2002 Toyota Highlander Owner Complaints

MY AIR BAG LITE KEEPS POPING ON

NHTSA ID

11311792

Incident

Feb 5, 2020

Mileage

242,523 mi

I SAW SOMEONE STEAL MY CAR AND TOLD THEM THEY HACKED. WINDSHIELD WIPERS WOULD SLOW UP AND DOWN. BURNING OF THE ELECTRICS WHEN TRY TO CHARGE. CAR STOPPING IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD. CAR GOING ON AND OFF. THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD, TURNING BACK ON. SPEED CONTROL MESSING UP. SECURITY WARNING GOING UP AND DOWN.. BATTERY WOULD SHUT ON AND OFF. CAR LOCKS GOING ON AND OFF. COULD BARELY STEER THE CAR. *TR

NHTSA ID

11210679

Incident

May 26, 2019

ACCELERATOR STICIKING. VEHICLE ACCELERATES AT 4000 TO 5000 RPMS HAD VEHICE TOWED TO TOYOTA OF BEDFORD 440-809-8399

NHTSA ID

11105039

Incident

Jun 30, 2018

WHILE DRIVING HOME THE CAR ACCELERATED ON IT,S OWN AND WAS UNABLE TO STOP WITHOUT REARENDING ANOTHER CAR WITHALL THE DAMAGE TO MY CAR AS A MECHANIC I REPAIRED THE BODY ON MY OWN AFTER MAKING REPAIRS I WAS ABLE TO DRIVE THE CAR FROM THE SHOP I WORK AT TO MY HOUSE THE CAR WAS IDLING A LITTLE HIGH .I RETURNED TOWARD WORK THE NEXT MORNING TO SCAN THE CAR FOR HIGH IDLE .THE CAR ACCELERATED TO OVER 100 MPH WITH MY FOOT OFF THE ACCELERATER AND BOTH FEET ON THE BRAKE PEDAL I HAD TO SHUT THE CAR OFF TOSTOP IT I HAD IT TOWED TO WORK I SCAN IT AND FOUND CODE C1203 WHICH IS A COMUNICATION FAULT FROM THE ECM TO THE VEHICLE SPEED CONTROLLER WHILE RESEARCHING THE CODE I FOUND THAT MY CAR FELL UNDER A CLASS ACTION LAW SUIT FOR THIS PROBLEM I NOTIFYED TOYOTA WHERE THEY SENT AN OUTSIDE ADJUSTER OUT TO EXAMINE THE CAR HE FILED A REPORT TO TOYOTA SAYING THERE WAS NO PROBLEM HE DID NOT MENTION THE CODE IN HIS REPORT I FILED AN APPEAL ON OCTOBER 2017 AND HAVE NOT HEARD OF ANYTHING WITH THIS PROBLEM I HAVE BEEN A MECHANIC FOR OVER 35 YEARS AND EXPLAIN THE PROBLEM TO THEM WITH NO SOLUTION THIS HAS BEEN GOING ON SINCE MAY2017 I JUST WANT A SOLUTION TO THE PROBLEM WITHOUT HAVING TO EXPLAIN A FIX TO TOYOTA FOR THIER CLASS ACTION SETTLEMENT IT SEEMS THAT THE INDEPENENT ASSESSOR IS WORKING FOR TOYOTA AND NOT THE CONSUMER

NHTSA ID

11052625

Incident

May 24, 2017

Mileage

240,000 mi

DRIVER SIDE VISOR HAS 2 POSITIONS ONLY. DOWN OR UP. CANNOT ADJUST FOR TALLER DRIVERS.

NHTSA ID

11012342

Incident

Jan 1, 2008

THE AC LIKES TO BLOW HOT AIR WHEN IN THE MAX AC SETTING AND THE TEMP KNOB BEING IN THE COLDEST POSITION. NUT BEING THE TEMP SETTING GAUGE COMES LOOSE CAUSING THE AC TO BLOW HOT AIR. HAPPENS ANYTIME IF PARKED OR DRIVING.

NHTSA ID

10972357

Incident

Apr 13, 2017

I HAVE HAD RECURRENT TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS THAT COST TH OUSANDS TO FIX BUT YET ARE NOT COMPLETELY RESOLVED.L JUST HAD MY TRANSMISSION COMPLETELY FAIL AFTER BEING SERVICED 17 MONTHS AGO. SINCE REPLACING IT, I STILL HAVE PROBLEMS WITH CLUNKING DIRT THING IN THE MORNING WHEN IT TRIES TO CHANGE GEARS. NOW THERE IS A VIBRATION AND I HAVE TO TAKE IT BACK TO THE SHOP. THE RECURRING PROBLEMS ARE AFFECTING MY JOB WHICH INVOLVES A LOT OF DRIVING AND I HAVE TO RENT CARS AT MY EXPENSE EACH TIME IT GOES FOR REPAIRS AT 2 TO 4 DAYS EACH EVENT. PLEASE LOOK INTO THIS. MY CAR IS PAID FOR AND I CANNOT AFFORD TO BUY ANO TH ERBONE.

NHTSA ID

10969923

Incident

Mar 13, 2017

VEHICLE WAS IN MOTION ON A CITY STREET GOING STRAIGHT SLIGHTLY DOWNHILL AND THEN UPHILL. THE WEATHER WAS CLEAR. SPEED WAS ABOUT 15-25 MPH. I WAS BRAKING TO SLOW THE CAR DOWN BUT THE CAR ACCELERATED ON ITS OWN ( TOYOTA CALLS IT "UNINTENDED ACCELERATION"). THE CAR CONTINUED ACCELERATING EVEN THOUGH I WAS PRESSING THE BRAKES AS HARD AS I COULD AND IT WAS NOW GOING UPHILL.. TO AVOID CRASHING I PUT THE CAR IN NEUTRAL, AND ENGAGED THE EMERGENCY BRAKE AND HAZARDS. THE ENGINE RACED IN NEUTRAL AND THEN STOPPED RACING.. TOYOTA STARTED A CASE FILE AND INSPECTED IT. THEY SAID EVERYTHING IS WORKING PROPERLY NOW, CASE CLOSED AND I CAN COME GET THE CAR. I HAD IT TOWED THERE AND AM AFRAID TO DRIVE IT UNTIL SOMETHING IS FIXED. IT WAS A TERRIFYING EXPERIENCE. I AM CONCERNED IT COULD HAPPEN AGAIN OR TO OTHER CARS. I AM THOROUGHLY DISAPPOINTED IN TOYOTA'S NONCHALANT ATTITUDE; IT WAS-IS A POTENTIALLY FATAL SITUATION, AND IT SEEMS THAT ACCORDING TO TOYOTA IF SUCH AN ACCIDENT WAS INVESTIGATED NOTHING WOULD SHOW UP.

NHTSA ID

10907274

Incident

Aug 29, 2016

Mileage

76,171 mi

SUN VISORS FALL DOWN WHILE DRIVING. AT ANY GIVEN TIME WHILE DRIVING BOTH SUNVISORS WILL FALL COMPLETELY DOWN OBSTRUCTING VIEW OF THE ROAD AHEAD. VERY DANGEROUS.TOYOTA WILL NOT RECALL.

NHTSA ID

10896454

Incident

Aug 15, 2016

Mileage

140,000 mi

I PURCHASED AN ADDITIONAL SECURITY DEVICE. IF SOMEONE BREAKS A WINDOW, AN ALARM IS SUPPOSED TO GO OFF. YOU CAN TEST TO SEE IF IT WORKS BY HITTING YOUR CAR KEY AGAINST A CLOSED WINDOW & THE ALARM SHOULD GO OFF. IT HAS NEVER WORKED. AT TIME OF PURCHASE THE DEALERSHIP REMOVED THE CENTER FLOOR GLOVE COMPARTMENT ASSEMBLY. THE MICROPHONE HAD FALLEN OFF THE SIDE & WAS LAYING ON THE FLOOR. THEY GLUED IT BACK TO THE SIDES & IT STILL DIDN'T GO OFF WHEN HITTING A KEY AGAINST THE WINDOW WHEN ALL THE WINDOWS WERE CLOSED. THEY COULDN'T GET IT TO WORK & BREAKING MY WINDSHIELD WAS NOT AN OPTION - OBVIOUSLY. THE DEALERSHIP HAD NO IDEA ON HOW TO FIX IT.

NHTSA ID

10871207

Incident

Mar 20, 2002

Mileage

10 mi

THE AIR BAG SENSOR STAY ON WHEN COLD. IT WILL NOT TURN OFF UNTIL CAR WORMS UP AND ENGINE IS SHUT DOWN AND RESTART. THE SUN VISOR WILL NOT STAY ON AND IT IS FALLING DOWN DURING DRIVING. BOTH ISSUES ARE SAFETY HAZARD

NHTSA ID

10865179

Incident

May 16, 2016

Mileage

120,000 mi

THIS IS THE FOURTH SUN VISOR ON THE DRIVERS SIDE OF THIS CAR WHICH WILL NO LONGER STAY UP BLOCKING MY VISION WHILE DRIVING. THE FIRST WAS REPLACED 09/03 AT ABOUT 22,600 MILES UNDER WARRANTY WITH A HOME LINK INCLUDED AS WAS THE ORIGINAL. THE SECOND REPLACEMENT WAS 01/07 AT 65,300 MILES AND THE PASSENGER ONE WAS REPLACED AT THE SAME TIME. THESE DID NOT HAVE THE HOME LINK FEATURE AS IT WAS TOO EXPENSIVE. THE PROBLEM RECURRED IN 3/10 AT 86,000 MILES AND WAS ONCE AGAIN REPLACED. IT IS NOW 3/16 WITH 115,000 MILES AND THE SAME PROBLEM AS BEFORE EXISTS. IT FALLS RIGHT AT EYE LEVEL WHICH IMPAIRS VISIBILITY. WITH THE NUMBER OF COMPLAINTS TOYOTA HAS RECEIVED ON THIS AND OTHER MODELS, A MANDATORY REPLACEMENT IS WARRANTED.

NHTSA ID

10850925

Incident

Mar 1, 2016

Mileage

115,000 mi

AIR BAG WARNING LIGHT ON DASHBOARD DOES NOT TURN OFF IN COLD WEATHER (20 DEGREES F, OR LOWER). THE WARNING WILL STAY ON EVEN WHEN ENGINE AND INTERIOR ARE WARM. IF THE ENGINE IS TURNED OFF ONCE WARM, AND THEN TURNED BACK ON, AIR BAG WARNING LIGHT TURNS OFF WITH ALL OTHER PANEL LIGHTS, AS IT SHOULD. WITH COLD WEATHER, THE AIRBAG LIGHT WILL STAY ON WHEN VEHICLE IS STATIONARY, OR IN MOTION, AND AT ANY SPEED AND WILL ONLY SHUT OFF IF CAR IS TURNED OFF AND THEN RESTARTED.

NHTSA ID

10838078

Incident

Feb 1, 2016

WHEN ENGAGING CAR IN REVERSE THE CAR WILL UNPREDICTABLY AT TIMES SUDDENLY ACCELERATE.

NHTSA ID

10717542

Incident

May 1, 2005

Mileage

22,000 mi

DRIVER AND PASSENGER SUN VISORS FALL DOWN INTO DRIVERS AND PASSENGER VIEW. SAFETY ISSUE WAS NOT RECOGNIZED BY VEHICLE MANUFACTURER. *TR

NHTSA ID

10715059

Incident

Jan 1, 2008

Mileage

78,000 mi

I DROVE VEHICLE CROWN TOYOTA FOR A MINOR SERVICE AND MENTIONED THAT THERE WAS DRIPPING OF COOLANT NOTICED ON THE GARAGE FLOOR. REQUESTED 'CHECK AND ADVISE' ON THIS. AFTER APPROXIMATELY 3.0 HOURS, I WENT TO THE SERVICE DESK FOR INFORMATION REGARDING LEAK. I WAS TAKEN TO THE SERVICE ADVISOR [XXX] AND HE TOLD ME THAT THEY COULD NOT REPAIR THE LEAK BECAUSE THAT SITUATION IS DUE TO THE HEAD BOLTS PULLING OUT OF THE BLOCK. THE ESTIMATE FOR SUCH REPAIR WAS $6,780.28 PLUS TAX AND WOULD INVOLVE REPLACING THE SHORT BLOCK. HE MENTIONED THIS PROBLEM WAS KNOWN TO OCCUR WITH VEHICLES HAVING THE 2AZ-FE ENGINES SUCH AS THE ABOVE HIGHLANDER AND THAT I COULD RESEARCH SAME. SINCE I WAS BUYING ONLY TOYOTA CARS SINCE 1972 AND HAVE OWNED 4 SUCH CARS AND ONE LEXUS BASED ON MY EXPERIENCE AND CONCLUSION THAT RELIABILITY IS NUMBER ONE WITH TOYOTA. I CAN ONLY SAY I WAS IN SHOCK. WHEN I TOLD MY WIFE (THIS IS ACTUALLY HER AUTO), SHE WAS SICK FOR THE NEXT THREE DAYS. A SHORT DISCUSSION WITH AAA. SUGGESTED WE LOOK AT THIS WEB SITE FOR COMPLAINTS, ETC. IT TURNS OUT THAT THIS PROBLEM HAS OCCURRED MANY TIMES BEFORE AND APPLIES TO SEVERAL MODELS INCLUDING THE RAV-4 AND HIGHLANDER SOME WITH MUCH LOWER MILEAGE BUT THERE IS NO ACTUAL RECALL OR LETTER NOTICE FROM TOYOTA. ALSO, NO PROPOSED ACTION BY DEALERSHIPS TO RESOLVE THE PROBLEM. I THINK THAT DUMPING THIS SUDDEN, MAJOR EXPENSE PROBLEM ON OWNERS IS VERY IRRESPONSIBLE- NOT WORTHY OF TOYOTA. COMPENSATION REGARDING THE TIME LOSS AND EXPENSE SHOULD BE OFFERED TO OWNERS OR DEALERS SHOULD BE INSTRUCTED BY TOYOTA TO RESOLVE WHEN FOUND. PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS VEHICLE AND ALL THE PREVIOUS WAS SERVICED BY TOYOTA /LEXUS DEALERSHIPS. A POSITIVE RESPONSE WOULD BE APPRECIATED. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

NHTSA ID

10712876

Incident

Apr 20, 2015

Mileage

114,434 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNED A 2002 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 50 MPH, THE CONTACT CRASHED INTO ANOTHER VEHICLE AND THE AIR BAGS FAILED TO DEPLOY. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE CONTACT SUSTAINED NECK, LOWER BACK, AND CHEST INJURIES THAT REQUIRED MEDICAL ATTENTION. THE VEHICLE WAS DESTROYED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO A MECHANIC FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 200,000.

NHTSA ID

10701181

Incident

Mar 11, 2015

Mileage

200,000 mi

THE DRIVER SIDE VISOR DOES NOT STAY PROPPED UP IN THE FORWARD DIRECTION. IT DROPS DOWN TO A VERTICAL POSITION DOWNWARDS, WHERE IT BLOCKS THE DRIVER'S VIEW. *TR

NHTSA ID

10669529

Incident

May 25, 2011

MY PASSENGER SIDE BRAKE LIGHT IS INTERMITTENT AT BEST. REPLACED BULBS MANY TIMES, CLEANED CONTACTS, ETC...BUT NO HELP.ON-GOING PROBLEM . WAS REAR-ENDED DUE TO THIS EXACT PROBLEM. DRIVER SIDE BRAKE LIGHT FINE...IT IS ALWAYS PASSENGER SIDE. MANY COMPLAINTS ABOUT THIS SAME EXACT ISSUE ON-LINE. *TR

NHTSA ID

10659709

Incident

Nov 6, 2012

Mileage

120,000 mi

THE DRIVERS SIDE SUN VISOR NO LONGER STAYS FULLY UP. IT STAYS 1/2 DOWN WHICH BLOCKS VISIBILITY. IT SUDDENLY FALLS DOWN FURTHER, BLOCKING MY VIEW EVEN MORE, ESPECIALLY WHEN I BRAKE (EVEN LIGHT BRAKING), CHANGE LANES OR CHANGE VEHICLE SPEEDS. AFTER SEVERAL TIMES OF GETTING SCARED WHEN THE VISOR SUDDENLY FLIPS DOWN, I NOW HAVE TO USE BUNGEE CORDS OR RUBBER BANDS TO HOLD THE VISOR UP SO THAT I CAN SEE. UNFORTUNATELY, THAT MEANS THAT I CANNOT EASILY FLIP IT DOWN TO BLOCK THE SUN, WHICH IS ITS PURPOSE, AND I LIVE IN "SUNNY CALIFORNIA!" I HAVE SEEN DOZENS OF OTHER PEOPLE COMPLAIN ONLINE FALLS ABOUT THIS SAFETY ISSUE OVER THE PAST FEW YEARS. MY RESEARCH A FEW YEARS AGO SHOWED THAT THE REPLACEMENT FOR THE VISOR WAS RIDICULOUSLY OVER $800 (I THINK BECAUSE IT HAS A LIGHTED MIRROR). MY ASSUMPTION IS THAT IT ONLY NEEDS A SPRING REPLACED AND TOYOTA SHOULD DO THIS TO PROTECT ITS CUSTOMERS. *TR

NHTSA ID

10649404

Incident

Oct 1, 2010

Mileage

80,000 mi

BOUGHT THIS VEHICLE IN 2002. A YEAR LATER NOTICED THAT THE IDLE CONTROLLER HAD PROBLEM. WHEN STARTED THE ENGINE IN THE MORNING, THE IDLE WENT DOWN VERY LOW AND THE ENGINE SHUT DOWN AUTOMATICALLY. AT FIRST IT HAPPENED NOT FREQUENTLY. PAST TWO YEARS I TOOK TO A DEALER FOR MAYOR TUNEUP, THE SYMPTOM STILL RESISTED. TOLD THE DEALER AND THERE WAS NO ACTIONS AT ALL. NOW IT HAPPENS MORE FREQUENTLY. USUALLY IF IT HAPPENS, STEP ON THE GAS PEDDLE ( OVER 2K RPM) FOR A FEW SECONDS. SOMETIMES THE IDLE RETURNS TO NORMAL; BUT MOST OF THE TIMES, THE IDLE SETS VERY LOW. I THINK THE IDLE CONTROL FOR THIS MODEL SHOULD BE RECALLED. *TR

NHTSA ID

10622430

Incident

Aug 14, 2014

Mileage

55,000 mi

TL* THE CONTACTS OWNS A 2002 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE VEHICLE WOULD LEAK ANTIFREEZE AND THE TEMPERATURE GAUGE WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC, WHO DISCOVERED THAT THE MOTOR NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 150,000.

NHTSA ID

10617928

Incident

Jun 2, 2014

Mileage

150,000 mi

ENGINE ACCELERATING WHEN BRAKES WERE DEPRESSED. *TR

NHTSA ID

10609772

Incident

Jul 11, 2014

Mileage

90,100 mi

LETTER FROM CONGRESSMAN CARTWRIGHT ON BEHALF OF CONSTITUENT RE TOYOTA CONCERNS. *SMD 2002 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER. THE CONSUMER STATED WHEN SHE ATTEMPTED TO TRADE THE VEHICLE, SHE WAS INFORMED THE VEHICLE WAS INCLUDED IN THE FEDERAL CASH FOR CLUNKER PROGRAM, AND THERE WAS POTENTIAL ODOMETER FRAUD.

NHTSA ID

10606310

Incident

Jun 2, 2014

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING AT APPROXIMATELY 35MPH, THE ACCELERATOR CABLE DISCONNECTED CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO ACCELERATE. THE CONTACT MENTIONED THAT THE BRAKES WERE ENGAGED IN TO STOP THE VEHICLE FROM MOVING FORWARD. THE DEALER STATED THAT THE WRONG CABLE WAS PLACED IN VEHICLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE TRANSMISSION BECAME DEFECTIVE AS A RESULT OF ENGAGING THE BRAKES WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS ACCELERATING. THE DEALER AND MANUFACTURER WERE MADE AWARE OF THE PROBLEM. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 200,000.

NHTSA ID

10605503

Incident

Aug 1, 2012

Mileage

200,000 mi