2010 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER Complaints

INDICATOR WARNING FOR REAR BACK DOOR OPEN WHEN IT IS SECURE AND LOCKED. INTERIOR LIGHTS GO ON AS WELL AS WARNING BELL. VEHICLE BROUGHT TO TOYOTA SERVICE DEPT. STATE THEY CANNOT DUPLICATE-HOWEVER IT IS BECOMING MORE FREQUENT EACH TIME I DRIVE VEHICLE.

HYBRID BREAKING SYSTEM. THE HYBRID BREAKING SYSTEM (ACTUATOR, ACCUMULATOR, & PUMP) ON MY 2010 HIGHLANDER HYBRID ARE FAULTY AND HAVE FAILED. MY FAMILY PURCHASED THIS VEHICLE FROM TOYOTA DEALER WHEN IT WAS APPROXIMATELY 1.5 YEARS YOUNG, AND HAVE PERFORMED ALL NECESSARY SERVICE AT CAMELBACK TOYOTA DEALERSHIP IN A TIMELY FASHION. (23 SERVICE HISTORY REPORTS SHOWN ON CARFAX.) OUR HIGHLANDER HAS LESS THAN 100K MILES AND IS LESS THAN 10 YEARS OLD (APPROXIMATELY 8 YEARS OLD). THE FAULTY HYBRID BREAKING SYSTEM IS A KNOWN ISSUE, THAT TOYOTA HAS ISSUED 'LIMITED EXTENDED WARRANTIES' ON AT LEAST 736K VEHICLES (WHICH WOULD COVER MY REPAIR FREE OF CHARGE IF MY VEHICLE WAS OLDER ('WEP-ZG1' COVERS FULL REPLACEMENT OF BREAKING SYSTEM AT NO COST TO CUSTOMER FOR VEHICLES WITH 150K MILES OR LESS OR 10 YEARS OR NEWER) AND FULL RECALLS ON THE PRIUS BREAKING SYSTEM. CAMELBACK TOYOTA FIRST QUOTED ME $2,500 FOR THE REPAIR' BUT THAT FIRST REPAIR WAS ONLY TO REPLACE THE ACCUMULATOR AND THE PUMP. THE NEXT DAY, THE BRAKE MALFUNCTION LIGHTS CAME ON, AND NOW THEY'RE QUOTING ME ANOTHER $2,064 TO REPLACE THE ACTUATOR. MY FAMILY HAS CARED FOR THIS CAR PROPERLY, AND DONE NOTHING THAT WOULD CAUSE A TOTAL BREAK MALFUNCTION. THIS IS A MALFUNCTIONING BREAK SYSTEM THAT TOYOTA (AND THEIR PARTS MANUFACTURER) NEED TO BE RESPONSIBLE FOR. A BREAKING SYSTEM IS ARGUABLY THE MOST IMPORTANT SYSTEM ON ANY VEHICLE! THIS IS PUTTING MY FAMILY, AND OTHER FAMILIES AT RISK. I ASK THE NTSB TO FORCE A RECALL ON MY 2010 HIGHLANDER HYBRID MODEL. THANK YOU. FURTHER EVIDENCE: IN 2013, TOYOTA RECALLS THE PRIUS: HTTP://WWW.NBCNEWS.COM/BUSINESS/TOYOTA-RECALLS-PRIUS-LEXUS-HYBRID-FAULTY-BRAKES-6C10208931 HIGHLANDER HYBRID 2008 COMPLAINTS: HTTP://WWW.CARCOMPLAINTS.COM/TOYOTA/HIGHLANDER_HYBRID/2008/BRAKES/SERVICE_BRAKES.SHTML HTTP://WWW.CARPROBLEMZOO.COM/TOYOTA/HIGHLANDERHYBRID/ABS-BRAKE-FAIL-PROBLEMS.PHP

SUNROOF EXPLODED WHILE DRIVING 70 MPH ON INTERSTATE 44. SOUND RESEMBLED GUNSHOT. NO EXTREME TEMPERATURES. NO PROJECTILES. OVERREACTION COULD HAVE CAUSED ACCIDENT. CAUSE OF NOISE UNKNOWN UNTIL ABLE TO PULL OVER TO ROADSIDE. IF INTERIOR SHIELD HAD BEEN OPEN, SHARP GLASS PARTICLES WOULD HAVE SHOWERED OVER OCCUPANTS. INTERNET REVIEW DISCLOSES MANY SIMILAR EXPLODING SUNROOFS ON MANY MODELS AND BRANDS.

THE DOOR AJAR INDICATOR ON THE DASH IS LIT UP 100% OF THE TIME EVEN THOUGH IT APPEARS THAT ALL DOORS ARE CLOSED. THIS PROBLEM STARTED APPROX. 2 YEARS AGO. IN ADDITION IF THE CAR SITS FOR MORE THAN 1 DAY, IT DRAINS THE BATTERY AND THE CAR HAS TO BE JUMPED. WHEN MAKING A LEFT HAND TURN OR START FROM A STOPPED POSITION, THE WARNING SOUND DINGS. AND THE KEY FOB CANNOT BE USED TO LOCK THE CAR. MY MECHANIC DISCOVERED THAT IT IS THE REAR HATCH SENSOR THAT IS FAULTY. MAYBE THE SENSOR IS FAULTY OR MAYBE I THINK THE HATCH IS CLOSED AND LATCHED AND IT REALLY ISN'T OR IT IS BUT AT ANY MOMENT, THE LATCH COULD RELEASE AND THE HATCH FLY OPEN. AFTER DOING A GOOGLE SEARCH ON THIS PROBLEM, I DISCOVERED THAT THERE ARE A LOT OF OTHER PEOPLE ARE HAVING THE SAME ISSUE WITH THEIR HIGHLANDER....I HAVE ATTACHED A FILE THAT CONTAINS SCREEN SHOTS OF OTHERS WITH THIS ISSUE. I STOPPED CUTTING AND PASTING AFTER 17 PAGES. THIS AS A SAFETY ISSUE BECAUSE IT COMPROMISES THE QUALITY OF THE BATTERY AND THERE REALLY COULD BE A DOOR AJAR WHEN YOU THINK THE WARNING LIGHT ON THE DASH IS JUST FROM THE FAULTY HATCH SENSOR. (HEAVEN FORBID A CHILD SHOULD FALL OUT OF THE BACK SEAT WHEN DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD). I WOULD LIKE TO SEE TOYOTA TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR THIS PROBLEM AND ISSUE A RECALL.

I BOUGHT MY HIGHLANDER USED IN MARCH 2016. THE CAR HAS HAD THE CLUNKING NOISE SINCE I BOUGHT IT BUT I DIDN'T KNOW IT WAS A KNOWN ISSUE WITH TOYOTA. I BOUGHT AN EXTENDED WARRANTY BUT OF COURSE IT DOESN'T COVER THE DEFECT. I AM VERY UPSET BECAUSE I HAVE PAID FOR A WARRANTY THAT DOESN'T FIX WHAT IS WRONG WITH THE CAR. I ALSO FEEL LIKE IT FALLS ON THE DEALERSHIP AND THEY SHOULD HAVE FIXED IT BEFORE SELLING. EVEN THOUGH IT IS NOT CONSIDERED A SAFETY ISSUE I DON'T WANT IT TO BECOME A SAFETY ISSUE IN THE FUTURE. I DON'T FEEL LIKE I SHOULD HAVE TO COME OUT OF POCKET $650 TO FIX AN ISSUE THAT IS KNOWN WITH THE MANUFACTURER.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2010 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE PASSENGER SIDE VISOR WAS FRACTURED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO THE DEALER THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE DEALER WAS CONTACTED AND STATED THAT THEY WOULD NOT REPAIR THE VEHICLE FREE OF CHARGE SINCE THE VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED IN A RELATED RECALL. THE DEALER ADVISED THE CONTACT TO CALL THE MANUFACTURER. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE AND INFORMED THE CONTACT THAT THE REPAIRS WOULD NOT BE FREE OF CHARGE. THE MANUFACTURER ALSO ADVISED THE CONTACT TO CALL THE NHTSA HOTLINE AND PROVIDED CASE NUMBER 1705112724. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 137,300. UPDATED 06/29/17*LJ THE CONSUMER REQUESTED TO DISMISS THIS CASE AS IT HAS BEEN RESOLVED BY THE MANUFACTURER. UPDATED 07/11/2017*JS

CLUNK IN STEERING WHEN TURNING AT LOW SPEED FROM STOP FOUND TO BE INTERMEDIATE STEERING SHAFT-REPLACED AT DEALER.GOOGLE SEARCH SHOW VERY COMMON IN SEVERAL DIFFERENT TOYOTA VEHICLES.

STEERING WHEEL WOULD EXHIBIT A LOUD CLUNKING NOISE WHEN TURNING WHEEL LEFT OR RIGHT. DID NOT FEEL SAFE TO DRIVE. TOYOTA MECHANIC DIAGNOSED THE PROBLEM AS THE INTERMEDIATE STEERING SHAFT WHICH HE RECOMMENDED REPLACING. TOYOTA KNOWS OF THIS PROBLEM SINCE THEY ISSUED A TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN (TSB) T-TT-0223-13 FOR THIS REPAIR. THERE IS ALSO AN NHTSA # 10062035 ON THIS SITUATION. TOYOTA SHOULD PAY FOR THIS COSTLY REPAIR SINCE I FEEL IT IS A SAFETY DEFECT AND SHOULD BE RECALLED

THE TRANSMISSION EXHIBITS TRANSMISSION FLARE AND EXTREMELY ROUGH SHIFTING. AS THE PROBLEM PROGRESSED I WAS TOLD I NEEDED A NEW TRANSMISSION.

THE FRONT SIDE WINDOW GLASS IS INOPERATIVE DUE TO BROKEN WINDOW MOUNTING TAB. I HAD TO DISCONNECT THE POWER TO THE WINDOW MOTOR SO IT CAN'T BE USED. AS FAR AS I'M CONCERNED IT'S A SAFETY ISSUE IF OPERATED WHILE DRIVING, THE WINDOW COMES OFF TRACK AND GETS COCKEYED.