2006 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER HYBRID Complaints

LENS IS MELTING IN FRONT OF DAY TIME RUNNING LITE BULBS ON BOTH LEFT & RIGHT SIDES OF MY 2006 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER HYBRID.CONCERNED THIS COULD CAUSE FIRE AS THIS IS ALSO THE HIGH BEAM LITE. IF LEFT ON ACCIDENTLY THESE COULD BECOME VERY HOT AS THE HALOGEN BULBS WILL ACTUALLY MELT GLASS. *TR

I WAS PARKING ON A STEEP HILL AND AS I STEPPED ON THE BRAKE, THE VEHICLE LURCHED FORWARD APPROXIMATELY 2 FEET AND HIT THE SIDE OF A FENCE POST AND CAUSED DAMAGE TO MY FRONT BUMPER. SINCE I BOUGHT THIS VEHICLE IN 2007 I HAVE NOTICED THAT OFTEN TIMES WHILE DRIVING AND THEN TRYING TO BRAKE ON STEEP HILLS THE VEHICLE LURCHES FORWARD. THIS LURCHING OFTEN CAUSES ME TO END UP IN THE MIDDLE OF AN INTERSECTION OR VERY CLOSE TO A CAR IN FRONT OF ME, THUS MAKING IT A VERY UNSAFE SITUATION ESPECIALLY WHILE DRIVING KIDS. I HAVE REPORTED THIS PROBLEM TO MY TOYOTA SERVICE DEALER SEVERAL TIMES AND EACH TIME THEY DENY THAT THERE IS ANY ISSUE.

PLASTIC HEADLIGHT LENSES ARE MELTING DIRECTLY OVER THE DAYTIME RUNNING LIGHT (DRL) HALOGEN BULBS ON BOTH SIDES. THE LIGHTS ARE THE SAME AS THE 'BRIGHTS' BUT SHOULD BE AT 50% POWER WHEN USED AS DRL'S. DEALER INFORMS ME THAT THEY HAVE NEVER HAD THIS COMPLAINT AND CANNOT FIND ANY OTHER INSTANCES ON-LINE OR IN THEIR DATABASE, BUT THERE ARE SEVERAL THAT I FOUND WITHIN A FEW MINUTES OF SEARCHING. AT THIS POINT, IT IS ONLY COVERED UNDER THE 36,000 MILE WARRANTY, BUT AS THIS IS A SIGNIFICANT DEFECT IN EITHER THE PLASTIC LENS COVERING OR IN THE BULB ITSELF (RUNNING TOO HOT) OR IN THE DRL RELAY THAT SHOULD BE AT 1/2 POWER, I WOULD LIKE TO SUBMIT THIS FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION

2006 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER HYBRID. CONSUMER STATES THAT THE VEHICLE SHUT OFF WHILE DRIVING 75 MPH. *KB THE CONSUMER STATED THE VEHICLE HAD TO BE TOWED TO THE DEALER WHERE THE INVERTER WAS REPLACED IN THE HYBRID SYSTEM. *JB

2006 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER HYBRID POWER INVERTER FAILED CAUSING SUDDEN LOSS OF ALL POWER, INCLUDING BRAKES, AND STEERING. $9500 REPLACEMENT COST WAS NEGOTIATED DOWN TO $4700 WITH DEALER AND TOYOTA. A NUMBER OF 2006 HIGHLANDER HYBRIDS HAVE HAD THE SAME FAILURE, WITH NO ABILITY TO USE THE BATTERY TO GET THE VEHICLE OFF THE ROAD AND OUT OF DANGER. *TR

WHILE DRIVING ON MAJOR EXPRESSWAY I LOST ALL POWER AND WAS (THANK GOODNESS) ABLE TO SAFELY COAST TO SHOULDER. ALL THE WARNING LIGHTS LIT UP TOGETHER WITH THE ALTERNATING MESSAGES: "HYBRID SYSTEM FAILURE" AND "VSC FAILURE." THE CAR WOULD NOT RESTART. I WAS FORTUNATE IT WAS A SUNDAY MORNING AND I WAS ABLE TO SAFELY REACH THE SHOULDER. THE EXPRESSWAY I DRIVE MONDAY THROUGH FRIDAY (I-595 IN BROWARD COUNTY FLORIDA) IS VERY HEAVILY TRAVELED AND, DUE TO CONSTRUCTION, HAS MANY SECTIONS WITHOUT A SHOULDER. MY 2006 HIGHLANDER HYBRID HAD TO BE TOWED. I WAS ADVISED THAT THE HYBRID INVERTER, A $7,000 PART, HAD FAILED. *TR

I PULLED OUT FROM A PRIVATE PARKING LOT ONTO A BUSY HIGHWAY. AS I ACCELERATED, THE CAR MAKE A NOISE AND EVERYTHING STOPPED. THERE WERE NO WARNING LIGHTS.-NOTHING. I MANAGED TO GET THE CAR OVER TO THE RIGHT AND TURN IMMEDIATELY WHERE IT INTO A GAS STATION THAT ALLOWED THE CAR TO COAST DOWNHILL TO WHERE IT STOPPED. THE CAR WAS TOWED TO THE TOYOTA DEALERSHIP. ON THE 2ND DAY, WE WERE TOLD THE TRANSMISSION AND THE INVERTER CONVERTER-HYBRID SYSTEM BOTH WENT OUT. ALTHOUGH THEY TOLD US THIS SHOULD NOT HAPPEN - ONE OR THE OTHER CAN GO OUT BUT NOT BOTH. IT WOULD COST 14,000 DOLLARS TO FIX. NOW THEY TELL US WE CAN SELL OUR NICE 2006 CAR FOR SCRAP AT AUCTION.

2006 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER. CONSUMER STATES DESIGN FLAW IN VEHICLE *TGW THE CONSUMER STATED AS HE WAS TRYING TO MAKE TURN, HE APPLIED THE ACCELERATOR WITH FORCE WHEN SUDDENLY A POP AND A SHUDDER CAME FROM THE VEHICLE, AND THEN THE DASHBOARD LIGHTS ILLUMINATED AND THE VEHICLE BEGAN TO COAST. THE CONSUMER WAS ABLE TO PULL OFF TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD SAFELY. ATTEMPTS TO GET THE VEHICLE GOING AGAIN WERE UNSUCCESSFUL AND ULTIMATELY THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER. A DAY LATER, THE DEALER STATED THE HYBRID INVERTER HAD BLOWN AND THAT NO REPLACEMENT PARTS WERE AVAILABLE IN THE REGION. THE REPAIRS WERE EVENTUALLY MADE UNDER WARRANTY A WEEK LATER. *JB

IN JULY OF 2009 I NOTICED A TEAR ON BOTH FRONT LEATHER SEATS, IN ALMOST THE SAME SPOT, ON THE SIDE OF EACH SEAT. WE TAKE VERY GOOD CARE OF OUR CAR AND WE ARE NOT OVERWEIGHT. TOYOTA WILL NOT REPLACE OR REPAIR THE SEATS. EVEN THOUGH IT IS VERY CLEAR THIS IS A DEFECT. BOTH FRONT SEATS WITH TEARS IN THE SAME LOCATION? WE PAID EXTRA FOR THE "LIMITED' EDITION WHICH INCLUDES 'HIGH QUALITY LEATHER SEATS'. WE HAVE ANOTHER CAR WITH 500,000 THOUSAND MILES ON IT (NOT A TOYOTA) AND THE SEATS SHOW NO SIGNS OF TEARING. WE HAD A TOYOTA SALESMAN CALL US AND WANTED TO KNOW IF WE WANTED TO TRADE IN OUR 2006 HIGHLANDER FOR A NEW ONE AND THE ANSWER IS NO. WE HAVE ALREADY HAD TO HAVE THE HEADLIGHTS REPLACED BECAUSE THEY HAD MELTED IN THE MIDDLE OF THE HEADLIGHT DUE TO THE DAYTIME RUNNING LIGHTS. TOYOTA PAID FOR THE LABOR BUT WE HAD TO PAY FOR THE HEADLIGHTS. WITH TOYOTA GOING THROUGH SO MUCH BAD PRESS, ONE WOULD THINK THEY WOULD BEND OVER BACKWARDS FOR CUSTOMER SERVICE, DO THE RIGHT THING, SO THAT PEOPLE WOULD WANT TO BUY TOYOTA AGAIN. ARE THERE OTHER COMPLAINTS ABOUT THIS AND IF SO, WHY WON'T TOYOTA HELP OUT? WE WILL NOW HAVE TO PAY A CAR INTERIOR SHOP TO REPAIR THE TEARS ON BOTH SEATS, NOT HAPPY WITH THAT. IT IS A SHAME BECAUSE ALL IN ALL WE ARE VERY PLEASED WITH OUR HIGHLANDER HYBRID. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER HV. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 60 MPH, ALL OF THE SERVICE LIGHTS ILLUMINATED ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL AND THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY STALLED. THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT RESTART SO IT WAS TOWED TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER WHERE THE BATTERY WAS REPLACED. THE FAILURE CONTINUED AND THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE INVERTER NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE HAD NOT BEEN REPAIRED. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE APPROXIMATELY 113,000.