2006 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER Complaints

2006 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER HYBRID THE VEHICLE LURCHES FORWARD WHENEVER SLOW BRAKING (GAS PEDAL NOT PUSHED) EVER SINCE PURCHASE IN 2006, AND STILL BEHAVES THIS WAY NOW. WE HAVE CONTACTED OUR DEALER ON AT LEAST THREE DIFFERENT OCCASION, AND ONE ADDITIONAL TIME AFTER THE RECALL BEING ISSUED. EACH TIME, THE DEALER SAYS THAT THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH THE CAR. THE DEALERS MOST RESENT RESPONSE (02/02/2010) WAS THAT OUR CAR IS NOT IN THE RECALLED LIST, AND THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH OUR CAR. THE DEALER CAN CHECK AGAIN BUT IF THEY STILL FINDS NOTHING WRONG, WE HAVE TO PAY FOR THE CHECK UP. BUT WE HEAR SO MANY REPORTS OF IDENTICAL EXPERIENCE TO OURS IN TOYOTA HYBRID CARS (PRIUS, CAMRY AND HIGHLANDER) THAT DOES NOT INVOLVE THE GAS PEDAL. THE CAR LURCHES OR ACCELERATE WHEN SLOW BRAKING!!! *TR

I WAS DRIVING MY CAR INTO AN UNDERGROUND PARKING LOT. I PUT ON THE BRAKES AND THEY WOULD NOT ENGAGE. I TRIED AGAIN. I EVENTUALLY SLAMMED INTO THE WALL AT THE END OF THE PARKING LOT. MY CAR CAUGHT ON FIRE AND I WAS HURT, TAKEN TO THE HOSPITAL. THE CAR WAS INSPECTED AND FOUND TO HAVE NO BRAKE PROBLEMS, SO I WAS DEEMED AT FAULT FOR THE ACCIDENT. THIS WAS BEFORE WE FOUND OUT ABOUT THE FLOOR MAT AND ACCELERATOR PROBLEMS WITH TOYOTAS. MY INCIDENT WAS OBVIOUSLY ONE OF A RUNAWAY CAR. IT WAS A 2007 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER. *TR

BRAKE PEDAL TRAVEL LONGER TOWARDS THE FLOOR BEFORE IT WILL STOP. IT FEELS LIKE IT WILL NOT STOP. BATTERY DRAINS OUT AFTER SITTING IN A GARAGE. *TR

CAR JERKS AS MOVING INTO THE WRONG GEAR. ALSO STUMBLES AS IF THE TRANSMISSION IS SLIPPING AND THEN JERKS INTO A GEAR LURCHING FORWARD. THE CAR ALSO SURGES AT TIMES WITHOUT WARNING. TOLD REPEATEDLY AT DEALER THEY CAN'T FIND ANYTHING WRONG.*CW

THIS INPUT WILL SHOW THE COMMONALITY BETWEEN COMPLAINTS #10139802, 10194711, 10256617, 10259470, 10280157, & 10289084 WHICH ARE FOR MULTIPLE TOYOTA/LEXUS MODELS. ALL THESE COMPLAINTS SAY SAME THING IN DIFFERENT WORDS. PROBLEM IS A VSC ALARM WHICH SETS OFF INDICATORS FOR SKID, ABS, AND OTHER SYSTEMS WITH THE ECU COMPUTER CAUSING AN AUDIBLE ALARM AND MESSAGE TO CHECK VSC SYSTEM. ALARM SEEMS TO PARTIALLY DISABLE BRAKING SYSTEM. BRAKES BECOME MUSHY AND I BELIEVE FRONT BRAKES ARE DISABLED. I KNOW REAR BRAKES STILL OPERATE MECHANICALLY, AND BECAUSE ABS IS DISABLED, REAR BRAKES CAN LOCK UP AND SKID IF BRAKE PEDAL IS PUSHED HARD ENOUGH. STANDARD RESPONSE FROM TOYOTA/LEXUS IS TO REPLACE ECU COMPUTER. HOWEVER, AS YOU CAN SEE FROM ABOVE COMPLAINTS, THIS DOES NOT ALWAYS SOLVE THE PROBLEM. MY OWN COMPLAINT IS FOR MY 2006 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER HYBRID 4WD-I WITH APPROXIMATELY 54,000 MILES. I EXPERIENCED A ONE TIME VSC ALARM OVER 1 YEAR AGO WHEN THE ENGINE START BATTERY WAS DYING. TOYOTA DEALER TOLD ME TO REPLACE BATTERY AND SEE IF PROBLEM CONTINUED. I REPLACED BATTERY AND ALSO HAD ALL FOUR TIRES ROTATED. IMMEDIATELY AFTER I STARTED EXPERIENCING MORE VSC ALARMS AT A HIGHER RATE. THIS HAS OCCURRED WHILE DRIVING ON HIGHWAY AS WELL AS AT LOW SPEED. IT HAS ALSO OCCURRED BOTH WITH AND WITHOUT APPLYING THE BRAKE. 2 DIFFERENT TOYOTA DEALERS HAVE ATTEMPTED TO "ADJUST" SYSTEM TO STOP ALARMS WITHOUT SUCCESS. I HAVE GONE AS LONG AS 4 MONTHS WITHOUT AN ALARM AND THEN FOR NO REASON (NO SKID EVENT) ALARM RECURS. SOLUTION BOTH DEALERS HAVE NOW GIVEN IS TO REPLACE ECU. DUE TO FINANCES, I CAN NOT AFFORD NEW COMPUTER, SO I HAD A TOYOTA MECHANIC WITH 25 YEARS EXPERIENCE INSTALL TWO DIFFERENT USED COMPUTERS WITH NEITHER ONE SOLVING PROBLEM. AFTER EXAMINING THE INTERNET AND YOUR COMPLAINT BOARD I NOW REALIZE THAT THIS PROBLEM OCCURS ACROSS TOYOTA'S PRODUCT LINE AND THAT THERE IS NO CLEAR SOLUTION. I BELIEVE TOYOTA IS AWARE OF THE PROBLEM AND IS NOT ACKNOWLEDGING THAT THEY HAVE AN ECU COMPUTER PROBLEM. *TR

2006 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER HYBRID SOMETIMES SURGES FORWARD ON BRAKING. SEEMS UNPREDICTABLE AS TO WHEN IT MIGHT HAPPEN. BOTH MY WIFE & MYSELF HAVE EXPERIENCED THIS ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS. I WONDER IF IT IS RELATED TO THE OTHER SUDDEN ACCELERATION RECALL OF OTHER MODEL YEARS. I SEE THE 2007 TO 2010 CAMRY IS PART OF THE RECALL. MY UNDERSTANDING IS THAT THE HIGHLANDER SHARES A LOT OF PARTS WITH THAT MODEL. *TR

I OWN A 2006 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER LIMITED HYBRID, BOUGHT NEW, CURRENTLY WITH 40,000 MILES. THIS VEHICLE HAS GONE THROUGH TWO SETS OF TIRES. THE ORIGINAL TIRES, GOODYEAR INTEGRITY TIRES, WERE UNDER WARRANTY FOR 50,000 MILES, WERE REPLACED AT 23,390 MILES. AT THE TIME, I CONTACTED BOTH TOYOTA AND GOODYEAR TO ADVISE THEM OF THE PREMATURE TIRE WEAR. TOYOTA WAS DISMISSIVE, SAYING IT WAS NOT THEIR PROBLEM. GOODYEAR HONORED THEIR WARRANTY AND ISSUED CREDIT ON A REPLACEMENT SET OF GOODYEAR INTEGRITY TIRES. THE SECOND SET OF TIRES WAS REPLACED ON JANUARY 5, 2010 WITH ONLY 15,579 MILES ON THEM. IN THE FIRST REPLACEMENT, MY OUT-OF-POCKET COSTS WERE $445.62; RECENT COSTS WERE $547.12; TOTAL OUT-OF-POCKET COSTS FOR REPLACING PREMATURELY WORN GOODYEAR TIRES: $992.74 I AM BRINGING THIS MATTER TO YOUR ATTENTION FOR THREE REASONS: 1) UNLESS I AM THE ONLY 2006 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER LIMITED HYBRID OWNER WITH THIS ISSUE, I BELIEVE THE EVIDENCE SHOWS THAT THE SPECIFIED TIRES ARE INAPPROPRIATE FOR THE VEHICLE, AND THEY MAY PRESENT A SAFETY HAZARD, OR AT THE VERY LEAST, A GREAT INCONVENIENCE TO THE OWNER; (2) I BELIEVE HAVING TO REPLACE TIRES TWICE ON A VEHICLE WITH 40,000 MILES ON IT IS BOTH HIGHLY UNUSUAL AND ONEROUS; (3) GOODYEAR MAY BE OVERSTATING THEIR TIRE MILEAGE ESTIMATES, A WARRANTY FOR A TIRE WITH 50,000 MILES WHEN IN FACT, IT MAY ONLY GET HALF THAT IF NOT LESS. I RESPECTFULLY ASK THAT YOU INVESTIGATE THIS MATTER, IN THE INTEREST OF CONSUMER SAFETY AND SATISFACTION. AS FOR MYSELF, I SEEK REIMBURSEMENT FROM BOTH TOYOTA AND GOODYEAR FOR HAVING TO REPLACE TWO SETS OF TIRES ON A VEHICLE WITH ONLY 40,000 MILES ON IT. THANK YOU IN ADVANCE FOR YOUR TIME AND CONSIDERATION. PLEASE DON'T HESITATE TO CONTACT ME SHOULD YOU REQUIRE ANY ADDITIONAL INFORMATION. *TR

I PURCHASED A 2006 TOYOTA HYBRID HIGHLANDER FROM ALEXANDRIA TOYOTA. ALEXANDRIA, VA. OVER THE YEARS SINCE PURCHASE, I HAVE NOTICED PROBLEMS WITH A PECULIAR "FORWARD THRUST MOVEMENT" WITH ACTIVE BREAKING AND HAVE HAD IT IN THE SHOP SPECIFICALLY FOR THIS IN 2007, AS WELL AS MENTIONED IT AT ALL MANUFACTURER CHECKUP TIMES.THE DEALER DOWNLOADED SOME NEW TOYOTA ?DRIVE TRAIN COMPUTERIZED PROGRAM ONCE (?2007) TO CORRECT THE PROBLEM, BUT THE PROBLEM INTERMITTENTLY CONTINUES. HERE IS A SPECIFIC EXAMPLE WHICH OCCURRED CHRISTMAS EVE WHEN APPLYING THE BRAKES PRIOR TO THE STOP SIGN AT THE END OF OUR STREET. I APPLIED THE BRAKES BUT THE CAR DID NOT STOP, INSTEAD IT "THRUST ITSELF", FOR LACK OF BETTER WORD, FURTHER FORWARD WHILE BREAKS WERE APPLIED, FORCING ME TO SLAM ON THE BRAKES TO AVOID BUSY CROSS STREET ONCOMING TRAFFIC. UPON SLAMMING THE BREAKS ALL THE WAY DOWN AND HOLDING, THE CAR REACTED CORRECTLY AND STOPPED. INCHES AWAY FROM A CAR TRAVELING AT 35 MPH OR MORE. OUR STREET ROAD WAS NOT WET NOR DID IT HAVE ICE: THE CAR MOTION WAS NOT ONE OF A SLIPPERY SLIDE. THE AMBIENT TEMPERATURE WAS 40F. MY TEENS WERE IN THE CAR, AND THE PASSENGER SEATED TEEN OBSERVED THE SITUATION. SHE HAS SIMILARLY REPORTED THIS TENDENCY TO "GO FORWARD" WITH BRAKING RATHER THAN SLOW, AND THE NEED TO PRESS HARD. I WAS NATURALLY UPSET AT THIS NEAR MISS OCCURRENCE CHRISTMAS EVE. I PERSONALLY HAVE HAD THIS HAPPEN AT LEAST A HALF A DOZEN TIMES AS I CAN RECALL SINCE PURCHASE. I CALLED TOYOTA WHEN IT FIRST HAPPENED TO REPORT IT WITHOUT SATISFACTION. I WENT TO MY DEALER WITHOUT CORRECTION OR RECOGNITION OF IT BEING A PROBLEM. THE RECENT REPORTS ON FELLOW TOYOTA BRANDS HAVE ME WORRIED. ANY CAR THAT GOES FORWARD RATHER THAN STOP UNDER CERTAIN CONDITIONS WHEN BREAKS ARE APPLIED IS WORRISOME. PLEASE INCLUDE YOUR EVALUATION OF THE HIGHLANDER HYBRID IN YOUR REVIEW. IS TOYOTA AWARE AND NOT TELLING US? I WANT NHTSA TO KNOW ABOUT THIS AND I APPRECIATE ANY HELP YOU HAVE TO OFFER. *TR

TODAY MY REAR WINDOW ON DRIVER'S SIDE MALFUNCTIONED DUE TO THE CONNECTING TAB OUT OF ALIGNMENT. I DO NOT HAVE CHILDREN, I AM THE SOLE DRIVER OF THIS VEHICLE, SO EXPLAIN TO ME HOW A 3 YEAR OLD AUTO THAT IS NOT ABUSED,THAT ALL OF A SUDDEN I HAVE A BILL FOR $160.89 TO COGGIN TOYOTA AT THE AVENUES, JACKSONVILLE,FL. I AM RECENTLY WIDOWED, ON A FIXED INCOME AND IN THE PROCESS OF MOVING WITH ONE OF MY CHILDREN. LOVE THE CAR, DRIVES LIKE A DREAM, NO PREVIOUS MAJOR PROBLEMS. I WOULD APPRECIATE CONSIDERING SOME COMPENSATION REGARDING THIS BILL THAT COMES AT A VERY EMOTIONAL TIME OF MY LIFE. PLEASE CONSIDER MY REQUEST. *TR

I WAS IN A PARKING LOT, MADE A RIGHT TURN TO PULL INTO A PARKING SPACE. I SLOWED DOWN BUT IT SEEMED THE CAR ACCELERATED. IN A MATTER OF SECONDS, THE CAR WENT THROUGH A ROW OF BUSHES AND SLAMMED INTO A TREE. THE ENTIRE FRONT END OF THE CAR HAD TO BE REPLACED. *TR