2008 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER Complaints

TOYOTA HIGHLANDER HYBRID 2008... BRAKES FEEL LIKE THEY ARE NOT CATCHING, ESPECIALLY IF GOING OVER A BUMP. HAPPENS FREQUENTLY SINCE FIRST GOT THE CAR NEW, ONE YEAR AGO. NO ACCIDENT. *JB

MY 2008 TOYOTA HYBRID HIGHLANDER HAS ON NUMEROUS OCCCASIONS LOST BRAKING POWER WHEN GOING OVER A BUMP IN THE ROAD. I FIRST NOTICED THIS SEVERAL MONTHS AGO. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER HYBRID. ON APPROXIMATELY FOUR OCCASIONS WHILE DRIVING VARIOUS SPEEDS INCLUDING APPROXIMATELY 25 MPH WITH THE BRAKE PEDAL ENGAGED THE VEHICLE FAILED TO STOP WITHIN A REASONABLE TIME. THE FAILURE OCCURRED ON ICY WEATHER CONDITIONS. SHE ALSO STATED THAT INTERMITTENTLY THE VEHICLE WOULD SURGE WHEN SHE TAPPED THE BRAKE PEDAL. SHE TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER WHO DID NOT INSPECT THE VEHICLE. SHE HAS NOT CALLED THE MANUFACTURER. THE VEHICLE HAS NOT BEEN REPAIRED AT THE TIME OF THE COMPLAINT. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 45,000. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 15,000.

MY WIFE WAS DRIVING THE HIGHLANDER IN THE FIRST WEEK WE HAD THE CAR. SHE WAS DRIVING IN SLOW MOVING RUSH HOUR TRAFFIC IN CAMBRIDGE MA AT LESS THAN 15 MPH. WHEN A CAR IN FRONT OF HER STOOPED QUICKLY, SHE HIT THE BRAKES WHICH INITIALLY STOPPED, BUT ON THEIR OWN RELEASED FOR A FRACTION OF A SECOND AND THEN RE-ENGAGED. THIS CAUSED HER TO HIT THE BACK OF ANOTHER CAR. INITIALLY WE REPORTED THIS TO TOYOTA AND WERE TOLD THAT IT HAD TO WITH THE HYBRID BRAKING SYSTEM. THIS TYPE OF BRAKE RELEASE HAS OCCURRED AT LEAST ON A WEEKLY BASIS AND BUT IS NOT CONSISTENT. WE HAVE BOTH LEARNED HOW TO DRIVE THE CAR MORE CONSERVATIVELY BECAUSE OF THE PROBLEM WITH THE BRAKE. TODAY THE CAR WAS BROUGHT INTO THE DEALERSHIP WHERE THIS BEHAVIOR WAS CONFIRMED BY TOYOTA AFTER DRIVING OUR CAR, AND WE WERE TOLD THAT THIS PROBLEM MAY BE RELATED TO THE BRAKING PROBLEM DESCRIBED IN THE PRIUS AS WELL. A LOW BATTERY WAS CHANGED, IN HOPE OF HELPING. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT'S SISTER OWNED A 2008 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER. THE CONTACT'S SISTER WAS DRIVING AND THE VEHICLE ACCELERATED ACROSS THE INTERSTATE, HIT AN EMBANKMENT AND WAS STRUCK BY SEMI TRUCK. THE VEHICLE BURNED AND THE DRIVER WAS KILLED AS A RESULT OF THE ACCIDENT. THE VEHICLE WAS DESTROYED BUT THERE WAS NO INVESTIGATION INTO THE CAUSE FOR THE ACCIDENT. THE CONTACT CALLED THE MANUFACTURER BUT WAS NOT ABLE TO GET IN TOUCH WITH ANY REPRESENTATIVES. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE APPROXIMATELY 33,000. UPDATED 03/10/10 *BF UPDATED 07/07/10.*JB UPDATE 9/19/2011*CW

CRASH AND INJURY ON DATED 12/21/2008 WHERE I THOUGHT MY 2008 HIGHLANDER WHICH I BOUGHT A MONTH AGO SKID ON A DRY ROAD IN BROAD DAY LIGHT. SPEED WAS BELOW 20 MPH 1000 FT AWAY FROM MY HOME INSIDE THE NEIGHBERHOOD OF READING, PA 19606. WE WERE GOING TO SEE A MOVIE ON A WEEKEND. ON LYNN AVE MY CAR SKID AND HIT A PARKED TRAILER BEHIND. I COULD NOT GET TIME TO PRESS THE BRAKE AT ALL. ALL I THOUGHT IS SNOW/ BLACK ICE. MYSELF AND ATTENDING POLICE OFFICER DID NOT FIND ANY ICE ON THE ROAD. SO, AS USUAL HUMAN ERROR WAS BLAMED. BUT MY 14 YR SON NOTICED THE SKID BEFORE INCIDENT. MY WIFE AND SON BOTH WERE INJURED IN THE CRASH. IN OVER ONE YEAR I COULD NOT GET SATISFIED WITH THE POLICE REPORT WHICH SAID MY SPEEDING WAS TO BLAME. WE ALL KNEW I WAS NOT SPEEDING NEAR MY HOME. THE CONTROL OF MY CAR WENT AWAY FROM MY HAND. THE CAR SPED UP AND BEFORE ANY REALIZATION IT HIT THE BACK OF THE TRAILER. IF YOU SEE THE CAR AND THE WAY IT HIT, ONLY REASON YOU WILL BELIEVE THAT THE DRIVER MUST HAVE BEEN DRUNK. BUT I WAS NOT. NOW I KNOW WHAT REALLY HAPPENED THAT DAY. IT IS THE REASON WHY THE RECALL HAPPENED. *TR

2008 LOW MILEAGE TOYOTA HIGHLANDER STICKING ACCELERATOR PEDAL. MY ACCELERATOR GOT STUCK AT FULL THROTTLE. I'M SURE IT WAS NOT THE MATS; I DID NOT HAVE ANY. THE MILEAGE WAS VERY LOW AT THE TIME, UNLIKE WHAT THE RECALL IS ADDRESSING. IT HAS NOT HAPPENED SINCE. *TR

WHILE PULLING OUT OF A PARKING LOT ONTO A BUSY STREET I PRESSED THE ACCELERATOR HARD AT WHICH TIME IT BECAME STUCK. I TRIED BRAKING HARD BUT THE CAR CONTINUED TO ACCELERATE AT WHICH TIME I REMEMBERED HEARING ABOUT A RECALL INVOLVING FLOOR MATS. I YANKED THE FLOOR MAT BACK WHILE CONTINUING TO BRAKE AND SHORTLY THEREAFTER THE CAR STOPPED ACCELERATING. I WOULD ESTIMATE IT WAS STUCK FOR ABOUT 5 SECONDS, MAYBE A QUARTER MILE DISTANCE. AFTER RETURNING HOME AND MOVING THE FLOOR MAT AROUND I DO NOT SEE HOW IT COULD HAVE BEEN UP UNDER THE GAS PEDAL AND IF IT WAS HOW IT COULD HAVE INTERFERED WITH THE OPERATION OF THE GAS PEDAL. THE FLOOR MAT IS A VINYL/PLASTIC, RIGID, RELATIVELY THIN AND BOUGHT AFTERMARKET (NOT THE CARPET FLOOR MAT THAT CAME WITH THE CAR). I REMOVED THE FLOOR MAT ALTOGETHER. READING ABOUT THE LATEST RECALL PROMPTED ME TO FILE THIS REPORT EVEN THOUGH NO ACCIDENT WAS CAUSED NOR DAMAGE DONE TO THE VEHICLE.*CW

THE DRIVER'S SEAT DOES NOT RISE UP ENOUGH TO SEE OVER THE OUTSIDE REARVIEW MIRROR. ALSO, THE OUTSIDE REARVIEW MIRROR IS LARGE AND CONTINUOUS TO THE DOORPOST PRODUCING A VISUAL BLOCK FROM WINDSHIELD SIDE OF THE DOORPOST TO THE FAR END OF THE OUTSIDE MIRROR - ABOUT 16 INCHES. PROJECT THIS VISUAL BLOCK-OUT ACROSS TO A SIDE-STREET INTERSECTION AND IT BLOCKS THE VIEW OF THE ENTIRE SIDE-STREET INTERSECTION AND THEN SOME WHEN TRAVELING ON A FOUR LANE STREET WITH A MERIDIAN IN THE MIDDLE. THIS IS GROSS HAZARD FOR ME AND A VEHICLE IN THE INTERSECTION AND FOR PEDESTRIANS. I HAD ONE COLLISION WHEN LEAVING A CHURCH PARKING LOT ONTO A TWO LANE RURAL ROAD - TRAVELING ABOUT 10 MPH AND THE OTHER VEHICLE WAS STOPPED IN HIS LANE. OCCURRED IN SPRING OF 2008, ABOUT 5 PM - CLEAR SUNNY DAY. I DID NOT SEE HIS CAR - AND THE COLLISION REPAIR COST FOR HIS VEHICLE WAS $2,500 AND FOR MY REPAIR COST WAS $4,000 +-. ALSO, I HAVE HIT THE LOW CONCRETE DIVIDER WITH MY LEFT FRONT TIRE - LOCATED UNDER THE FREEWAY OVERPASS WHEN TURNING - THIS TURN I HAVE DONE 5 DAYS A WEEK FOR 5 YEARS ON THE WAY TO WORK WITH NO PROBLEM UNTIL DRIVING THIS 2008 HIGHLANDER. ALSO, I HAVE HAD SEVERAL NEAR COLLISIONS WITH UNSEEN VEHICLES AND PEDESTRIANS. AT NIGHT WITH VEHICLE BEHIND ME THE LIGHT GLARE IN THE OUTSIDE MIRROR IS SUCH THAT IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO SEE OVER OR AROUND TO SEE A SIDE-STREET INTERSECTION. SIMILAR PROBLEMS EXIST FOR THE RIGHT OUTSIDE MIRROR. TO CORRECT THIS PROBLEM THE MIRROR NEEDS TO BE LOWERED. ALSO, A GAP BETWEEN THE EDGE OF THE MIRROR AND THE DOORPOST WOULD BE A MAJOR GREAT HELP. MY HEIGHT IS 5'-5" NOT TOO SHORT - BY PUSHING HARD WITH MY LEFT FOOT ON THE FLOORBOARD STEP I AM ABLE TO SEE OVER THE OUTSIDE MIRROR AND GAIN A REASONABLE VIEW OF THE SIDE-STREET INTERSECTION - BUT THIS MOVEMENT TAKES AWAY FROM MY CONCENTRATION AND AGILITY TO DRIVE ON. *TR

ON AUGUST 13, 2009 MY WIFE WAS DRIVING OUR 2008 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER LIMITED, 4WD SUV WHEN SHE SUDDENLY LOST CONTROL AND CRASHED INTO A WOODEN TELEPHONE POLE, TOTALING THE CAR. ACCORDING TO HER, THE CAR SUDDENLY ACCELERATED AND SHE COULDN'T STOP THE VEHICLE. *TR