2006 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER Complaints

I WAS PARKING ON A STEEP HILL AND AS I STEPPED ON THE BRAKE, THE VEHICLE LURCHED FORWARD APPROXIMATELY 2 FEET AND HIT THE SIDE OF A FENCE POST AND CAUSED DAMAGE TO MY FRONT BUMPER. SINCE I BOUGHT THIS VEHICLE IN 2007 I HAVE NOTICED THAT OFTEN TIMES WHILE DRIVING AND THEN TRYING TO BRAKE ON STEEP HILLS THE VEHICLE LURCHES FORWARD. THIS LURCHING OFTEN CAUSES ME TO END UP IN THE MIDDLE OF AN INTERSECTION OR VERY CLOSE TO A CAR IN FRONT OF ME, THUS MAKING IT A VERY UNSAFE SITUATION ESPECIALLY WHILE DRIVING KIDS. I HAVE REPORTED THIS PROBLEM TO MY TOYOTA SERVICE DEALER SEVERAL TIMES AND EACH TIME THEY DENY THAT THERE IS ANY ISSUE.

PLASTIC HEADLIGHT LENSES ARE MELTING DIRECTLY OVER THE DAYTIME RUNNING LIGHT (DRL) HALOGEN BULBS ON BOTH SIDES. THE LIGHTS ARE THE SAME AS THE 'BRIGHTS' BUT SHOULD BE AT 50% POWER WHEN USED AS DRL'S. DEALER INFORMS ME THAT THEY HAVE NEVER HAD THIS COMPLAINT AND CANNOT FIND ANY OTHER INSTANCES ON-LINE OR IN THEIR DATABASE, BUT THERE ARE SEVERAL THAT I FOUND WITHIN A FEW MINUTES OF SEARCHING. AT THIS POINT, IT IS ONLY COVERED UNDER THE 36,000 MILE WARRANTY, BUT AS THIS IS A SIGNIFICANT DEFECT IN EITHER THE PLASTIC LENS COVERING OR IN THE BULB ITSELF (RUNNING TOO HOT) OR IN THE DRL RELAY THAT SHOULD BE AT 1/2 POWER, I WOULD LIKE TO SUBMIT THIS FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION

2006 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER HYBRID. CONSUMER STATES THAT THE VEHICLE SHUT OFF WHILE DRIVING 75 MPH. *KB THE CONSUMER STATED THE VEHICLE HAD TO BE TOWED TO THE DEALER WHERE THE INVERTER WAS REPLACED IN THE HYBRID SYSTEM. *JB

2006 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER HYBRID POWER INVERTER FAILED CAUSING SUDDEN LOSS OF ALL POWER, INCLUDING BRAKES, AND STEERING. $9500 REPLACEMENT COST WAS NEGOTIATED DOWN TO $4700 WITH DEALER AND TOYOTA. A NUMBER OF 2006 HIGHLANDER HYBRIDS HAVE HAD THE SAME FAILURE, WITH NO ABILITY TO USE THE BATTERY TO GET THE VEHICLE OFF THE ROAD AND OUT OF DANGER. *TR

WHILE DRIVING ON MAJOR EXPRESSWAY I LOST ALL POWER AND WAS (THANK GOODNESS) ABLE TO SAFELY COAST TO SHOULDER. ALL THE WARNING LIGHTS LIT UP TOGETHER WITH THE ALTERNATING MESSAGES: "HYBRID SYSTEM FAILURE" AND "VSC FAILURE." THE CAR WOULD NOT RESTART. I WAS FORTUNATE IT WAS A SUNDAY MORNING AND I WAS ABLE TO SAFELY REACH THE SHOULDER. THE EXPRESSWAY I DRIVE MONDAY THROUGH FRIDAY (I-595 IN BROWARD COUNTY FLORIDA) IS VERY HEAVILY TRAVELED AND, DUE TO CONSTRUCTION, HAS MANY SECTIONS WITHOUT A SHOULDER. MY 2006 HIGHLANDER HYBRID HAD TO BE TOWED. I WAS ADVISED THAT THE HYBRID INVERTER, A $7,000 PART, HAD FAILED. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER HYBRID. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 55 MPH WHEN THE BEGAN VEHICLE LOOSING POWER. THE HYBRID WARNING LIGHT WAS ILLUMINATED AND THE VEHICLE THEN STALLED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED AS A FAILURE IN THE BATTERY CELL. THE DEALER ADVISED THE CONTACT THAT THE INVERTER WOULD NEED TO BE REPLACED. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE DEALER HAD REPLACED THE BATTERY A FEW MONTHS PRIOR TO THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER ENGINEER INSPECTED THE VEHICLE AND ADVISED THAT THE TOWING COMPANY CAUSED MORE DAMAGED TO THE VEHICLE BATTERY WHILE ATTEMPTING TO GET THE VEHICLE STARTED. THE FAILURE AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 29,500.

I AM WRITING TO REPORT A DEFECT IN THE BRITAX DECATHLON CAR SEAT LOWER LATCH SYSTEM. THE BELT ON MY SYSTEM IS TWISTED AND WILL NOT PERFORM PROPERLY IN A CRASH. I HAVE NOTIFIED BRITAX AND THEY SENT ME A REPLACEMENT BELT BUT WITHOUT ANY INSTRUCTIONS AND HAVE NOT ISSUED A RECALL. I AM CONCERNED ABOUT ALL THE OTHER CAR SEATS ON THE ROAD AND THE CHILDREN WHO ARE AT RISK OF SERIOUS INJURY. A REPRESENTATIVE FROM THE PA TRAFFIC INJURY PREVENTION PROJECT (TIPP) AT THE PA CHAPTER OF THE AMERICAN ACADEMY OF PEDIATRICS INSPECTED THE CAR SEAT ON TUESDAY OCTOBER 26, 2010 AND FOUND THAT ?THE LOWER ANCHOR ATTACHMENT IS BACKWARDS ON ONE SIDE AND CANNOT BE USED CORRECTLY TO INSTALL CHILD SEAT USING LOWER ANCHORS.? HER NAME IS [XXX] AND SHE CAN BE REACHED AT [XXX]. SHE SAID THAT IT WAS A MANUFACTURING DEFECT AND THE SEATS SHOULD BE RECALLED. THE IDENTIFIERS FOR THE CAR SEAT ARE: DATE OF MFG: 04-05-2007 MAKE DECATHLON MODEL E9L 4769 SERIAL NUMBER E9L4769017324 BATCH NUMBER J00088948 PURCHASED FROM BABYUNIVERSE.COM IN MAY 2007 MY CONTACT AT BRITAX IS [XXX] CONSUMER SERVICE MANAGERBRITAX [XXX] 13501 SOUTH RIDGE DRIVE CHARLOTTE NC 28273 [email protected] (RELATED VEHICLE INFORMATION: MODEL YEAR=2006, MAKE=TOYOTA, MODEL=HIGHLANDER). INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

I PULLED OUT FROM A PRIVATE PARKING LOT ONTO A BUSY HIGHWAY. AS I ACCELERATED, THE CAR MAKE A NOISE AND EVERYTHING STOPPED. THERE WERE NO WARNING LIGHTS.-NOTHING. I MANAGED TO GET THE CAR OVER TO THE RIGHT AND TURN IMMEDIATELY WHERE IT INTO A GAS STATION THAT ALLOWED THE CAR TO COAST DOWNHILL TO WHERE IT STOPPED. THE CAR WAS TOWED TO THE TOYOTA DEALERSHIP. ON THE 2ND DAY, WE WERE TOLD THE TRANSMISSION AND THE INVERTER CONVERTER-HYBRID SYSTEM BOTH WENT OUT. ALTHOUGH THEY TOLD US THIS SHOULD NOT HAPPEN - ONE OR THE OTHER CAN GO OUT BUT NOT BOTH. IT WOULD COST 14,000 DOLLARS TO FIX. NOW THEY TELL US WE CAN SELL OUR NICE 2006 CAR FOR SCRAP AT AUCTION.

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER HYBRID. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 55 MPH THE VEHICLE COMPLETELY STALLED AND COASTED UNTIL IT STOPPED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A DEALER WHO INSPECTED THE VEHICLE AND INFORMED THE CONTACT THAT THERE WAS AN INVERTER FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 130,000. UPDATED 02/08/11*LJ UPDATED 11/30/2011 *LN

2006 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER. CONSUMER STATES DESIGN FLAW IN VEHICLE *TGW THE CONSUMER STATED AS HE WAS TRYING TO MAKE TURN, HE APPLIED THE ACCELERATOR WITH FORCE WHEN SUDDENLY A POP AND A SHUDDER CAME FROM THE VEHICLE, AND THEN THE DASHBOARD LIGHTS ILLUMINATED AND THE VEHICLE BEGAN TO COAST. THE CONSUMER WAS ABLE TO PULL OFF TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD SAFELY. ATTEMPTS TO GET THE VEHICLE GOING AGAIN WERE UNSUCCESSFUL AND ULTIMATELY THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER. A DAY LATER, THE DEALER STATED THE HYBRID INVERTER HAD BLOWN AND THAT NO REPLACEMENT PARTS WERE AVAILABLE IN THE REGION. THE REPAIRS WERE EVENTUALLY MADE UNDER WARRANTY A WEEK LATER. *JB