2006 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER HYBRID Complaints

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER HV. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE TRAVELING AT APPROXIMATE SPEEDS OF 70 MPH, THE VEHICLE STALLED AND LOST ALL POWER. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A LOCAL DEALER WHERE THE DEALER ADVISED THE INVERTER WITHIN THE HYBRID SYSTEM HAD FAILED. THE INVERTER WAS REPLACED UNDER THE CONTACT'S FACTORY WARRANTY. THE FAILURE DID NOT RECUR. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 62,000.

WHEN I AM BRAKING MY TOYOTA HIGHLANDER HYBRID '06, THERE IS A 2-5 SECOND SURGE BEFORE THE BRAKES KICK IN. *TR

I HAVE AN 06 HIGHLANDER HYBRID, A HAVE PROBLEM WITH ITS BRAKES IT LOSSES IT GRIP FOR 1 SECOND OR LESS ON LIGHT BRAKING AND SOMETIMES IT SURGES BEFORE THE BRAKES HOLD. THIS HAPPENED USUALLY IN THE MORNING AT COLD STARTS OCCURRING 3-4 TIMES A WEEK. I COMPLAINED TO A TOYOTA DEALERSHIP AND THEY TOLD ME THAT IT IS BECAUSE OF THE TRANSITION FROM REGENERATIVE TO TRADITIONAL BRAKING. I JUST FELT NOT SAFE BECAUSE IT MIGHT LEAD TO ACCIDENT. *TR

1. I WAS PARKING ALONGSIDE THE ROAD, BEHIND AN ACQUAINTANCE'S VEHICLE. WHILE ROLLING INTO POSITION BEHIND THEM, I EXPERIENCED A SUDDEN ACCELERATION OF MY VEHICLE. 2. THIS IS THE FIRST TIME THIS HAS OCCURED. I SMASHED INTO THE REAR OF THE CAR PARKED IN FRONT OF ME AT 10MPH OR SO. MINIMLA DAMAGE TO MY SUV, OTHER CAR WILL LIKELY NEED A NEW REAR BUMPER. 3. REPORTED TO TOYOTA AND AWAITING CALLBACK

ONE MORNING OUR TOYOTA HIGHLANDER HYBRID WOULDN'T START. AFTER TRYING TO START IT WITH MY KEY, MY WIFE TRIED USING HERS. IT STILL DIDN'T START. HOWEVER, WE BOTH NOTICED THAT IT WAS MAKING MORE THAN THE USUAL AMOUNT OF BUZZING AND HUMMING SOUNDS. WE BOTH WALKED BACK INTO THE HOUSE, LEAVING THE CAR IN PARK, THE DOORS SHUT BUT THE HOOD UP, TAKING OUR KEYS WITH US. JUST A FEW MINUTES LATER, MY WIFE SAW MOVEMENT OUT THE WINDOW AND WALKED OVER TO SEE WHAT IT WAS. IT WAS THE HIGHLANDER DRIVING ITSELF ACROSS THE LAWN. IT HAD BEEN PARKED ON THE FLAT DRIVEWAY BUT WAS NOW HALFWAY ACROSS THE YARD, HAVING ROLLED OVER A FLOWER PLANTER MADE OF RAILROAD TIES AND WAS HEADED FOR A VERY STEEP HILL. BEFORE EITHER OF US COULD EVEN GET OUT OF THE HOUSE, IT ROLLED OVER THE EDGE OF THE HILL AND DISAPPEARED. A LOUD CRASH LET US KNOW IT HAD COME TO A STOP. (IT HIT A TREE.) THE AIR BAGS DIDN'T DEPLOY AND WHEN WE LOOKED IN THE WINDOW THE GEAR SHIFT WAS IN REVERSE. AFTER BEING TOWED UP THE HILL, IT WAS TAKEN TO A COLLISION REPAIR FACILITY WHERE THE BILL CAME TO ABOUT $11,000. THEN IT WAS TAKEN TO STEVE LOW MIDWEST TOYOTA WHERE WE SOUGHT AN EXPLANATION AND REPAIR. THE DEALER COULD FIND NO DEFECT AND NO REPAIR WAS MADE.

WE'VE OWNED THE CAR FOR ABOUT A YEAR AND THIS PROBLEM HAS HAPPENED TO MY WIFE AND I BOTH WHILE DRIVING. WHILE BRAKING THE BRAKE PEDAL RISES AGAINST YOUR FOOT AND THE VEHICLE SURGES FORWARD THEN AS YOU APPLY MORE FORCE THE PEDAL GOES DOWN AND THE VEHICLE STOPS SUDDENLY. IT HAPPENS INTERMITTENTLY AND THE BRAKE WEAR AND FLUID LEVELS HAVE ALWAYS BEEN FINE, IT SEEMS TO BE A PROBLEM WITH THE POWER ASSIST TO THE BRAKE MAYBE AS THE HYBRID MODEL ENGINE STARTS BECAUSE IT SEEMS TO HAPPEN WHEN BRAKING AFTER COASTING SO THE ENGINE WOULD BE OFF BUT AS THE BRAKES ARE APPLIED ABOUT HALFWAY THROUGH THE NORMAL STOP YOU FEEL THE BRAKE PEDAL GET HARD AND THEN NORMAL AGAIN. DURING THE BRAKE PEDAL HARDNESS THE SPEED OF THE VEHICLE INCREASES WHICH REACTS IN A HARDER BRAKE PEDAL PRESSURE BUT BY THEN THE ASSIST IS BACK AND THE STOP IS SUDDEN. THIS COULD CAUSE BOTH AN ACCIDENT FROM HITTING SOMEONE DURING THE LOSS OF BRAKE AND FROM BEHIND BECAUSE OF THE SUDDEN STOP. *TR

2006 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER HYBRID. CONSUMER STATES UNINTENDED ACCELERATION CAUSED A CRASH. *TGW THE CONSUMER STATED SHE WAS WAITING IN LINE WITH HER FOOT ON THE BRAKE, WHEN SUDDENLY HER VEHICLE ACCELERATED AND CRASHED INTO THE VEHICLE IN FRONT OF HER. THE OTHER PARTIES IN THE OTHER VEHICLE CLAIMED TO INJURED. *JB

I PURCHASED A 2006 HIGHLANDER HYBRID LIMITED IN SEPTEMBER 2009. FAIRLY OFTEN WHEN I APPLY THE BRAKES AT LOWER SPEEDS, THE SUV SURGES FORWARD LIKE THE BRAKES HAVE RELEASED FOR A MOMENT AND THEN HAVE REAPPLIED. IT IS DANGEROUS AND VERY DISCONCERTING IN CLOSE TRAFFIC OR WHEN GOING AROUND A CORNER OR CIRCLE. ALTHOUGH I HAVE MANAGED NOT TO HAVE A COLLISION, I HAVE COME PRETTY CLOSE WHEN DRIVING WITH A REASONABLE DISTANCE FROM THE CAR IN FRONT. I HAVE DESCRIBED IT TO TOYOTA, WHICH DENIES THERE IS ANY PROBLEM. I HAVE HAD IT SERVICED WITHOUT ANY PROBLEM WITH THE BRAKES BEING IDENTIFIED. THIS IS A PROBLEM THAT IS NOTED BY MANY PEOPLE ON THE INTERNET WHO DESCRIBE THE EXACT PROBLEM WITH MY MODEL AS WELL AS OTHER HYBRIDS MANUFACTURED BY TOYOTA. IT IS A DEFECT THAT COULD CAUSE A SERIOUS ACCIDENT IF EMERGENCY BRAKING IS NECESSARY, WHICH AT SOME POINT WE ALL NEED TO DO TO BE SAFE ON THE ROAD. PLEASE ADDRESS THIS WITH TOYOTA. *TR

SLIPPERY CONDITION CAUSED TRACTION CONTROL IN VEHICLE TO DEACTIVATE COMPLETE 4WD DRIVE TRAIN, PREVENTING ME FROM BEING ABLE TO AVOID FROM SLIDING DOWN DIRECTLY ONTO A POST. IF IT DIDN'T COMPLETELY DISABLE THE VEHICLE, I WOULD HAVE BEEN ABLE TO CONTINUE TO MANEUVER AWAY FROM THE OBSTACLE. *TR

BRAKES RELEASE FOR A SPLIT SECOND. IT SEEMS TO OCCUR IF APPLYING OVER A ROUGH SURFACE BUT NOT 100% CERTAIN OF THIS. WE'VE NOTICED THIS BEHAVIOR EVER SINCE WE PURCHASED THE HIGHLANDER IN 2006. NOT UNTIL HEARING OF SIMILAR ISSUES WITH THE PRIUS DID WE FEEL IT NECESSARY TO REPORT. *TR