2002 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER Complaints

2002 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER DRIVER SIDE SUN VISOR WILL NOT STAY UP. IT FLOPS DOWN INTO YOUR VIEW EVERYTIME YOU HIT A BUMP. TOYOTA DEALER WANTED $650 TO FIX/REPLACE HERE IN INDIANAPOLIS. CAR ONLY HAS 60,000 MILES, THIS SHOULDN'T BE A PROBLEM THAT IS SO EXPENSIVE TO FIX. *TR

2002 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER. CONSUMER STATES PROBLEM WITH VEHICLE TIRES *TGW THE CONSUMER STATED ONE OF THE TIRES HE HAD PUT ON THE VEHICLE WERE PUNCTURED. THE CONSUMER STATED HE HAD THE GOODYEAR ROAD HAZARD PROTECTION PLAN. THE CONSUMER STATED LATER IN THE DAY, WHEN HE CONTACTED GOODYEAR, TO CHECK THE STATUS, HE WAS INFORMED THAT THE TIRES WERE WORN AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED IMMEDIATELY. THE CONSUMER STATED HE ONLY HAD 110,000 MILES AND ONLY 9,000 NEW MILES ON THEM. THE CONSUMER STATED HE EXPERIENCED THE PROBLEM BEFORE WHICH WAS WHY HE HAD TO PURCHASE NEW TIRES AFTER 20,000 AND ANOTHER TIME PRIOR TO THAT. (GOODYEAR FORTERA TRIPLETRED)*JB

SOME EARLIER MODELS OF TOYOTA'S 2AZ-FE 4 CYLINDER ENGINE ARE SUSCEPTIBLE TO SUDDEN FAILURE AND ARE DANGEROUS. THE ENGINE IS WIDELY USED IN TOYOTA'S POPULAR CAMRY, HIGHLANDER, RAV4 AND SCION TC MODELS. TOYOTA NEEDS TO ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY AND INVESTIGATE THE ENGINE. ON 9/11/2010, 2002 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER'S 2AZ-FE ENGINE FAILED AND LEFT OCCUPANTS STRANDED. EVENT TOOK PLACE IMMEDIATELY AFTER EXITING THE HIGHWAY. THE VEHICLE'S ENGINE SPUTTERED AND CEASED TO FUNCTION. THE VEHICLE HAD ABOUT 75,000 MILES ON IT. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A TOYOTA DEALERSHIP WHICH REPORTED THE FOLLOWING: - OIL AND COOLANT LEAKING FROM THE BACK OF THE ENGINE HEAD - HYDROCARBON IN THE COOLANT - OIL SEVERELY BURNT DUE TO OVERHEATING THE ESTIMATE TO OPEN UP AND REPAIR THE ENGINE COULD RUN ANYWHERE FROM $2,000 TO $7,500 DEPENDING ON WHETHER THE ENGINE BLOCK NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE HAD BEEN REGULARLY MAINTAINED ACCORDING TO THE MANUFACTURER'S SCHEDULE WITH ALL THE RECORDS TO PROVE IT. TOYOTA DENIED REQUEST TO INVESTIGATE AND DEFRAY COSTS. WHILE ENGINE WAS OPENED BY A LOCAL MECHANIC IT WAS DISCOVERED THAT TWO OF THE HEAD BOLTS WERE LOOSE AND THAT THE THREADS IN THE ALUMINUM ENGINE BLOCK FOR 3 HEAD BOLTS IN THE REAR WERE STRIPPED. REPAIRING THE ENGINE INVOLVED RE-THREADING THE HOLES IN THE ENGINE BLOCK FOR ALL TEN HEAD BOLTS USING THE TIME-SERT THREAD REPAIR KIT. *TR

2002 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER: BOTH DRIVER'S SIDE AND PASSENGER SIDE SUNVISORS WILL NOT STAY IN UP POSITION. THE VISORS DROP WITHOUT WARNING MULTIPLE TIMES EVERY DAY SINCE THE PROBLEM BEGAN TO OCCUR. THIS IS A SAFETY HAZARD AS THE DRIVER'S SIDE SUNVISOR RANDOMLY DROPS DOWN WITHOUT WARNING COMPLETELY OBSCURING THE DRIVER'S VISION. REPORTED THE DEFECT TO MY TOYOTA DEALER AND THEY INFORMED ME THAT THE ONLY OPTION WAS TO PAY FOR REPLACEMENTS AT A COST OF SEVERAL HUNDRED DOLLARS EACH. THIS ASSESSMENT WAS GIVEN WITHOUT ANY INSPECTION OF THE VEHICLE AND IN A MANNER WHICH STRONGLY IMPLIED THAT THIS WAS A PROBLEM WHICH THEY WERE VERY FAMILIAR WITH. AFTER SPEAKING TO TOYOTA, I DECIDED TO RESEARCH THIS FOR MYSELF ON THE WEB AND FOUND MANY SIMILAR INCIDENTS. THIS IS CLEARLY A DANGEROUS DESIGN DEFECT AND NEEDS TO BE REMEDIATED BY THE MANUFACTURER URGENTLY BEFORE SOMEONE'S FAMILY IS KILLED BECAUSE THE VISOR DROPS AND BLOCKS THEIR VIEW OF THE TRAFFIC AHEAD. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER LTD (N/A). WHILE DRIVING 60 MPH AND SPEEDING TO 70 MPH TO PASS ANOTHER VEHICLE, THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL STUCK AND WOULD NOT RELEASE. THE PASSENGER REMOVED THE FLOOR MATS BUT THE VEHICLE CONTINUED TO ACCELERATE RAPIDLY. THE CONTACT MANEUVERED THE VEHICLE TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD BY DEPRESSING THE BRAKE PEDAL FIRMLY, SHIFTING INTO NEUTRAL AND TURNING THE ENGINE OFF. THE RPMS CONTINUED TO INCREASE EXCESSIVELY. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER WHERE THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE THROTTLE BODY HAD CARBON AND BUILT UP CORROSION WHICH CAUSED THE FAILURE. THE CONTACT CALLED THE MANUFACTURER WHO OFFERED NO ASSISTANCE AS THE VEHICLE WAS TOO OLD, TOO HIGH IN MILEAGE AND NO LONGER UNDER WARRANTY. THE VIN WAS UNAVAILABLE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 218,000.

THE DRIVER'S SIDE VISOR ON MY 2002 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER WILL NOT STAY IN THE UP POSITION AND FALLS INTO THE DRIVER'S VIEW WHEN DRIVING OVER BUMPS. *TR

THE RIGHT BRAKE LIGHT REAR PASSENGER SIDE DOES NOT WORK. I HAVE CHANGED ALL BULBS AND CHECKED FUSES. ALL OTHER LIGHT IN THE ASSEMBLY WORK JUST FINE TAIL,BACKUP,RIGHT BLINKER BUT WHEN YOUR PRESS ON THE BRAKE PEDAL THE LIGHT DOES NOT COME ON. THERE ARE MANY COMPLAINTS TO THE NHTSA ABOUT THIS PROBLEM. DIRECT ACTION IS NEEDED TO FIX THIS PROBLEM BEFORE AN ACCIDENT OR SOMEONE IS PULLED OVER FOR A PROBLEM THAT IS NOT FIXABLE ON THE CUSTOMERS END. *TR

DEFECTIVE VISOR ON 2002 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER THAT WILL NOT REMAIN IN "UP" POSITION. ANY BUMP WILL CAUSE THE VISOR TO FALL, AND POTENTIALLY BLOCK THE DRIVER'S FIELD OF VISION. DEALER WANTS $667 TO REPLACE THE VISOR - MORE THAN I PAID FOR MY FIRST CAR! *TR

MY 2002 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER DRIVER'S SIDE SUN VISOR CONTINUOUSLY FALLS DOWN AND WILL NOT STAY IN PLACE. THE PASSENGER SIDE SUN VISOR STAYS IN PLACE IF THE CAR ISN'T MOVING, BUT WILL SUDDENLY FALL DOWN UNEXPECTEDLY WHEN THE CAR IS IN MOTION. THE DEALER SAYS IT WOULD COST $600 TO REPLACE EACH VISOR, BUT MY QUESTION IS, WHY SHOULD I OR ANY CONSUMER HAVE TO PAY FOR A MANUFACTURER DEFAULT? I HAVE RESORTED TO PLACING A VELCRO STRIP ON THE CEILING TO KEEP THE SUN VISOR IN PLACE, WHICH OF COURSE PREVENTS ME FROM USING THE VISOR AT ALL. *TR

I HAVE A TOYOTA HIGHLANDER 2002 LIMITED, V6, BOTH SUN VISORS CONSTANTLY FALL DOWN AND WON'T STAY UP EVEN WITH HEAVY DUTY VELCRO STRIPS. IT IS DISTRACTING AND BLOCKS THE DRIVERS VIEW. *TR