2008 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER Complaints

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER. WHILE DEPRESSING THE BRAKE PEDAL FROM SPEEDS OF 5 MPH, THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY ACCELERATED. THE CONTACT ATTEMPTED TO STOP THE VEHICLE BY DEPRESSING THE BRAKES HOWEVER, THE BRAKE PEDAL FELL ONTO THE FLOOR BOARD AND DID NOT ENGAGE. THE VEHICLE PROCEEDED TO CRASH INTO A CONCRETE STATUE. THE VEHICLE DID NOT COME TO A STOP AND PROCEEDED TO CRASH INTO A VEHICLE. THE CONTACT DID NOT REPORT ANY INJURIES. THE POLICE ARRIVED TO THE SCENE BUT A POLICE REPORT WAS NOT FILED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A LOCAL INDEPENDENT MECHANIC. NO REPAIRS WERE MADE TO THE VEHICLE. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE WHEN THE COMPLAINT WAS FILED. THE APPROXIMATE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 5,000.

NOTED RECENTLY ON MYCARSTATS.COM SIX COMPLAINTS REGISTERED WITH NHTSA REGARDING 2008 HIGHLANDER BRAKE PROBLEMS AND FIVE COMPLAINTS REGISTERED WITH NHTSA REGARDING 2008 HIGHLAND ELECTRIC PROBLEMS THAT INVOLVE BRAKES AND ELECTRONIC CONTROLS. I AM SUBMITTING THE FOLLOWING EXPERIENCES WITH MY 2008 HIGHLANDER BECAUSE THEY MIRROR MANY OF THE COMPLAINTS. THE BRAKES ON MY HIGHLANDER HAVE BEEN AN ISSUE FROM THE FIRST WEEKS OF OWNERSHIP. I HAVE TAKEN THE CAR TO A LOCAL TOYOTA DEALERSHIP AND COMPLAINED ABOUT THE BRAKES. THE DEALERSHIP DID ADJUST THE EMERGENCY BRAKE WHICH THEY INDICATED WAS OUT OF ADJUSTMENT BUT HAVE STATED THAT THE BRAKES ARE WORKING NORMALLY. MY SPECIFIC COMPLAINT IS BRAKE RESPONSE. THERE IS ROUGHLY AN INCH OF PEDAL TRAVEL BEFORE THE BRAKES BEGIN TO RESPOND. IF ONE MUST MAKE A HARD EMERGENCY STOP THE VSC CONTROL WILL ENGAGE. ON ONE OCCASION, WHILE DRIVING IN TOWN A CAR RAN THROUGH A TRAFFIC LIGHT IN FRONT OF ME. I HIT THE BRAKES HARD - THE VSC LIGHT CAME ON - AND THE CAR SLOWLY STOPPED. THERE WAS NO ACCIDENT BUT IT WAS EXTREMELY CLOSE. I HAVE FOUND THAT IF I ROUTINELY PRESS ON THE BRAKE PEDAL UNTIL THE VSC LIGHT COMES ON THAT THE PEDAL TRAVEL IS REDUCED. I TOOK THE HIGHLANDER TO AAA AUTO DIAGNOSTICS AND THEY CONFIRMED THE PEDAL/VSC. AAA WAS UNABLE TO READ THE HIGHLANDER COMPUTER BECAUSE THEY DID NOT HAVE THE PROPRIETARY TOYOTA COMPUTER INTERFACE. THE LOCAL TOYOTA DEALER HAS STATED THAT THE DEPRESSED PEDAL AND VSC LIGHT RESPONSE IS NORMAL. I ALSO NOTED COMPLAINTS OF SUDDEN ACCELERATION WHEN PUTTING THE CAR INTO GEAR. I HAVE NEVER EXPERIENCED A SURGE TO THE DEGREE MENTIONED IN THE COMPLAINTS REFERENCED ABOVE, HOWEVER, WHILE PUTTING THE CAR INTO DRIVE WITH MY FOOT ON THE BRAKE I HAVE HAD THE CAR SURGE FORWARD. I NOW ALWAYS HAVE THE EMERGENCY BRAKE ON WHILE PUTTING THE VEHICLE INTO DRIVE. THE DATE LISTED BELOW IS THAT OF MY FIRST COMPLAINT TO THE LOCAL TOYOTA DEALER. *TR

2008 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER . UNINTENDED VEHICLE ACCELERATION. PULLED INTO PARKING SPACE AND APPLIED BRAKE BUT VEHICLE SPEED UP. VEHICLE WENT UP AND OVER THE CURB AND CONTINUED TO ACCELERATE. THE MUFFLER HIT THE CURB AND STOPPED THE CAR FROM GOING FURTHER. WHILE CAR WAS STILL TRYING TO GO FORWARD, MANAGED TO GET THE CAR IN PARK AND TURNED OFF THE ENGINE. EXTENSIVE DAMAGE DONE TO THE UNDERCARRIAGE OF THE CAR. CAR WAS TOWED TO TOYOTA DEALER. CASE NUMBER FROM TOYOTA IS [XXX] . INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

I WAS IN AN ACCIDENT (MY CAR REAR-ENDED ANOTHER CAR), AND THE BODY REPAIR SHOP INDICATES THAT THERE IS "SIGNIFICANT LEFT FRAMERAIL DAMAGE." HOWEVER, MY AIRBAGS DID NOT DEPLOY IN THE ACCIDENT, WHICH WAS VERY SURPRISING TO MY INSURANCE COMPANY AND THE BODY SHOP. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER. WHILE TRAVELING APPROXIMATELY 15 MPH OVER BUMPY ROADS WITH HIS FOOT ON THE BRAKE PEDAL, THE BRAKING SYSTEM WOULD HESITATE TO ENGAGE WITHOUT WARNING. HE CONFIRMED THAT THE FEELING WAS AS IF HE HAD REMOVED HIS FOOT FROM THE BRAKE PEDAL WHEN IN FACT, HE HAD NOT. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHERE THEY COULD NOT DUPLICATE THE FAILURE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED AND WOULD NOT OFFER ANY ASSISTANCE; HOWEVER A CLAIM WAS FILED APPROPRIATELY. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 23,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS UNKNOWN.

WHILE I WAS DRIVING OUR 2008 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER (WITH 21506 MILES) TO THE TOYOTA DEALER FOR A TIRE INSPECTION, THE VEHICLE SURGED TO APPROX 80 MPH WITHOUT ACCELERATOR PEDAL ENGAGEMENT. WHEN I APPLIED BOTH FEET TO THE BRAKE PEDAL, IT SLOWED THE VEHICLE TO APPROX 60 MPH, BUT THE ENGINE CONTINUED TO RACE OUT OF CONTROL. I PUT THE VEHICLE IN NEUTRAL, BUT THE ENGINE CONTINUED TO RACE. I PUT THE VEHICLE BACK INTO DRIVE AND TURNED OFF THE IGNITION. I EVENTUALLY GLIDED TO A SLOW, DIFFICULT STOP. NO OTHER VEHICLES WERE IN THE IMMEDIATE AREA. AFTER A 5 MINUTE REST IN PARK, I STARTED THE CAR AND THE ENGINE RACED. I IMMEDIATELY TURNED OFF THE IGNITION. AFTER ANOTHER 5 MINUTE DELAY, I STARTED THE VEHICLE AGAIN AND IT APPEARED NORMAL. I DROVE THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER AND EXPLAINED WHAT HAD OCCURRED. THE DEALER COULD NOT RECREATE THE EVENT AND DID NOT SEE ANY READOUTS INDICATING WHAT HAD OCCURRED. THEY EXPLAINED IT AS A ECT TRANSMISSION THAT IS COMMON WHEN THE AIR CONDITIONING IS ON. GIVEN RECENT EVENTS, MY FEAR IT THAT THE EXPLANATION GIVEN TO ME IS NOT ACCURATE. I CALLED THE DEALER SEVERAL TIMES OVER THE PAST 2 MONTHS TO DETERMINE WHAT MY OPTIONS ARE FOR RECALL AND REPAIR. THEY CONTINUE TO TELL ME TO WAIT FOR A FLOOR MAT RECALL NOTICE FROM TOYOTA, AND PRIOR TO RECEIVING THAT NOTICE, THEY CANNOT ASSIST. I CALLED THE NATIONAL TOYOTA SERVICE CENTER 1-800-331-4331 TO FILE AN INCIDENT REPORT. I EXPLAINED THE SITUATION ABOVE, THEY GAVE ME A CASE NUMBER . THEY INDICATED THAT OUR VEHICLE WAS MADE IN JAPAN AND SHOULD NOT BE PART OF THE PEDAL RECALL. THEY ALSO INDICATED THAT WE SHOULD BE PART OF THE FLOOR MAT RECALL WHICH WILL INCLUDE A COMPUTER CHIP ADJUSTMENT THAT WILL INSTALL A BRAKE OVERRIDE TO ENSURE THAT THE BRAKE PEDAL WILL OVERRIDE THE ACCELERATOR. GIVE THE RECENT EVENTS OVER THE PAST 2 DAYS, IT APPEARS THAT MAY NOT BE WORKING PROPERLY ON OTHER VEHICLES. SINCE AUGUST 2009, THIS SITUATION HAS NOT OCCURRED AGAIN. MY FEAR IS THAT IT WILL. *TR

ACCELERATOR PEDAL STICKING - TOYOTA HIGHLANDER HYBRID 2008 (NOT RECALLED!) ON 2/18/10, MY ACCELERATOR GOT STUCK WHILE DRIVING. I HAVE BEEN DRIVING FOR 30 YEARS, AND I KNOW HOW TO DRIVE, SO PLEASE SPARE ME TOYOTA! ALSO, MY CAR IS NOT EVEN ON THE RECALL LIST YET!!!! I ACCELERATED QUICKLY FROM A STOPPED POSITION. ONCE THE ACCELERATOR WAS RELEASED, THE VEHICLE CONTINUED TO RACE. I HIT THE BRAKE, PUT CAR IN NEUTRAL, AND THE VEHICLE STOPPED MOVING. ABOUT 3 SECONDS LATER, AND WITHOUT TOUCHING THE ACCELERATOR, (THE ACCELERATOR WAS NOT STUCK TO THE MAT, AND IN ITS RELEASED POSITION) I PUT THE CAR BACK INTO DRIVE. THE CAR ONCE AGAIN BEGAN TO RACE FORWARD. I PUT THE CAR IN NEUTRAL AGAIN (IT STOPPED ONCE AGAIN), WAITED 20 SECONDS, AND BACK IN DRIVE, IT WAS THEN OK. THE PEDAL DID NOT GET STUCK TO THE FLOOR MAT AS TOYOTA CLAIMS COULD HAPPEN. THE FLOOR MAT IN MY CAR WAS NO WHERE NEAR THE PATH OF THE PEDAL. I WAS ABLE TO DRIVE THE CAR HOME, ALBEIT VERY CAREFULLY! THE SCARY PART, IS THAT TOYOTA DID NOT RECALL THIS VEHICLE FOR THIS PROBLEM! I BOUGHT THE CAR TO THE DEALER THE SAME DAY, AND THEY WERE A BIT NONCHALANT ABOUT THIS, AND ALSO TOLD ME THEY DID NOT FIND A PROBLEM, AND THERE WAS NOTHING THEY COULD DO ABOUT IT, WHICH REALLY CONCERNS ME! ALSO, MY CALL TO TOYOTA CORPORATION WAS TAKEN VERY LOOSELY, AND THEY DID NOT SEEM TO HAVE MUCH CONCERN, EXCEPT TO TELL ME TO REMOVE MY FLOOR MATS. *TR

RECENTLY I WAS INVOLVED IN A MINOR REAR-END ACCIDENT. THE IMPACT SPEED WAS APPROX 10-15 MPH AND LIGHT TO MODERATE DAMAGE WAS DONE TO MY VEHICLE, WHICH IS A 2008 HIGHLANDER. PRIOR TO THIS ACCIDENT I NOTICED MY ANTI-SKID BRAKING SYSTEM ACTIVATED AT A POINT I WOULD CONSIDER TO BE PREMATURE. THIS PREMATURE ACTIVATION LIMITS THE BRAKING POWER OF THE VEHICLE WHEN IT IS NEEDED. THIS PROBLEM WAS BROUGHT TO THE ATTENTION OF SOUTH COUNTY TOYOTA IN COSTA MESA, CA AND THEY STATED THE VEHICLE WAS OPERATING TO SPECIFICATION. I AM STILL CONCERNED ABOUT THE ISSUE AND WOULD LIKE TO HAVE IT EVALUATED BY A TOYOTA MOTORS REP WHILE I AM PRESENT. I DO BELIEVE THIS PREMATURE ACTIVATION OF THE ANTI-SKID SYSTEM WAS A CONTRIBUTING FACTOR IN MY RECENT ACCIDENT AND IT MAY HAVE BEEN PREVENTED IF THE FULL BRAKING POWER WAS AVAILABLE. AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT THE STREETS WERE DRY AND IT HAD NOT RAINED IN SEVERAL WEEKS. THE VEHICLE SUFFERED MODERATE FRONT END DAMAGE WHICH HAS SINCE BEEN REPAIRED. TOYOTA WAS NOTIFIED OF THE ACCIDENT AND THEY HAVE FAILED TO CORRECT THE ISSUE OR ADMIT THERE IS ANYTHING WRONG WITH THE VEHICLE. AS OF RIGHT NOW I CAN DUPLICATE THE BRAKE FADE/ ISSUE 100% OF THE TIME. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS TOYO OPEN COUNTRY A20 TIRES, SIZE 245/55/R19, DOT# CXHHDK84607. WHILE THE CONTACT WAS HAVING HER VEHICLE INSPECTED SHE NOTICED THAT ALL 4 TIRES WERE EXPERIENCING ADNORMAL TREAD WEAR. THE TIRES WERE TAKEN TO THE DEALERSHIP WHERE THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE TIRES WERE EXPERIENCING NORMAL WEAR. THERE WERE NO PRIOR WARNINGS AND THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 30000. UPDATED 4/28/10 *CN UPDATED 06/11/10.*JB

SUDDEN ACCELERATION OF NEW HIGHLANDER 2008 MODEL. I HAD REPORTED FOR THE FIRST TIME I FEB 19, 2009 WHEN I TOOK THE CAR FOR SERVICE THAT THERE IS SOMETHING WRONG WITH ACCELERATION, AS IT RUNS AT A HIGHER SPEED. THEY CHECKED & I WAS TOLD THERE IS NOTHING WRONG BY THE DEALER.MY WIFE WHO NEVER HAD ANY ACCIDENTS GOT INVOLVED IN AN ACCIDENT ON DEC. 21,2009 WHEN AS SHE WAS PARKING THE CAR ACCELERATED SUDDENLY & HIT THE BUILDING IN FRONT. THE IMPACT WAS SO GREAT THE PEOPLE THAT WERE WORKING IN THAT BUILDING CAME OUT TO SEE WHAT HAPPENED. INSPITE OF WEARING SEAT BELTS, HER CHEST HIT THE STEERING WHEEL SHE WAS IN SEVERE PAIN. AFTER EMERGENCY VISIT, SHE DID NOT HAVE ANY FRACTURES, BUT BRUISES OF RIBS. SHE WAS SO SCARED SHE WAS AFRAID TO DRIVE FOR WEEKS. IT TOOK MORE THAN 8K FOR REPAIRS.THE CAR STILL HAS THE SAME PROBLEMS &WE ARE AT A LOSS WHAT TO DO. SHE IS DRIVING WITH CAUTION LOCALLY UNTIL THIS PROBLEM IS RESOLVED. WHEN WE CONTACTED 2 DEALERS, WE ARE TOLD THE CAR IS MANUFACTURED IN JAPAN & IT IS NOT ON RECALL LIST. WE TRY TO CONTACT NUMEROUS TIMES WITHOUT SUCCESS. NEED HELP IN RETURNING THIS CAR TO TOYOTA , AS IT IS A SERIOUS HAZARD . *TR