2002 Toyota Highlander

2002 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER ACCELERATOR STICKING IN THE FULL DOWN POSITION WHEN PASSING ANOTHER VEHICLE. FIRST HAPPENED SUMMER OF 2008. SECOND TIME THIS HAPPENED AUGUST 13, 2009. PUT ON FULL BRAKE AND TURNED IGNITION KEY OFF. AFTER VEHICLE STOPPED, ABOUT 5-10 SECONDS, PEDAL RELEASED. SERVICE APPOINTMENT WITH DEALERSHIP AUGUST 18, 2009 TO CORRECT PROBLEM. DEALERSHIP COULD NOT FIND ANYTHING WRONG WITH VEHICLE. SAID IT WAS THE FLOOR MAT THAT MADE THE ACCELERATOR STICK IN THE OPEN POSITION. DON'T THINK TOYOTA INFORMED OF THIS COMPLAINT. SINCE TOYOTA RECALL HAS TAKEN PLACE, I WANTED TO GET MY VEHICLE BACK IN THE DEALERSHIP TO CORRECT MY PROBLEM. APPOINTMENT MADE 2/09/10 AT 10:30 WITH DEALERSHIP. DEALERSHIP CHECKED THROTTLE BODY AND THROTTLE CABLE. SAID ALL OKAY. DEALERSHIP CONTINUES TO TELL ME RUBBER MAT COULD CATCH PEDAL AND CAUSE PROBLEM. I DISAGREE WITH THIS DIAGNOSIS. I ASKED DEALERSHIP TO PLEASE INFORM TOYOTA ABOUT THIS PROBLEM IN MY MODEL SINCE THE RECALL IS ONLY CORRECTING 2010 MODELS. THE ONLY WAY I WILL TRY AND PASS ANOTHER VEHICLE NOW, ESPECIALLY ON MOUNTAIN ROADS, IS PLACE THE CAR IN SECOND GEAR AND ACCELERATE. I DON'T TRUST PLACING THE PEDAL DOWN TO FLOORBOARD. I OFFER THIS AS ADDITIONAL INFORMATION REGARDING THIS DANGEROUS PROBLEM. I HOPE TOYOTA WILL CORRECT THIS SITUATION IN "ALL" MODELS OF THEIR CARS. *TR

LEFT (DRIVER SIDE) FRONT ABS BEGAN ACTIVATING SPONTANEOUSLY AS MY 02 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER CAME TO STOP. SERVICE AGENCY FOUND NO CODE. REMOVING FUSE ON ABS SENSOR ELIMINATED 'FALSE ACTIVATION' PROBLEM, BUT DISABLED ABS; REPLACING SENSOR HAD NO EFFECT. DISCOVERED BROKEN SENSOR RING ON REAR AXLE, DUE TO CORROSION. (NECESSARY REPLACEMENT OF ENTIRE AXLE) ELIMINATED ABS ACTIVATION ON BRAKING, BUT INDUCED ABS ACTIVATION ON ACCELERATION FROM STOP. REPLACEMENT OF ANOTHER SENSOR (ALSO CONTAMINATED/DAMAGED BY AXLE CORROSION/INFILTRATION) SEEMED TO SOLVE THE PROBLEM, BUT I NOW EXPERIENCE NOISE/ACTIVATION WHEN REAR WHEEL DRIVE ENGAGES IN WINTER DRIVING. MY ONLINE RESEARCH (AND SERVICE AGENCY) INDICATE THIS IS A RECURRING, GROWING PROBLEM IN HIGHLANDERS AND LEXUSES AND OTHER TOYOTA MODELS SHARING THE REAR AXLE ASSEMBLIES, THAT ARE PRONE TO INFILTRATION CORROSION DAMAGE, ESPECIALLY IN THE NORTHERN STATES. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER. WHILE STARTING THE VEHICLE HE HEARD A LOUD NOISE, AND THE RPMS RAPIDLY INCREASED FOR APPROXIMATELY 15 SECONDS BEFORE THE RPMS DECREASED. THE FAILURE OCCURRED ONE TIME AND DIDN'T RECUR WHEN THE CONTACT WAS DRIVING THE VEHICLE. THE DEALER STATED THAT THERE WERE NO RELATED RECALLS. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 23,000. THE CURRENT MILEAGE IS 23,500. UPDATED 03/12/10. *LJ UPDATED 07/12/10*JB

2002 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER. DRIVER'S SIDE SUN VISOR DOES NOT STAY UP OR DOWN. WHILE TRYING TO MAKE IT WORK PROPERLY I AM DISTRACTED FROM MY PRIMARY DUTY OF DRIVING THE VEHICLE. TOYOTA DOES NOT RECOGNIZE THIS A SAFETY OR RECALL ISSUE. COST TO REPLACE $1000.00. IF YOU CHECK THE INTERNET THIS IS NOT AN ISOLATED PROBLEM AND HAS BEEN IGNORED BY TOYOTA FOR MANY YEARS. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER. WHILE DRIVING 40 MPH, THE VEHICLE ACCELERATED AN ADDITIONAL 10 MPH. THE CONTACT STATED THE FIRST FAILURE OCCURRED APPROXIMATELY FOUR TO FIVE YEARS AGO AND HAS RECURRED WITHIN THE LAST SEVEN MONTHS. THE DEALER ADVISER HER THAT THERE ARE NO RELATED RECALLS. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 86,000. UPDATED 03/30/10 *BF UPDATED 08/30/10*JB

I BOUGHT A 2002 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER LIMITED IN MAY 2008. THE CAR HAD JUST UNDER 60,000 MILES ON THE ODOMETER. THIS CAR IS MY SECOND CAR, MAINLY TO BE USED TO TOW MY HORSE TRAILER. WITHIN A MONTH OF OWNING THE CAR IT SHOWED THE SUDDEN UNEXPECTED ACCELERATION. THIS WAS NOT UNFAMILIAR TO ME BECAUSE I ALSO OWN A 2002 TOYOTA CAMRY. I HAVE OWNED THE HIGHLANDER NOW FOR 1 AND 3/4 YEAR AND THE CAR HAS SHOWED THE DESCRIBED BEHAVIOR OFF AND ON. IT HAPPENS MOSTLY ON THE FREEWAY AND MOSTLY WHEN I AM NOT TOWING. IT DOES NOT HAVE ANYTHING TO DO WITH FLOORMATS OR STICKY GASPEDALS. SINCE THE SAME BEHAVIOR HAPPENS IN BOTH TOYOTA'S I OWN, IT IS TIME THAT TOYOTA STARTS LOOKING AT SOMETHING ELSE THAN THE SILLY EXPLANATIONS OF FLOORMATS AND STICKY GASPEDALS. IT IS THE ENGINE WHICH RUNS AWAY, LEAVING THE DRIVER NO CONTROL OVER THE SPEED. I HAD NOT EXPECT THIS FROM TOYOTA. I BOUGHT TOYOTAS BECAUSE OF THEIR RELIABILITY AND BECAUSE I TRUSTED THE COMPANY (AS OPPOSED TO FORD, WHICH I ALSO OWNED AND EXPERIENCED A PROBLEM WHICH TURNED OUT THE COMPANY KNEW A LONG TIME ABOUT AND DID NOT DO ANYTHING ABOUT). I GUESS TOYOTA IS NOT DIFFERENT. ALSO, IT IS TIME THAT THE RECALL GOES FURTHER BACK THEN THE 3-4 YEARS. I EVEN HAVE A COPY OF A PROFESSIONAL CAR REVIEW OF THE CAMRY WHO EXPERIENCED THE PROBLEM IN 2002. *TR

TOYOTA HIGHLANDER 2005. PETERBORO , NH. 11 AM. DRIVER WAS REPORTED TO PASS VEHICLE ON RIGHT IN BREAK DOWN LANE, THEN TRIED TO PASS ANOTHER CAR BY GOING INTO LEFT LANE AND HIT ONCOMING VEHICLE. FOUR PEOPLE KILLED. DRIVER WAS VERY EXPERIENCED --EXCELLENT SAFETY RECORD. I HAD BEEN IN HIS CAR WITH HIM HUNDREDS OF TIMES. VERY SAFE DRIVER --NO COWBOY. BELIEVE CAR HAD UNCONTROLLED ACCELERATION. *CN UPDATED 05/10/10 *BF UPDATED 10/04/10 UPDATED 9/27/11*CW THE INVESTIGATING POLICE OFFICER INSPECTED THE INTERIOR OF THE TOYOTA AND NOTED THE DRIVER'S CARPETED FLOOR MAT WAS OUT OF POSITION FORWARD UNDER THE ACCELERATOR AND BRAKE PEDALS.

AWHILE BACK IN THE SUMMER OF 2009, I NOTIFIED YOU ABOUT MY CONCERN FOR SAFETY IN MY 2002 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER. THE CAR TOOK OFF FOR NO APPARENT REASON ACCELERATING TO AN UNSAFE SPEED. I WAS ONLY ABLE TO STOP BY SHIFTING TO NEUTRAL AND SLAMMING ON THE BRAKES MISSING SEVERAL CARS. THE FEEDBACK I GOT WAS THE FLOOR MAT...WHICH I TOLD THE DEALER WAS BULL. I BELIEVE THE PROBLEM MAY BE IN THE COMPUTER. I CHECKED ALL THE CABLES AND THROTTLE BODY CABLES INCLUDING LINKAGE. I HAD THE WHOLE FUEL SYSTEM CLEANED INSIDE AND OUT INCLUDING THE THROTTLE BODY. THIS SEEMED TO TEMPORARY SOLVE THE PROBLEM. MY CONCERNS ARE 1. I THINK TOYOTA NEEDS TO LOOK FURTHER BACK IN YEARS THIS HAS BEEN A CONCERN BY GOGGLING THIS PROBLEM. 2. WHEN THE PROBLEM(S) ARE IDENTIFIED YOU NEED THE LOOK AT REPAIRS WHERE THE PARTS MAY HAVE BEEN USED. 3. I BELIEVE THIS PROBLEM MAY BE CAUSED BY SEVERAL FACTORS. 2002 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER *CN