2006 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER HYBRID Complaints

OUR 2006 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER HYBRID SIMPLY STOPPED RUNNING YESTERDAY IN THE MIDDLE OF A VERY BUSY STREET. WE HAD IT TOWED TO THE DEALER WHO TOLD US THAT THE INVERTER ( PART OF THE HYBRID PORTION OF THE VEHICLE ) WAS FINISHED AND THAT THE REPAIR WOULD BE $7800.00. THEY ALSO TOLD US THAT THIS IS THE ONLY YEAR OF THIS VEHICLE WHICH IS EXEMPT FROM THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA REQUIREMENT OF A 150,000 WARRANTY ON HYBRID VEHICLES . TOYOTA WILL NOT STAND BEHIND THIS VEHICLE ALTHOUGH IT IS A PROBLEM WITH THIS CAR THAT THEY ARE FAMILIAR WITH AND HAVE MADE CORRECTIONS TO. THIS IS A SERIOUS, DANGEROUS AND EXPENSIVE PROBLEM FOR WHICH TOYOTA SHOULD TAKE RESPONSIBILITY. THE CAR AS EASILY HAVE STOPPED ON THE FREEWAY OR SOME OTHER MORE DANGEROUS SPOT. *TR

WHILE TRAVELING DOWN HIGHWAY 101 DURING RUSH HOUR AT 70+ MILES AN HOUR, THE VEHICLE MADE A CLUNKING SOUND AND SUDDENLY STALLED. I SWERVE ACROSS SEVERAL LANES OF HIGHWAY WHILE COASTING TO A STOP NEARLY COLLIDING WITH TWO VEHICLES WHILE CHANGING LANES TO PULL OFF TO THE SHOULDER. I HAD TO PUSH THE VEHICLE TO COMPLETELY REMOVE IT FROM THE HIGHWAY. SEVERAL ATTEMPT TO RESTART IT WERE UNSUCCESSFUL AND THE ERROR MESSAGE "CHECK HYBRID SYSTEM" APPEARED ON THE DASHBOARD. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE NEAREST TOYOTA DEALERSHIP WHO INSPECTED THE VEHICLE AND THE FOLLOWING DAY INFORMED ME THE INVERTER HAD FAILED. THEY ESTIMATED THE COST OF REPAIRS AT NEARLY $10,000.00. THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE FOR A CAR THAT IS ONLY 5 YEARS OLD AND COST OVER $45,000 NEW, NOT TO MENTION THE FACT THAT I HAD TO PUSH THE VEHICLE OFF OF A BUSY HIGHWAY. *TR

TOYOTA HIGHLANDER HYBRID 2006 MODEL HAS 58,212 MILES ON THE ODOMETER. WAS PULLING AWAY FROM A STOPLIGHT ON A BUSY STREET WHEN THE CAR SUDDENLY LOST POWER. WE HAD TO PULL OVER TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. THE CAR WAS COMPLETELY DISABLED, WITH NO MOTIVE POWER WHATSOEVER. THE POLICE CAME AND ASSISTED, WE HAD THE CAR TOWED TO THE DEALER, AND WE ARE CURRENTLY WAITING FOR A HYBRID INVERTER (A COMMON PART CITED IN NHTSA ACTION PE11005. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER HYBRID. THE CONTACT WAS DRIVING THE VEHICLE AND IT STALLED WITHOUT WARNING AND THE HYBRID SYSTEM LIGHT CAME ON. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER WHO STATED THAT THE INVERTER HAD FAILED. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 130,000.

WHEN BRAKING MODERATE TO HARD, USUALLY GOING DOWNHILL AT ANYWHERE FROM 20 TO 40 MPH, BRAKES WILL OCCASIONALLY "RELEASE", CAUSING VEHICLE TO SURGE FORWARD, AND REQUIRING REAPPLICATION OF BRAKE PEDAL, WHICH USUALLY THEN FUNCTIONS NORMALLY. FAILURE OCCURS SEVERAL TIMES A WEEK, BUT NOT DAILY. HAS HAPPENED EVER SINCE PURCHASING THE VEHICLE USED IN 2009. HAVE NOT REPORTED IT TO DEALER, BUT KEEP EXPECTING A RECALL FOR THIS MALFUNCTION. *TR

I PURCHASED A 206 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER SUV HYBRID IN DEC 2005 1ST GENERATION. MY CAR HAS 166K MILES. THE SUV STOP RUNNING WITHOUT ANY WARNING ON THE HIGHWAY AS I PROCEEDED ON A SUNDAY MORNING GOING TO VOLUNTEER FOR THE AVON BREAST CANCER WALK, 1 MAY 11. I CONDUCT REGULAR MAINTENANCE CHECKS ON MY VEHICLE. I WAS QUITE SURPRISE TO LEARN THAT THE PART COST OVER $9K TO REPLACE NOT INCLUDING LABOR. THE PART TO REPLACE IS CALLED INVERTER ASSEMBLY. I CONTACTED HQ'S TOYOTA TO ASK FOR SOME ASSISTANCE WITH THE REPLACEMENT OF THIS PART. I WAS REFUSED HELPED. I PROCEEDED TO CONDUCT RESEARCH AND FOUND THIS WEBSITE: A CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT AGAINST TOYOTA FOR THIS SAME MAKE, MODEL AND YEAR AS MINES. SEE WEBSITE: HTTP://WWW.COURTHOUSENEWS.COM/2011/03/14/TOYOTA.PDF. I WAS QUITE SURPRISE TO SEE THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH THIS PART ONCE YOU REACHED OVER 100K AND TOYOTA WAS NOT PROVIDING A RECALL FOR THIS DEFECTIVE PART SINCE IT USED THE SAME TECHNOLOGY AS THE PRIUS WHICH EXPERIENCED THE SAME PROBLEM BUT WAS RECALLED. I SEEK HELP WITH OBTAINING TOYOTA TO PAY FOR PART. HERE ARE OTHER WEBSITES CONCERNING THIS ISSUE: HTTP://WWW.GOOGLE.COM/SEARCH?HL=EN&SOURCE=HP&IE=ISO-8859-1&Q=2006+HIGHLANDER+HYBRID+INVERTER&RLZ=1R2ADBR_EN&AQ=1B&AQI=G-V1G-B1&AQL=&OQ=2006+HIGHLANDER+INVER. THANKS FOR YOUR ASSISTANCE IN ADVANCE. HAVE A MARVELOUS DAY! [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

WHILE DRIVING MY 2006 HYLANDER HYBRID @ 55 MPH, AT NIGHT, THERE WAS A LOUD POP / THUD AND LURCH, THEN TOTAL LOSS OF POWER AND THE DASH BOARD LIT UP LIKE A CHRISTMAS TREE. I BARELY MADE IT TO THE SHOULDER OF THE ROAD WITHOUT GETTING GETTING HIT FROM BEHIND SEVERAL TIMES AS VEHICLES STEERED AROUND ME. HONKING THEIR HORNS AND FLASHING THEIR LIGHTS AT ME. AS I CRAWLED TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD @ 10:30 AT NIGHT. I FEEL LUCKY TO BE ALIVE. VEHICLE HAS JUST OVER 40,000 MILE ON IT AND HAS HAD ALL REQUIRED MAINTENANCE. TURNED OUT TO BE THE HYBRID INVERTER FAILED. THIS IS A NON SEVICABLE PART. *TR

ON MAY 18, 2011, MY 2006 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER HYBRID STALLED WITH A LOUD POP AND NO POWER WHILE PULLING OUT AT A BUSY INTERSECTION. THE CAR WAS ON A HILL AND I HAD TO LET IT "COAST" IN NEUTRAL BACKWARD DOWN THE HILL TO TURN INTO A LESS BUSY STREET. IT WOULD NOT START NOR WOULD THE ENGINE RUN. I HAD TO TOW IT TO THE TOYOTA DEALERSHIP WHERE ALL MY SERVICE HAS BEEN PERFORMED ON THE SCHEDULED BASIS. IT TOOK OVER A WEEK TO DIAGNOSE THE PROBLEM AS AN INVERTER FAILURE WITH AN ESTIMATED REPAIR AT APPROXIMATELY $9000. THE CAR IS LESS THAN 5 YEARS OLD WITH 160,000 MILES BUT IN EXCELLENT SHAPE. UPON RESEARCH, I NOTED THAT THERE ARE ISSUES WITH THE 2006 MODEL HIGHLANDER HYBRID INVERTER SYSTEM THAT MAY WARRANT INVESTIGATION/RECALL. *TR

MY 2006 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER HYBRID HAD PROBLEMS WITH THE POWER INVERTER SIMILAR TO THOSE REPORTED BY OTHERS WHERE, WITHOUT ANY WARNING AND WHILE DRIVING THE CAR, THERE WAS A LOUD SOUND AND THE CAR WOULD NO LONGER MOVE FORWARD NOR BACKWARDS ALTHOUGH THE ENGINE WAS ON. THE VEHICLE DASH TURNED ON WARNING LIGHTS WITH "CHECK VSC HYBRID SYSTEM" THERE WAS NO PREVIOUS WARNING OF THIS PROBLEM, EVEN THOUGH I HAD TAKEN THE CAR TO REGULAR MAINTENANCE IN THE DEALER A MONTH OR TWO AGO. NO-ONE WAS HURT BUT THE COMPLETE SUDDEN LACK OF PROPULSION COULD POTENTIALLY HAVE LED TO SERIOUS ACCIDENT. I WAS FORCED TO TOW THE CAR TO THE DEALER AND HAD TO GET A RENTAL CAR TO CONTINUE ON MY REGULAR DAY TO DAY ACTIVITIES. AFTER INVESTIGATION I WAS INFORMED THAT THE POWER INVERTER NEEDED TO BE REPLACED AT A COST OF OVER 7,000 FOR PARTS, PLUS EXTRA COSTS FOR LABOR. THIS SEEMS UNREASONABLY HIGH. I RECOMMEND THIS IS INVESTIGATED AND TOYOTA BE ASKED TO: 1. INITIATE A RECALL FOR THIS PART. THIS IS AN EXTREMELY DANGEROUS PROBLEM. DON'T WAIT UNTIL SOMEONE IS INJURED OR DIES. 2. OFFER FREE REPLACEMENT OF THIS PART TO ALL TOYOTA OWNERS WHO HAVE HAD THIS PROBLEM, INCLUDING PART, LABOR, TOWING AND ANY RENTAL CAR COSTS ASSOCIATED WITH THE DOWN TIME CAUSED FOR THIS. 3. ISSUE REIMBURSEMENTS FOR ANY CUSTOMER WHO HAVE HAD TO SUFFER THROUGH THIS PROBLEM AND PAID FOR IT FROM THEIR OWN MONEY. 4. EXTEND THE WARRANTY ON THE HYBRID RELATED PROBLEMS TO AT LEAST 150,000 MILES ACROSS ALL STATES - AS IT CURRENTLY IS BY LAW IN CALIFORNIA. 5. OFFER A FREE AND COMPREHENSIVE EVALUATION OF ALL HYBRID SYSTEMS COMPONENTS FOR EVERYONE WITH A HIGHLANDER HYBRID THAT IS OVER OR NEAR 100,000 MILES, AND REPLACE ANY COMPONENTS THAT ARE CLOSE TO FAILURE. 6. TRAIN YOUR SERVICE PROFESSIONALS TO LOOK FOR POTENTIAL HYBRID SYSTEM FAILURES AS PART OF ANY REGULAR MAINTENANCE SCHEDULE. THIS IS A SERIOUS ISSUE AND I DON'T THINK TOYOTA IS HANDLING IT IN A FAIR AND REASONABLE WAY. UPDATED 06/09/11 *TR

THE POWER INVERTER ON MY 2006 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER HYBRID FAILED AT ON A HIGH SPEED US HIGHWAY CAUSING MY CAR TO SHUT DOWN AT THAT HIGH SPEED. THE ROAD IN QUESTION DID NOT HAVE A SHOULDER AND THE LOSS OF CONTROL COULD HAVE BEEN CATASTROPHIC. *TR