2003 Toyota Highlander

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER. WHILE ATTEMPTING A RIGHT TURN AT APPROXIMATELY 5 MPH, THE VEHICLE ABNORMALLY ACCELERATED AND CRASHED INTO ANOTHER VEHICLE. THERE WERE NO INJURIES. A POLICE REPORT WAS AVAILABLE. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER WHERE THEY WERE UNABLE TO DIAGNOSE THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 95,000.

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER. WHILE DRIVING 50 MPH, THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL BECAME STUCK TO THE FLOORBOARD IN THE OPEN THROTTLE POSITION. THE VEHICLE PROCEEDED TO ACCELERATE WITHOUT DRIVER INTENT. THE CONTACT WAS ABLE TO STOP THE VEHICLE BY TURNING IT OFF. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 86,000.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER. WHILE DRIVING AT 75 MPH UTILIZING THE CRUISE CONTROL MECHANISM, HE ATTEMPTED TO SHUT OFF THE CRUISE CONTROL WHEN THE VEHICLE ABNORMALLY ACCELERATED UP TO 90 MPH. HE IMMEDIATLEY PUT THE VEHICLE INTO NEUTRAL AND DEPRESSED THE BRAKE PEDAL ALMOST TO THE FLOOR. THE VEHICLE FINALLY CAME TO A STOP WHEN HE NOTICED THAT THE DRIVER'S SIDE FLOOR MAT WAS LYING OVER THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL. HE IMMEDIATELY REMOVED ALL FLOOR MATS FROM THE VEHICLE AND HAD NOT EXPERIENCED THE FAILURE SINCE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 55,000 AND THE CURRENT WAS 96,000.

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER. HE STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 2 MPH WITH HIS FOOT ON THE BRAKE PEDAL, IT ACCELERATED ON ITS OWN WITHOUT A WARNING AND CRASHED INTO A BUILDING . THERE WERE FRONT END DAMAGES TO THE VEHICLE. THERE WERE NO INJURIES. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED. A POLICE REPORT WAS AVAILABLE. THE DEALER WAS CONTACTED AND THEY STATED THAT HIS VEHICLE WAS NOT ON THE RECALL LIST. THERE WERE REPAIRS MADE TO THE VEHICLE. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 62,300.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER. THE CONTACT WAS DRIVING 5 MPH WHEN THE VEHICLE ACCELERATED TO 90 MPH. THE CONTACT APPLIED THE BRAKE WHICH DID NOT WORK. THE CONTACT THEN PUT THE GEAR NEUTRAL WHICH SLOWED THE VEHICLE DOWN AND SHE WAS ABLE TO BRING THE VEHICLE TO A COMPLETE STOP, HOWEVER THE ENGINE WAS STILL RACING. THE CONTACT CALLED THE MANUFACTURER BUT NO ACTION WAS TAKEN. FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 75,752. UPDATED 04/09/10. *LJ UPDATED EVOQ 06/08/10.*JB UPDATED 06/15/10.*JB

)N THE MORNING OF 12-05-09, AS I'M PULLING INTO MY GARAGE, THE CAR SUDDENLY LURCHED FORWARD WITH AN UNEXPECTED INCREASE IN SPEED. BEFORE I COULD BRAKE, THE CAR SLAMMED INTO A STEEL SHELVING UNIT ON THE BACK WALL WHICH RESULTED IN EXTENSIVE DAMAGE TO THE WALL ( BOTH INTERIOR & EXTERIOR) AND WHAT APPEARED TO BE MINIMAL DAMAGE TO THE AUTO. I TOOK THE VEHICLE TO MY TOYOTA SERVICE ON THAT SAME DAY BECAUSE I/WE FELT THAT THIS COULD CONSTITUTE AN UNSAFE DRIVING CONDITION. TOTAL COSTS FROM THIS INCIDENT WERE AS FOLLOWS: COVERED BY INSURANCE- $3607.81 (PLUS 703.31 PD. DIRECTLY TO THE DEALER?) AND $916.27 ( 500.00 INSURANCE DEDUCTIBLE AND AN ADDITIONAL MECHANICAL CHARGE FOR A FUEL/AIR SENSOR THAT FAILED ON 12-26-09). I HAVE NOT PREVIOUSLY EXPERIENCED "SUDDEN ACCELERATION" WITH THIS VEHICLE. I HAVE NOTIFIED BOTH MY LOCAL DEALER, SOUTHEAST TOYOTA DISTRIBUTORS AND TOYOTA CUSTOMER RELATIONS REGARDING THE PROBLEM STATING THAT THERE MAY BE OTHER VEHICLES BEYOND THE SCOPE OF THEIR CURRENT RECALL THAT SHOULD ALSO BE CONSIDERED AS POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS. *TR UPDATED 05/03.10 TOYOTA DENIED THE CONSUMER CLAIM, STATING THE VEHICLE EXAMINATION REVEALED NO APPARENT REASON FOR THE ACCELERATION. HOWEVER, THE DEALER THAT PERFORMED THE INSPECTION STATED THE THROTTLE WAS BECAME STUCK DUE TO GUMMY DEPOSITS CASED BY ETHANOL IN THE GASOLINE. UPDATED 08/210/10*JB

ON MONDAY, APRIL 28, 2008 AT APPROXIMATELY 7:45 A.M. CDT, I DROVE MY 2003 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER ON TO THE EMPLOYEE PARKING LOT AT UNIGROUP, INC. AS I ALWAYS DID, I PULLED UP PAST MY ASSIGNED PARKING SPOT, STOPPED, AND PUT THE VEHICLE IN REVERSE TO BACK INTO MY SPACE. WHEN I MOVED MY FOOT FROM THE BRAKE TO THE ACCELERATOR AND TURNED THE STEERING WHEEL TO BACK INTO SPACE 304, THE SUV SUDDENLY ACCELERATED AT A TREMENDOUS SPEED, HIT AND BOUNCED OFF THE FORD EXPLORER PARKED IN SPACE 305 AND THEN HIT THE SUBARU LEGACY WAGON PARKED IN SPACE 317 IMMEDIATELY BEHIND SPACE 304. ONE WITNESS WHO WAS IN THE PARKING LOT AT THE TIME LATER TOLD ME THAT WHILE HE DID NOT SEE THE CRASH, HE HEARD A HUGE ROAR OF A MOTOR AND THE CRASHING NOISE OF THE IMPACT. THE OWNER OF THE SUBARU ALSO DID NOT SEE THE INITIAL ACCELERATION OF THE SUV, BUT HEARD THE TIRES SCREECHING AND TURNED IN TIME TO SEE MY SUV HIT HIS SUBARU. BOTH OF THE TWO WITNESSES HELPED ME LOAD THE BACK BUMPER OF MY HIGHLANDER INTO THE CARGO AREA. PRIOR TO GOING INTO THE OFFICE, I CHECKED THE FLOOR MAT UNDER THE STEERING WHEEL, BUT COULD NOT SEE ANY INDICATION THAT IT IN ANY WAY HAD MOVED. I AM CONVINCED THAT THE ONLY THING THAT STOPPED MY HIGHLANDER WAS THE FACT THAT IT HIT THE TWO VEHICLES IN SPACES 305 AND 317. LATER THAT DAY (4.28.2008), I CALLED TOYOTA TO REPORT THE INCIDENT. I WAS TOLD BY A REPRESENTATIVE BY THE NAME OF BARBARA THAT THERE WERE NO PROBLEMS OR RECALLS ON THE HIGHLANDER, ONLY THE CAMRY (THIS ACCORDING TO THE NHTSA.) MY REPORT WAS GIVEN . THERE WAS EXTENSIVE DAMAGE TO MY SUV AND THE TWO OTHER VEHICLES THAT WERE HIT. THUS FAR, TOYOTA HAS NOT ACKNOWLEDGED THAT MY VEHICLE (2003 HIGHLANDER) IS INCLUDED IN THE RECALL AND SINCE THE VIN # BEGINS WITH A J, I AM TOLD THAT THERE IS NO PROBLEM WITH ANY VEHICLE MADE IN JAPAN. THEREFORE, I CANNOT EVEN TAKE IT TO A DEALERSHIP FOR REPAIRS. I AM LEFT IN LIMBO WITH A DEFECTIVE TOYOTA. *TR

2003 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER, I HAVE A RANDOMLY OCCURRING PROBLEM WITH THE GAS PEDAL STICKING WHEN YOU ARE TRYING TO ACCELERATE FROM A STOP. MY YEAR MODEL IS NOT INCLUDED IN THE CURRENT RECALL BUT I WANTED TO MAKE YOU AWARE THAT THERE ARE OTHER POSSIBLE PROBLEMS OUT THERE. I HAVE CALLED THE DEALERSHIP AND THEY SAID WITHOUT BEING ABLE TO DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM THERE IS NOTHING THAT I CAN DO AND IT IS RANDOMLY OCCURRING. *TR

2003 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER UNCONTROLLED SURGE IN ACCELERATION. CONSUMER STATES THERE WAS LIMITED TO NO USE WHEN THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED. *KB THE CONSUMER STATED THE FLOOR MAT PLAYED ABSOLUTELY NO ROLE IN THE SUDDEN ACCELERATION INCIDENT. THE TRUCK WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHERE THEY REPLACED NUMEROUS PARTS, BUT COULD NOT EXPLAIN THE CAUSE. *JB