2016 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER Complaints

COMPLAINT FILES 3/18/2019 COMPLAINT # 11189699 ALL WHEEL DRIVE SYSTEM FAILS IN WET WEATHER. SNOW OR SLUSH OR HEAVY RAIN. FAILURE 7 TIMES. RESETS ITSELF WHEN WEATHER DRY. SENSOR IS CRACKED OR FAULTY. DEALER SAYS OWNER COST. IT SEEMS A TOYOTA FACTORY DEFECT AND SEVERE SAFETY ISSUE. HAPPENS WHEN DRIVING IN SEVERE WEATHER AND MOUNTAIN PASSES IN COLORADO. PLEASE ADVISE

TWICE THE AWD SYSTEM HAS FAILED. 12/28/2016 AND MARCH 17/ 2019. THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT COMES ON THE THE 4WD SHUTS DOWN ALONG WITH THE TRAC AND VEHICLE STABILITY SYSTEM. UNDER BOTH TIMES THE CAR WAS BEING OPERATED IN EXTREME WEATHER CONDITIONS OF DEEP HEAVY SNOW, SLUSH, ICE AND MUD. THE VEHICLE WILL NOT ALLOW THE WHEELS TO SPINS ENABLING ME TO KEEP MOVING IN THE HAZARDOUS CONDITIONS. I NEEDED TO SHIFT BETWEEN 1, 2 AND 3 GEARS TO ENGAGE THE HIGHER REVS TO SPINS THE TIRE TO KEEP THE CAR FROM GETTING STUCK OR SLIDING OFF THE ROAD. IN BOTH INSTANCES I WAS IN REMOTE, ISOLATED AREAS WITH NO HELP AND NO CELL SERVICE. THE DECEMBER 2016 INSTANCES WAS REPAIRED BY A TOYOTA DEALER IN OMAHA. DEALER COULD NOT READILY UNDERSTAND HOW THE PROBLEM INITIATED.

THE WINDSHIELD CRACKED BY THE DEFROSTER. FROM THE CENTER OF THE WINDSHIELD. THE BREAK IS ON THE INSIDE GOING DOWN TO THE DEFROSTER AND THEN ACROSS THE DRIVERS SIDE OF THE WINDSHIELD. THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED, THE WHEN IT WAS STARTED, THE DEFROSTER WAS PUT ON HIGH FAN. AFTER A FEW MINUTES THE CRACK APPEARED IN THE CENTER GOING DOWN TOWARDS THE DEFROSTER AND THEN ACROSS THE LOWER PORTION OF THE WINDSHIELD ON THE DRIVERS SIDE.

VEHICLE REAR WINDSHIELD EXPLODED FOR NOT REASON. VEHICLE WAS PARKED FOR TWO DAYS SAME SPOT IN HOME FENCE AREA AND I STARTED IT AND SHUT THE DRIVER DOOR AND IMMEDIATELY HEARD A SOUND AND LOOKED THE REAR MIRROR AND IT WAS GONE MEANING COMPLETE SHATTERED IN PIECES. I HAVE PICTURE TO CLARIFY THE DAMAGE AND TOYOTA COURTESY DEALER DECLINE TO REPAIR IT SINCE THERE IS NO RECALL. I USUALLY HAVE MY GRANDCHILDREN WITH ME IN THE VEHICLE SO YOU COULD IMAGING HOW DESPERATE IT WOULD HAVE BEEN FOR MY FAMILY AT THAT MOMENT IF THEY WERE WITH ME. PLEASE ASSIST ME WITH THIS ISSUE AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. THERE ARE SOMETIME THAT THIS CAN BE EXPEDITED WHEN IT IS A SAFETY HAZARD AND THIS ISSUE IS ONE OF THEM. THANK YOU!

BRAKES HAVE A SLIGHT VIBRATION WHEN TRAVELING AT HIGH SPEEDS IN THE CITY AND SOMEONE IS STOPPED ON THE FREEWAY. MY LIGHTS HAVE DIMMED DRAMATICALLY SINCE I FIRST PURCHASED NEW. THE PASSENGER SIDE DAYTIME RUNNING LIGHT IS FULL OF MOISTURE. MOST IMPORTANTLY, THE TEMPERATURE SENSOR AND/OR AC FAN/MOTOR IS HALFWAY FUNCTIONING AT 38K! BY THIS, I MEAN THAT THE AC IN THE FRONT OF THE CAR KICKS ON AND OFF IN THE MIDDLE OF COOLING AND IT BLOWS 50% OF WHAT IT DID WHEN I BOUGHT THE CAR. CONVENIENT TOYOTA?

I WAS JUST PROCEEDING FROM A STOP AT A 4 WAY INTERSECTION GO VERY SLOWLY WHEN I RECEIVED A WARNING ON MY DASHBOARD SAYING "EPS FAILURE, STEERING WHEEL HARDER TO TURN". I WAS THEN PHYSICALLY UNABLE TO TURN THE STEERING WHEEL, ALMOST AS IF THE POWER STEERING WAS DISABLED. THIS WAS AT AN EXTREMELY BUSY INTERSECTION AND I ALMOST HIT A TELEPHONE POLE. EVEN WHEN TRYING TO BACK UP AND TURN, MY VEHICLE WAS UNABLE TO STEER OTHER THAN GOING STRAIGHT FORWARD AND BACK. AFTER TURNING THE VEHICLE OFF AND RESTARTING IT, THE ERROR WENT AWAY AND MY STEERING RESUMED AS NORMAL, BUT I SMELLED A BURNING SMELL. THIS WAS A VERY SCARY INCIDENT AND I COULD HAVE BEEN SERIOUSLY INJURED IF I HAD HIT THE TELEPHONE POLE, IF I HAD BEEN GOING FASTER, OR SOMEONE IN THE INTERSECTION COULD HAVE HIT ME. THERE WAS A RECALL FOR THIS EXACT ISSUE IN THE 2015 MODEL AND IT SHOULD PROBABLY BE EXPANDED AS THIS ISSUE SEEMS TO EXIST WITH THE 2016 MODEL AS WELL.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2016 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER. WHILE DRIVING 50 MPH, THE BRAKES MALFUNCTIONED WHEN THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER (PRIORITY TOYOTA SPRINGFIELD, 7601 LOISDALE RD, SPRINGFIELD, VA 22150, (703) 269-1400) TO BE DIAGNOSED, BUT NO FAILURE WAS FOUND. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 30,000.

I WAS STOPPED AND IN PARK WITH THE VEHICLE RUNNING WHEN THE "CHECK VSC SYSTEM," "CHECK ABS, BRAKE MALFUNCTION" WARNING LIGHTS CAME ON. THEY HAVE SINCE GONE AWAY AND RETURNED INTERMITTENTLY. FORTUNATELY, THERE WAS NO FAILURE WHILE IN MOTION, BUT DEALER ESTIMATED $4600 FOR REPAIR. IF THIS IS THE SAME PROBLEM FOR WHICH WARRANTY COVERAGE WAS EXTENDED FOR 2006-07 MODELS, THIS APPEARS TO BE AN ONGOING ISSUE.

STOPPED IN INTERSECTION WAITING TO MAKE A LEFT TURN. WHEN ATTEMPTING TO ACCELERATE ENGINE DID NOT START HYBRID WARNING STATED HYBRID SYSTEM FAILURE STOP IMMEDIATELY. GLIDED TO A PARKING SPACE. ATTEMPTED TO RESTART ENGINE CONTINUE TO GET SAME WARNING. AFTER THREE ATTEMPTS CALLED AAA AND TOYOTA DEALERSHIP. I WAS URGED TO TOW THE VEHICLE. AFTER APPROXIMATELY 20 MINUTES, ATTEMPTED TO START AGAIN THE VEHICLE TURNED ON AS IF NOTHING HAPPENED. ALL WARNING LIGHTS AT THAT TIME WERE EXTINGUISHED. DEALERSHIP FOUND A GENERAL WARNING ON VEHICLE COMPUTER. DEALERSHIP COULD FIND NOTHING WRONG WITH THE VEHICLE.

WHILE PARKING IN A PUBLIC PARKING LOT, AT IDLE SPEED, THE BRAKES DID NOT STOP FORWARD PROGRESS. CAR STRUCK THE CURBING, CLIMBED ONTO THE DIVIDER, CROSSED THE DIVIDER AND BUMPED A PARKED CAR ON THE OTHER SIDE. WHILE THE CAR WAS IN MOTION, I PUMPED THE BRAKES, AND PUSHED THE GEAR SHIFT LEVER INTO THE PARK POSITION. AFTER VEHICLE STOPPED, I REVERSED CAREFULLY, WHEN THE VEHICLE CAME OFF THE DIVIDER, I SET THE FOOT BRAKE. AFTER TURNING OFF THE ENGINE, I OPENED THE HOOD AND MY SON AND I CHECKED THE BRAKE FLUID IN THE MASTER CYLINDER. IT WAS FULL. RESTARTED THE VEHICLE, PRESSED THE BRAKE PEDAL AND HAD MY SON CHECK THE DISTANCE OF THE PEDAL TO THE FLOOR OF THE VEHICLE. IT WAS ALMOST ON THE FLOOR. I CALLED AAA AND HAD THE VEHICLE TOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP. HAVE CONTACTED TOYOTA AND FILED A CLAIM WITH TOYOTA.