2006 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER HYBRID Complaints

PULLING OUT OF A PARKING SPACE AT A LOW RATE OF SPEED. CAR CAME TO AN IMMEDIATE AND ABRUPT HALT. COULD NOT BE RESTARTED. *TR

DRIVERS SIDE SUNVISOR ON TOYOTA HIGHLANDER HYBRID WILL NOT STAY UP. SUNVISOR FALLS AND BLOCKS VIEW OF THE ROAD. FORCED TO HOLD SUNVISOR UP WITH LEFT HAND WHILE DRIVING. *TR

I WAS DRIVING OUR 2006 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER HYBRID UP THE DRIVEWAY AND AROUND TO THE BACK OF OUR HOME WHERE WE HAVE A REAR ENTRY GARAGE. AS I TURNED IN THE DRIVEWAY I STARTED TO SLOW/STOP THE CAR SO I COULD BACKUP TO PULL INTO THE GARAGE THE CAR ACCELERATED SUDDENLY STRIKING A SMALL TREE IN THE YARD DOING A LOT OF DAMAGE TO THE LEFT FRONT, LEFT FRONT WHEEL AND LEFT QUARTER PANEL. IT'S POSSIBLY TOTALLED. IT WAS AS IF A SOMETHING SIEZED THE CAR AND SUDDENLY PULLED IT FORWARD AT A HIGH RATE OF SPEED. IF THE TREE HAD NOT STOPPED THE CAR I WOULD HAVE STRUCK THE HOUSE. NO AIRBAGS DEPLOYED. I AM BRUISED AND SORE BUT OTHERWISE OK. I HAD BEEN RUNNING ON BATTERY THROUGH OUR NEIGHBORHOOD AND UP THE DRIVEWAY BUT AFTER IT HAPPENED I NOTICED THE ENGINE WAS NOW RUNNING SO I DON'T KNOW IF THE SURGE WAS THE RESULT OF THE GAS ENGINE KICKING IN OR SOME OTHER SUDDEN ACCELERATION PROBLEM. *TT

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER HYBRID. WHILE DRIVING 45 MPH, THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE BEGAN TO DECELERATE BEFORE STALLING. THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT RESTART. THE DEALER DIAGNOSED THAT THE INTELLIGENT POWER MODULE LOCATED IN THE ENGINE WAS DEFECTIVE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 130,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 130,010.

WHILE DRIVING THROUGH VIRGINIA FOOTHILLS, THE ENTIRE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM ON MY HYBRID STOPPED WORKING. I HAD SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCED BRAKING ABILITY, NO POWER STEERING AND WAS IN HEAVY TRAFFIC. THIS COULD HAVE BEEN A VERY SERIOUS INCIDENT IF I HAD TO STOP FOR AN EMERGENCY. I SLOWLY PULLED OVER SHUT THE SYSTEM DOWN AND AFTER A WHILE THE WARNING LIGHTS AND WARNING BUZZER WENT OFF. *KB

THE SUN VISOR IN MY 2006 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER HYBRID DROOPS DOWN FROM THE CEILING ON THE DRIVER'S SIDE. APPARENTLY THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM AND YOU HAVE RECEIVED NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS ABOUT THIS, YET TOYOTA HAS DONE NOTHING TO REMEDY THIS PROBLEM. *TR

2006 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER HYBRID BRAKING SYSTEM TEMPORARILY RELEASES WHEN HITTING A BUMP OR UNEVEN ROAD CONDITIONS. THIS PROBLEM ORIGINALLY STARTED IN WINTER, WHEN TEMPS WERE BELOW FREEZING. IT IS NOW HAPPENING NO MATTER WHAT THE WEATHER CONDITIONS ARE. THE VEHICLE HAS BEEN BACK TO THE TOYOTA DEALER 3 TIMES AND EACH TIME THEY SAY THEY CANNOT REPRODUCE THE FAULT, NOR DO THEY FIND ANY INFORMATION ABOUT IT WHEN THEY SEARCH THEIR DATABASE. THE INCIDENT DATE CITED IN THIS COMPLAINT IS THE MOST RECENT INCIDENT. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER HYBRID. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE HEADLIGHTS LENS WAS MELTED. THE VEHICLE WAS INSPECTED BY THE DEALER WHO ADVISED THAT THE 3M PLASTIC COULD HAVE CAUSED THE FAILURE. THE PLASTIC WAS REMOVED FROM THE LENS AND THE VEHICLE WAS FURTHER INSPECTED WHERE THERE WERE NO ELECTRICAL FAILURES FOUND. THE INVESTIGATION CONCLUDED THAT THE LIGHT BULB WAS DEFECTIVE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED AND THEY DENIED THE CLAIM. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 58,000. UPDATED 10/12/11*LJ UPDATED 3/22/12 *CN

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER HYBRID. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE ENGINE WOULD MAKE A LOUD SOUND WHILE DRIVING, THE CHECK ENGINE AND HYBRID SYSTEM LIGHTS WOULD ILLUMINATE ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL, AND THE VEHICLE WOULD DRIVE ROUGH. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER, WHO STATED THAT SOMETHING WAS BLOCKING THE CRANK SHAFT AND VARIOUS PIECES OF THE ENGINE COULD POSSIBLY BE OUT OF PLACE. A FULL DIAGNOSIS OF THE FAILURE WAS NOT PROVIDED BECAUSE THE ENGINE WOULD HAVE HAD TO HAVE BEEN TAKEN APART TO DO SO. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE, BUT OFFERED NO ASSISTANCE. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 87,000. THE DEALER INFORMED THE CONSUMER THE PROBLEM WAS RELATED TO THE ENGINE AND NOT THE HYBRID SYSTEM. IT WAS DETERMINED A VALVE SPRING BROKE IN THE ENGINE. SOMEHOW, THERE WAS A WEAKENING IN THE VALVE SPRING IN THE CYLINDER HEAD THAT CAUSED THE VALVE SPRING TO BREAK AND CAUSE INTERNAL DAMAGE. TOYOTA STATED THE SHORT BLOCK AND BOTH CYLINDER HEADS NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. WITH NEW PARTS AND LABOR, THE ESTIMATED COST WAS $11,000. UPDATED 08/31/11*JB UPDATED 9/16/11 *CN UPDATED 2/9/2012 *CN

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER HYBRID. IN JULY 2010, THE CONTACT WAS TRAVELING 35 MPH, WHEN SHE HEARD A LOUD POPPING NOISE AND SHE ALSO NOTICED THAT THE CHECK HYBRID SYSTEM WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY LOST ALL POWER WHERE IT WAS TOWED TO A DEALER. THE DEALER INSPECTED THE VEHICLE AND INFORMED THE CONTACT THAT THE INVERTER ASSEMBLY FAILED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. IN JULY 2011, THE CONTACT EXPERIENCED THE SAME FAILURE WHEN SHE HEARD A LOUD POPPING NOISE AND THE VEHICLE STALLED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER AND THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE INVERTER ASSEMBLY FAILED AGAIN. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED AND INFORMED THE CONTACT THAT HER VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED IN RECALL NUMBER: 11V342000 (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM). THE VEHICLE WAS AWAITING REPAIRS. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 98,600. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 79,072. UPDATED 09/15/11 *BF THE CONSUMER STATED TOYOTA FINALLY ADMITTED THE VEHICLE WAS APART OF A RECALL. THE INVERTER ASSEMBLY WAS REPLACED FOR THE SECOND TIME. HOWEVER, THE ACTUAL PART THAT WAS RECALL, WOULD NOT BE AVAILABLE UNTIL THE JANUARY 2012. UPDATED 11/18/11