2006 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER Complaints

I PURCHASED A TOYOTA HIGHLANDER SPORT 4 MONTHS AGO. I BOUGHT THE V6 ENGINE. I BECAME CONCERNED ABOUT A HESITATION PROBLEM WHERE THE CAR HOLDS BACK WHEN STARTING FROM A STOP AND THEN LURCHES. THIS IS DANGEROUS AT STOP LIGHTS AND ENTERING FREEWAYS. THE TOYOTA DEALER SAYS THE CAR DOES THIS ON PURPOSE BUT THEY DON'T KNOW WHY. THIS SOUNDS LIKE AN EXCISE FOR A FLAW IN THE DESIGN. I CHECKED WWW.CARSURVEY.COM, WHICH LISTS CONSUMER COMPLAINTS AND FOUND MANY COMPLAINTS ABOUT THE EXACT SAME PROBLEM. THIS IS CLEARLY A SAFETY ISSUE THAT TOYOTA IS IGNORING!! PLEASE DO SOMETHING AND CHECK THE ABOVE SITE TO SEE MORE COMPLAINTS. THANK YOU GARY MACKMAN. *NM

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED THE KEY FOB ONLY WORKED INTERMITTENTLY TO OPEN THE DRIVER DOOR. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A SERVICE DEALER, WHO WAS UNABLE TO DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM. THE VEHICLE WAS THEN TAKEN TO A SECOND SERVICE DEALER, WHO STATED THAT THE KEY FOB WAS RECEIVING INTERFERENCE FROM THE SURROUNDING ENVIRONMENT. THE MANUFACTURER WAS ALSO NOTIFIED. UPDATED 12/15/06. *JB

IN MY HIGHLANDER HYBRID, WHEN TRAVELING AT SPEEDS OF 0-15 MILES PER HOUR HOLDING THE STEERING WHEEL STRAIGHT AND FIRMLY WITH BOTH HANDS IF FULL THROTTLE IS UTILIZED, THE VEHICLE WILL PULL UNCONTROLLABLY TO THE RIGHT THEN BACK TO THE LEFT. ON 3 DIFFERENT OCCASIONS, I ALMOST SIDE SWIPED A VEHICLE ON THE PASSENGER SIDE OF THE CAR. I REPORTED THIS PROBLEM TO MY DEALER AND THEN TOOK MY VEHICLE TO THE DEALER TO TEST DRIVE AND VERIFY THE PROBLEM, WHICH THEY DID. THE DEALER RESPONSE WAS" IT IS JUST THE WAY THE VEHICLE IS AND THEY ALL DO THIS" AND "UNLESS A WARNING LIGHT COMES ON THERE IS NOTHING THEY CAN DO". SO NOW I AM AFRAID TO ACCELERATE WHEN NEEDED DUE TO LACK OF CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE. TOYOTA IS SENDING A FACTORY REP OUT TO EVALUATE THE VEHICLE. *NM

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE TRAVELING 35 MPH ON A CLEAR DAY WITH DRY ROAD CONDITIONS, THE VEHICLE ENTERED INTO AN INTERSECTION WITH A GREEN LIGHT AND WAS STRUCK BY ANOTHER VEHICLE, AT THE LEFT FRONT WHEEL, FORCED ACROSS TWO LANES AND THE FRONT OF THE VEHICLE STRUCK A CONCRETE LIGHT POLE, HEAD ON. THE SEAT BELT WAS WORN, BUT THE FRONTAL AIRBAGS FAILED TO DEPLOY. A POLICE REPORT WAS TAKEN AND THE INSURANCE CLAIMS ADJUSTER HAD PHOTOS OF THE VEHICLE. THE SERVICE DEALER AND MANUFACTURER WERE NOTIFIED. UPDATED 12/26/06. *JB

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING 20 MPH ON RAINY, WET AND SLIPPERY CONDITIONS, AN APPROACHING VEHICLE STRUCK THE CONTACT'S VEHICLE ON THE PASSENGER SIDE. THE CONTACT'S VEHICLE SPUN AND WAS THROWN ONTO THE CURB. THE CONTACT LOST CONSCIOUSNESS FOR A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME. A SEATBELT WAS WORN AND NONE OF THE 6 AIRBAGS DEPLOYED. THERE WAS NO WARNING SIGNALS PRIOR TO THE INCIDENT. THE VEHICLE WAS PARTIALLY WRECKED ON THE PASSENGER SIDE, AND A POLICE REPORT WAS TAKEN. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED AND PROMISED A CALL BACK WITHIN 2 BUSINESS DAYS. THE CONSUMER WAS TOLD BY TOYOTA THAT THE FORCE WAS NOT STRONG ENOUGH FOR THE AIRBAGS TO DEPLOY. UPDATED 10/30/06. *JB

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE MAKING AN EMERGENCY STOP AFTER TRAVELING 25 MPH, THE STEERING WHEEL LOCKED UP WHEN THE BRAKES WERE APPLIED. THE STEERING REMAINED LOCKED AFTER THE COLLISION, ALTHOUGH THERE WAS INSUFFICIENT DAMAGE TO INTERFERE WITH THE WHEELS. NO INJURIES WERE SUSTAINED. A POLICE REPORT WAS TAKEN AND THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE SERVICE DEALER. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED AND AN INVESTIGATOR WAS SENT TO INSPECT THE VEHICLE. UPDATED 10/30/06. *JB *NM THE CONSUMER THE ECU HAS BEE REPLACED THREE TIMES. THE LAST REPLACEMENT OCCURRED ON FEBRUARY 9, 2009. THE CONSUMER ALSO REMEMBERED WHEN HE SLAMMED ON THE BRAKE, THERE WAS NO PULSATING SENSATION IN THE PEDAL AS THERE SHOULD HAVE BEEN WITH A VEHICLE THAT HAS ABS. UPDATED 04/08/10.*JB

SINCE I OWNED THE CAR IN SPEEDS BETWEEN 40 AND 45 MPH THERE IS A HESITATION BACK AND FOURTH THIS IS A HYBRID HIGHLANDER 2006 REPORTED IT TWICE NO FIX YET. *NM

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING 65 MPH A METAL SHEET HIT THE GAS TANK CREATING A HOLE. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER WHERE THE GAS TANK WAS OBSERVED TO BE 3/4 COVERED IN METAL AND 1/4 COVERED IN PLASTIC. THE HOLE WAS CREATED IN THE PLASTIC PORTION OF THE GAS TANK. THE DEALER DETERMINED THAT THE GAS TANK MET THE NHTSA FMVSS THEREFORE REPAIRS WOULD NOT BE FREE OF CHARGE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS ALSO ALERTED. *NM

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE BRAKE PRESSURE WAS APPLIED AT 5 MPH INTO A PARKING SPACE, THE VEHICLE LURCHED FORWARD AND JUMPED OVER A CURB WITHOUT WARNING. THE CONTACT SHIFTED THE VEHICLE IN REVERSE AND THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY ACCELERATED BACKWARDS WHILE CONSTANT BRAKE PRESSURE WAS APPLIED. THE VEHICLE CRASHED INTO ANOTHER PARKED VEHICLE WHERE IT CAME TO A FINAL STOP. THE CONTACT WAS WEARING A SEAT BELT, BUT NO INJURIES WERE SUSTAINED. THERE WAS MODERATE DAMAGE TO THE REAR BUMPER AND RIGHT PASSENGER SIDE PANEL OF THE VEHICLE. THE POLICE WERE ALERTED AND A REPORT WAS TAKEN. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A DEALER WHO WAS UNABLE TO DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM. THE MANUFACTURER WAS ALERTED.

2006-TOYOTA HIGHLANDER-3.3V-6 WITH 5-SPEED AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION ERRATIC SHIFTING AND HESITATION AT SLOW SPEED WHEN LETTING OFF ACCELERATOR AND THEN REAPPLYING TRANSMISSION. VEHICLE STAYS IN BETWEEN GEARS AND HESITATES. ONCE IT GETS INTO GEAR THE VEHICLE LUNGES FORWARD, MAKING IT NECESSARY TO APPLY THE BRAKES HARD. THIS IS PARTICULARLY DANGEROUS IN STOP AND GO TRAFFIC. I GET NERVOUS WHEN TRYING TO MERGE INTO HIGHWAY TRAFFIC BECAUSE I DON'T KNOW HOW THE ACCELERATOR WILL RESPOND AT ANY GIVEN MOMENT. IT IS AN ACCIDENT WAITING TO HAPPEN. I NOTIFIED TOYOTA AND THEY TOLD ME TO WORK THROUGH THE DEALER. I NOTIFIED THE DEALER AND THEY ARE GOING TO TAKE A LOOK AT IT. AFTER READING THE MANY POSTS ON THE INTERNET ABOUT THE SAME PROBLEM, IT SEEMS TOYOTA AND THE DEALER SERVICE DEPARTMENTS ARE TELLING CUSTOMERS THAT THE VEHICLE WAS DESIGNED TO ACT THIS WAY. THE DEALERSHIPS THAT TRY TO REPROGRAM THE CHIP THAT CONTROLS ACCELERATION ARE NOT HAVING ANY LUCK FIXING THE PROBLEM. THE PROBLEM RETURNS SOMETIMES WORSE THAN IT WAS BEFORE. AT PRESENT THERE IS NO RECALL AND NO TSB. THE 'FIX' SEEMS TO BE BASED ON EXPERIMENTATION NOT FACT. I WILL GIVE THE DEALER A CHANCE BUT I HAVE BEEN DOWN THIS ROAD BEFORE. SINCE THERE IS NO FIX AND TOYOTA IS NOT WILLING TO ADMIT TO DEFECT, I FEAR I WILL BE FACING MANY VISITS TO THE DEALER GETTING A LOT OF LIP SERVICE WITHOUT ANY ACTION. I AM SURPRISED THAT TOYOTA, THE BEACON OF QUALITY, IS IGNORING THIS POTENTIALLY SERIOUS SAFETY PROBLEM. LETS NOT WAIT FOR THE ACCIDENT TO SPURN A RECALL OR INVESTIGATION. HOW ABOUT CAR COMPANIES GET PROACTIVE FOR A CHANGE. *JB