2002 Toyota Highlander

MY 2002 LIMITED TOYOTA HIGHLANDER HAS A SUN VISOR THAT WONT STAY UP. IT IS THE DRIVER SIDE AND I AM VERY CONCERN ESPECIALLY WHEN HITTING MILD ROAD BUMPS IT FALLS DOWN. I AM HOLDING IT WITH VELCRO AND I HAVE TO CHANGE THAT EVERY OTHER MONTH. THIS IS A SAFETY PROBLEM AND WOULD APPERICATE IF SOMEONE CAN LOOK INTO IT. I LOOKED AT THE ONLINE FORUMS FOR HIGHLANDERS AND THEY ARE REPORTING THE SAME PROBLEM.

THE DRIVERS SIDE SUN VISOR, WHICH HAS THE ELECTRONICS BUILT IN, UNEXPECTEDLY FLOPS DOWN. IT STARTED IN 2004 AND HAS PROGRESSIVELY GOTTEN WORSE. TOYOTA WANTS OVER $750 TO REPLACE IT. REPAIR IS NOT OFFERED. IT OCCASIONALLY FALLS UNEXPECTEDLY AND BLOCKS MY VISION OF TRAFFIC LIGHTS. HOWEVER, I DIDN'T CONSIDER IT A REAL SAFETY HAZARD UNTIL RECENTLY. IT FELL AT AN INOPPORTUNE MOMENT, DISTRACTED ME, AND I WAS ALMOST ENVOLVED IN AN ACCIDENT. THERE IS NO REASON THIS ITEM SHOULD HAVE FAILED AFTER ONLY 1 1/2 YEARS USE AND THERE IS NO REASON A REPLACEMENT SHOULD COST $750. THIS IS A DESIGN DEFECT AND IT IS A SAFETY HAZARD.

AFTER ONLY HAVING MY NEW 2002 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER FOR APPROX. 8 MONTHS, THE ACCELERATOR IN THE CAR STUCK AND I ENDED UP RUNNING INTO A CAR. I COMPLAINED TO TOYOTA AND HAD THE DEALER LOOK AT THE CAR NUMEROUS TIMES, BUT THEY KEPT TELLING ME THERE WAS NOTHING WRONG. WELL 8 YEARS LATER AND THEY STILL HAVEN'T RECALLED MY CAR, EVEN THOUGH THEY HAVE OTHER YEARS. *TR

SOMETIME IN 2006, MY 2002 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER EXPERIENCED UNINTENDED ACCELERATION. I WAS STANDING ON THE BRAKE TO MAKE THE CAR STOP AND IT WOULDN'T. I PULLED INTO A PARKING LOT THROUGH THE CAR INTO NEUTRAL, HIT THE BRAKE, THEN THROUGH IT INTO PARK WHILE IT WAS STILL MOVING. I CALLED JIFFY LUBE WHO JUST HAD PERFORMED AN OIL CHANGE. THEY SENT A TECHNICIAN OVER TO LOOK AT IT. WHEN I STARTED THE CAR FOR THE TECH THE ENGINE CONTINUED TO RACE. WE BOTH LOOKED TO SEE IF THERE WAS SOMETHING STUCK UNDER THE ACCELERATOR. THERE WAS NOT. WE BOTH PULLED UP ON THE ACCELERATOR AND IT DID NOT APPEAR TO BE STUCK. THE TECH COULDN'T EXPLAIN IT. I CAN'T RECALL IF I HAD THE CAR TOWED TO TOYOTA OR IF THE PROBLEM STOPPED SUDDENLY AND I DROVE MYSELF. TOYOTA IS ONE MILE FROM WHERE THE INCIDENT OCCURRED. TOYOTA TOLD ME THEY COULDN'T REPLICATE THE PROBLEM AND ASSURED ME THAT IT WOULDN'T HAPPEN AGAIN. I DROVE HIM WITHOUT INCIDENT UNTIL I PULLED IN MY DRIVEWAY, THE CAR ACCELERATED AND I AGAIN HAD TO THROW THE CAR INTO PARK WHILE MOVING. THE CAR WAS THEN TOWED TO TOYOTA AND WE WERE TOLD THE PROBLEM WAS "FIXED" AND GIVEN SOME EXCUSE THAT DIDN'T MAKE SENSE. IT NEVER HAPPENED AGAIN AND WE TRADED THE CAR FOR A NEW ONE IN 2008. THE DEALERSHIP WAS BOB ROHRMAN TOYOTA IN WESTMONT, IL. I THINK THE RECALL NEEDS TO GO BACK FURTHER TO INCLUDE 2002 VEHICLES. *TR

4 CYLINDER ENGINE BLOCKED WARPED WHERE HEAD MEETS BLOCK. HEAD BOLTS WERE STRIPPED AND COULD NOT BE TIGHTENED DOWN. FOLLOWING LINK DESCRIBES THE PROBLEM WE ENCOUNTERED WITH OUR 2002 HIGHLANDER WHICH HAS THE SAME 2.4 LTR 4 CYLINDER ENGINE AS THE CAMRY. HTTP://WWW.TUNDRASOLUTIONS.COM/FORUMS/ CAMRY/148454-CAMRY-WITH-STRIPPED-HEAD-BOLTS/ ALL DIAGNOSIS AND REPAIR OF OUR HIGHLANDER WAS DONE AT A TOYOTA DEALERSHIP IN ROSWELL, GA. *TR

MAY 17, 2002, I WAS IN A CAR ACCIDENT WITH MY 3 MONTH OLD 2002 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER. I WAS TRAVELING IN THE RIGHT HAND LANE ON HIGHWAY 80 WEST BOUND BETWEEN DAVIS, CA AND SAN FRANCISCO CA AT 8:30 AM. ACCORDING TO THE POLICE REPORT FROM EYE WITNESSES, MY VEHICLE LEFT THE ROADWAY WITHOUT ANY BRAKE LIGHTS, WENT THROUGH A CYCLONE FENCE, CONTINUED .10 MILES AND DOWN INTO A RAVINE. BRAKE LIGHTS NEVER CAME ON AND THE CAR NEVER SLOWED. I WAS LIFE FLIGHTED TO THE JOHN MUIR MEDICAL CENTER TRAUMA UNIT. I ARRESTED IN THE HELICOPTER. I SUFFERED A SIGNIFICANT TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY, MULTIPLE FRACTURES, INCLUDING A SHATTERED JAW AND A PARALYZED VOCAL CHORD. NO OTHER VEHICLE WAS INVOLVED IN THE INCIDENT. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER. THE DRIVER STATED THAT THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY ACCELERATED AND CRASHED INTO A WALL OF HIS GARAGE WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 5 MPH. THERE WERE NO INJURIES. A POLICE REPORT WAS NOT FILED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALERSHIP WHO WAS UNABLE TO DIAGNOSE THE FAILURE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 48,690. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 38,000.