2006 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER HYBRID Complaints

I WAS DRIVING ON A STRAIGHT HIGHWAY BETWEEN 45 -50 MPH. SUDDEN A BUNCH OF LIGHTS AND WARNINGS CAME UP IN THE DASHBOARD. I LOST POWER STEERING AND MOTOR PROPULSION TOO. I PRESSED THE ACCELERATOR AND NOTHING HAPPENED. ALTHOUGH I HAD THE ABILITY TO BRAKE, IT SEEMED THAT THE BRAKING WAS ALSO IMPAIRED. HOWEVER BECAUSE I WAS GOING UP AN INCLINE I DID NOT NEED STRONG BRAKING. I MANAGED TO COAST OVER TO THE BREAKDOWN LANE. LUCKILY THERE WERE ONLY A COUPLE OTHER CARS NEAR ME SO IT WASN'T TOO DIFFICULT TO MANEUVER BY THEM AND COAST TO THE OTHER SIDE OF THE ROAD WHERE THE BREAKDOWN LANE WAS. ONCE I WAS COMPLETELY STOPPED I SHUT THE CAR DOWN COMPLETELY AND RESTARTED IN THE NORMAL HYBRID STARTUP MANNER. THE CAR PROPULSION AND STEERING CAME BACK BUT NOW THE MESSAGE WAS ALTERNATING BETWEEN "MAINTENANCE NEEDED" AND "CHECK VSC SYSTEM", AND THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT AND SYMBOL WAS ON. I SHUT OFF EVERYTHING ELECTRICAL TO MINIMIZE ELECTRICAL DRAIN. I WAS ABLE TO DRIVE THE CAR ANOTHER 8-10 MILES TO GET HOME BUT I WAS CONSTANTLY LOOKING TO SEE WHERE I COULD PULL OVER IF THE CAR STOPPED AGAIN. I MADE IT HOME. TOMORROW BRING IT TO THE TOYOTA DEALER. SIGNIFICANTLY, I RECENTLY HAD THE BRAKE ACTUATOR REPLACED AT A COST OF AROUND $2700, SPECIFICALLY BECAUSE THEY WARNED ME THAT I COULD LOSE BRAKING AND OTHER ELECTRONIC FACILITIES UNPREDICTABLY. I THOUGHT THAT EXPENSIVE REPAIR WOULD AVOID THIS. UNFORTUNATELY IT APPEARS THAT WHAT THEY WERE PREDICTING COULD HAPPEN DID HAPPEN, BUT AFTER THE REPAIR! I WAS ON A HIGHWAY WHEN THE CAR DIED BUT WITH NOT MUCH TRAFFIC AND AN EASY ACCESS BREAKDOWN LANE. HAD IT BEEN 10 MINUTES LATER I MIGHT HAVE BEEN ON A MUCH BUSIER HIGHWAY IN A PLACE WHERE A BREAKDOWN LANE IS MUCH HARDER TO REACH. THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN A DANGEROUS SITUATION. HAD IT BEEN DAYTIME AND IN A SAFER AREA I WOULD HAVE STOPPED AND CALLED FOR A TOW TRUCK. *TR

DRIVING FROM AUSTIN TO SAN ANTONIO MOSTLY AT 70MPH. NOTICED BRAKE, ABS, SLIP INDICATOR AND LOW PRESSURE TIRE INDICATOR LIGHTS CAME ON. STOPPED TO CHECK UNDER HOOD, BRAKING WAS NORMAL. BRAKE FLUID LEVELS WERE NORMAL BUT ABS ACTUATOR SEEM TO BE CYCLING EVEN WHILE MOTIONLESS. TESTED BRAKING AND EXPERIENCED NO PROBLEM. DROVE BACK TO AUSTIN. TOOK CAR TO DEALER THE NEXT DAY, WAS TOLD IT WAS A LEAK IN THE ACTUATOR BODY AND IT HAD TO BE REPLACED. COST $3580.00. HAVE DEFERRED REPAIRS.

LIGTHS CAME ON FOR ABS AND BRAKE WHILE TRYING TO STOP VEHICLE. TOYOTA DEALER HERE IN FLORIDA WANTS TO REPLACE ACTUATOR BRAKING SYSTEM AT MY COST $ 2,850 INCLUDING LABOR. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER HYBRID. THE CONTACT DISCOVERED THAT THE PASSENGER SIDE HEADLIGHT LENS AND HIGH BEAM BULB MELTED. AS A RESULT, THE HIGH BEAM LIGHTS WERE INOPERABLE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHO DIAGNOSED THAT THE FAILURE WAS DUE TO EXCESSIVE ELECTRICAL POWER TRAVELING TO THE HEADLIGHT ASSEMBLY AND THE LIGHT ASSEMBLY NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 126,250.

WHILE TRAVELING ON A MOUNTAIN HIGHWAY MY TOYOTA HIGHLANDER STARTED MAKING AN EXTREMELY LOUD SQUEALING NOISE FROM UNDERNEATH THE DASH. ALL OF THE WARNING LIGHTS ON THE DASH CAME ON AND REMAINED ON. I LOST BRAKING POWER AND PEDAL WENT EXTREMELY HARD. VEHICLE BRAKES LOCKED UP WHILE GOING DOWNHILL AND VEHICLE SPUN OUT OF CONTROL. ALMOST HIT AN ONCOMING VEHICLE COMING FROM THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION. BRAKES HAVE BEEN MALFUNCTIONING SINCE, VEHICLE IS CURRENTLY NOT BEING DRIVEN. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER HYBRID. WHILE DRIVING AT LOW SPEEDS, THE VEHICLE ACCELERATED WHEN THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 156,000.

ABS BRAKE ACCUMULATOR FAILURE AT 98,958 MILES. DEALER WANTS $3000 FOR REPAIR. IT LOOKS LIKE ALL 2006 HIGHLANDER HYBRIDS, SOME LEXUS MODELS ARE IMPACTED. TOYOTA KNOWS WHAT IS GOING ON AND THEY HAVE EVEN REDESIGNED THE ACCUMULATOR FOR THE NEW HIGHLANDER WITH A DIFFERENT PART NUMBER. TOYOTA WILL NOT ISSUE A RECALL DUE TO THE SIGNIFICANT COST OF ACCUMULATOR. *TR

I ALREADY REPLACE THE BRAKE ACTUATOR WITH A COST OF $2,600.00, AFTER A YEAR IT FAIL AGAIN. AS RESEARCHING IN THE INTERNET I FOUND OUT THIS IS A MAJOR PROBLEM WITH THE 2006 HIGHLANDER HYBRID. ALL THE WARNING LIGHTS CAME ON. THE ACTUATOR IS PRIMING EVERY 15 SECONDS. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER HYBRID. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE TRAVELING APPROXIMATELY 20 MPH, THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS APPLIED AND FAILED TO RESPOND. AS A RESULT, THE CONTACT CRASHED INTO A PLANTER POT. A POLICE REPORT WAS NOT FILED AND THERE WERE NO INJURIES REPORTED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE AND STATED THAT THE VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED IN NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER: 11V112000 (VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL) AND NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER: 10V499000 (SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC ).THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 58,160.

IN JUNE 2014 WE HEARD A SQUEAKING NOISE WHEN WE PUT THE CAR IN DRIVE AND THE BRAKES WERE APPLIED WHILE WE WERE ON A TRIP. TWO DAYS AFTER WE RETURNED THE"CHECK VSC SYSTEM" CAME ON AND THE CAR WOULD NOT START.. THE DEALER SAID IT WAS DUE TO THE BATTERY. WE REPLACED IT AND THE WARNING LIGHT WENT AWAY. HOWEVER, THREE MONTHS LATER THE NOISE IS BACK. THE DEALER (DIFFERENT ONE) SAID THE BRAKE ACTUATOR NEEDS REPLACEMENT. VERY EXPENSIVE REPAIR COSTING $3,600. AFTER DOING RESEARCH, I SAW MANY COMPLAINTS (AND A RECALL) FOR THIS DEFECTIVE PART IN OTHER TOYOTA VEHICLES. TOYOTA NEEDS TO DO A RECALL FOR THE HIGHLANDER AS WELL. OUR CAR HAS BEEN METICULOUSLY MAINTAINED. WE BOUGHT IT NEW. VERY UNHAPPY. *TR