2002 Toyota Highlander

THE DRIVER'S SIDE SUN VISOR DOES NOT STAY IN PLACE. AT FIRST OCCURRENCE, THE VISOR WOULD SLOWLY DROOP DOWN WITH NORMAL VIBRATIONS IN THE CAR AND REQUIRED REPEATED TAPING OF THE VISOR BACK INTO PLACE WITH THE DRIVER'S HAND (A DISTRACTION AND HAZARD AS IS). AS TIME WENT ON THE VISOR LOOSENED COMPLETELY AND DOES NOT STAY UP AT ALL. THIS IS VERY DANGEROUS AND DISTRACTING AS IT BLOCKS FULL VISION OUT OF THE WINDSHIELD BY THE DRIVER. THIS SEEMS TO BE A DEFECT OF THE VISOR ITSELF BY THE MANUFACTURER AS IT SEEMS AS IF THE VISOR IS TOO HEAVY TO STAY IN THE UPRIGHT POSITION. THIS SEEMS TO BE A COMMON ISSUE AMONG THIS MAKE AND MODEL AND SEEMS AS IF THERE SHOULD HAVE BEEN A RECALL REGARDING THIS ISSUE LONG AGO.

I PURCHASED A NEW 2002 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER FROM SIERRA TOYOTA OF LANCASTER, CA. I HAVE EXPERIENCED NO PROBLEMS WITH THIS VEHICLE UNTIL 25 JAN. 2011 WHEN THE ENGINE OVERHEATED WHILE DRIVING 40MPH ON CITY STREET. I TOOK MY VEHICLE TO MY MECHANIC AND HE INFORMED ME OF A PROBLEM WITH THE 2.4L 4CYL TOYOTA ENGINES IN WHICH SOME OF THE HEAD BOLTS BECOME LOOSE/STRIPPED WHERE THEY ATTACH AT THE ENGINE BLOCK. I CALLED SIERRA TOYOTA OF LANCASTER AND THEY DENIED ANY KNOWLEDGE OF THIS PROBLEM. ON FURTHER INVESTIGATION, I DISCOVERED THAT SIERRA TOYOTA HAD A SPECIALIST SERVICING ONE OF THEIR VEHICLES BY PLACING INSERTS INTO THE STRIPPED HOLES THE VERY NEXT DAY. SIERRA TOYOTA REFUSED TO GIVE ME ANY MONETARY ASSISTANCE IN REPAIRING MY VEHICLE. AFTER RESEARCHING THE BOLT PROBLEM ON THE INTERNET, I HAVE FOUND NUMEROUS TOYOTA OWNERS WITH THE SAME ENGINE, THAT HAVE HAD THE EXACT SAME PROBLEM WITH THEIR VEHICLES. THE ONLY FIX IS EITHER A COMPLETE ENGINE REPLACEMENT OR HAVING AN EXPENSIVE ANCHOR-BOLT REDO. MY COSTS LOOK LIKE TO BE ABOUT $2500, IF THERE IS NO OTHER DAMAGE FOUND DUE TO THE OVER-HEATING. AT THIS POINT, I DON'T EVEN KNOW IF THE NEW ANCHOR-BOLT SYSTEM WILL WORK. MY VEHICLE WAS ALWAYS WELL-MAINTAINED AND CURRENTLY HAS APX. 126,000 MILES ON IT. *TR

WAS DRIVING IN RUSH HOUR TRAFFIC WHEN THE DRIVER'S SIDE VISOR ON MY '02 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER SUDDENLY DROPPED DOWN TO OBSCURE MY VISION. THIS NECESSITATED ME HITTING MY BRAKES AND DUCKING DOWN TO THE RIGHT OF THE STEERING WHEEL IN ORDER TO VIEW TRAFFIC. THERE WERE NO "EVENTS" LEADING TO MALFUNCTION. THE VISOR WILL NO LONGER REMAIN IN THE "UP" POSITION AND POSES AN ONGOING SAFETY HAZARD AS IT MUST EITHER BE HELD IN PLACE WHILE DRIVING (FORCING THE DRIVER TO USE ONE HAND ON THE WHEEL), TAPED IN PLACE (WHERE IT WILL STILL DROP DOWN IF/WHEN THE TAPE GIVES OUT); OR FORCE THE DRIVER TO LEAN TO THE RIGHT IN ORDER TO SEE AROUND THE VISOR (THUS PROHIBITING THE USE OF THE REARVIEW AND SIDEVIEW MIRRORS(. *TR

2002 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER. CONSUMER STATES PROBLEM WITH VEHICLE TIRES *TGW THE CONSUMER STATED ONE OF THE TIRES HE HAD PUT ON THE VEHICLE WERE PUNCTURED. THE CONSUMER STATED HE HAD THE GOODYEAR ROAD HAZARD PROTECTION PLAN. THE CONSUMER STATED LATER IN THE DAY, WHEN HE CONTACTED GOODYEAR, TO CHECK THE STATUS, HE WAS INFORMED THAT THE TIRES WERE WORN AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED IMMEDIATELY. THE CONSUMER STATED HE ONLY HAD 110,000 MILES AND ONLY 9,000 NEW MILES ON THEM. THE CONSUMER STATED HE EXPERIENCED THE PROBLEM BEFORE WHICH WAS WHY HE HAD TO PURCHASE NEW TIRES AFTER 20,000 AND ANOTHER TIME PRIOR TO THAT. (GOODYEAR FORTERA TRIPLETRED)*JB

SOME EARLIER MODELS OF TOYOTA'S 2AZ-FE 4 CYLINDER ENGINE ARE SUSCEPTIBLE TO SUDDEN FAILURE AND ARE DANGEROUS. THE ENGINE IS WIDELY USED IN TOYOTA'S POPULAR CAMRY, HIGHLANDER, RAV4 AND SCION TC MODELS. TOYOTA NEEDS TO ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY AND INVESTIGATE THE ENGINE. ON 9/11/2010, 2002 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER'S 2AZ-FE ENGINE FAILED AND LEFT OCCUPANTS STRANDED. EVENT TOOK PLACE IMMEDIATELY AFTER EXITING THE HIGHWAY. THE VEHICLE'S ENGINE SPUTTERED AND CEASED TO FUNCTION. THE VEHICLE HAD ABOUT 75,000 MILES ON IT. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A TOYOTA DEALERSHIP WHICH REPORTED THE FOLLOWING: - OIL AND COOLANT LEAKING FROM THE BACK OF THE ENGINE HEAD - HYDROCARBON IN THE COOLANT - OIL SEVERELY BURNT DUE TO OVERHEATING THE ESTIMATE TO OPEN UP AND REPAIR THE ENGINE COULD RUN ANYWHERE FROM $2,000 TO $7,500 DEPENDING ON WHETHER THE ENGINE BLOCK NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE HAD BEEN REGULARLY MAINTAINED ACCORDING TO THE MANUFACTURER'S SCHEDULE WITH ALL THE RECORDS TO PROVE IT. TOYOTA DENIED REQUEST TO INVESTIGATE AND DEFRAY COSTS. WHILE ENGINE WAS OPENED BY A LOCAL MECHANIC IT WAS DISCOVERED THAT TWO OF THE HEAD BOLTS WERE LOOSE AND THAT THE THREADS IN THE ALUMINUM ENGINE BLOCK FOR 3 HEAD BOLTS IN THE REAR WERE STRIPPED. REPAIRING THE ENGINE INVOLVED RE-THREADING THE HOLES IN THE ENGINE BLOCK FOR ALL TEN HEAD BOLTS USING THE TIME-SERT THREAD REPAIR KIT. *TR

2002 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER: BOTH DRIVER'S SIDE AND PASSENGER SIDE SUNVISORS WILL NOT STAY IN UP POSITION. THE VISORS DROP WITHOUT WARNING MULTIPLE TIMES EVERY DAY SINCE THE PROBLEM BEGAN TO OCCUR. THIS IS A SAFETY HAZARD AS THE DRIVER'S SIDE SUNVISOR RANDOMLY DROPS DOWN WITHOUT WARNING COMPLETELY OBSCURING THE DRIVER'S VISION. REPORTED THE DEFECT TO MY TOYOTA DEALER AND THEY INFORMED ME THAT THE ONLY OPTION WAS TO PAY FOR REPLACEMENTS AT A COST OF SEVERAL HUNDRED DOLLARS EACH. THIS ASSESSMENT WAS GIVEN WITHOUT ANY INSPECTION OF THE VEHICLE AND IN A MANNER WHICH STRONGLY IMPLIED THAT THIS WAS A PROBLEM WHICH THEY WERE VERY FAMILIAR WITH. AFTER SPEAKING TO TOYOTA, I DECIDED TO RESEARCH THIS FOR MYSELF ON THE WEB AND FOUND MANY SIMILAR INCIDENTS. THIS IS CLEARLY A DANGEROUS DESIGN DEFECT AND NEEDS TO BE REMEDIATED BY THE MANUFACTURER URGENTLY BEFORE SOMEONE'S FAMILY IS KILLED BECAUSE THE VISOR DROPS AND BLOCKS THEIR VIEW OF THE TRAFFIC AHEAD. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER LTD (N/A). WHILE DRIVING 60 MPH AND SPEEDING TO 70 MPH TO PASS ANOTHER VEHICLE, THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL STUCK AND WOULD NOT RELEASE. THE PASSENGER REMOVED THE FLOOR MATS BUT THE VEHICLE CONTINUED TO ACCELERATE RAPIDLY. THE CONTACT MANEUVERED THE VEHICLE TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD BY DEPRESSING THE BRAKE PEDAL FIRMLY, SHIFTING INTO NEUTRAL AND TURNING THE ENGINE OFF. THE RPMS CONTINUED TO INCREASE EXCESSIVELY. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER WHERE THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE THROTTLE BODY HAD CARBON AND BUILT UP CORROSION WHICH CAUSED THE FAILURE. THE CONTACT CALLED THE MANUFACTURER WHO OFFERED NO ASSISTANCE AS THE VEHICLE WAS TOO OLD, TOO HIGH IN MILEAGE AND NO LONGER UNDER WARRANTY. THE VIN WAS UNAVAILABLE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 218,000.