2008 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER HYBRID Complaints

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER HYBRID. ON APPROXIMATELY FOUR OCCASIONS WHILE DRIVING VARIOUS SPEEDS INCLUDING APPROXIMATELY 25 MPH WITH THE BRAKE PEDAL ENGAGED THE VEHICLE FAILED TO STOP WITHIN A REASONABLE TIME. THE FAILURE OCCURRED ON ICY WEATHER CONDITIONS. SHE ALSO STATED THAT INTERMITTENTLY THE VEHICLE WOULD SURGE WHEN SHE TAPPED THE BRAKE PEDAL. SHE TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER WHO DID NOT INSPECT THE VEHICLE. SHE HAS NOT CALLED THE MANUFACTURER. THE VEHICLE HAS NOT BEEN REPAIRED AT THE TIME OF THE COMPLAINT. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 45,000. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 15,000.

MY WIFE WAS DRIVING THE HIGHLANDER IN THE FIRST WEEK WE HAD THE CAR. SHE WAS DRIVING IN SLOW MOVING RUSH HOUR TRAFFIC IN CAMBRIDGE MA AT LESS THAN 15 MPH. WHEN A CAR IN FRONT OF HER STOOPED QUICKLY, SHE HIT THE BRAKES WHICH INITIALLY STOPPED, BUT ON THEIR OWN RELEASED FOR A FRACTION OF A SECOND AND THEN RE-ENGAGED. THIS CAUSED HER TO HIT THE BACK OF ANOTHER CAR. INITIALLY WE REPORTED THIS TO TOYOTA AND WERE TOLD THAT IT HAD TO WITH THE HYBRID BRAKING SYSTEM. THIS TYPE OF BRAKE RELEASE HAS OCCURRED AT LEAST ON A WEEKLY BASIS AND BUT IS NOT CONSISTENT. WE HAVE BOTH LEARNED HOW TO DRIVE THE CAR MORE CONSERVATIVELY BECAUSE OF THE PROBLEM WITH THE BRAKE. TODAY THE CAR WAS BROUGHT INTO THE DEALERSHIP WHERE THIS BEHAVIOR WAS CONFIRMED BY TOYOTA AFTER DRIVING OUR CAR, AND WE WERE TOLD THAT THIS PROBLEM MAY BE RELATED TO THE BRAKING PROBLEM DESCRIBED IN THE PRIUS AS WELL. A LOW BATTERY WAS CHANGED, IN HOPE OF HELPING. *TR

WHILE PULLING OUT OF A PARKING LOT ONTO A BUSY STREET I PRESSED THE ACCELERATOR HARD AT WHICH TIME IT BECAME STUCK. I TRIED BRAKING HARD BUT THE CAR CONTINUED TO ACCELERATE AT WHICH TIME I REMEMBERED HEARING ABOUT A RECALL INVOLVING FLOOR MATS. I YANKED THE FLOOR MAT BACK WHILE CONTINUING TO BRAKE AND SHORTLY THEREAFTER THE CAR STOPPED ACCELERATING. I WOULD ESTIMATE IT WAS STUCK FOR ABOUT 5 SECONDS, MAYBE A QUARTER MILE DISTANCE. AFTER RETURNING HOME AND MOVING THE FLOOR MAT AROUND I DO NOT SEE HOW IT COULD HAVE BEEN UP UNDER THE GAS PEDAL AND IF IT WAS HOW IT COULD HAVE INTERFERED WITH THE OPERATION OF THE GAS PEDAL. THE FLOOR MAT IS A VINYL/PLASTIC, RIGID, RELATIVELY THIN AND BOUGHT AFTERMARKET (NOT THE CARPET FLOOR MAT THAT CAME WITH THE CAR). I REMOVED THE FLOOR MAT ALTOGETHER. READING ABOUT THE LATEST RECALL PROMPTED ME TO FILE THIS REPORT EVEN THOUGH NO ACCIDENT WAS CAUSED NOR DAMAGE DONE TO THE VEHICLE.*CW

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER HYBRID(NA). HE EXPERIENCED PREMATURE TREAD WEAR ON THE TIRES. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED, AND HE WAS ADVISED TO REPLACE HIS SET OF TIRES. HOWEVER HE SPECULATES THAT THE FRAME OF THE VEHICLE WAS CAUSING THE TIRES TO FAIL. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 14,000. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 10,000

TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN, ON SEPTEMBER 11TH, 2009 WE DROVE FROM ORANGE COUNTY TO KERNVILLE FOR A WEEKEND TRIP. 120 MILES INTO OUR JOURNEY WE WERE O IN THE MOJAVE DESERT ON HIGHWAY 395 WHEN I OVERTOOK ANOTHER CAR AT APPROXIMATELY 75MILES PER HOUR. AS I GOT BACK INTO LANE, I ATTEMPTED TO DEPRESS THE BRAKE TO SLOW BACK DOWN BUT THE CAR CONTINUED TO ACCELERATE. MY WIFE WAS SITTING BESIDE ME. PERPLEXED, I LOOKED DOWN AT THE PEDALS AND TOLD MY WIFE THE CAR WOULD NOR SLOW DOWN, AS I CONTINUED TO TRY AND DEPRESS THE BRAKE PEDAL. AT EACH ATTEMPT TO DECELERATE THE ENGINE WHINED ALARMINGLY BUT THE CAR CONTINUED TO ACCELERATE. I TRIED SEVERAL TIMES TO PRESS AND RELEASE THE ACCELERATOR FOLLOWED BY RETURNING MY FOOT TO THE BRAKE. AT NO TIME DID THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL APPEAR TO BE HINDERED OR RESTRICTED IN ANYWAY. THE CAR CONTINUED TO ACCELERATE. AT 95MILES PER HOUR I FORCED DOWN BOTH THE BRAKE PEDAL AND THE EMERGENCY/ HAND BRAKE AT THE SAME TIME FORCING THE CAR TO SLOW DOWN, ALL THE WHILE THE ENGINE CONTINUED TO REV UP. AS WE APPROACHED STOPPING SASKIA PUSHED THE GEAR STICK INTO PARK AND WE BOUNCED AND SHUDDERED TO A HALT. IT WAS TERRIFYING. THE CHILDREN DID NOT UNDERSTAND WHAT WAS GOING ON AND WERE COMPLETELY PANICKED BY THE SITUATION, SCREAMING AND CRYING AS WE TRIED TO STOP THE CAR. BOTH SASKIA AND I WERE VISIBLY SHAKEN. WE TOOK A SHORT BRAKE AND THEN GINGERLY ATTEMPTED TO MOVE FORWARD AGAIN. THE CAR APPEARED TO BE WORKING AND WE SLOWLY ACCELERATED BACK ON TO THE HIGHWAY ATTEMPTING SEVERAL TIMES TO STOP AND BRAKE TO MAKE SURE THAT THE CAR WAS WORKING PROPERLY. IT WAS IMMEDIATELY APPARENT THAT THE BRAKES WERE NOT WORKING PROPERLY THOUGH STILL FUNCTIONAL. THEY WERE TAKING LONGER TO STOP AND THERE WAS A GRINDING SOUND AND SHUDDERING VERY TIME WE TRIED TO SLOW DOWN. WE WERE MUCH CLOSER TO OUR DESTINATION THAN TO HOME AND DECIDED IT MADE SENSE TO CONTINUE AND HOPE THAT WE COULD CALL THE DEALER THE NEXT DAY. *TR

I PURCHASED A 2008 HIGHLANDER BY TOYOTA. AFTER DRIVING 20K MILES , I NOTICED A VIBRATION IN MY STEERING. I THEN NOTICED MY TIRES BELTS WERE SEPARATING AND THE TREAD ON ALL WAS WORN DOWN TO ALMOST ZERO. I TOOK MY CAR TO THE DEALER WHERE IT WAS PURCHASED AND THEY SAID THERE IS NO MILEAGE WARRANTY. YET MY UNDERSTANDING WAS 60 MONTHS. WHEN I READ IT AGAIN IT SAID 60 MONTHS OR THE AMOUNT OF TREAD LEFT. NEW TIRES $900. THESE TIRES ARE A HAZARD TO PUBLIC SAFETY. I HAVE NEVER HAD A NEW VEHICLE NEED NEW TIRES WHEN IT IS BARELY ONE YEAR OLD. THE TIRES WERE REMOVED BEFORE I HAD AN INCIDENT. I HAVE NOTICED NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS ABOUT THESE TIRES ON VARIOUS WEB SITES. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER HYBRID. THE VEHICLE WAS PURCHASED NEW IN DECEMBER OF 2008. THE CONTACT NOTICED PAINT CHIPPING FROM THE DRIVER'S SIDE DOOR AND REAR DOOR. SHE ALSO NOTICED CORROSION UNDERNEATH THE PAINT. SHE TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER AND THEY STATED THAT THE CORROSION WAS CAUSED BY BRAKE DUST. THEY STATED THAT THEY COULD GIVE THE VEHICLE AN ACID WASH. THE CONTACT WILL NOTIFY THE MANUFACTURER. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 1,300 AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 15,000.

MY CAR, TOYOTA HIGHLANDER HYBRID 2008, TIRE (245/55 19R) WARE OUT TO 2/32 ~ 3/32 AT 17500 MILES. WHEN IT WENT DON TO 4/32, GARAGE WARN ME ABOUT TIRE NEED TO CHANGE VERY SOON, I CONTACTED MY TOYOTA DEALER AND TOYO TIRE BUT NO ACTION HAS BEEN TAKEN. ALMOST ALL OF HIGHLANDER OWNER COMPLAIN ONLINE AT CAR FORUM. WE DIDN'T GET ANY ACTION FROM BOTH CAR AND TIRE DEALER. ONLY ONE OWNER GET FREE REPLACEMENT BY DEALER FROM UPSTATE NEW YORK. TOYO 245/55 R19 TIRE IS NOT GOOD AT HANDLING ON SNOW AND ICE. WHEN THERE WAS SNOW, I HAVE TO DRIVE VERY CAREFULLY AND SLOWLY. EVEN THOUGH I DRIVE VERY CAREFULLY, I SLIP AND SKID TWO OR THREE TIMES. MOST OF THE OWNER OF 2008 AND 2009 HIGHLANDER WHICH COME WITH 245/55 R19 SIZE TIRE COMPLAINT ABOUT POOR HANDLING ON SNOW AND ICE EVEN ON WET SURFACE. THERE ARE ONLY TWO CHOICES FOR THAT KIND OF SIZE TIRE AND BOTH DO NOT HAVE GOOD RESULT OF HANDLING ON WET OR ICE. I HOPE THIS REPORT CAN GIVE SOME HELP TO OTHER OWNERS OF THE CAR WHICH COME WITH 245/55 R19. THANKS. *TR

I OWN A 2008 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER VEHICLE AND THE FRONT TIRES HAVE ALMOST ALL TREADS WORN DOWN ALREADY AFTER JUST 10,000 MILES ON THE VEHICLE WHICH INDICATES THIS VEHICLE IS JUST CHEWING TIRES RIGHT UP SO I AM WORRIED ABOUT EARLY TIRE FAILURE. OTHER OWNERS MUST HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM. CAN NHTSA CHECK THIS OUT FOR ALL OWNERS? *TR

I OWN A 2007 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER HYBRID. DURING THE SNOW DAYS WE WERE TRYING TO DRIVE IT UP MY SNOW COVERED ROAD BUT COULD NOT DUE TO THE SLIGHT INCLINE AND THE COMPACT SNOW. MY WIFE WAS DRIVING, I WAS IN THE PASSENGER SEAT AND GRANDPA WAS IN THE BACK. ONCE WE STOPPED THE CAR WAS PUT INTO 'PARK', I GOT OUT AND WAS WALKING AROUND THE BACK. BY THEN MY WIFE AND GRANDPA WERE JUST OUTSIDE OF THE VEHICLE WITH THE DOORS STILL OPEN. THEN THE VEHICLE STARTED ROLLING BACKWARDS BUMPING INTO ME AND KNOCKING ME OVER ALMOST RUNNING OVER ME. MY WIFE AND GRANDPA WERE BEING PUSHED OVER BY THE OPEN DOORS. MY WIFE WAS ABLE TO CLIMB BACK IN AND HIT THE BRAKES TO STOP THE VEHICLE. GRANDPA WAS KNOCKED OVER ONTO THE GROUND AND BROKE HIS GLASSES. OTHER THAN FREAKING US ALL OUT WE WERE OK. I AM SURE THIS HAD SOMETHING TO DO WITH THE HIGH TECH TRACTION CONTROL SYSTEM, BUT IT SEEMS TO ME THAT A CAR IN 'PARK' SHOULD NOT START ROLLING NO MATTER WHAT. MY QUESTION TO YOU IS. IS THIS NORMAL BEHAVIOR? HAVE OTHER PEOPLE SUBMITTED THIS PROBLEM? *TR