAT ADJUSTMENT". I WAS ADDITIONALLY NOTIFIED THAT A 2ND LETTER FROM TOYOTA WOULD ARRIVE BY EARLY MAY 2011 WHEN "PARTS ARE READY AND PREPARATIONS ARE COMPLETE. I HAVE NOT RECEIVED THIS NOTIFICATION AS OF THIS DATE. I REPEAT; MY ACCELERATOR DOES NOT STICK". SOMETIMES THERE IS A ONE OR TWO SECOND DELAY WHEN THE ACCELERATOR IS DEPRESSED AND THE ENGINE RESPONDS CAUSING A FAST "LURCH FORWARD" RATHER THAN A GRADUAL INCREASE FORM THE CURRENT SPEED OR SOMETIMES FROM A COMPLETE STOP IT WILL HAPPEN. THE DELAYED ENGINE RESPONSE TO A DEPRESSED ACCELERATOR IS A SERIOUS PROBLEM WITH POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS CONSEQUENCES. SINCERELY, *TR

THE POWER INVERTER ON MY 2006 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER HYBRID FAILED AT ON A HIGH SPEED US HIGHWAY CAUSING MY CAR TO SHUT DOWN AT THAT HIGH SPEED. THE ROAD IN QUESTION DID NOT HAVE A SHOULDER AND THE LOSS OF CONTROL COULD HAVE BEEN CATASTROPHIC. *TR

VEHICLE HAS ORIGINAL HEADLIGHTS THAT WERE IN IT WHEN I BOUGHT THE CAR.THE BULBS ARE BURNING THE LENS OVER THE LIGHTS.I "DO NOT" DRIVE WITH THE HIGH BEAMS ON AS THE DEALERSHIP TRIED TO INSINUATE.NO DUMBASS DRIVES WITH THE HIGH BEAMS ON ALL THE TIME. TOYOTA CLAIMS BULBS ARE AN EXCLUSION ON THE WARRANTY.THIS IS A FACTORY DEFECT AND SHOULD BE A RECALL ITEM.THEY WANT TO CHARGE THE PURCHASER TO REPLACE THE BULBS WHICH SHOW EVIDENCE OF OF DEFECT AS WELL AS THE LENS COVER.I WOULD LIKE TO SEE TOYOTA OR THE MANUFACTURER OF THE BULB REPLACE THESE ITEMS AT NO COST TO THE PURCHASER.EVEN IF THEY DON'T REPLACE THE LENS COVER AT LEAST REPLACE THE BULB WITH THE PROPER BULB.CAR HAS ALWAYS JERKED FROM THE TIME I PURCHASED IT.I THOUGHT IT WAS THE TRANSMISSION BUT TOYOTA CLAIMS THEY DIDN'T DETECT ANYTHING WHEN I TOOK IT IN FOR SERVICE FOR THIS ISSUE.

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER HYBRID. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 65-70 MPH THE VEHICLE LOST POWER. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING AND THE INVERTER FAILED AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE WHO DECIDED TO PAY FOR THE REPAIRS. THE VEHICLE IDENTIFICATION NUMBER WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 116,000.

MY 2006 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER HYBRID HAD SUDDEN INVERTER FAILURE WHILE TRYING TO ACCELERATE OUT OF A TOLL PLAZA. AFTER PAYING TOLL, I PRESSED DOWN ON THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL AND BEGAN TO MOVE FORWARD. AFTER JUST A COUPLE MOMENTS OF ACCELERATION, THERE WAS A LOUD POP FROM THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT AND I LOST ALL DRIVE POWER TO THE WHEELS. THERE WAS A FAINT BURNT RUBBER SMELL. THE DASH BOARD FLASHED MULTIPLE WARNING LIGHTS INCLUDING "CHECK VSC SYSTEM" AND SOMETHING LIKE "CHECK HYBRID SYSTEM." I WAS LUCKY TO BE ABLE TO COAST TO THE SIDE OF THE TOLL PLAZA. THE GASOLINE ENGINE REMAINED RUNNING AND THE CAR HAD ELECTRICAL POWER AND AIRCONDITIONING. IT WOULD NOT, HOWEVER, MOVE IN EITHER FORWARD OR REVERSE. THIS SUDDEN LOSS OF POWER COULD HAVE BEEN DISASTROUS IF I WAS PULLING ON TO A BUSY STREET OR ENTERING AN INTERSECTION. THE CAR WAS TOWED TO THE NEAREST TOYOTA DEALERSHIP FOR REPAIR. *TR