2008 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER HYBRID Complaints

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER HYBRID. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE IN REVERSE, THE VEHICLE STALLED WITH THE ILLUMINATION OF THE CHECK HYBRID AND CHECK BRAKE SYSTEM WARNING LIGHTS. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN THE TO THE DEALER FOR DIAGNOSIS WHERE IT WAS ADVISED TO THE CONTACT THAT THE POWER INVERTER NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 2,860. KMJ *TR

HIGHLANDER HYBRID LOST COMPLETE POWER WHILE TRAVELING ON HIGHWAY AT 65MPH. VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO DEALER AND DIAGNOSED AS FAILURE OF THE POWER INVERTER. ESTIMATED COST TO REPAIR QUOTED AS $9,140. *TR

MY WIFE AND THREE SMALL KIDS WERE ON THE WAY TO THE AIRPORT, CAR JUST SHUT OFF WHILE WE WERE IN MOTION DRIVING ON A 40MPH STREET. DISPLAY SAYS CHECK HYBRID SYSTEM. LUCKILY WE DID NOT GET HIT AND WERE ABLE TO SWERVE TO SIDE OF ROAD (ALTHOUGH IT WAS ALL THE WAY FROM THE MIDDLE LANE TO RIGHT SIDE OF ROAD) AS IT IS A VERY BUSY STREET, LUCKILY THERE WAS NO CAR IN THE RIGHT LANE AT THE TIME OF INCIDENT. THE DEALER SAYS IT IS AN HYBRID INVERTER FAILURE. I OWN A 2008 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER HYBRID AND I THINK THIS PART NEEDS TO BE RECALLED LIKE THE MODELS FROM 2006 AND 2007, FROM ALL THE COMPLAINTS I AM SEEING NOT ONLY ON THIS WEBSITE, BUT ALL OVER THE INTERNET. SOMEONE SHOULD TAKE ACTION BEFORE SOMEONE GETS HURT BADLY. THANKS. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER HYBRID. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE TRAVELING APPROXIMATELY 20 MPH, THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY STALLED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED A DEALER WHERE IT WAS FOUND THE ELECTRICAL INVERTER HAD FAILED. THE VEHICLE WAS BEING REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED ABOUT THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 150,000.

THE CAR COMPLETELY SHUT OFF WHEN DRIVING, WITHOUT ANY WARNING! LUCKILY, THE DRIVER WAS NOT REAR- ENDED!! THE CAR WAS TOWED TO TOYOTA WHERE WE WERE TOLD THAT THE INVERTER NEEDS TO BE REPLACED FOR $9000! THE CAR IS IN OTHERWISE GREAT SHAPE AND HAS BEEN SERVICED AT TOYOTA REGULARLY . THE LAST CHECK UP WAS LAST MONTH AT 118,000 MILES! THIS IS EXACTLY THE SAME PROBLEM REPORTED FOR THE 2006 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER HYBRID, WHICH WAS RECALLED. *TR

AFTER HAVING A FLAT TIRE I PULLED OUT THE JACK SUPPLIES BY TOYOTA. I FOUND AS I WAS USING THE JACK THAT IT IS EXTREMELY UNSAFE TO USE IN ANY SITUATION. THE JACK HAS TO BE EXTENDED ALMOST ALL THE WAY WHEN DEALING WITH 19 INCH WHEELS. AT THE EXTENDED HEIGHT THE JACK IS UNSTABLE EVEN WHEN ON A FLAT HARD SURFACE. WHEN TAKING THE TIRE OFF OR PUTTING IT BACK ON THE JACK AND THE AUTO ROCK QUITE A BIT TO THE POINT THAT I HAD TO STOP AND CALL FOR ROAD SERVICE. EVEN THE SERVICE PERSON CALLED THE JACK A UNSAFE PIECE OF EQUIPMENT. THIS HAS HAPPENED TWICE IN THE LAST TWO YEARS AND BOTH TIMES WITH THE SAME RESULTS. THE SCISSOR JACKS USED ON A SUV IS EXTREMELY UNSAFE AND NEEDS TO BE CHANGED. SAFETY NEEDS TO BE A PRIORITY NOT WEIGHT OR EXPENSE. IT IS TOO EASY FOR THE AUTO TO FALL OFF THE JACK WHEN EXTENDED TO ALMOST THE MAX. *TR

I WAS DRIVING TO QUEENS NY AND SUDDENLY AFTER PAYING HTE TOLLS AT THE QUEENS MIDTOWN TUNNEL THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY STALLED . IT WAS TOWEDE TO QUEENSBORO TOYOTA WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED AS THE POWER INVERTER HAD DIED AND COST $8504.50 TO HAVE IT REPLACED . *TR

BOTH MY WIFE AND I HAVE NOTICED THE STEERING IN OUR 2008 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER HYBRID PROGRESSIVELY GETTING WORSE. WE HEAR KNOCKING AND NOISES COMING OUT OF TURNS AND THE STEERING IS MUCH LOOSER THAN WHEN WE BOUGHT THE VEHICLE. THE KNOCKING BEGAN ABOUT A EIGHT MONTHS AGO AND HAS BECOME MORE AND MORE FREQUENT. IT FIRST MADE THE STRANGE KNOCK COMING OUT OF A SLOW RIGHT HAND TURN, BUT NOW IT DOES IT COMING OUT OF A TURN IN EITHER DIRECTION. SOMETIMES IT WILL MAKE THE NOISE DURING A QUICK ACCELERATION. LIKE MANY OF THE SAME COMPLAINTS, WE TO CAN FEEL THE KNOCK IS THE STEERING WHEEL. I AM BEGINNING TO THINK THIS CAR IS UNSAFE AND DO NOT FEEL COMFORTABLE TAKING IT ON THE HIGHWAY. *TR

THE FRONT PASSENGER SIDE ASSIST HANDLE BROKE IN TWO PLACES. THIS HANDLE IS ATTACHED OVER THE DOOR, INSIDE THE CAR, NEAR THE EDGE OF THE ROOF. THE CAUSE APPEARS TO BE METAL FATIGUE DUE TO SIGNIFICANT STRESS ON THE HANDLE OVER (3+) YEARS OF USE BY THE PASSENGER WHILE ENTERING AND EXITING. *TR

MY WIFE WENT TO MOVE THE CAR AND BACKED IT UP WHERE IT DIED. CAR STARTED ROLLING BACK THE DRIVE AND STOPPED HALF ON HALF OFF THE DROP OFF OF OUR DRIVEWAY. SHE HAD NO STEERING AND NO BRAKES. I CHECKED OUT THE CAR AND IT SAID HYBRID ERROR CALL DEALER. THE CAR WOULD NOT RUN. I HAD IT TOWED TO DEALER AND HE CALLED ME TO TELL US THE POWER INVERTER NEEDS TO REPLACED AT THE COST OF 8,600.00. I UNDERSTAND TOYOTA HAD A PROBLEM WITH THEIR 06 - 07 HIGHLANDERS FOR THE SAME ISSUE. NOTHING ON A CAR SHOULD COST $8,600 TO FIX WITHOUT BEING IN A MAJOR CAR ACCIDENT. WE SHOULD HAVE BEEN TOLD UP FRONT HOW MUCH THIS WOULD COST TO FIX IN THE EVENT OF FAILURE. LUCKILY SHE WASN'T ON A HIGHWAY WHEN THIS HAPPENED. *TR