2010 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER HYBRID Complaints

WHILE DRIVING DOWN A ROAD WITHOUT WARNING ONE OF THE IGNITION COILS FAILED CAUSING THE ENGINE AND THE CAR TO IMMEDIATELY STOP IN TRAFFIC. FORTUNATELY, WE WERE ON A RURAL ROAD AND GOING LESS THAN 30 MPH, BUT ON A FREEWAY AT SPEED WE WOULD HAVE BEEN IN AN EXTREMELY DANGEROUS SITUATION. THE HIGHLANDER HYBRID UNLIKE MOST CARS WILL NOT RUN AT ALL WITH AN IGNITION COIL FAILURE. THUS, THERE IS A RISK OF A SUDDEN LOSS OF POWER. THE TOYOTA DEALER WAS UNABLE TO OFFER ANY EXPLANATION OTHER THAN THEE THINGS HAPPEN. THE VEHICLE HAD ONLY 80,000 MILES, HAD BEEN MAINTAINED BY TOYOTA DEALERS ON A REGULAR BASIS AND IS FIVE YEARS OLD. I HAVE BEEN DRIVING FOR 58 YEARS AND HAVE NEVER EXPERIENCED AN IGNITION COIL FAILURE.

WHEN I DEPRESS THE BRAKE TO MAKE A CONSISTENT SMOOTH STOP IF THE VEHICLE HITS BUMPS THE CAR SEEMS TO LOOSE ITS BRAKING POWER AND ALMOST FEELS LIKE IT SLIPS OUT FROM UNDER ME AS IT LURCHES AHEAD. THIS PROBLEM IS CONSISTENT IN THAT IT HAPPENS IN THE SAME SPOTS UNDER THE SAME CONDITIONS. IT SEEMS AS THOUGH IT COULD BE HAZARDOUS IN CERTAIN CONDITIONS. *JS

2010 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARDS TO VEHICLE ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS AND RECALL PARTS NOT AVAILABLE. *SMD AFTER THE DEALER INFORMED THE CONSUMER, THE PART WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE CONSUMER CONTINUED TO DRIVE THE VEHICLE FOR THE REST OF THE WEEK. FOUR DAY LATER, THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT TURN ON AFTER AN EXTREMELY COLD DAY. THE CONSUMER CALLED FOR A JUMP, THINKING IT WAS THE BATTERY. THE SERVICE TECHNICIAN CAME OUT AND IT WAS DISCOVERED, THE BATTERY WAS NOT THE ISSUE, BUT MAYBE SOME OTHER TYPE OF ELECTRICAL ISSUE, AS THE VEHICLE SOUNDED AS IF IT WERE TRYING TO TURN OVER, BUT WOULDN'T. ALSO, THE CAR ALARM WAS GOING OFF INTERMITTENTLY FOR HOURS FOR NO REASON. THE CONSUMER CALLED ANOTHER DEALER, ABOUT GETTING THE VEHICLE FIXED, BUT WAS INFORMED THE PART WAS ON NATIONAL BACK ORDER. *JB

THE INVERTER FAILED AND THE CAR STALLED ON A BUSY FREEWAY (I-5) DURING A DARK, RAINY EVENING. THE CAR COULD NOT MAKE IT ALL THE WAY TO THE SIDE OF THE SHOULDER AND STOPPED PARTIALLY BLOCKING A LANE. IT WAS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS AND THE DRIVER, MY WIFE, WAS LUCKY NOT TO BE INJURED. *TR

MY TOYOTA HIGHLANDER HYBRID HAS EXTREMELY POOR BRAKING IN SNOW / ICY CONDITIONS. EVEN AT EXTREMELY LOW SPEEDS (10 TO 15 MPH), THE CAR SKIDS FOR TENS OF FEET BEFORE COMING TO A HALT. THREE TIMES SO FAR, IT CAUSED DANGEROUS SITUATIONS BECAUSE THE CAR KEPT GOING DESPITE FULL ENGAGEMENT OF THE BRAKES. ONCE, I NARROWLY MISSED BEING HIT BY A 53' TRUCK BECAUSE MY CAR ROLLED INTO A MAJOR STREET, JUST BARELY GETTING BY BEFORE THE TRUCK CAME THROUGH. I HAVE ATTEMPTED TO TALK WITH THE DEALER - THE RESPONSE IS THAT HYBRID CARS BRAKE DIFFERENTLY. I HAVE DRIVEN CARS FOR OVER 30 YEARS, AND I KNOW THERE IS A DEFECT IN HOW THE CAR'S HYBRID SYSTEM IS ENGAGING THE BRAKING FUNCTIONALITY. ITS A SHAME THAT A CAR THAT COST 50K ON THE ROAD HAS SUCH A SERIOUS PROBLEM THAT THE MANUFACTURER AND ITS DEALERS REFUSE TO ACKNOWLEDGE. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2010 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER HYBRID. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 35 MPH, THE VEHICLE STALLED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE WHEEL BEARING SENSOR NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE CONTACT MENTIONED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR THE SAME FAILURE ON THREE OCCASIONS. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED BUT THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 77,000. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2010 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER HYBRID. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING 40 MPH, THE VEHICLE STALLED. THE CONTACT TOWED THE VEHICLE TO A DEALER. THE DEALER PERFORMED A DIAGNOSTIC TEST. THE TEST SHOWED A DEFECTIVE COIL PACK WHICH CAUSED THE VEHICLE TO STALL. THE DEALER REPLACED THE COIL AS WELL AS THE BATTERY. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 25,400.

MULTIPLE BATTERY FAILURES REQUIRING JUMP STARTS: SEVEN (7) TIMES SINCE I BOUGHT THIS SUV IN FEB 2011. THREE TIMES THERE WAS A POSSIBLE KNOWN CAUSE FOR THE BATTERY DRAIN: THE PASSENGER VANITY MIRROR LIGHT WAS LEFT ON FOR 15 MINUTES, 2 HOURS, AND AN UNKNOWN LENGTH OF TIME. NONE OF THESE THREE EPISODES WAS SIGNIFICANT ENOUGH TO CAUSE A COMPLETELY DEAD BATTERY IN ONE THAT HAS BEEN EVALUATED AS IN EXCELLENT CONDITION. I DRIVE IN THE MOUNTAINS ALL WINTER. GETTING STRANDED IN AN ISOLATED PLACE CAN BE DEADLY DUE TOO EXPOSURE, RISK OF COLLISION ON SINGLE LANE SNOW-OCCLUDED ROADS WITH 2-WAY TRAFFIC AND FAST SNOW PLOWS. OTHER TOYOTA HIGHLANDER HYBRID OWNERS HAVE HAD THE SAME PROBLEM. TWICE NOW THE DEALER HAS SAID THERE IS "NO PROBLEM" WITH THE BATTERY. I AM PURSUING CORRECTION THROUGH THE LOCAL TOYOTA CUSTOMER RELATIONS MANAGER AND WILL FOLLOW THROUGH WITH TOYOTA'S CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE CENTER AND THE CALIFORNIA DISPUTE SETTLEMENT CENTER IF A PROMPT LOCAL SOLUTION IS NOT ACHIEVED. HTTP://ANSWERS.EDMUNDS.COM/QUESTION-WE-HAVE-A-2010-TOYOTA-HIGHLANDER-HYBRID-THE-BATTERY-IS-CONSTANTLY-DYING-ON-IT-EXAMPLE-LEAVE-DOOR-OPEN-10-MINUTES-AND-IT-S-DEAD-144840.ASPX *JS

KEYLESS FOB RESULTED IN CAR BEING LEFT ON ALL NIGHT IN ENCLOSED GARAGE. THE DESIGN DEFECT IN NOT AUTOMATICALLY TURNING THE ENGINE OFF WHEN THE FOB LEAVES THE IMMEDIATE AREA IS WELL-KNOWN. THE ADDITIONAL PROBLEM IN THE TOYOTA HIGHLANDER HYBRID IS THAT THE GREEN POWER LIGHT GOES ON WHEN YOU TURN OFF THE CAR, LEADING THE DRIVER TO BELIEVE THAT THE POWER IS NOW ON, WHEN IN FACT IT IS OFF. THE DRIVER THEN STEPS ON THE BRAKE AND PRESSES POWER AGAIN, THINKING THAT THEY ARE NOW TURNING THE CAR OFF BECAUSE THE POWER BUTTON IS NO LONGER GREEN. THE HYBRID ENGINE IS SILENT WHEN THE CAR STARTS, SO THE DRIVER LEAVES THE AREA WITH THE FOB THINKING THE CAR IS OFF, WHEN IN FACT IT IS ON ALL NIGHT IN A CLOSED GARAGE, AS HAPPENED WITH US. *TR

2010 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER HYBRID. CONSUMER STATES THAT VEHICLE IS SUPPOSE TO BE ALL WHEEL DRIVE, HOWEVER THE HYBRID SYSTEM IS NOT COMPATIBLE WITH THE ALL WHEEL DRIVE SYSTEM *TGW THE CONSUMER STATED WHEN THE VEHICLE WOULD SLIDE, THE HYBRID SYSTEM SHUT DOWN THE ALL-WHEEL DRIVE SYSTEM BECAUSE THE COMPUTER WAS TRYING TO PREVENT DAMAGE TO THE GENERATOR WHICH IS A PART OF THE HYBRID SYSTEM. *JB