2006 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER Complaints

MY WIFE WAS DRIVING OUR 2006 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER HYBRID ON A TURNPIKE. AS SHE DROVE ON EXIT RAMP THE CAR LOST POWER AND WARNING LIGHTS SIGNALED A PROBLEM WITH HYBRID SYSTEM. THE CAR WAS TOWED TO TOYOTA DEALER. WE WERE TOLD PART WOULD COST $8,200 AND $800 FOR LABOR. REPAIR IS NOT COVERED BY WARRANTY SINCE CAR HAS 130,000 MILES. PROBLEM HAS NOT YET BEEN REPAIRED. *TR

THE INVERTER ( A VERY EXPENSIVE ELECTRICAL COMPONENT) ON MY 2006 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER HYBRID FAILED RESULTING IN A COMPLETE LOSS OF POWER ON THE HIGHWAY. THE CAR WAS TOWED TO DEALER. IT TOOK A WEEK TO DIAGNOSE AND REPAIR. REPAIR WAS COVERED UNDER THE EXTENDED WARRANTY THAT APPLIES TO HYBRID COMPONENTS. I HAVE ASKED, BUT TOYOTA CAN/WILL NOT TELL ME HOW OFTEN THIS TYPE OF FAILURE HAS OCCURRED; THE INTERNET HAS STORIES FROM OTHERS WHO EXPERIENCED THIS TYPE OF FAILURE. COMPLETE LOSS OF POWER ON THE HIGHWAY IS CLEARLY A SAFETY ISSUE. WITH TOYOTA'S REPUTATION, I CAN'T HELP BUT WONDER IF THIS IS AN ISSUE THAT THEY DON'T WANT DISCUSSED. *TR

WHILE ATTEMPTING TO PASS A VEHICLE ON INTERSTATE 85 NB, MY TOYOTA CERTIFIED PRE-OWNED 2006 HIGHLANDER HYBRID COMPLETELY SHUTDOWN RESULTING IN THE LOSS OF POWER STEERING, POWER BRAKING, AND ALL ENGINE POWER. I WAS ABLE TO MAINTAIN CONTROL OF MY VEHICLE DESPITE THE FAILURE AND COAST TO THE SHOULDER OF THE HIGHWAY FROM AN INITIAL SPEED OF APPROXIMATELY 70 MPH. MY VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO MY LOCAL TOYOTA DEALERSHIP WHERE I WAS INFORMED THAT MY "POWER INVERTER" HAD FAILED AND WOULD SUBSEQUENTLY NEED TO BE REPLACED. I WAS ALSO TOLD THAT THIS WAS THE SECOND INSTANCE THAT DAY OF A 2006 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER HYBRID HAVING A FAILURE OF THE POWER INVERTER. UPON FURTHER RESEARCH VIA MULTIPLE ONLINE FORUMS SUCH AS EDMUNDS I DISCOVERED THAT THIS PROBLEM HAD OCCURRED TO SEVERAL OTHERS IN THE PAST YEAR RESULTING IN SIMILAR CONSEQUENCES (LOSS OF CONTROL, POWER STEERING, POWER BRAKING, ETC.). MY POWER INVERTER WAS COVERED UNDER THE TOYOTA WARRANTY AND IS CURRENTLY BEING REPLACED FREE OF CHARGE. NONETHELESS, GIVEN THE COMPLETE FAILURE OF THE SYSTEM AND SUBSEQUENT LOSS OF ALL POWER BRAKING, STEERING, AND ENGINE USE WHILE AT SPEED ON AN INTERSTATE AND MULTIPLE TOYOTA OWNERS EXPERIENCING THE SAME SITUATION I BELIEVE THE NHTSA SHOULD INVESTIGATE FURTHER. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER HYBRID. WHILE DRIVING AT 65 MPH, THE CHECK ENGINE AND CHECK VSF WARNING LIGHTS ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE BEGAN TO LOSE POWER. THE CONTACT WAS ABLE TO MOVE THE VEHICLE FROM THE ROADWAY WHERE IT WAS TOWED TO A LOCAL DEALER. THE DEALER PERFORMED A DIAGNOSTIC AND FOUND GENERAL POWER INVENTOR WOULD NEED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 144,000.

RE: 2006 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER HYBRID 2WD SUV 29,500 MILES. UPON ENTERING A HIGHWAY I EXPERIENCED TOTAL FAILURE OF THE HYBRID SYSTEM IN MY SUV, WHICH SLOWLY DRIFTED TO A HALT, NEARLY CAUSING SEVERAL ACCIDENTS. THE NEAREST DEALERSHIP REPLACED THE INVERTER PORTION OF THE HYBRID SYSTEM. IT WAS COVERED UNDER WARRANTY BUT I WAS TOLD THAT HAD IT NOT BEEN COVERED IT WOULD HAVE COST ME BETWEEN $9,000 AND $10,000! OR ABOUT 1/4 THE COST OF THE ENTIRE VEHICLE NEW! *TR

I EXPERIENCED TOTAL POWER LOSS TO THE ENGINE AND STEERING OF MY 2006 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER HYBRID WHILE DRIVING DOWN THE HIGHWAY. TOYOTA WANTS $7000 TO REPLACE THE HYBRID POWER INVERTER. TOYOTA REFUSES TO DISCLOSE FREQUENCY OF THIS FAILURE. IDENTICAL FAILURES CAN BE FOUND IN ONLINE FORUMS, ALL WITH THE 2006 HIGHLANDER OR WITH THE 2006 LEXUS RX 400H. POTENTIALLY DEADLY FAILURE FOLLOWED BY A PRICE GOUGING REPAIR COSTS. *TR

(2006 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER HYBRID) PULLING ONTO 4 LANE (2 LANES DIVIDED BY CONCRETE BARRIER) HIGHWAY MERGING INTO 55+ MPH TRAFFIC. ACCELERATED TO ABOUT 30-35 MPH AND HEARD A "CLUNK". CAR STARTED TO COAST WITHOUT ANY ACCELERATION (GASOLINE ENGINE STILL RUNNING). UNFORTUNATELY THIS WAS AT A COMPLICATED INTERSECTION WHERE SEVERAL ROADS INTERSECT WITHOUT ROOM FOR A SHOULDER. I WAS ABLE TO DRIFT TO THE RIGHT MOST LANE, WHERE ENTERING TRAFFIC FROM INTERSECTING ROAD USED. I WAS LEFT STRANDED WITHOUT ANY CONTROL OVER FORWARD MOVEMENT. THE REPAIR COST IS IN EXCESS OF $18,000. APPARENT NEED FOR A COMPLETE REPLACEMENT OF THE HYBRID SYSTEM (INVERTER AND DRIVE SYSTEM). THE "BLUE BOOK" VALUE MIGHT BE IN THE $15-16,000 RANGE. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER HYBRID. WHILE DRIVING AT 30 MPH, THE CONTACT STATED THE HYBRID CONVERTER FAILED CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO LOSE POWER. THE VEHICLE WAS NO LONGER OPERATIONAL. THE CONTACT SPOKE WITH THE DEALER WHO ADVISED THE REPAIR WOULD BE AT HIS EXPENSE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE CONTACT STATED HE HAD EXPERIENCED SOME DIFFICULTY IN TRYING TO GET THE DEALER TO MAKE REPAIRS. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 129,000.

FUNNY HOW TOYOTA SAYS "TOYOTA WILL NOTIFY OWNERS ......" BUT YET I HAVE NOT RECEIVED ANY KIND OF CORRESPONDENCE. THIS IS IN REGARDS TO THE LABELS RECALL. *TR

2006 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER HV. CONSUMER WRITES TO INFORM OF COMPLAINT REGARDING JUST TIRES AND THE WORK CARRIED OUT ON HER VEHICLE *TGW THE CONSUMER PURCHASED FOUR NEW TIRES FROM JUST TIRES AT A COST OF $612.12. NINE MONTHS LATER, AFTER EXPERIENCING THE TIRES SLIDING IN THE RAIN, THE CONSUMER TOOK THE VEHICLE TO A TOYOTA DEALERSHIP TO BE INSPECTED. THE DEALERSHIP INFORMED THE CONSUMER THE TIRES WERE COMPLETELY BALD AND TOO DANGEROUS TO DRIVE ON. THE CONSUMER THEN RETURNED TO JUST TIRES AND SHE WAS TOLD THE CAUSE FOR THE WEAR WAS DUE TO THE WHEELS NOT BEING ALIGNED. HOWEVER, ACCORDING TO THE ORIGINAL PAPERWORK, IT STATED CHECK VEHICLE FOR ALIGNMENT WHICH WAS TO BE A FREE SERVICE INCLUDED IN THE TIRE PURCHASE AND NO ONE MENTIONED TO HER THERE WAS AN ALIGNMENT PROBLEM. *JB THE CONSUMER IS SEEKING A REFUND, HOWEVER GOODYEAR OFFERED HER $292 WHICH WAS LESS THAN HALF OF WHAT SHE SPENT. UPDATED 06/21/10.*JB