2005 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER Complaints

BRAKES MADE METAL/METAL GRINDING NOISE. FOUND REAR BRAKE ROTORS BADLY CORRODED. APPROX. 30% OF BOTH ROTORS FUNCTIONAL. SEVENTY PERCENT CAKED WITH THICK RUST. DRIVER'S SIDE REAR CALIPER SLIDER PIN STUCK. FRONT BRAKES DID MOST OF WORK, THEREFORE PADS ARE PREMATURELY WORN. IN DECADES OF DRIVING, I'VE NEVER HAD BRAKE WORK BEFORE 80,000 MILES. CAR IS USED ALMOST DAILY AND ALWAYS GARAGED. ROTOR CASTINGS ARE DEFECTIVE AND SHOULD HAVE BEEN RECALLED. BRAKES HAVE BEEN INSPECTED BY TOYOTA DEALER EVERY 6 MONTHS. NO PROBLEMS WERE REPORTED, BUT CORROSION IS SEVERE, THICK WITH FLAKING. I HAVE DEALER SERVICE RECORDS AND PHOTOS TO SUPPORT MY SAFETY CONCERNS. TOYOTA RECALLED 130,000 VEHICLES IN CHINA BECAUSE OF A DEFECT IN THE REAR WHEEL DISK BRAKES WHICH COULD POSSIBLY RUST. PERHAPS SOME OF THESE ROTORS FOUND THEIR WAY ON TO OUR HIGHLANDER. MY FAMILY AND I HAVE BEEN DRIVING AN ACCIDENT WAITING TO HAPPEN. THANKFULLY, NO EMERGENCY STOPS HAVE BEEN REQUIRED. HOW MANY OTHER HIGHLANDERS HAVE CORRODED, UNSAFE, BRAKE ROTORS? UPDATED IVOQ 01/26/12 *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER. IN APRIL 2011, THE DEALER SERVICED THE VEHICLE AND INFORMED THE CONTACT THAT THE FRONT BRAKES WERE LOCKED. THE DEALER REPLACED THE CALIPERS. IN AUGUST 2011, THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN BACK TO THE DEALER FOR SERVICE AND WAS TOLD THAT THE REAR CALIPERS HAD RUSTED AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE DEALER PERFORMED THE REPAIRS. THE CONTACT WAS CONCERNED ABOUT PREMATURE WEAR OF THE BRAKES AND STATED THAT IT WAS A SAFETY ISSUE SINCE THE FAILURE CONTINUED TO OCCUR. THE MANUFACTURER WAS AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 60,000. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 56,800.

CAR LOSS CONTROL DUE TO ELECTRICAL POWER IS GONE. CAR LOSS SPEED AT 45MPH AND HAS TO PULL OVER AND STOP. DIAGNOSIS LATTER FOUND BATTERY IS GOOD, BUT ALTERNATOR IS BAD. IN MY CASE, BATTERY WAS REPLACED 2 YEARS AGO. *TR

MY 2005 LIMITED EDITION TOYOTA HIGHLANDER HAS MULTIPLE ISSUES. THE RIGHT CALIBER IS STICKING, WHICH HAS CAUSED HEAT AND WARPING IN THE HUB SYSTEM AND AFFECTED THE ABS SENSOR. THESE WILL BOTH NEED TO BE REPLACED AT A COST OF OVER $1000. THE FRONT STRUTS ARE LEAKING. THE LARGEST PROBLEM IS WITH THE TRANSMISSION WHICH HAS SOME TYPE OF INTERIOR PROBLEM. IT IS SUGGESTED THAT I REPLACE THE TRANSMISSION. THE COST TO REPAIR THIS, BASED ON WHAT THE TOYOTA SHOP SAID WAS $3400-$4600. MY CAR HAS ABOUT 94,000 MILES ON IT. THE BRAKE ISSUES WITH THE CALIBER, ROTERS, AND HUB SYSTEM WILL GET REPLACED NEXT WEEK. THE TRANSMISSION REPAIR WILL NOT BE REPAIRED AT THIS TIME UNLESS THE TOYOTA GOODWILL PETITION GOES THROUGH. THE COST IS TOO GREAT. *TT

SEAT BELT ARE FRAYED AND COMING APART. I HAVE CONTACTED MY LOCAL TOYOTA DEALER AS WELL AS TOYOTA COSTUMER SERVICE AND WAS TOLD THE CAR IS OUT OF WARRANTY AND IT IS NO LONGER THEIR RESPONSIBILITY. THEY SAID THEY'D BE HAPPY TO CHANGE THE SEAT BELTS, AND THEN HANDED ME A HEFTY QUOTE. THANKS TOYOTA, GLAD YOU CARE. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER. THE CONTACT STATED HE HEARD A CLANKING NOISE WHEN DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 10 MPH. THE CONTACT ALSO STATED HE COULD FEEL A BUMP IN THE STEERING COLUMN DURING THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE RECURRED WHENEVER TURNS WERE MADE AT LOW SPEEDS. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO THE DEALER TO HAVE THE FAILURE DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 141,000.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS STARTED AND AS THE CONTACT SHIFTED INTO DRIVE, THE VEHICLE ABNORMALLY ACCELERATED AND CRASHED INTO A HOUSE. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED BUT NO INJURIES WERE REPORTED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT YET TAKEN TO HAVE THE FAILURE DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 79,000.

I OWN 2005 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER ON MAY 09,2011 I WAS GETTING ON THE FREE WAY AND ACCELERATED TO MERGE INTO THE FREEWAY , I REALIZED THAT THE CAR WAS GOING FULL SPEED AND THAT THE GAS PEDAL HAD GOTTEN STUCK. I WAS ABLE TO EXIT AND PRESS THE BRAKE WITH BOTH FEET, PUSHED IN THE EMERGENCY BRAKE AND PULLED OUT THE KEY. I DON'T KNOW HOW I WAS ABLE TO STOP THE CAR AND WAS LUCKY TO FIND AN EXIT THAT GAVE ME MORE TIME TO STOP THE CAR. THE HEATER, AIR CONDITION, RADIO AND CD PLAYER ALL ORIGINAL STOPPED WORKING ONE YEAR AGO. I HAD THE CAR TOWED TO THE HAYWARD TOYOTA DEALER AND THEY KEPT IT UNTIL MAY 11,2011.THE MANAGER FROM THE SERVICES DEPARTMENT CALLED ME TO INFORM ME THAT IT WAS READY TO BE PICKED UP AND THAT I NEEDED TO PAY THEM $120.00 FOR RUNNING THE TESTS ON THE CAR. HE STATED THAT NOTHING WAS FOUND AND THAT I NEEDED TO PICK THE CAR UP. I HAVE TWO YOUNG CHILDREN AND I HAD A BAD SCARE AND COULD HAVE ENDED IN A TERRIBLE ACCIDENT, UNTIL TODAY I HAVE NIGHTMARES OF THE INDECENT. I STATED MY CONCERN TO THE MANAGER THAT I DID NOT FEEL SAFE DRIVING THE CAR WITH MY CHILDREN AND LOVED ONES. HE SAID THAT I COULD TRADE IT IN. I INFORMED HIM THAT I STILL PAY THE CAR AND HAVE A LOAN BALANCE OF $15,000.00 WITH THE BANK I AM DRIVING A RENTAL CAR AND HAVE TO PAY $19.00 PER DAY BECAUSE THE TOYOTA SERVICE MANAGER COULD NOT GIVE ME A RENTER CAR FOR LESS THAN $25.00 PER DAY. I AM A SINGLE MOTHER WITH TWO CHILDREN AND CAN NOT AFFORD A NEW CAR LOAN. I AM REQUESTING THAT TOYOTA PAYS ME THE BLUE BOOK VALUE OF MY CAR AND TAKE THEIR CAR BACK. I DO NOT FEEL SAFE DRIVING MY CAR AND I AM VERY CONCERN OF THE SAFETY OF MY FAMILY. I ASK THAT YOU PLEASE TAKE TIME TO INVESTIGATE MY URGENT MATTER. [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

RUN AWAY THROTTLE AND NO ABILITY TO BRAKE 2005 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER CAUSING CRASH INTO HOUSE WALL AND FRONT END DAMAGE TO CAR I TOOK FOOT OF GAS PEDAL AND MOVED TO BRAKE CAR CONTINUED AT SAME SPEED IT WAS TRAVELING AND BRAKE PEDDLE WAS APPLIED HARD AND NO EFFECT. CAR STRUCK HOUSE AND PUSHED ON THE WALL A MOMENT THEN DROPPED TO IDLE. *TR

2005 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER. CONSUMER STATES THE STEERING COLUMN WAS MAKING A CLICKING NOISE EACH TIME THE STEERING WHEEL WAS TURNED *TGW THE VEHICLE WAS INSPECTED AND IT WAS DETERMINED THE STEERING COLUMN NEEDED TO BE LUBRICATED, BUT THERE WAS NO WAY TO LUBRICATE IT, TO ELIMINATE THE SOUND. THE CONSUMER WAS ADVISED IT WAS NOT A SAFETY ISSUE, BUT THE ONLY WAY TO CORRECT IT, WAS TO INSTALL A NEW STEERING BOX WHICH WOULD COST BETWEEN $400-500.