2006 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER HYBRID Complaints

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER HYBRID. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 65-70 MPH THE VEHICLE LOST POWER. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING AND THE INVERTER FAILED AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE WHO DECIDED TO PAY FOR THE REPAIRS. THE VEHICLE IDENTIFICATION NUMBER WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 116,000.

MY 2006 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER HYBRID HAD SUDDEN INVERTER FAILURE WHILE TRYING TO ACCELERATE OUT OF A TOLL PLAZA. AFTER PAYING TOLL, I PRESSED DOWN ON THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL AND BEGAN TO MOVE FORWARD. AFTER JUST A COUPLE MOMENTS OF ACCELERATION, THERE WAS A LOUD POP FROM THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT AND I LOST ALL DRIVE POWER TO THE WHEELS. THERE WAS A FAINT BURNT RUBBER SMELL. THE DASH BOARD FLASHED MULTIPLE WARNING LIGHTS INCLUDING "CHECK VSC SYSTEM" AND SOMETHING LIKE "CHECK HYBRID SYSTEM." I WAS LUCKY TO BE ABLE TO COAST TO THE SIDE OF THE TOLL PLAZA. THE GASOLINE ENGINE REMAINED RUNNING AND THE CAR HAD ELECTRICAL POWER AND AIRCONDITIONING. IT WOULD NOT, HOWEVER, MOVE IN EITHER FORWARD OR REVERSE. THIS SUDDEN LOSS OF POWER COULD HAVE BEEN DISASTROUS IF I WAS PULLING ON TO A BUSY STREET OR ENTERING AN INTERSECTION. THE CAR WAS TOWED TO THE NEAREST TOYOTA DEALERSHIP FOR REPAIR. *TR

I HAVE A TOYOTA HIGHLANDER HYBRID 2006. WHEN I AM BRAKING TO A STOP AT LESS THEN 15MPH I OFTEN FEEL THE CAR "LURCH" FORWARD FOR AN INSTANT AS IF THE BRAKES STOPPED WORKING FOR AN INSTANT. I SEARCHED ON THE WEB AND FOUND FORUMS WHERE OTHER OWNERS OF HIGHLANDER HYBRIDS REPORTED SIMILAR ISSUES. I THINK IT IS POSSIBLE THE BRAKING SWITCHES FROM REGENERATIVE TO HYDRAULIC AND THERE IS A LITTLE PAUSE OR LOSS OF PERFORMANCE FOR THIS INSTANCE WHICH FORCES YOU TO ADD MORE PRESSURE TO THE BRAKE PAD TO MAINTAIN SMOOTH BRAKING. TOYOTA HAS NOT STATED THAT THIS IS SOMETHING THAT HAPPENS ON THEIR HYBRIDS BUT MOST OF THE OTHER DRIVERS HAVE HAD MY EXPERIENCE. I WOULD LIKE CONFIRMATION THAT THIS IS AN ISSUE AND A DETERMINATION IF THIS IS A SAFETY OR DESIGN ISSUE THAT NEEDS TO BE ACKNOWLEDGED BY NHTSA OR TOYOTA. *TR

THE HEADLAMP COVERS ON MY 2006 TOYOTA HIGHLAND HYBRID SHOW SIGNIFICANT MELTING EXACTLY WHERE THE DAY LIGHTS SHINE THROUGH THE PLASTIC. THIS IS DEFINITELY A DEFECT IN THE MATERIALS, AS THE LIGHTS CANNOT BE TURNED OFF BY THE DRIVER. THE VEHICLE HAS JUST 75000 MILES, & THE LENS COVERS & BULBS ARE THE ORIGINAL EQUIPMENT. THE DEALER REFUSED TO CORRECT THIS WITHOUT APPROVAL FROM TOYOTA. TOYOTA REFUSES TO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT THIS IS A DEFECT AND WILL NOT REPLACE THE LAMPS AND/OR THE LENS COVERS. I BELIEVE THIS IS A SAFETY HAZARD, AS OTHERS HAVE REPORTED FIRES STARTED BY THE OVERHEATED LENSCOVERS. ANOTHER HAZARD IS THAT AS THE LENSES FURTHER DETERIORATE, THEY WILL ALLOW WATER AND MOISTURE TO SEEP IN, INCREASING THE RISK OF AN ELECTRICAL SHORT. ALTHOUGH THE WARRANTY HAS EXPIRED, I FEEL THAT TOYOTA SHOULD BE ADMITTING THAT THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE AND A MFG DEFECT, AND REPLACE THE LIGHT UNITS. INSTEAD, TOYOTA REPRESENTATIVES HAVE REPEATEDLY STATED THAT THEY HAVEN'T HEARD OF THIS PROBLEM BEFORE, AND WILL NOT TAKE ANY CORRECTIVE ACTION. *TR

WE WERE DRIVING OUR 2006 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER 5-8-11 WITH 67K MILES AT APPROX 35 -40 MPH, WE WERE FORCED TO BRAKE TO CONFORM WITH TRAFFIC CONDITIONS. WE ACCELERATED FROM 10 - 15 MPH UPON ACCELERATION WE HEARD A LARGE POP, AS I PRESSED THE ACCELERATOR AGAIN I NOTICED THE ENGINE WAS REVVING UP WITH NO FORWARD MOVEMENT OF THE VEHICLE. I IMMEDIATELY PULLED TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. AS WE PULLED TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD WE HAD TWO MESSAGES APPEAR ON THE DASH BOARD "CHECK HYBRID SYSTEM " & "CHECK VSC SYSTEM". WE CONSULTED OUR OWNERS MANUAL AND FOUND OUT THAT THE VEHICLE NEEDED TO BE SERVICED BY A TOYOTA DEALER AND THAT THERE WAS NOTHING WE COULD DO. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A LOCAL TOYOTA DEALERSHIP FOR SERVICE. *TR

WHILE DRIVING AT SPEED ON THE HIGHWAY THE INVERTER/CONVERTER FAILED THE VEHICLE WAS COASTED TO A STOP ON THE HIGHWAY SHOULDER. NOW AGAIN ON 04/28/2011 WITH 88,856 MILES ON THE VEHICLE THE SAME FAILURE HAS OCCURRED WHILE ACCELERATION UP-HILL ON THE HIGHWAY AT ABOUT 40 MPH. MOST OF THE DAMAGED COMPONENTS (INVERTER/CONVERTER & AN ECU) WHERE COVERED BY WARRANTY. I AM VERY CONCERNED ABOUT THE SAFETY OF THIS VEHICLE AND MY WIFE CONTINUING TO DRIVE IT EVEN THOUGH IT HAS BEEN REPAIRED AGAIN.

MY WIFE AND I ARE OWNERS OF A 2006 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER HYBRID AND EXPERIENCED THE STALL WITH NO RESTART ISSUE YESTERDAY. I HAD NOTICED FOR 6MTHS - 1 YEAR THAT ON MORE THAN GENTLE ACCELERATION THE VEHICLE MAY PAUSE (LOSE POWER) FOR 1-2 SECONDS BEFORE CONTINUING. DURING THIS PAUSE, A WARNING WOULD BE DISPLAYED ALONG WITH ALARM SOUND REPORTING "WATER TEMP" EVEN THOUGH THE WATER TEMP GAUGE IS STILL HOLDING IN MIDDLE OF RANGE WITHOUT MOVING. I HAD HOPED THAT SUBSEQUENT SERVICING WOULD ADDRESS UNTIL IT WOULD OCCUR AGAIN AT A LATER TIME. IT OCCURRED REGULARLY ENOUGH TO BE A CONCERN, BUT AS THE CAR PROCEEDED A SEC OR TWO LATER THE URGENCY WAS LOST. IN RETROSPECT IF IT WAS KNOWN THAT THIS WAS A SIGN OF POSSIBLE SIGNIFICANT FUTURE ENTIRE ENGINE POWER LOSS, MY CONCERN TO HAVE THIS REPORTED AND ADDRESSED WOULD HAVE BEEN HIGHER. YESTERDAY AFTER DISPLAYING THE SAME MESSAGE AND SOUND, THE VEHICLE LOST COMPLETE POWER AND ENGINE WARNING LIGHT CAME ON, ALONG WITH OTHER WARNINGS MESSAGES. WE HAD BARELY ANY POWER (VERY SLOW WALKING PACE AT BEST) TO MOVE FROM STOP TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. ENGINE APPEARED TO STILL BE ACTIVE TO SOME DEGREE WHEN PUSHING ACCELERATOR BUT EXTREMELY MINIMAL POWER PROVIDED TO WHEELS. VEHICLE HAD TO BE TOWED TO LOCAL DEALERSHIP. REPORT FROM TOYOTA DEALERSHIP THAT INVERTER FAILED AND NEEDS TO BE REPLACED FOR $7000+ AND LABOR, ETC. VEHICLE HAS APPROX 108,000 MILES. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER HYBRID. THE CONTACT WAS DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 30 MPH WHEN THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY ACCELERATED WITHOUT WARNING. THE CONTACT APPLIED THE BRAKES TO STOP THE UNINTENDED ACCELERATION BUT THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT RESPOND. THE CONTACT THEN CRASHED INTO A TREE. THE DRIVER RECEIVED INJURIES TO HER ANKLE AND THE FRONT PASSENGER SUSTAINED A BROKEN FINGER. THE REAR PASSENGER WHO WAS PREGNANT WAS KILLED AND ANOTHER PASSENGER SUSTAINED MAJOR INTERNAL BLEEDING. THE POLICE WERE CALLED AND A REPORT WAS FILED. THE THREE SURVIVING PASSENGERS WERE TRANSPORTED TO THE HOSPITAL VIA AMBULANCE. THE VEHICLE WAS THEN TOWED TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHERE THEY ARE AWAITING AN INVESTIGATION. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 27,000. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE.

ENGINE LOST POWER AND SHUT DOWN WHILE DRIVING. NEEDED TO BE TOWED TO DEALER. DEALER DETERMINED FAILURE IN INVERTER. ESTIMATE OVER $9000. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER HYBRID. THE CONTACT WAS DRIVING 70 MPH WHEN THE VEHICLE STALLED WITHOUT WARNING. THE CONTACT WAS UNABLE TO RESTART THE VEHICLE AND THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO DEALER. THE DEALER PERFORMED A DIAGNOSTIC TEST AND THE TEST RESULTS CONCLUDED THAT THE INVERTER HAD MALFUNCTIONED. THE CONTACT REFERENCED NHTSA ACTION NUMBER: PE11005 ( HYBRID PROPULSION SYSTEM: INVERTER) FOR AN INVESTIGATION FOR THE FAILURE BUT THERE WERE NO RECALLS. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 120,000.