2006 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER HYBRID Complaints

2006 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER HYBRID. PROBLEM WITH NON LINEAR HAND OFF FROM REGENERATIVE BRAKING TO REGULAR BRAKING THAT OCCURS ROUTINELY. I WAS TOLD THAT IT WAS NOTHING TO WORRY ABOUT, BUT NOW SEE THAT FORD HAS A RECALL OF ITS HYBRIDS WITH SIMILAR PROBLEM. DO OTHER HIGHLANDER OWNERS HAVE A SIMILAR PROBLEM? IS THIS AT ALL RELATED TO THE CURRENTLY REPORTED 2010 PRIUS BRAKING PROBLEMS? *CN

2006 HIGHLANDER HYBRID HAS SURGE IN SPEED DURING BRAKING. HAPPENS CONSISTENTLY WHEN GOING FROM DESCEND TO ASCEND. *TR

BRAKING PROBLEM - 2006 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER HYBRID WHEN APPLYING BRAKES, ELECTRICAL REGENERATION BEGINS. BUT, IF YOU GO OVER A BUMP THE REGENERATION DROPS OUT. THIS RESULTS IN AN ESTIMATED (BY ME) 25% REDUCTION IN BRAKING POWER. THE DRIVER MUST THEN APPLY ADDITIONAL BRAKE PRESSURE TO REGAIN STOPPING POWER. THIS OCCURS CONSTANTLY AND HAS BEEN REPORTED NUMEROUS TIMES TO MY DEALER. WAS TOLD THAT THIS IS THE WAY IT WAS DESIGNED TO WORK. *TR

MOVING A TOYOTA HIGHLANDER 2006 HAD FINISHED BACKING UP AND WAS PREPARING TO MOVE FORWARD INTO A PARKING SPOT AND THE CAR CONTINUED BACKWARD AND HIT A PEDESTRIAN AND ANOTHER CAR. ALL OBSERVERS AGREE THAT THE CAR ACCELERATED AFTER MY FOOT WAS OFF THE PEDAL AND I HAD NO CHANCE TO PUT THE CAR IN DRIVE BEFORE IT HAPPENED. I HIT A PEDESTRIAN WHO WAS HOSPITALIZED AND RECEIVED A LARGE GASH IN HER LEG WHICH REQUIRED MANY STITCHES AND PHYSICAL THERAPY REHABILITATION AND ANOTHER AUTO WHICH WAS TOTALED DUE TO THE DAMAGE. *TR

2006 HIGHLANDER HYBRID EXHIBITS SAME BRAKING PROBLEM DESCRIBED FOR PRIUS. I OWNED ONE FOR THREE YEARS AND MADE REPEATED ATTEMPTS TO HAVE IT REPAIRED. I TRADED ON A RAV 4 IN MARCH 2009. THIS CAR HAS EXACTLY THE SAME PROBLEM WITH JUMPING FORWARD WHEN BRAKING AND HIT A POTHOLE ETC. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER HYBRID. WHILE DRIVING 20 MPH OVER A BUMP IN THE ROAD AND APPLYING THE BRAKE PEDAL, THE VEHICLE ACCELERATED. THE BRAKES BEGAN OPERATING NORMALLY IMMEDIATELY AFTER DRIVING OVER THE BUMP. THE FAILURE HAS OCCURRED APPROXIMATELY 50 TIMES. THE DEALER WAS CONTACTED AND STATED THAT WAS A NORMAL RESPONSE FOR A HYBRID VEHICLE. NO REPAIRS HAVE BEEN MADE TO THE VEHICLE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 500 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 51000. UPDATED 4/5/10 *CN UPDATED 06/04/10

DURING BRAKING I EXPERIENCED A "SLIPPING" OF THE BRAKING SYSTEM WHEN THE CAR HITS ROUGH ROAD OR BUMPS.

THE TOYOTA DEALERSHIP WHERE I BOUGHT MY 2006 HIGHLANDER HYBRID NEW INSTALLED A CAR ALARM AT THE TIME OF PURCHASE. WHILE GOING DOWN THE ROAD THE LEFT HAND PASSENGER "DOOR AJAR" ALARM WILL BEGIN GOING OFF. THIS IS VERY DISTURBING AND DANGEROUS AT NIGHT BECAUSE IT WILL CAUSE THE DOME LIGHTS TO FLASH ON AND OFF AS WELL AS THE DINGING OF THE BELL. THIS TYPICALLY HAPPENS WHEN HITTING POT HOLES - BUT I DO NOT ALWAYS FEEL ANY BUMP. I HAVE HAD THE CAR INTO THE DEALERSHIP SEVERAL TIMES FOR THIS PROBLEM. THEY FINALLY TRACED IT TO A CAUSE OF "THE KNOCK SENSOR FOR THE ALARM IS TIED TO THE GROUND IN THE DOOR AJAR SENSOR", THEY SAID THAT THE CONNECTION WAS LOOSE. THE FIRST TIME THEY REPLACED THE ALARM, THE SECOND AND THIRD, AND ... TIMES THEY SAID THE WIRE WAS LOOSE. THE LAST TIME I ADVISED THEM TO CHANGE WHERE THE ALARM KNOCK SENSOR WAS GROUNDED AND THEY SAID THAT THEY SOLVED THE PROBLEM WITH A BETTER CONNECTION. GRANTED THE PROBLEM DOES NOT HAPPEN MUCH ANYMORE, BUT IT STILL CONTINUES. ON A RECENT TRIP FROM SAN DIEGO TO CORPUS CHRISTIE THE ALARM WENT OFF FOR ABOUT 15 MINUTES ON THE SECOND MORNING OF OUR TRIP. IT TYPICALLY HAPPENS IN WHAT SEEMS TO ME AS COOLER DAMPER WEATHER. AGAIN, I FEEL THIS IS A SAFETY CONCERN THAT HAS BEEN LARGELY IGNORED BY THE DEALERSHIP (TOYOTA OF POWAY IN POWAY, CA) THE LAST TIME, THEY TOLD ME THAT THE VEHICLE WAS OUT OF WARRANTY... I HAVE NOT CONTACTED THEM AFTER THIS LAST INCIDENT IN DECEMBER ON OUR TRIP, THEN AGAIN LAST WEEKEND (SATURDAY NIGHT) WHEN DRIVING HOME FROM A CASINO - ABOUT 15 DINGS AND ASSOCIATED FLASHING LIGHTS OVER A FEW SECONDS. *TR

2006 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER HYBRID LIMITED 2WD - SAME SYMPTOMS AS THE JUST ANNOUNCED PRIUS BRAKE RECALL. IF I AM BRAKING AND HIT A POTHOLE, THE BRAKES RELAX AND I MUST PUSH MUCH HARDER TO GET THE SAME BRAKING FORCE. I HAVE NOTICED THIS SINCE MY VEHICLE WAS NEW, BUT HAVE ADAPTED TO IT. I HAVE NOT HAD AN ACCIDENT, BUT THIS SHOULD BE ADDRESSED AS THE FIX IS LIKELY A SOFTWARE UPDATE. *TR

I HAVE A 2006 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER HYBRID. REPEATEDLY SINCE I PURCHASED THIS VEHICLE, AND AS RECENTLY AS TODAY, I HAVE EXPERIENCED THE EXACT SAME TYPE OF BRAKING ISSUES NOW BEING INVESTIGATED WITH RESPECT TO THE TOYOTA PRIUS. WHEN BRAKING ON AN UNEVEN OR WET SURFACE, THE CAR WILL JERK FORWARD UNEXPECTEDLY AND I WILL FEEL AS IF THE BRAKES ARE FAILING. I HAVE COMPLAINED TO THE DEALER AND TO SERVICE AND THEY DENY THE PROBLEM. *TR