2007 Toyota Highlander Hybrid

CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON YESTERDAY WHILE DRIVING. WE WERE TOLD THIS MORNING THAT WE MUST REPLACE THE FUEL SYSTEM CHARCOAL CANISTER. THIS ITEM IS UNDER RECALL FOR MANY TOYOTA VEHICLES 2006-2015, BUT THEY DID NOT TELL ME THAT IT IS COVERED ON MINE. HE SAID THERE IS A CRACK AND WHEN THEY REPLACE THE CANISTER THEY NEED TO REPLACE THE FUEL CONTAINMENT VALVE AS WELL. CAN YOU PLEASE CONFIRM IF MY VEHICLE IS COVERED UNDER THE RECALL? MY VEHICLE IS ACTING PERFECTLY FINE.

THE GAS TANK FELL PARTIALLY OFF AND DRAGGED ON THE ROAD. I WAS DRIVING ON CITY STREETS, TURNING RIGHT AT 5 MPH WHEN I HEARD A LOUD POP/SNAP SOUND AND THEN A TERRIBLE SOUND OF SOMETHING DRAGGING UNDER THE CAR. FORTUNATELY, I COULD PULL OVER AND STOP WITHIN 50 FEET. THE GAS TANK WAS NOT DAMAGED SIGNIFICANTLY (IT PASSED A PRESSURE TEST AT THE DEALERSHIP). THE GAS TANK IS ATTACHED WITH TWO STRAPS, FORE AND AFT. THE RIGHT SIDES OF BOTH STRAPS SNAPPED VERY CLOSE TO WHERE THE STRAPS ARE BOLTED TO THE MAIN BODY IN A PLACE THAT COULD NOT HAVE POSSIBLY BEEN DAMAGED. THE FLAT BED TRUCK DRIVER WHO DELIVERED THE VEHICLE TO BERKELEY TOYOTA NOTED THAT THERE WERE NO SIGNS THAT THE VEHICLE HAD BEEN ABUSED IN ANY WAY. HE ALSO ARGUED THAT HAD THIS HAPPENED ON THE FREEWAY AT HIGH SPEED, IT COULD HAVE BEEN QUITE DANGEROUS.

RECEIVED TEMPERATURE WARNING FOR HYBRID SYSTEM WHILE DRIVING ON HIGHWAY AND PULLED OVER. VEHICLE LOCKED UP AFTER PULLING OVER, MADE VERY LOUD NOISE AND COULD NOT DRIVE. TOWED TO DEALER AND WAS TOLD THAT THE HYBRID INVERTER ASSEMBLY FAILED AND REQUIRES REPLACEMENT. THERE IS A RECALL FOR DEFECT IN THIS ASSEMBLY ON MY MODEL YEAR, BUT MY VIN IS NOT INCLUDED IN THE CURRENT RECALL.

WHILE ENTERING INTO A DRIVEWAY AT A VERY SLOW SPEED, I STEPPED ON THE BRAKE TO SLOW DOWN FURTHER. BUT INSTEAD OF BRAKING, THE CAR LUNGED FORWARD. I FELT I WAS NOT IN CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE. I CONTINUED TO HIT THE BRAKES, BUT THE VEHICLE CONTINUED TO GO FORWARD. IT SLAMMED INTO THE CAR THAT WAS PARKED IN THE DRIVEWAY AND CAUSED MAJOR DAMAGE. IT ALSO SHOVED THE CAR INTO THEIR GARAGE, SPLIT THE FRAME IN HALF AND RIPPED OFF BRICK FROM THEIR HOME. THE SURFACE WAS SLIPPERY WITH WET LEAVES AND THERE WAS A SLIGHT INCLINE GOING UP THE DRIVEWAY, BUT I JUST HAD BRAND NEW TOP OF THE LINE WINTER TIRES PUT ON AND I WAS PROBABLY ONLY GOING 5 MPH. IT DID NOT MAKE ANY SENSE. FROM READING THE FORUMS ON LINE, I BELIEVE THIS IS A MAJOR DEFECT WITH THE HYBRID AND TOYOTA IS NOT DOING ANYTHING ABOUT IT. THEY NEED TO DO A RECALL. LIVES ARE AT STAKE. THANK GOD NO ONE WAS HURT, BUT IT COULD HAVE BEEN FATAL. *TR

I WAS DRIVING WITH MY FAMILY ON BOARD ON 680-S BETWEEN WALNUT CREEK AND SAN RAMON. I WAS GOING AROUND 65-70 MPH IN THE FAST LANE WHEN THERE WAS A LOUD POP SOUND FROM THE FRONT AND ALL THE POWER FROM ENGINE DIED DOWN. I HAD TO SWITCH LANES WITH THE EMERGENCY LIGHTS ON AS THE SPEED KEPT DECREASING WITH NO ACCELERATION. THIS WAS ON A BUSY FREEWAY WITH HIGH SPEEDS. WE WERE LUCKY TO PULL OVER WITHOUT BEING HIT. I PULLED OFF TO THE SHOULDER AND TRIED TO ACCELERATE BUT COULD ONLY GO ANOTHER 10 FEET TO A SAFER LOCATION. I HAD TO GET MY VEHICLE TOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP. THERE WAS NO SERVICE AVAILABLE UNTIL TODAY. I GOT A PHONE CALL FROM THE DEALERSHIP TELLING ME THAT THE INVERTER IS THE CAUSE OF THIS AND WILL COST OVER $8,000 TO REPLACE. THEY ALSO TOLD ME THAT EVEN THOUGH THERE IS A RECALL FOR THE INVERTERS OF THE 2006 AND SOME 2007 HIGHLANDER HYBRIDS, MINE WAS NOT ON THE LIST. I PURCHASED MY 2007 HIGHLANDER IN OCTOBER 2006. I THINK THE RECALL SHOULD EXTEND TO ALL 2007 HIGHLANDERS AS THERE IS A GROWING NUMBER OF THESE CARS HAVING THE SAME ISSUES THIS YEAR AS WELL AS PREVIOUS YEARS. *TR

I WAS LEAVING MY CONDO DRIVING UP HILL WHEN MY CAR LOST POWER AND ROLLED BACKWARDS . I PANICKED DIDN'T KNOW WHAT WAS HAPPENING AND ROLLED INTO ANOTHER CAR . I HAD TO ROLL DOWNHILL AND CALL AAA TO TOW TO HOOMAN TOYOTA LONG BEACH. TOYOTA KNOWINGLY SOLD A CAR WITH A DEFECTIVE HYBRID SYSTEM BUT WANT ME TO PAY $8000 FOR REPAIR .NEVER WAS INFORMED ABOUT RECALL. *TR

WHILE ACCELERATING FROM A STOPLIGHT AND DRIVING IN A 45MPH ZONE, OUR 2007 HIGHLANDER HYBRID BEGAN TO ACCELERATE ON ITS OWN. THE ENGINE REVVED AS IF SOMEONE WERE FLOORING THE GAS PEDAL. NEITHER MY HUSBAND NOR I KNEW WHAT WAS HAPPENING. THEN WE HEARD A LOUD THUD SOUND FROM THE BACK SEAT AND WE LOST POWER STEERING, POWER BRAKES, AND WE STARTED TO DECELERATE. TRAFFIC WAS AVERAGING 45-50MPH AROUND US. THANKFULLY, MY HUSBAND WAS ABLE TO SAFELY COAST US INTO THE RIGHT LANE, THEN INTO A PARKING LOT, AND THEN INTO A PARKING SPOT. AFTER THAT WE WERE NOT ABLE TO START THE VEHICLE AND WE HAD MULTIPLE ERROR MESSAGES FLASH ACROSS THE INSTRUMENT PANEL: "CHECK HYBRID SYSTEM" & "CHECK VEHICLE STABILITY". WE WERE TOLD BY TOYOTA THAT OUR ERROR CODES INDICATED THAT THE INVERTER "BLEW UP" & NEEDS REPLACEMENT. THEY DID NOT MENTION ANYTHING ABOUT THE RECALL WHICH I FOUND WHILE RESEARCHING. WE ARE 13 VIN NUMBERS AFTER THE RECALL FOR THIS SAME ISSUE. WE WERE TOLD THE PART COSTS $10,000 BEFORE TAXES & INSTALLATION. TOYOTA WON'T HONOR THE EARLIER RECALL AND SO I'VE TOWED THE VEHICLE HOME. :( *TR

DRIVING ON THE INTERSTATE AT 55 MPH THE CAR, WITHOUT WARNING, DIED. NO POWER, LIGHTS, BRAKES, STEERING, NOTHING WORKED. AT SIDE OF ROAD TRIED TO RESTART. ALL WARNING LIGHTS CAME ON, WOULD NOT RESTART, EVERYTHING THEN WENT DEAD. CAR WAS TOWED TO DEALER. IT WAS CLAIMED TO BE A COIL PACK, HOWEVER UPON FURTHER INVESTIGATION, I FOUND OUT IT WAS ACTUALLY THE POWER INVERTER THAT CONVERTS 12VDC TO AC TO POWER THE ELECTRIC MOTORS ON THE CAR. WHEN THE INVERTER SHORTED OUT, IT KILLED THE ENTIRE ELECTRIC BATTERY SYSTEM, THE HYBRID BATTERIES AND THE GAS ENGINE BATTERY CAUSING ALL SYSTEMS TO SHUT DOWN. THE CAR IS A DEATH TRAP. TOYOTA KNEW THIS WOULD HAPPEN WHEN THEY SOLD ME THE CAR AND DID NOT TELL ME. I FOUND OUT THAT THIS HAS HAPPENED TO HUNDREDS OF HIGHLANDER HYBRID OWNERS, MOSTLY 2006, 2007 AND SOME 2008. IF THE CAR IS OVER 7 YEAR/100,000 WARRANTY TOYOTA WILL NOT FIX IT. IT COST OWNERS $10,000 TO $15,000 TO FIX. THIS IS A MAJOR PROBLEM THAT WILL, MAY HAVE, KILLED THE DRIVER AND OCCUPANTS. THE PROBLEM USUALLY OCCURS OVER 40MPH, WHICH IS USUALLY HIGHWAY DRIVING. THAT'S WHAT HAPPENED TO MY WIFE. ON THE HIGHWAY AT 55MPH IN THE CENTER LANE. CAR DIES WITHOUT WARNING. SHE WAS FORTUNATE TO GET TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD WITHOUT AN ACCIDENT. NO BRAKES AND NO STEERING. TOYOTA NEEDS TO RECALL THESE CARS; THEY HAVE A DESIGN FLAW THAT WILL KILL SOMEONE IF IT HASN'T ALREADY. *TR