2006 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER HYBRID Complaints

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER HYBRID. THE CONTACT WAS DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 40 MPH WHEN THE VEHICLE STALLED. THE CONTACT STATED THAT SEVERAL VARIOUS WARNING LIGHTS BEGAN TO ILLUMINATE ON THE DASHBOARD, INCLUDING THE CHECK ENGINE AND BRAKE LIGHTS. THE VEHICLE ROLLED TO A STOP BEFORE BEING TOWED TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER. THE CONTACT WAS ADVISED THAT THE VEHICLE WOULD NEED A NEW INVERTER. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 110,252.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER HYBRID. THE CONTACT WAS DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 5 MPH WHEN THE VEHICLE STALLED WITHOUT WARNING. THE CONTACT HAD THE VEHICLE TOWED TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER WHERE THE DEALER ADVISED THAT THE INVERTER ASSEMBLY WAS DEFECTIVE AND REPLACED IT WITH CONVERTERS. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 58,311.

THE HEADLIGHT BULB ON 2006 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER HYBRID IS SO HOT THAT IT HAS DISCOLORED AND SLIGHTLY MELTED THE LENS COVER. THIS PLASTIC GETS SO HOT THAT TO BE A SAFETY HAZARD THAT COULD CAUSE BURNS TO INDIVIDUALS THAT MIGHT COME IN CONTACT WITH THE LENS AND/OR THE SPUER HEATED LENS PLASTIC COULD BECOME A FIRE HAZARD. *TR

WHEN BRAKING, THE VEHICLE OFTEN "SLIPS" FOR A MOMENT. THERE IS A MOMENT OF ACCELERATION WHEN BRAKING AT LOW SPEEDS. IT HAS CAUSED ME TO BUMP INTO THE SHELVES IN MY GARAGE. IT HAS ALSO CAUSED ME TO REAR-END ANOTHER VEHICLE. I WAS SLOWING DOWN AT SOME TRAIN TRACKS AND ROLLED INTO THE CAR AHEAD OF ME. THE CAR AHEAD OF ME SUFFERED NO DAMAGE, BUT MY BUMPER WAS COMPLETELY DESTROYED FROM THE TRAILER HITCH OF THE OTHER CAR. THE BRAKING IS INCONSISTENT AND UNPREDICTABLE. I AM JUST GLAD NO ONE GOT HURT. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER HYBRID. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 65 MPH THE VEHICLE STALLED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER. THE TECHNICIANS STATED THAT THE INVERTER NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 125,000.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNED A 2006 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER HYBRID. THE CONTACT WAS DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 10 MPH WHEN THE VEHICLE STALLED WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT RESTART AND WAS TOWED TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER WHERE THE CONTACT WAS TOLD THAT THE HYBRID INVERTER WOULD NEED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 137,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS UNKNOWN. THE VIN WAS UNAVAILABLE.

THE 2006 HIGHLANDER HYBRID WAS PARKED ON A STEEP HILL. TURNED ON THE IGNITION, PUT IT INTO REVERSE, AND WENT ABOUT ONE FOOT (UPHILL) WHEN IT MADE A LOUD "CLANK" SOUND AND STOPPED. "CHECK VSC", "CHECK HYBRID", AND "CHECK AWD" WARNING MESSAGES WERE THEN DISPLAYED ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL. I COULD NOT TURN THE ENGINE ON AND DRIVE IT, SO I HAD IT TOWED TO A LOCAL TOYOTA DEALER WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED AS HAVING AN INVERTER FAILURE. WITHIN 4 DAYS, THE INVERTER WAS REPLACED UNDER WARRANTY.

MY 2006 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER HYBRID WAS RUNNING NORMALLY WITH 68,791 MILES ON IT. WHEN I STARTED THE CAR ON 1/19/2011 AND SHIFTED INTO DRIVE, I HEARD A POP, THE DASH LIT UP WITH MANY ERROR MESSAGES, THE CAR RAN ROUGHLY, AND WHEN I PRESS THE GAS PEDAL I BEGAN TO ROLL DOWN THE HILL IS WAS PARKED ON BACKWARDS. THE CAR FELT LIKE IT WAS IN NEUTRAL, BUT THE BRAKES WERE FUNCTIONAL. I PLACED THE CAR INTO PARK AND CALLED THE TOYOTA DEALERSHIP. THE CAR WAS TOWED AT MY EXPENSE TO THE DEALER. TOYOTA INFORMED ME THAT THE INVERTER HAD FAILED, THE AIR BOX WAS CRACKED, POWER STEERING LINK WAS UNDER RECALL, THE INDUCTION SYSTEM WAS CLOGGED, AND THE BRAKES NEEDED REPLACEMENT. PLEASE KEEP IN MIND THAT THIS VEHICLE WAS AT THE SAME DEALERSHIP A FEW WEEKS EARLIER (12/31/2010) FOR A BRAKE INSPECTION, OIL CHANGE, AND 68,000 MILE SERVICE. TOYOTA REPLACED THE INVERTER WITH ANOTHER 2006 INVERTER STATING THAT THERE WAS NOTHING WRONG WITH THE DESIGN OF THE ORIGINAL INVERTER. THE WORK WAS DONE UNDER THE WARRANTY. THE CAR HAS BE RUNNING NORMALLY SINCE THE REPAIR. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER HYBRID. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 5 MPH, THE ENGINE STALLED AND THE CHECK HYBRID SYSTEM AND CVC WARNING INDICATORS ILLUMINATED. THE ENGINE WAS RESTARTED FOLLOWED BY A LOUD NOISE. WHEN THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL WAS ENGAGED, THERE WAS NO RESPONSE AND THE STEERING WHEEL WOULD NOT FUNCTION NORMALLY. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER WHERE THEY INFORMED THE CONTACT THAT THE FAILURE WAS RELATED TO A FAULTY INVERTER. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 145,000.

WHILE DRIVING MY 2006 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER HYBRID ON THE INTERSTATE HIGHWAY I LOST ALL POWER AND THE ENGINE SHUT OFF I HAD TO COST THE VEHICLE ACROSS THREE LANES OF HIGH SPEED TRAFFIC TO GET TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD WHILE ALMOST GETTING HIT BY A PASSENGER BUS. ALL POWER WAS GONE AND VEHICLE WOULD NOT START. HAD VEHICLE TOWED TO A DEALER. WAS INFORMED THE POWER INVERTER SYSTEM HAD OVER HEATED AND FRIED. JUST THE PARTS FOR A NEW INVERTER WERE QUOTED AT $9,000. *TR