2006 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER HYBRID Complaints

TOOK 2006 TOYOTA HYBRID HIGHLANDER IN FOR A POPPING SOUND AND VSC LIGHT , ABS BRAKE LIGHTS ON. THE TOYOTA DEALER TOLD ME IT NEEDED A NEW ABS ACCUMULATOR FOR $ 28881.71 . I WAS TOLD THIS WAS DANGEROUS THAT BRAKES COULD FAIL !!! UPON LOOKING I FIND THIS TO BE A PROBLEM WITH OTHERS ... TIME FOR A RECALL !!!!!!!!!! *TR

MY 2006 HIGHLANDER HYBRID HAS BEEN MAKING A SQUEAKING NOISE AT THE END OF A MODERATELY HARD STOP. IT ALSO MAKES THE SAME SOUND SOMETIMES WHEN BEGINNING TO MOVE AFTER START-UP AND THE BRAKES ARE RELEASED. I TOOK MY VEHICLE TO A SHOP TO HAVE THEM INSPECT THE PROBLEM. THEY SAID IT WAS THE ABS ACTUATOR CONTROL MODULE MAKING THE NOISE. THE SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE SAID THAT TOYOTA IS AWARE OF THE PROBLEM AND THERE IS A TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN REGARDING IT, BUT THEY HAVE DONE NOTHING TO CORRECT THE PROBLEM. THEY ALSO SAID THAT ANY PROBLEM INVOLVING THE ABS SYSTEM WAS A POTENTIAL HAZARD IF THE BRAKES FAILED COMPLETELY AS A RESULT. AT THIS POINT, I DON'T KNOW IF I SHOULD CONTINUE DRIVING THE VEHICLE. THE PART IS OVER $2700 TO REPLACE. WITH LABOR, THE COST IS ABOUT $3200. I READ ONLINE THAT ABS ACTUATORS HAVE BEEN AN ISSUE IN HIGHLANDER HYBRIDS, BUT NOTHING HAS BEEN DONE BY TOYOTA. *TR

BOTH DRIVER AND PASSENGER HEADLIGHTS ARE MELTED, BURNED AND GREY IN FRONT OF THE DAYTIME RUNNING LIGHT BULBS. GOOGLE SEARCH INDICATES THAT IT IS A FAIRLY COMMON ISSUE. CALLED TOYOTA AND WAS TOLD THAT THERE WAS NOTHING THEY WOULD DO TO CORRECT THE ISSUE. *TR

WHILE DECELERATING TO TURN INTO OUR DRIVE WAY THE VEHICLE RAPIDLY ACCELERATED. WE WERE ABLE TO GET IT STOPPED BY USING THE BRAKES, ENDING UP IN THE YARD/SIDEWALK. THERE WERE APPROXIMATELY 10 FEET OF SKID MARKS. THE ENGINE WAS RACING WHILE THE BRAKES WERE BEING APPLIED. THE FLOOR MAT WAS NOT INVOLVED. THE INCREASED ENGINE RPM WAS NOT INITIATED NOR CONTROLLABLE BY THE OPERATOR. THIS WAS TRULY AN UNCONTROLLED RUN AWAY THAT COULD HAVE BEEN LIFE THREATENING. *TR

STEP ON BRAKE PEDAL, HIT A SMALL BUMP IN ROAD, BRAKES LET GO FOR A SECOND AND THEN GRAB. IT'S LIKE YOU HIT A PATCH OF ICE. THIS HAS BEEN HAPPENING SINCE I GOT THE CAR. I WENT ONTO THE EDMUNDS FORUM HTTP://FORUMS.EDMUNDS.COM/DISCUSSION/5357/TOYOTA/HIGHLANDER-HYBRID/HIGHLANDER-HYBRID-BRAKE-PROBLEMS/P5 AND COUNTED OVER 350 EXACT SAME COMPLAINTS FOR 2006 HIGHLANDER HYBRIDS, INCLUDING MANY FENDER BENDERS. *JS

VEHICLE A RAN A RED LIGHT WHILE BEING DISTRACTED BY PUTTING ON HER SHOE AND RAN A RED LIGHT AT THE INTERSECTION. VEHICLE B CRASHED INTO THE SIDE OF THE VEHICLE A AND VEHICLE B HAS BODY DAMAGE TO FRONT BUMPER FENDERS AND HOOD AND BODY RAILS. VEHICLE B WAS TOTALED OUT BY THE INSURANCE CO. NO AIR BAGS DEPLOYED IN NEITHER VEHICLE. MILEAGE WAS AROUND 25-30 MILES PER HOUR AND NO ONE WAS SERIOUSLY HURT. WHY HAVE AIR BAGS FOR SAFETY IF THEY DO NOT DEPLOY? NEED STIFFER PENALTIES FOR DISTRACTED DRIVING, DRIVER A WAS CITED FOR RUNNING THE RED LIGHT. I WAS ALSO TOLD BY THE INSURANCE COMPANY THAT INDUSTRY TOOK OUT BODY FRAMES TO CUT GAS MILEAGE. WHERE IS THE SAFETY WHEN LIVES ARE AT RISK? *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER HYBRID. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 35 MPH, THE BRAKES FAILED TO RESPOND. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE BRAKE ACTUATOR ASSEMBLY NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MAD AWARE OF PROBLEM. THE APPROXIMATE MILEAGE AT TIME OF FAILURE WAS 131,326.

THERE WAS FIRE IN THE INVERTER ASSEMBLY. THE WIRING HARNESS FOR THE INVERTER AND THE TRANSMISSION WERE COMPLETELY COOKED AND MELTED. THE PROFESSIONAL OPINION OF A TOYOTA NATIONAL ENGINEER IS THAT THE GENERATOR IN THE TRANS AXLE SURGED AND CAUSED A FIRE MELTING THE COMPONENTS. HOW CAN THIS GO UN-INVESTIGATED WITH SO MANY OF THESE VEHICLES ON THE ROAD. MY FAMILY AND I COULD HAVE BEEN BURNED ALIVE OR IN A FATAL CRASH DUE TO THIS COMPLETELY UNSAFE SYSTEM. HOW CAN TOYOTA CONTINUE TO SAY THEY ARE ALL ABOUT SAFETY WHEN THEY WILL NOT DO ANYTHING ABOUT ISSUES LIKE THIS. THEY HAVE SENT ME A $16,000 BILL FOR THIS ISSUE THAT IS COMPLETELY A PRODUCT OF THEIR POOR AND UNSAFE VEHICLE. *TR

ABS BRAKE ACCUMULATOR FAILURE. VSC WARNING LIGHT. CODE C1391 90K MILES. $3000 REPAIR. ABS PUMP FAILS SO YOU HAVE LESS BRAKING FORCE ON HEAVY SUV AT HIGHWAY SPEED... ALL 2006 HIGHLANDER HYBRID AND LEXUS 400H IMPACTED. TOYOTA INTERNALLY ACKNOWLEDGED THIS AND REDESIGNED THE ACCUMULATOR FOR THE NEW HIGHLANDER. NO RECALL DUE TO THE SIGNIFICANT COST OF ACCUMULATOR. *TR

WHEN APPLYING BRAKES TO SLOW DOWN FOR A STOP SIGN OR RED LIGHT, THE VEHICLE WILL LUNGE FORWARD OR ACCELERATE UNTIL THE BRAKE IS APPLIED HARDER/PEDAL PUSHED DOWN FURTHER. THIS HAS BEEN DESCRIBED IN OTHER COMPLAINTS AS UNINTENDED ACCELERATION WHEN THE BRAKE IS APPLIED. IT ALSO FEELS AS IF THE BRAKES ARE APPLIED AND THE VEHICLE BEGINS TO SLOW DOWN, HOWEVER, ONCE IT SLOWS TO ABOUT 10-15 MILES PER HOUR, THE CAR ACCELERATES FORWARDS OR THE BRAKES SOME RELEASE THEMSELVES EVEN THOUGH THE BRAKE PEDAL IS CONTINUOUSLY HELD DOWN. *TR