2001 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER Complaints

THIS IS NOT A SAFETY COMPLAINT. IT IS AN ATTEMPT TO GET TOYOTA MOTOR TO ADMIT A DEFECT IN MANY OF THEIR ENGINES. OIL AND COOLANT LEAKING FROM THE ENGINE OF MY 2001 HIGHLANDER. I WAS TOLD BY TOYOTA SERVICE THAT THEY FOUND 3 STRIPPED HEAD BOLTS WHICH CAUSE THE LEAK AND IT ENDED UP COSTING ME $3,500 TO REPAIR THE HEAD AND BLOCK. NO GUARANTEE THAT THE BOLTS WOULD NOT SKIP OUT AGAIN. I HAVE READ A GROWING NUMBER OF COMPLAINTS FROM TOYOTA OWNERS WHO HAVE FACED THE SAME PROBLEM AND TOYOTA REFUSES TO HELP OR ADMIT THAT THIS MAYBE A ENGINE FLAW. *TR

BEGAN TO FILL THE TOYOTA HIGHLANDER WITH GAS, AND NOTICED GASOLINE POURING OUT UNDERNEATH THE VEHICLE. THE DEALERSHIP INFORMED ME THE RUBBER HOSE WHICH CONNECTS THE FILLER NOZZLE TO THE GAS TANK HAD SPLIT. THEY WOULD HAVE TO REPLACE THIS RUBBER HOSE. THIS SEEMS LIKE A MAJOR SAFETY ISSUE, SINCE IF A NON-MOVING PART CAN SPLIT LIKE THIS, WHAT COULD HAPPEN IN AN ACCIDENT, WHERE STRESS COULD BE APPLIED THAT WOULD MORE EASILY CAUSE FAILURE AND A GAS LEAK. *TR

THE CAR ACCIDENT IN WHICH I WAS INVOLVED IN HAD SUSPICIOUS ACTIVITIES THAT FOLLOWED, FOR EXAMPLE, FINANCE COMPANY REPOSSESSED MY VEHICLE ALTHOUGH MY PAYMENTS WERE CURRENT. RECENTLY, WHILE RESEARCHING VEHICLE RECALLS, I FOUND THAT MY 2001 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER HAD A HYDRAULIC BRAKE RECALL. THE ACCIDENT CAUSED INJURIES AS WELL AS TOTALING OUT TWO VEHICLES. I WAS DRIVING ON FWY WHEN I HAD TO STOP SUDDENLY DUE TO CONSTRUCTION TRAFFIC. MY HIGHLANDER'S BRAKES WENT TO THE FLOOR WHICH MADE IT IMPOSSIBLE TO STOP. *TR

SHIRENE DUHANEY JUNE 13, 2008 ATTN: RECALLS/COMPLAINTS & INVESTIGATIONS DEAR SIR/MADAM: I AM WRITING BECAUSE I NEED ASSISTANCE WITH A DANGEROUS MATTER. MY VEHICLE IS A 2001 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER. I HAVE CONTACTED & VISITED THE DEALER. I HAVE HAD AN ATTORNEY WRITE TOYOTA MOTOR SALES USA, INC. AND NO RESOLVE. I HAVE PICTURES IF YOU'D LIKE TO SEE THEM. FOR DETAILS PLEASE SEE BELOW: I WANT THEM TO BE AWARE OF THE FACT THAT I TOOK MY VEHICLE TO PLAZA AUTO MALL ON 3/22/07. I SPOKE WITH ADVISOR LONNIE. THE REASON I BROUGHT MY CAR IN TO HAVE THEIR TECHNICIANS CHECK OUT MY VEHICLE BECAUSE I WAS CONCERNED ABOUT A LUMP IN MY STEERING WHEEL. IN ADDITION I WAS HAVING A RECALL TAKEN CARE OF. ACCORDING TO THE ADVISOR LONNIE 'HE SAID IT WAS NOT A PROBLEM AND IT WAS OK. HOWEVER, THE PRINT OUT THAT HE WANTED ME TO SIGN SAID 'LUMP IN STEERING WHEEL 'TECH FOUND AIR BAG DISTORTED 'NEEDS TO BE REPLACED. CUSTOMER DECLINED REPAIR.' THAT WAS NOT TRUE I WAS NEVER TOLD IT NEEDED REPAIR. I REFUSED TO SIGN THAT AND NOTED THAT ON THEIR COPY . THAT WAS UNSETTLING TO ME I RETURNED SHORTLY TO THE DEALERSHIP ON 4/5/07 AND DEALT WITH YET ANOTHER ADVISOR. HE RE-EXAMINED MY VEHICLE AND DETERMINED THAT IT WAS OK. HE GAVE ME A NEW FORM THAT SAID THAT THE CAR WAS OK. (ATTACHED ARE 2 COPIES OF TOYOTA PRINT OUTS BOTH OF WHICH SHOW A DISCREPANCY IN THE INFORMATION.) HOWEVER, IT IS STILL NOT SITTING WELL WITH ME. TOYOTA AS A CORPORATION NEEDS TO BE AWARE OF THIS. THIS MAY BE A DEFECT IN THEIR VEHICLE. THIS VEHICLE WAS PURCHASED BRAND NEW AND THERE HAVE BEEN SO MANY RECALLS. THIS MAY ALSO BE A RECALL THAT THE CORPORATION IS NOT AWARE OF. I WOULD LIKE TO HAVE THIS LOOKED INTO BY THE CORPORATION TO MAKE SURE THAT THE MY AIR BAG IS NOT MALFUNCTIONING. I NEED TO HAVE THIS FIXED. ASAP THIS IS A DANGEROUS SITUATION! SINCERELY, SHIRENE DUHANEY *TR

TOYOTA HIGHLANDER 2001, USING THE CELL PHONE CHARGER IN THE POWER OUTLET THE DASHBOARD CLOCK RESET A COUPLE TIMES, THE THIRD TIME ALL POWER TO THE CLOCK AND THE A/C DASHBOARD CONTROLS WAS RENDERED INOPERATIVE, DIAGNOSIS REVEALED THAT THE A/C AMPLIFIER WAS AFFECTED AND THE ENGINE CONTROL MODULE WAS AFFECTED BOTH RENDERED INOPERATIVE, REPLACED THE A/C AMPLIFIER BUT THE DEALER WILL REPLACE THE ENGINE CONTROL MODULE - ALL NEW PARTS. WAITING FOR THE ECM. *TR

2.4 (4CYL) ENGINE MAKING NOISE, SOUNDS LIKE ROD KNOCKING. TOYOTA DEALER SAID SAME THING. ENGINE BLEW UP AT 45 MPH. OIL WAS ALWAYS CHANGED AT APPROXIMATELY 3000 MILES. USED ON HIGHWAYS AND CITY STREETS. CONTACTED TOYOTA CORPORATE AND THEY DIDN'T SEEM TO CARE. OUT OF WARRANTY. NEVER HEARD OF A TOYOTA ENGINE BLOWING A ROD. THIS HIGHLANDER WAS IN EX. COND. TO SOLD AS JUNK NEVER BUY ANOTHER TOYOTA AGAIN !!!!!! *TR

WHEN SHIFTED TO REVERSE GEAR FROM PARKED CONDITION CAR ACCELERATED AND CAUSED CRASH TO THE REAR OF THE CAR TO WALL. *CN

SUN VISOR ON MY TOYOTA HIGHLANDER FALLS DOWN ALL THE TIME. PURCHASED BRAND NEW FROM THE DEALERSHIP. DEALERSHIP REFUSES TO FIX IT SINCE IT IS OUT OF WARRANTY. A LOT OF PEOPLE WITH THIS SAME PROBLEM. HAVE A SITE TO PROVE THAT A LOT OF PEOPLE WITH THE SAME ISSUE - SUN VISOR DRIVER SIDE FALLS DOWN WHEN DRIVING - CAUSES A SECURITY ISSUE. *JB

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER. THE CONTACT ATTEMPTED TO ROLL UP THE TWO REAR WINDOWS. SHE HEARD A LOUD NOISE AND WAS UNABLE TO ROLL UP THE WINDOWS. THE VEHICLE WAS NEVER INSPECTED TO DETERMINE THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE. THE CURRENT MILEAGE IS 53,000 ,AND FAILURE MILEAGE WAS UNKNOWN. *AK

WE BOUGHT OUR HIGHLANDER JUST OVER A YEAR AGO AND WE HAVE TO CONSTANTLY PUT OIL INTO VEHICLE. IT ONLY HAS 80,000 ON IT, AND WE HAVE TO PUT ABOUT A LITER OF OIL INTO IT EVERY OTHER WEEK. THE MANUFACTURER OF OUR AREA CHECKED IT TWICE, AND DETERMINED THAT WE NEED ANOTHER ENGINE, BUT THE COST WAS AROUND $7000 IN CANADIAN THAT ENGINE WOULD COME FROM JAPAN, AND IT WOULD BE A USED ONE, AND WOULD ONLY WARRANTY THAT FOR 1 YEAR. THEN WHAT AM COMPLETELY DISGUSTED!! WE PLAN ON GETTING RID OF THIS THING AS FAST AS POSSIBLE AND WILL NEVER BUY ANOTHER TOYOTA AGAIN..DO YOURSELVES A FAVOR AND TELL PEOPLE ABOUT THIS SO NO ONE GOES THIS .*AK