2008 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER HYBRID Complaints

AFTER STARTING CAR AND PUTTING IT IN GEAR, CAR STARTS DRIVING EVEN THOUGH BRAKE IS FULLY ENGAGED. WARNING LIGHTS FLASH ON AND TURN OFF REGARDING BRAKE FAILURE BUT DON'T STAY ON LONG ENOUGH TO READ. THE BRAKES CATCH AFTER A SECOND OR TWO AND OPERATE NORMALLY BUT THEN WILL SUDDENLY PAUSE DURING USE - TAKING A SECOND OR TWO TO CATCH. CHECKED BRAKE FLUID - IT IS FINE. BRINGING CAR TO TOYOTA DEALERSHIP TOMORROW. HAVE SINCE READ BLOGS/REPORTS FROM OTHER 2008 HIGHLANDER HYBRID OWNERS EXPERIENCING SAME UNPREDICTABLE, INSTANTANEOUS, MOMENTARY BRAKE FAILURE. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER HYBRID. THE CONTACT RECEIVED A NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER 13V396000 (HYBRID PROPULSION SYSTEM) HOWEVER, THE CONTACT WAS UNABLE TO HAVE THE VEHICLE SERVICED UNDER THE RECALL BECAUSE THE REMEDY PART WOULD NOT BE AVAILABLE UNTIL JANUARY 7, 2014. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE PROBLEM. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE.

WE WERE ACCELERATING UNDER FULL POWER ONTO US 101 ON THE NORTHBOUND ON RAMP FROM CA 41 WHEN THE VEHICLE LOST ALL POWER, STEERING AND AIR CONDITIONING. ONCOMING TRAFFIC WAS ABLE TO STEER AROUND US TO AVOID COLLISION AND WE WERE ABLE TO STEER TO THE SIDE OF THE HIGHWAY AND ROLL TO A STOP ON THE NEXT OFF RAMP. WARNING INDICATORS ON: HYBRID SYSTEM, BRAKES, STABILITY CONTROL, AND RETURN TO TOYOTA DEALER. TOWED TO DEALER. THE DEALER DETERMINED WITH TOYOTA TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE THAT INVERTER ASSEMBLY (G92A0-48100) FAILED AND NEEDED REPLACEMENT. VEHICLE IS OUT OF WARRANTY DUE TO MILAGE. WE WERE CHARGED $8244.77 FOR A NEW INVERTER ASSEMBLY PLUS INSTALLATION. WE WERE LUCKY TO AVOID AN ACCIDENT. THIS KIND OF FAILURE IS DANGEROUS. *JB

THE CAR JUST STOPPED MOVING - ENGINE WAS RUNNING & ALL SYSTEMS WERE ON. THE WARNING SYSTEMS STARTING DISPLAYING THE FOLLOWING MESSAGES: CHECK HYBRID SYSTEM, CHECK VSC SYSTEM, CHECK BRAKE SYSTEM, CHECK 4WD SYSTEM. THE CAR HAD NO 'LIMP' MODE, AND I WAS FORTUNATE ENOUGH TO COAST TO A PARKING SPACE. PRIOR TO THIS THE CAR WAS RUNNING FINE WITH NO SIGNS OF FAILURE. I HAD IT TOWED TO THE SHOP AND WAS TOLD THE HYBRID INVERTER HAD GONE OUT. UPON RESEARCHING THIS IT APPEARS TO BE A COMMON PROBLEM WITH THE HIGHLANDER'S, AND THERE WAS A RECALL ON THE 2006/07 MODELS. I PURCHASED IN JAN OF 2008, AND BY VIN RESEARCH IT APPEARS MY VECHICLE CAME FROM THE SAME MANUFACTURING FACILITY AS THE RECALLED MODELS. ALSO, SEARCHING ON-LINE I FOUND SEVERAL INCIDENTS OF THIS NOW IN THE 2008 MODELS. I FEEL FORTUNATE THAT I WAS NOT ON THE FREEWAY, AS IT APPEARS THIS CAN HAPPEN ANYWHERE AT ANY SPEED. I FIND IT VERY SAD THAT TOYOTA KNOWS THIS HAZARD EXISTS AND STILL IS NOT NOTIFYING OR REPLACING THESE PARTS THAT THEY KNOW ARE DEFECTIVE (NOT ONLY NOT REPLACING, BUT ASKING CONSUMERS TO PAY 10K PLUS TO REPAIR).

I WAS DRIVING FROM MARYLAND BACK HOME TO NEW JERSEY AND THE VEHICLE COULD NOT ACCELERATE OR MOVE AT ALL WHEN IN GEARS. THE ENGINE WAS ON, HOWEVER THE CAR STOPPED MOVING. I WAS ON BACKROADS WITH LOW VISIBILITY SO NEIGHBORS AND OTHERS CAME OUT IMMEDIATELY TO PUSH THE CAR OFF THE ROAD SO IT WOULD NOT CREATE AN ACCIDENT. IT WAS TOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP AND WAS TOLD THAT IT WAS A FAULTY INVERTER ON THE HYBRID SYSTEM. AFTER RESEARCHING, I FOUND THAT THE PREVIOUS YEARS MODELS WERE RECALLED, HOWEVER 2008 MODEL WAS NOT. BUT AS I DO THE RESEARCH, IT APPEARS THAT NUMEROUS BUYERS OF THIS MODEL HAVE HAD THE SAME ISSUE. *TR

I ACCELERATED FROM A STOP SIGN TO 45 MPH. JUST AS I REACHED SPEED I HEARD A POP COME FROM THE FORWARD ENGINE BAY AND GOT ALL DIFFERENT WARNING LIGHTS IN THE DISPLAY. LUCKILY THE VEHICLE CONTINUED TO ROLL AND I WAS ABLE TO GET OUT OF IMMEDIATE DANGER. THE LIGHT SAID CHECK BRAKE SYSTEM, CHECK HYBRID SYSTEM, AND CHECK SVS. I GOT VEHICLE TOWED TO A TOYOTA DEALERSHIP WERE IT TOOK THEM 3 DAYS TO TELL ME IT WAS THE HYBRID INVERTER WHICH COSTS AROUND $8500. AFTER SOME RESEARCH I FOUND THERE ARE MANY OTHER PEOPLE OUT THERE HAVING THE SAME ISSUE, SO I CALLED TOYOTA CORPORATE AND FILED A COMPLAINT. *TR

I ENTERED A GAS STATION AND MY CAR JUST STOPPED. IT WOULD NOT RESTART AND WAS TOWED TO NORTHRIDGE TOYOTA (NORTHRIDGE,CA) WHERE I WAS INFORMED THE "INVERTER" FAILED, AND ONLY REPLACEMENT BY A TOYOTA SERVICE CENTER MAY BE MADE DUE TO INTERNAL COMPONENT HIGH VOLTAGE PARTS, AT A COST OF $8,244.00 + LABOR IN THE AMOUNT OF $660.00. I INVESTIGATED ON-LINE AND DISCOVERED NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS OF THE SAME "INVERTER FAILURE". FOLLOWING UP WITH TOYOTA MOTOR CORPORATION, I WAS INFORMED THEY KNEW OF THE "INVERTER FAILURES IN THE 06-07 MODELS AND ISSUED A RECALL FOR THOSE HYBRID MODELS AFFECTED BY THIS COMPONENT HOWEVER NO FURTHER RECALL HAS OCCURRED TO DATE. I FEEL LUCKY I WASN'T IN AN INTERSECTION OR A DANGEROUS SITUATION WHERE COMPLETE POWER TRAIN FAILURE CAN OCCUR AT ANY TIME WITH THIS FAILED TOYOTA COMPONENT. *TR

WHILE AT THE TOYOTA DEALER FOR SERVICE, THE DEALER TOOK THE CAR FOR A TEST DRIVE PRIOR TO THE SERVICE AND UPON RETURNING TO THE DEALER LOT THE CAR DIED - NO POWER. DEALER DIAGNOSED AS A BAD INVERTER, BALLPARK REPAIR COST IS $9500. BESIDES BEING A SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE, I CANNOT UNDERSTAND HOW A MODERN CAR CAN CONTAIN A CRITICAL COMPONENT THAT COSTS $10K TO REPLACE THAT HAS NO MAINTENANCE IN THE MAINTENANCE SCHEDULE OR OTHER DIAGNOSTICS TO ALERT THE DRIVER OF PENDING CATASTROPHIC FAILURE THAT MAY STRAND THEM IN AN EXTREMELY UNSAFE LOCATION (I.E. MIDDLE OF THE FREEWAY). I HOPE THAT NHTSA INVESTIGATES THE 2008 HIGHLANDER HYBRID INVERTER FAILURES DOCUMENTED ON THIS SITE AND TOYOTA IS HELD ACCOUNTABLE FOR THIS SERIOUS SAFETY HAZARD AND EXTREMELY COSTLY DEFECT. *TR

WE HAD JUST PASSED THROUGH A TOLLBOOTH ON A FREEWAY AND WERE ACCELERATING TO MERGE WITH TRAFFIC WHEN THE CAR SHUDDERED AND SLOWED AND STEERING BECAME DIFFICULT. A NUMBER OF WARNING LIGHTS CAME ON TELLING US TO STOP DRIVING THE CAR IMMEDIATELY AND TO CALL THE DEALERSHIP. THERE WERE THREE WARNING LIGHTS WHICH WERE SOMETHING LIKE: 'CHECK HYBRID SYSTEM', 'CHECK BRAKES' AND 'CHECK VSC'. WE WERE CLOSE TO THE MEDIAN AND WERE LUCKILY ABLE TO PULL OFF INTO IT AND TURNED OFF THE CAR. WHEN WE TURNED IT BACK ON THE CAR WOULD NOT MOVE FORWARD OR BACKWARD AND WE HAD TO HAVE IT TOWED HOME. WE HAVE SINCE HAD IT TOWED TO THE TOYOTA DEALERSHIP AND THEY HAVE TOLD US THAT WE NEED A NEW INVERTER BATTERY. WE UNDERSTAND THAT TOYOTA HAS HAD PROBLEMS WITH THIS PART IN THE PAST FOR THE 2006 AND 2007 TOYOTA HIGHLANDERS AND WANTED TO REPORT THE PROBLEM BECAUSE OURS IS A 2008 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER. *TR

MY WIFE AND DAUGHTER WERE DRIVING ON A BUSY HIGHWAY WHEN THEY HEARD A "POP" NOISE FROM THE ENGINE. THE CAR STALLED ON THE ROAD. BY THE GRACE OF GOD, THEY WERE ABLE TO DRIFT TO THE SIDE AND DID NOT HAVE AN ACCIDENT. NEXT DAY, THE DEALER INFORMED THAT THE ISSUE WAS WITH THE HYBRID SYSTEM - THE INVERSION PART. THE COST FOR REPAIR WOULD BE $11,000! WE LIVE ABOUT AN HOUR FROM OUR WORKPLACES AND THUS PUT A GOOD MANY MILES ON OUR CAR - THE 125,000 MILES ON THE CAR PUT THE DRIVETRAIN OUT OF WARRANTY. WE HAVE HAD ALL RECALL SERVICES PERFORMED AT THE DEALER, AND KEPT REGULAR MAINTENANCE. NOT ONCE WERE WE ADVISED BY TOYOTA THAT THE HYBRID SYSTEM WAS SHOWING WEAR AND MAY BE IN NEED OF SERVICE. THERE WAS NO INDICATION (WARNING LIGHTS, ETC.,) THAT THE HYBRID SYSTEM NEEDED ATTENTION - NO FORE WARNING AT ALL PRIOR TO THE INCIDENT. IN DOING RESEARCH, WE REALLY GOT UPSET TO FIND TOYOTA HAD RECALLED 06 AND 07 MODELS FOR THE VERY SAME HYBRID ISSUE. WE ALSO NOTICED THERE ARE MANY PEOPLE WITH COMPLAINTS ON THE SAME ISSUE IN VARIOUS ONLINE FORUMS. TO CAP IT OFF -- AFTER THE DEALER TOLD US THE REPAIR BILL IS $11,000, WE WERE ADVISED TO DISCUSS WITH A TOYOTA CASE MANAGER. WE DID AND THEIR OFFER? $1,500 TOWARD A NEW TOYOTA PURCHASE. WE WERE HIGHLY FRUSTRATED BY THIS RESPONSE. WE FEEL THEY ARE WELL AWARE OF THE PROBLEM AND SHOULD PROVIDE BETTER WARNINGS TO USERS AND BETTER RESOLUTIONS TO THE PROBLEM - AND RECALL ALL EFFECTED HYBRIDS! *TR