2006 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER HYBRID Complaints

WE WERE DRIVING ON THE NJ TURNPIKE. SUDDENLY, THE CAR STALLED AND THE STEERING LOCKED. LUCKILY, WE JUST STARTED THE HOUR LONG DRIVE AND WERE ON THE SLOW LANE AND WAS ABLE TO GLIDE THE CAR OVER SAFELY TO THE SHOULDER. THE CHECK "CSV" AND "CHECK HYBRID SYSTEM" LIGHTS CAME ON AND THE HYBRID BATTERY SHOWED NO ENERGY. THE CAR WOULD NOT START AND WAS TOWED TO THE CLOSEST TOYOTA DEALERSHIP. THERE WERE NO PRIOR WARNINGS ABOUT BATTERY ERRORS OR PROBLEMS BEFORE COMPLETELY STALLING. IT IS UNDERSTANDABLE PROBLEMS WILL ARISE, BUT WITH NO WARNING AND A CAR STALLING ON A MAJOR HIGHWAY, THE INCIDENT COULD HAVE BEEN EXTREMELY DANGEROUS. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER HYBRID. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 35 MPH, THE INVERTER/CONVERTER HYBRID SYSTEM SHUT DOWN AND ALL OF THE WARNING LIGHTS ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER WHERE IT WAS ADVISED THAT THE COIL PACK THAT NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED BUT THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 88,000. *TR

DRIVING ON A MAJOR ROAD AT ABOUT 45 MPH THE ENGINE SUDDENLY MADE A LOUD NOISE AND THE CAR STOPPED. UNABLE TO PUT THE CAR IN ANY GEAR- THE ENGINE WAS STILL ON BUT WOULD NOT DRIVE OR REVERSE. HAD IT TOWED TO SERVICE STATION, DIAGNOSED AS AN INVERTER FAILURE MINIMUM 7,000 COST TO REPAIR. FORTUNATELY I WAS ABLE TO PULL OVER TO THE ROADSIDE WITHOUT BEING HURT. THE CAR IS ONLY 6 YEARS OLD AND I WAS TOLD IT WAS NOT WORTH REPAIRING. *TR

THERE'S AN ENGINE SURGE, SLIGHT BUT STILL CAN BE FELT, WHEN APPLYING THE BRAKES. THE SURGE IS INTERMITTENT BUT THE SURGE IS FELT OFTEN. EXAMPLE: AFTER TAKE OFF FROM A STOP THE NEXT TIME THE BRAKES ARE APPLIED THERE'LL BE A SLIGHT BUMP, AS IF THE ACCELERATOR IS STEPPED ON AT THE SAME TIME THE BRAKES ARE APPLIED. THERE'S NO HIGH REV, JUST A BUMP. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER HYBRID. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE INVERTER/CONVERTER HYBRID SYSTEM WOULD SHUT DOWN WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS BEING DRIVEN AT ANY SPEED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER, WHO INSPECTED THE VEHICLE AND ADVISED THE CONTACT THAT THE INVERTER/CONVERTER NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED AND ADVISED THAT THEY WOULD CONTACT HIM WITHIN A FEW DAYS. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 146,000.

I WAS DRIVING MY 2006 TOYOTA HIGLANDER HYBRID ON I 95 IN 4 LANES OF DENSE TRAFFIC ALL GOING AT LEAST 60-70MPH, WHEN I NOTICED THAT I WAS LOSING POWER AND MY CAR WAS STARTING TO SLOW DOWN. I GLANCED AT THE DASH TO SEE MULTIPLE WARNING SIGNALS - CHECK HYBRID, CHECK VSC AND OTHERS. FORTUNATELY, THERE WAS A BIG ENOUGH GAP ON THE LEFT FOR ME TO PULL ACROSS THE LEFT MOST LANE BECAUSE I KNEW IF I DID NOT I WAS GOING TO STALL AND LIKELY BE IN A MAJOR ACCIDENT. IT WAS A VERY SCARY MOMENT. I COULD NOT RESTART MY CAR AND HAD TO WAIT TO GET TOWED, ( DC RUSH HOUR). THE DEALER SAID MY INVERTER NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. AFTER HEARING THE NEWS I REMEMBERED THAT I HAD A NOTICE FROM TOYOTA, A RECALL FOR PART OF THE INVERTER. INITIALLY, I WAS TOLD THIS WOULD NOT COVER WHAT I NEEDED. IN THE END, I WAS COVERED . I AM THANKFUL TO ALL WHO REPORTED SIMILAR ISSUES SO THAT THIS WOULD BE ADDRESSED. *TR

HYBRID INVERTER FAILURE. ACCELERATING FROM STOPLIGHT TO ENTER HIGHWAY RAMP. LOUD BANG AND ALL LIGHTS ON DASH CAME ON. ENGINE CONTINUED RUNNING BUT NO PROPULSION. HAD IT TOWED TO DEALER AND INFORMED IT WAS A HYBRID INVERTER FAILURE, AND WOULD COST $10,000 TO REPAIR. WE ARE NOW LOOKING AT CLASS ACTION LAWSUITS. *TR

MY 17-YEAR-OLD DAUGHTER WAS DRIVING ON I-5 IN NORTHERN CALIFORNIA. SHE HAD CRUISE CONTROL SET AT 70MPH AND WAS TRAVELING UP HILL WHEN CRUISE CONTROL SUDDENLY POPPED OFF AND CAR WENT DEAD. SHE HAD NO POWER, AND POWER STEERING WENT OUT. SHE MANAGED TO COAST TO THE CREST OF THE HILL AND DOWN THE OTHER SIDE TO PULL OFF THE ROAD, BUT WAS IN A VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION NEAR TRUCK WEIGH STATION WITH BIG RIGS PULLING ON AND OFF HIGHWAY. CAR HAD TO BE TOWED TO DEALERSHIP. WE WERE INFORMED THAT HYBRID INVERTER WAS DEAD AND WOULD COST $8,000.00+ TO REPAIR. CONTACTED CORPORATE AND WAS INFORMED THAT SINCE THE CAR WAS OUT OF WARRANTY THEY WOULD OFFER NO ASSISTANCE IN REPAIR COSTS. HAVE SINCE HEARD OTHER SIMILAR STORIES REGARDING 2006 TOYOTA HYBRIDS. *TR

BRAKES STARTED MAKING LOUD GRUNTING NOISES AND FELT ODD AND A BIT LESS RESPONSIVE; EXTREMELY LOUD NOISES WHEN BRAKE PEDAL WAS PUSHED HARD; LOTS OF BUZZING WHEN DOORS WERE OPENED (RELATED TO THE ABS); TOOK VEHICLE TO LOCAL DEALER WHO FAILED TO DIAGNOSE THE PROBLEM THEN TOOK TO INDEPENDENT REPAIR SHOP AND WAS TOLD THAT THIS HAS BEEN SEEN SOMEWHAT FREQUENTLY IN TOYOTA HYBRIDS. THERE WAS EVEN A TOYOTA BULLETIN ABOUT THE ISSUE. HAD TO REPLACE THE ABS HYDRAULIC UNIT - ISSUE WAS ALSO WITH THE BRAKE ACTUATOR. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER HYBRID. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE STOPPED AT A TRAFFIC LIGHT ALL OF THE LIGHTS ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL ILLUMINATED AND THE VEHICLE STALLED. THE CONTACT MERGED TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD WHERE ALL ATTEMPTS TO RESTART THE VEHICLE FAILED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A DEALER WHERE THE FAILURE COULD NOT BE DIAGNOSED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT CONTACTED ABOUT THE ISSUE. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 149,994.