2004 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER Complaints

THE DRIVER SUN VISOR KEEPS DROPPING FROM IT'S KEPT POSITION AND BLOCKS THE DRIVERS VIEW. THIS ALMOST CAUSED 2 ACCIDENTS WITH MYSELF AND THEN MY WIFE. THE SUDDEN DROPPING OF THE VISOR IS VERY DANGEROUS. I HAVE TALKED TO OTHER HIGHLANDER OWNERS AND THEY HAVE SIMILAR ISSUES. *TR

AS I'M DRIVING THE SUN VISOR FALLS DOWN BLOCKING MY VISION. THIS PROBLEM CAN CAUSE AN ACCIDENT. THERE IS A DEFECT IN THIS ITEM AND TOYOTA NEEDS TO CORRECT THIS PROBLEM. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE ENTERING THE HIGHWAY, THE VEHICLE ACCELERATED WITHOUT MANUAL FORCE AND THE CONTACT CRASHED INTO A TREE. THE CONTACT SUSTAINED KNEE, CHEST AND ARM INJURIES. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED AND THE VEHICLE WAS DESTROYED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS UNKNOWN. UPDATED 12-05-13 *BF

AS I EXITED THE FREEWAY I TOOK MY FOOT OFF THE ACCELERATOR AND APPLIED THE BRAKE. THE CAR ACCELERATED AND DID NOT SLOW DOWN. I CROSSED BOTH LANES OF THE STREET AND I TURNED THE CAR TO THE RIGHT. THE WHEELS OF THE LEFT SIDE OF THE CAR HIT THE CURB AND THE FRONT AND REAR WHEELS ON THE LEFT SIDE OF THE CAR BROKE OFF. THEN, THE CAR WENT OVER THE CURB AND HIT THE STATE SIGN WITH THE LEFT FRONT OF THE CAR. THE CAR GOT STUCK IN DEEP MULCH FROM RECENT LANDSCAPING AND CAME TO A STOP.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER. THE CONTACT NOTICED CONDENSATION AND MOISTURE IN BOTH THE DRIVER AND PASSENGER SIDE HEADLIGHT LENSES. IN ADDITION, THE DRIVER'S SIDE HEADLIGHT LENSES HAD MELTED AND EXHIBITED A BUBBLE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE PROBLEM. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 100,000. THE VIN WAS UNAVAILABLE.

VEHICLE WAS DRIVEN NORMALLY AND PARKED. WHILE PARKED, OWNER NOTICED SMALL LEAK UNDER FRONT AXLE, INVESTIGATED AND LEAK APPEARED TO BE TRANSMISSION FLUID OR ANTIFREEZE. OWNER DROVE VEHICLE NEXT DAY, PARKED AND NOTICED LEAK WAS LARGER. OWNER TOOK VEHICLE TO DEALER NEXT MORNING AND WAS TOLD THE HEAD GASKET WAS FAILING. DEALER SAID ALTERNATIVES WERE TO REPAIR HEAD GASKET ($3200+), REPLACE ENGINE OR BUY ANOTHER VEHICLE. OWNER DECLINED REPAIR AND TOOK VEHICLE TO INDEPENDENT MECHANIC, WHO CONFIRMED HEAD GASKET LEAK AND RECOMMENDED EITHER SEALANT ($250) OR HEAD GASKET REPAIR ($1200). OWNER CHOSE SEALANT. ABOUT FOUR DAYS AFTER SEALANT FIX, OWNER WAS DRIVING VEHICLE AND STOPPED AT A STARBUCKS DRIVE-THROUGH. MINUTES INTO THE WAIT, THE VEHICLES TEMP GAUGE BEGAN TO CLIMB RAPIDLY. OWNER REVVED ENGINE AND TEMP DECLINED. OWNER DROVE VEHICLE HOME AND INSPECTED ENGINE, DISCOVERED COOLANT HAD BEGUN TO SPRAY FROM OVERFLOW RESERVOIR. OWNER LET VEHICLE COOL. NEXT DAY, OWNER DROVE VEHICLE AT MODEST SPEED ACROSS TOWN, WATCHING THE TEMP GAUGE. TEMP WOULD INCREASE INCREMENTALLY, THEN DECLINE, BUT NO OVERHEATING APPEARED. THIRD DAY, OWNER DID SAME, BUT THIS TIME, AS OWNER APPROACHED HIS HOME, THE TEMP GAUGE SHOT TO RED. OWNER PARKED IN DRIVEWAY, OPENED HOOD AND FOUND OVERFLOW RESERVOIR BUBBLING, COOLANT SPRAY AND OVERFLOW ON FRAME. PRIOR TO THESE INCIDENTS, ABOUT ONE YEAR AGO THE OWNER HAD BEEN TOLD BY TOYOTA DEALER THAT A FEW ENGINE MOUNTS WERE CRACKED AND NEEDED REPLACEMENT, WHICH WAS DONE. NO OTHER MAJOR REPAIRS OR ISSUES HAVE EXISTED WITH VEHICLE. VEHICLE IS NOT 10 YEARS OLD, ITS 103,500 MILES HAS BEEN GENERALLY LIGHT HIGHWAY AND SHORT-DISTANCE CITY DRIVING. OIL AND OTHER MAINTENANCE HAS BEEN ROUTINELY PERFORMED. *TR

WHILE PARALLEL PARKING AND SLOWLY BACKING INTO THE PARKING SPACE, MY VEHICLE SUDDENLY ACCELERATED BACKWARD CRASHING INTO THE VEHICLE PARKED BEHIND ME. MY VEHICLE CONTINUED ACCELERATING BACKWARD INTO THE OTHER VEHICLE AND PUSHED IT BACK EVEN THOUGH I WAS APPLYING THE BRAKES AS HARD AS I COULD. I THEN PUT MY VEHICLE INTO DRIVE WHILE APPLYING THE BRAKES, AND IT IMMEDIATELY LUNGED FORWARD CRASHING INTO THE VEHICLE IN FRONT OF ME. WHILE CONTINUING TO ACCELERATE FORWARD, WITH THE BRAKES APPLIED, MY VEHICLE PUSHED THAT VEHICLE INTO THE VEHICLE IN FRONT OF IT. I THEN TURNED OFF THE IGNITION AND MY VEHICLE STOPPED MOVING. ALL FOUR VEHICLES SUSTAINED DAMAGE. THERE WERE NO OCCUPANTS IN THE OTHER PARKED VEHICLES. REPAIRS TO MY VEHICLE TOTALED $4,076, PLUS $1,444 FOR A RENTAL CAR. I ALSO RECEIVED A SUMMONS FOR CARELESS DRIVING. I BELIEVE THE ACCIDENT WAS THE RESULT OF SUDDEN UNINTENDED ACCELERATION DUE TO A DEFECT IN THE ELECTRONIC THROTTLE CONTROL SYSTEM. *TR

THE ENGINE OVERHEATED DESPITE THE NO INDICATION OF HIGH TEMPERATURES FROM THE TEMPERATURE GAUGE. WE HAD IT TOWED TO THE DEALER WHO MISDIAGNOSED IT INITIALLY. WE THEN DROVE IT BACK FROM DEALER (7 MILES) TO OUR HOME AND IT OVERHEATED AGAIN. NOW THE DEALER SAYS AT A BARE MINIMUM THE HEAD GASKET NEEDS REPLACEMENT ($3200) AND IT COULD NEW AN ENTIRELY NEW ENGINE. I DON'T KNOW HOW THIS IS POSSIBLE AT 86,000 MILES. AFTER DOING SOME RESEARCH I HAVE FOUND OTHERS WITH THIS PROBLEM ESPECIALLY 4 CYLINDERS BUT IT IS NOT RECALL. PLEASE HELP, I AM UNEMPLOYED AND NEED THIS CAR! *TR

MY HIGHLANDER WAS INVOLVED IN A TOTAL LOSS CRASH BACK IN 2007, AND THE INSURANCE COMPANY PAID OUT A TOTAL LOSS CLAIM AND TOOK THE SALVAGE. I HAVE REPEATEDLY UPDATED TOYOTA THAT THE VEHICLE WAS DESTROYED, YET THEY HAVE CONTINUED TO SEND RECALL NOTICES FOR THE PSAT 4 YEARS. PLEASE MAKE THEM STOP !! *TR

THE THREADS IN THE ENGINE BLOCK BECAME STRIPED LEAKING COOLANT INTO THE ENGINE/PISTONS. RECOMMENDATION WAS TO REPLACE THE ENGINE. *TR