2006 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER HYBRID Complaints

2006 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER HYBRID CRASHED AFTER SUDDEN UNBREAKABLE ACCELERATION WITH $13,500 DAMAGE. TOYOTA INVESTIGATED AND SAID DRIVER HIT GAS INSTEAD OF BRAKE DESPITE VEHEMENT DENIALS BY DRIVER. *TR

DRIVER STARTED TO BACK UP A 2006 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER HYBRID IN A PARKING LOT. IT SHOT BACK AT MAXIMUM ACCELERATION JUMPING A CURB AND STRIKING A PEDESTRIAN. BY THEN, DRIVER HAD BRAKES ON AND SHIFTED INTO NEUTRAL. SHE PUT THE CAR INTO DRIVE AND IT AGAIN ACCELERATED TO THE MAXIMUM STRIKING HER HUSBAND. AT THE TIME, WE COULDN'T FIGURE OUT WHAT WAS WRONG. WE ASSUMED, SOMEHOW THE DRIVER, WHO HAD AN IMPECCABLE RECORD, HAD DONE SOMETHING WRONG. NOW, WITH ALL THE PUBLICITY, WE BELIEVE IT WAS CAUSED BY THE ELECTRONIC CONTROLS. NOTHING ELSE SEEMS AS LIKELY BECAUSE WE HAD NO REASON TO BELIEVE THERE WAS AN ELECTRONIC FAILURE, NOTHING WAS DONE. *TR

FAILURE OF 2006 HIGHLANDER HYBRID BRAKES TO MAINTAIN CONSISTENT RESISTANCE TO FORWARD MOTION. THIS FAILURE OCCURS REPEATEDLY AND CAUSES MUCH ANXIETY AND HEART PALPITATION UPON OCCURRENCE. THIS FAILURE WAS BROUGHT TO THE ATTENTION OF OUR LOCAL DEALER AND THEY CLAIMED TO NOT HAVE ANY INDICATIONS OF THE PROBLEM. I ALSO BROUGHT THEM COPIES OF NUMEROUS REPORTS WHICH READ THE SAME AND INDICATED EXTREMELY SIMILAR CONDITIONS. 11/22/2006 REPORTED TO LOCAL DEALER BRAKE CONCERNS. THEIR NOTES WERE:INTER. COND. MORE PRONOUNCED DURING 1ST FEW APPLICATIONS IN THE MORNING. C/S PEDAL SEEMS TO "FADE" & ENGINE HAS A SLIGHT SURGE WHEN BRAKING. CUSTOMER HAS LEFT VEHICLE FOR THE DAY & OVERNIGHT IF NECESSARY TO DUPLICATE CONCERN. RESULTS: ROAD TESTED 3 TIMES. CONCERN COULD NOT BE DUPLICATED. BRAKE CALIPERS & HARDWARE FUNCTIONING PROPERLY AT THIS TIME. NO REPAIRS MADE AT THIS TIME. WHAT I ACTUALLY TOLD THEM WAS THAT THE VEHICLE SURGED FORWARD WHEN THE BRAKES SEEMED TO FAIL . 10/02/07 BRAKE CONCERNS- PER PREVIOUS ADVISE, REPLACE FRONT PADS, RESURFACE ROTORS REMOVED AND REPLACED FRONT PADS AND RESURFACED ROTORS. CHARGE 235.04. TALKED TO SERVICE MANAGER ABOUT BRAKE CONCERNS. TALKED TO MY SALESMAN ABOUT BRAKE CONCERNS, TALKED TO DEALER MANAGER ABOUT BRAKE CONCERNS. REPORTED ON MOST SERVICE SURVEYS AND IN PERSON TO SURVEY CALLERS. IRONICALLY, DEALER SUGGESTS FRONT BRAKE PADS SHOULD BE REPLACED NOW AGAIN. TOYOTA HAS NEVER CONTACTED ME BACK AFTER ANY OF MY REPORTS TO THEM. ONLY THE LOCAL SERVICE MANAGER EVER CALLED ME BACK ABOUT THIS PROBLEM AND HE AFFORDED NO REMEDY. *TR

INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6) MY 2006 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER HYBRID [XXX] SOMETIMES SURGES FORWARD BEFORE STOPPING AT SPEEDS BETWEEN 20-35 MPH. I REPORTED THE PROBLEM TO MY LOCAL DEALER, SUPERIOR TOYOTA, ERIE, PA ON 1/11/07 (MILEAGE 10,072). THEY SAID I WAS EXPERIENCING THE CHANGE FROM ELECTRONIC TO HYDRAULIC BRAKES. ON 11/07/07 I COMPLAINED AGAIN (MILEAGE 24,335). THIS TIME THEY UPDATED THE ECU LOGIC PER TSB EG030-07. ON 3/25/08 THEY SAID THERE SIMPLY WAS NO PROBLEM. IN SUMMER 2008, PALMIERO TOYOTA IN MEADVILLE, PA TOLD ME THE SENSATION WAS CAUSED BY THE "FLY BY WIRE SYSTEM", AND IT WAS NOT A PROBLEM. WHEN I HEARD ABOUT THE PRIUS BRAKING PROBLEM, I BEGAN WORRYING AGAIN. I CALLED SUPERIOR TOYOTA ON 2/23/10. THEY TOLD ME MY CAR WAS NOT PART OF THE RECALL, AND THERE WAS NOTHING THEY COULD DO FOR ME. ANY VEHICLE THAT SURGES FORWARD RATHER THAN SLOWING WHEN THE BRAKES ARE APPLIED IS A SAFETY ISSUE. I AM SENDING A LETTER OF COMPLAINT TO TOYOTA MOTOR SALES USA. *TR

I OWN A 2006 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER HIGHBRID, WHICH I PURCHASED NEW. I HAVE NOT HAD A RUNAWAY SITUATION, BUT HAVE EXPERIENCED POWER SURGES WHILE BRAKING AND ONLY EXPERIENCED THESE DURING THE BRAKING PHASE. THE APPROXIMATE SPEEDS DURING THESE BRAKING EVENTS WERE BETWEEN 20-45 MPH. THE SURGING LASTS FOR APPROXIMATELY 2-3 SECONDS, WITH THE VEHICLE LUNGING FORWARD WHILE MY RIGHT FOOT BEING ON THE BRAKE. I DISCUSSED THE ISSUE WITH HECKER TOYOTA AND SERVICE ADVISOR . I THOUGHT THERE WAS A PROBLEM WITH THE CVT TRANSMISSION AND SERVICE ADVISOR TEST DROVE THE VEHICLE WITH NO PROBLEMS DETECTED. SERVICE ADVISOR ALSO STATED THERE WERE NO TOYOTA SERVICE BULLETINS FOR ANY ISSUES LIKE THIS. I HAVE ENCOUNTERED THIS SITUATION APPROXIMATELY 10-11 TIMES SINCE NEW. THE PROBLEM DOES NOT SEEM TO BE TEMPERATURE RELATED. I DON'T RECALL ANY SURGES WHEN COLD (BELOW 20F OR COLDER) BECAUSE MN ROADS USUALLY HAVE SOME ICY OR SLIPPERY CONDITIONS AND I WOULD REMEMBER THIS SITUATION. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER HYBRID. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE BRAKING AT VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE BRAKE SYSTEM WOULD SLIP AND THE VEHICLE FAILED TO SLOW DOWN UNLESS SHE DEPRESSED THE BRAKE PEDAL AGAIN. SHE NOTICED THAT THE FAILURE OCCURRED AN AVERAGE OF 2-3 TIMES A WEEK. SHE TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALERSHIP TWICE AND THE DEALER STATED THAT THEY COULD FIND NOTHING WRONG WITH THE BRAKING SYSTEM. SHE ALSO CALLED THE MANUFACTURER AND WAS TOLD THAT IT WAS A NORMAL BEHAVIOR FOR HYBRID VEHICLES. THE VEHICLE HAD NOT BEEN REPAIRED AT THE TIME OF THE COMPLAINT. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 40,000. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 29,000. UPDATED 03/15/10 *BF UPDATED 05/12/10.*JB

2006 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER HYBRID OCCASIONALLY GET A FEELING OF "NO BRAKES" WHEN APPLYING THE BRAKES. THEY HAVE ALWAYS STOPPED THE CAR, BUT SOMETIMES THERE IS A BRIEF FEELING THAT THEY ARE NOT WORKING I HAVE REPORTED IT TO THE DEALER ON AT LEAST 3 OCCASIONS THAT I RECALL. THE FIRST TIME THEY TURNED THE ROTORS, THE SECOND TIME THEY TOLD ME THERE WAS NOTHING WRONG. THE THIRD TIME THEY SAID IT WAS DURING THE TRANSITION FROM REGENERATIVE BRAKING TO HYDRAULIC BRAKING AND THAT "THEY'RE ALL LIKE THAT." IN MY CONVERSATIONS WITH OTHER PRE-2010 TOYOTA HYBRID OWNERS, ABOUT A THIRD TO A HALF OF THEM HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM. DATE BELOW IS APPROXIMATELY WHEN I FIRST REPORTED IT TO THE DEALER. *TR

WE BOUGHT A NEW 2006 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER HYBRID IN 2005 AND, FROM TIME TO TIME SINCE WE BOUGHT IT, THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL KIND OF STICKS OR SURGES IN CERTAIN DRIVING CONDITIONS. WHEN YOU TRY TO REDUCE SPEED BY TAKING YOUR FOOT OFF THE GAS PEDAL. IT SOMETIMES DOES NOT IMMEDIATELY RESPOND, IT TAKES A FEW SECONDS TO REDUCE SPEED AND SOMETIMES ACTUALLY SURGES A LITTLE, WHICH IT ALSO DOES SOMETIMES WHEN YOU ARE DRIVING AT A CONSISTENT SPEED. I THOUGHT IT HAD TO DO WITH THE HYBRID FEATURE AND JUST SORT OF LEARNED TO BE SENSITIVE TO IT AND HIT THE BRAKES IF IT NEEDED IT, BUT THIS SOUNDS LIKE WHAT IS GOING ON WITH OTHER MODELS SUBJECT TO THE RECALL AND, AS OUR MODEL IS NOT SUBJECT TO THE RECALL, I AM CONCERNED ABOUT IT. PLEASE ADVISE. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER HV. THE CONTACT STATED AS HE WAS DRIVING AT 50 MPH AND SET THE VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL, THE VEHICLE ACCELERATED AND THE SPEED INCREASED RAPIDLY. HE HAD TO CONTINUE TO APPLY HIS FOOT ON AND OFF OF THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL TO STOP THE VEHICLE. AFTER THE VEHICLE SLOWED DOWN HE PULL TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD ,TURNED THE VEHICLE ON AND OFF, AND DROVE THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER. THE DEALER STATED THAT HE COULD NOT DUPLICATED THE FAILURE, YET THEY RESET THE COMPUTER. THE VEHICLE ACCELERATED AFTER THE COMPUTER WAS RESET WHILE DRIVING IN RAINY AND INCLEMENT WEATHER CONDITIONS. THE VEHICLE WOULD SHUT OFF IMMEDIATELY WITHOUT ANY WARNING. THE TOYOTA MANUFACTURER WAS CALLED AND STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS DESIGNED TO SHUT OFF IN INCLEMENT WEATHER TO PROTECT THE ELECTRICAL DRIVE MOTOR IN THE WHEELS. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT WILLING TO REPAIR THE VEHICLE SINCE THERE WERE NO RECALLS ASSOCIATED WITH HIS VIN. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 18,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 60,000.

MY WIFE OWNS A 2006 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER HYBRID. LIKE THE PRIUS, THIS CAR WILL OCCASIONALLY EXPERIENCE A MOMENTARY PAUSE IN ITS BRAKING SEQUENCE AS IT SWITCHES FROM ITS REGENERATIVE BRAKING SYSTEM TO ITS HYDRAULIC ONE. HOW OFTEN DOES THIS HAPPEN? IT IS INFREQUENT, OCCURRING APPROXIMATELY ONCE WEEKLY OR SO. NEVERTHELESS, IT IS NOTICEABLE. TO DATE, WE HAVE NOT HAD AN ACCIDENT DUE TO THIS GLITCH, BUT I AM CONCERNED THAT, EVENTUALLY, IT MIGHT. THE PAUSE IS VERY SHORT--A SECOND OR LESS. *TR