2012 Toyota Highlander Hybrid Problems

VEHICLE POWER UNLOCKING MECHANISM IS UNRELIABLE, AND SHOWS SIGNIFICANT DEFECT IN THE UNLOCKING CAPABILITIES OF ALL BUT THE DRIVERS DOOR. AFTER SEVERAL LOCK ACTUATOR REPLACEMENTS, THE VEHICLE STILL EXHIBITS IMPROPER OPERATION. DEALERSHIP AGREES THAT THERE IS A COMMON COMPLAINT WITH THIS VEHICLE, AND IT'S LOCK OPERATION. BIGGEST ISSUE I SEE IS HAVING TO LEAVE MY CHILDREN UNATTENDED TO ENTER THE VEHICLE TO MANUALLY UNLOCK DOORS. I HAVE RESEARCHED THIS EXTENSIVELY, AND FOUND SIMILAR COMPLAINTS ONLINE, IN MANY FORUMS ETC - TOYOTA REFUSES TO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT THERE IS AN ISSUE WITH THE LOCK MECHANISMS. THIS HAS BEEN AN ONGOING ISSUE FOR OVER 2 YEARS NOW, AND SHOULD BE EXAMINED FOR THE SAFETY IMPACT AT A GREATER SCALE.

SEVERAL SMALL PAINT BUBBLES ON REAR HATCH. ONE HAD BURST AT SEAM OF TRIM AND IS RUSTING. SCREWS HOLDING THE LICENSE PLATE LIGHT AND ASSEMBLY ARE RUSTED. UNDERSIDE OF "HIGHLANDER" EMBLEM TRIM WHERE REAR CAMERA IS LOCATED IS CORRODED AND RUSTED. *TR

BRAKE BOOSTER PUMP/ABS ACTUATOR C1391/C1256 WERE CODES GIVEN IN ATTACHED REPORT FROM TOYOTA. THIS IS APPARENTLY BEEN A PROBLEM WITH OTHER MODELS OF TOYOTAS AND ARE COVERED UNDER A WARRANTY ENHANCEMENT, HOWEVER THE 2012 IS NOT COVERED. NOTHING SEEMS WRONG WITH THE CAR AND THEY CANNOT REALLY TELL ME WHAT EXACTLY IS WRONG OR IF IT IS A BAD SENSOR, HOWEVER THEY WANT $4,200 TO REPLACE THE WHOLE UNIT. SEEMS LIKE THIS IS A KNOWN ISSUE THAT THEY HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO FIX FROM PREVIOUS MODELS AND WOULD LIKE IT COVERED DUE TO POTENTIAL SAFETY RISK.

NO PRIOR HISTORY OF HYBRID PROBLEMS DURING PREVIOUS 65,000 MILES. ON MONDAY MORNING, THE HIGHLANDER HYBRID STARTED UP FINE. AFTER WARMING UP FOR 5 MINUTES TO SCRAPE OFF SNOW, SHIFTED TO DRIVE AND BEGAN DRIVING. CAR SHUT DOWN AFTER ABOUT 12 FEET. CAR WOULD NOT RESTART. WARNING MESSAGE APPEARED ON DISPLAY, INDICATING HYBRID SYSTEM PROBLEM. AAA CAME, PUT ON FLATBED, AND TOOK TO NEAREST DEALERSHIP. DEALERSHIP WAS UNABLE TO DETERMINE CAUSE OR FIX PROBLEM FOLLOWING 6+ HOURS OF TROUBLESHOOTING BY THEIR HYBRID EXPERT YESTERDAY. THEY INDICATED IT COULD BE SOMETHING IN THE INVERTER, BUT THAT IT MAY NOT BE COVERED BY EXISTING EXTENDED WARRANTY, AND THAT WE MAY WANT TO CONTACT OUR INSURANCE COMPANY. AWAITING CALL BACK. AFTER RESEARCHING ON SAFECAR.GOV, THIS SOUNDS SIMILAR TO RECALL 13V396000 FOR 2006-10 HIGHLANDERS, AND 14V053000 FOR 2010-14 PRIUS. WE HOPE TOYOTA DOES THE RIGHT THING FOR US, AND FOR OTHERS WITH THE SAME DESIGN OR MANUFACTURING ISSUE. *TR

TOOK THE VEHICLE IN FOR THE 15,000 MILES CHECK UP. THIS VEHICLE ISN'T EVEN A YEAR OLD. THEY TOLD US THE FUEL TANK CHARCOAL CANISTER WAS CRACKED, HOWEVER THE PLASTIC SHROWD WAS NOT. THE DEALER WANTED $1,100 DOLLARS TO FIX THIS. THIS SHOULD BE COVERED UNDER WARRANTY. HOW COULD THIS CAR LESS THAN 20,000 MILES AND LESS THAN A YEAR OLD HAVE A CRACKED CANISTER, WITHOUT THE SHROWD BEING CRACKED. DEALER SAID THIS WAS NOT COVERED UNDER WARRANTY. THIS IS A DEFECT THEN THAT SHOULD BE COVERED BY A RECALL. *TR

THE MID-ROW SEATS SHAKE AND RATTLE WHEN DRIVING AND NO ONE IS SITTING ON THEM.

NO PRIOR HISTORY OF HYBRID PROBLEMS DURING PREVIOUS 65,000 MILES. ON MONDAY MORNING, THE HIGHLANDER HYBRID STARTED UP FINE. AFTER WARMING UP FOR 5 MINUTES TO SCRAPE OFF SNOW, SHIFTED TO DRIVE AND BEGAN DRIVING. CAR SHUT DOWN AFTER ABOUT 12 FEET. CAR WOULD NOT RESTART. WARNING MESSAGE APPEARED ON DISPLAY, INDICATING HYBRID SYSTEM PROBLEM. AAA CAME, PUT ON FLATBED, AND TOOK TO NEAREST DEALERSHIP. DEALERSHIP WAS UNABLE TO DETERMINE CAUSE OR FIX PROBLEM FOLLOWING 6+ HOURS OF TROUBLESHOOTING BY THEIR HYBRID EXPERT YESTERDAY. THEY INDICATED IT COULD BE SOMETHING IN THE INVERTER, BUT THAT IT MAY NOT BE COVERED BY EXISTING EXTENDED WARRANTY, AND THAT WE MAY WANT TO CONTACT OUR INSURANCE COMPANY. AWAITING CALL BACK. AFTER RESEARCHING ON SAFECAR.GOV, THIS SOUNDS SIMILAR TO RECALL 13V396000 FOR 2006-10 HIGHLANDERS, AND 14V053000 FOR 2010-14 PRIUS. WE HOPE TOYOTA DOES THE RIGHT THING FOR US, AND FOR OTHERS WITH THE SAME DESIGN OR MANUFACTURING ISSUE. *TR

THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN INTO DEALER FOR A FACTORY RECALL TO REPLACE THE REAR DRIVESHAFT ASSEMBLY. THE CAR WAS DRIVING COMPLETELY NORMALLY WHEN TAKEN IN FOR THIS SERVICE. BUT WHEN PICKED UP, THE CAR WAS UNSAFE. IT DROVE NORMALLY AT LOW SPEEDS LEAVING THE DEALERSHIP. BUT A COUPLE OF MILES LATER WHEN GETTING ONTO THE FREEWAY, AT ABOUT 50 MPH, THE REAR END STARTED TO FEEL LIKE IT WAS A DRAG ON FORWARD MOVEMENT, AND FELT LIKE IT WAS SWAYING FROM SIDE TO SIDE, MAKING THE VEHICLE VERY DIFFICULT TO CONTROL. NO UNUSUAL NOISES WERE HEARD. EMERGENCY FLASHERS WERE ACTIVATED AND SPEED REDUCED TO 25 MPH TO TRY TO MAINTAIN CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE. THE FIRST OFF RAMP WAS TAKEN, AND THE DEALER NOTIFIED. THE CAR WAS TOWED BACK TO THE DEALER, WHO KEPT IT FOR THE NEXT 36 HOURS. THE DEALER REPORTED NO PROBLEM COULD BE FOUND, AND NO REPAIR HAD BEEN DONE. THE VEHICLE HAS DRIVEN COMPLETELY NORMALLY AGAIN SINCE THEN. *TR

THE VEHICLE DEVELOPED A CLUNK OR KNOCK TYPE NOISE WHEN TURNING THE STEERING WHEEL LEFT OR RIGHT. IT OCCURRED AT SLOW SPEEDS SUCH AS TURNING AT AN INTERSECTION. THIS REQUIRED REPLACEMENT OF THE STEERING INTERMEDIATE SHAFT. THIS IS A KNOWN , REPORTED DEFECT ON HIGHLANDERS FROM 2008 - 2013. IT NEEDS TO BE ELEVATED TO THE LEVEL OF A RECALL.

THE SUNROOF EXPLODED AND SHUTTERED WITH A LOAD EXPLOSION NOISE WHILE I WAS DRIVING 55MPH ON A HIGHWAY 17 IN CALIFORNIA WITH MY CHILDREN.