2003 Toyota Highlander

SATURDAY JUNE 18 2016 AT 6:40 A.M. DRIVING ON TULLY ROAD IN MY 2003 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER. MY SPEED WAS 35 MILES PER HOUR WHEN THE CAR SUDDENLY ACCELERATED AT A HIGH RATE OF SPEED. I APPLIED MY BRAKES TO SLOW DOWN THE HIGHLANDER THIS HAD NO EFFECT ON SLOWING DOWN THE HIGHLANDER. THE BRAKES WENT INTO ANTI LOCKING MODE THE WHEELS STARTED TO PULSATE. WHILE THIS WAS HAPPENING MY FOOT WAS NOT ON THE ACCELERATOR , BUT ON THE BRAKES. THE HIGHLANDER WAS NOT SLOWING DOWN BUT INCREASING SPEED. I DOWN SHIFTED INTO A LOWER GEAR, THE ENGINE RACED AT A HIGH RPMS. I THEN PUT THE CAR IN NEUTRAL THE RPMS STILL RACING AT A HIGH RATE. I THEN APPLIED THE BRAKES AGAIN TO SLOW DOWN. THE HIGHLANDER STARTED TO SLOW DOWN I THEN TURNED OFF THE ENGINE AND THEN CAME TO A STOP. I WAITED FOR A MINUTE AND STARTED THE CAR THE ENGINE RACED AT A HIGH RPMS AS IF MY FOOT WAS PUSHED ALL THE WAY DOWN ON THE ACCELERATOR, BUT MY FOOT WAS NOT ON THE GAS PEDAL. I WAITED AGAIN A FEW MINUTES TO START THE HIGHLANDER , THE SAME HIGH RPMS HAPPENING AGAIN. A FEW MINUTES LATER I TRIED AGAIN TO START THE HIGHLANDER AND THIS TIME THE HIGHLANDER IDLED NORMAL. I TURNED THE HIGHLANDER AROUND AND WENT HOME WHICH WAS HALF A MILE AWAY. THE TOTAL DISTANCE OF UNCONTROLLED ACCELERATION WAS IN MY ESTIMATION OVER 1,000 YARDS. I HAD TO HIGHLANDER TOWED TO STEVENS CREEK TOYOTA WHERE IT REMAINS NOW JUNE 27 2016.

I HAVE BEEN THE OWNER OF MY 2003 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER, FOR ALMOST 8 YEARS. I GOT IT IN NOV.2008 AT AROUND THE 69,000 MARK. SINCE THEN, I HAVE MADE SURE THAT MY CAR/BABY HAS HAD THE WORKS IN CARE, TO KEEP THE QUALITY AND VALUE OF THE VEHICLE UP. THIS WOULD INCLUDE:OIL CHANGES, NEW BRAKES, NEW TIRES, REPAIRS OF BELTS/FILTERS ETC, HOSES, TUNE UPS, GREAT GAS AND CAR WASHES/BODY CARE. MOST OF THIS HAS BEEN DONE BY THE DEALERSHIP HERE IN CULVER CITY CA. I'VE DEPENDED ON THEM TO TELL ME WHAT WAS GOOD/BAD ABOUT MY CAR AND TRUSTED THEM IN DOING SO. I ALSO MADE SURE TO DO THE REPAIRS THEY SUGGESTED. SOMETIMES HOWEVER THEY SAID IT WAS FINE, BUT WOULD COME TO FIND OUT, I DID HAVE ISSUES. THIS MADE ME WONDER IF TOYOTA WAS TRUSTWORTHY/DOING THEIR JOBS RIGHT AND NOW I FEEL THE SAME LACK OF TRUST IN MY CARS PERFORMANCE /CURRENT STATE. I CAN SAY I HAVE ONLY PUT 50,000 MILES OR SO ON MY CAR IN THE LAST 8 YEARS, AND I KNOW TOYOTAS CAN/SHOULD LAST UNTIL 250,000 OR SO, WITHOUT MAJOR ISSUES. HOWEVER SINCE 2015 I HAVE DEALT, WITH ONE THING AFTER THE NEXT WITH THE CAR. MOST RECENTLY THIS PAST WEEKEND WHERE MY ENGINE COMPLETELY BLEW. HOW COULD A ENGINE BLOW OUT ON SUCH A WELL MAINTAINED CAR? WELL AFTER REVIEWING OTHER COMPLAINTS ONLINE, IT SEEMS THIS YEAR AND MODEL HAS THIS PROBLEM OFTEN, ONCE THEY REACH AROUND 110,000 MARK OR SO. WHY? IT SEEMS TO BE A FAULTY ENGINE /SOMETHING THAT SHOULD DEFINITELY BE RECALLED. WE AS CONSUMERS SHOULDN'T HAVE TO SPEND THOUSANDS ON A CAR, THOUSANDS TO KEEP IT IN GREAT CONDITION AND THEN THOUSANDS WHEN ARE ENGINES FAIL AND THIS HAS BEEN REPORTED. OTHER MAY SIMPLY THINK THERE IS NO HOPE AND DON'T BOTHER. BUT I AM BOTHERED, BECAUSE NOW I AM WITHOUT A CAR. I DON'T HAVE THE FUNDS FOR THIS REPAIR. I HAVE A YOUNG CHILD AND WHEN I BOUGHT THIS CAR, THOUGHT IT WOULD LAST. I ALSO HAVE HAD PROBLEMS WITH BRAKING/CARS PEDAL GOING INTO THE FLOOR! THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE!! HELP!!

PULLING INTO A PARKING SPACE AT KAISER HOSPITAL AS I HIT THE BRAKE THE CAR UNEXPECTEDLY ACCELERATED. THE CAR SPED FORWARD WHILE MY FOOT WAS STILL ON THE BRAKE. I HIT A TREE CAUSING DAMAGE TO THE LEFT FRONT AREA OF THE CAR (LIGHTS, FENDER, BUMPER) HAD CAR REPAIRED. AT THE TIME I THOUGHT THAT I HAD ACCIDENTALLY HIT THE GAS PEDAL;HOWEVER, ONE MONTH LATER WHILE APPROACHING AN INTERSECTION, AS I STOPPED, THE SAME THING HAPPENED. LUCKILY NO CAR OR PEDESTRIAN WAS IN THE INTERSECTION. I WAS ABLE TO STOP THE CAR BY SHIFTING INTO PARK. TOOK THE CAR TO MY MECHANIC. HE WAS UNABLE TO REPLICATE THE PROBLEM. SINCE THIS UNEXPECTED ACCELERATION OCCURRED IN THE SAME WAY (COMING TO A STOP WITH FOOT ON BRAKE AND GEAR-SHIFT IN DRIVE) , IN A FIVE WEEK PERIOD, IT COULD BE A TRANSMISSION OR ACCELERATER PROBLEM. I NO LONGER FEEL CONFIDENT DRIVING THE CAR AND CONSIDER IT UNSAFE.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNED A 2003 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED, THE VEHICLE ACCELERATED RAPIDLY WITHOUT WARNING CAUSING A CRASH. THE CONTACT SUSTAINED INJURIES TO HER LEFT FOOT. MEDICAL ATTENTION WAS REQUIRED. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED AND DEEMED DESTROYED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 51,082.

WAS PULLING INTO A PARKING SPACE IN A STRIP MALL, ABOUT 10 FEET BEFORE THE PARKING BLOCK THE CAR SUDDENLY ACCELERATED. I WAS ABLE TO TURN THE WHEEL HARD TO THE LEFT AND HIT THE BRAKES TO AVOID THE BUILDING. I DID HIT THE AWNING SUPPORTS AND CAUSED THE AWNING TO SAG. WAS ABLE TO FINALLY STOP THE CAR AND GOT OUT SAFELY. THE CAR LATER WAS TOTALED BY THE INSURANCE COMPANY.

THE ENGINE OVERHEATED SUDDENLY, BLOWING HOT AIR FROM THE AC AND THE TEMPERATURE GAUGE WENT UP. WE MANAGED TO GET HOME AND GET TO THE TOYOTA DEALERSHIP THE NEXT DAY. THE DEALERSHIP MECHANIC TOLD US THE ENGINE BOLTS STRIPPED DUE TO THE BLOCK BEING SOFT, AND THAT HE HAD SEEN THIS PROBLEM BEFORE. THE ISSUE OF THE SOFT BLOCK WAS CONFIRMED IN A SUBSEQUENT SEARCH OF THE INTERNET. APPARENTLY TOYOTA IS AWARE OF THIS FLAW, BUT THERE IS NO WARRANTY REMEDY. THE 2003 INLINE 4-CYLINDER ENGINE IS THE MODEL WITH THE BOLT STRIPPING PROBLEM. NEITHER THE DEALERSHIP NOR ANOTHER JAPANESE AUTO REPAIR PLACE WOULD CONSIDER TRYING TO REPLACE THE BOLTS. THEY SAID THAT BECAUSE OF THE SOFT METAL IN THE BLOCK, A NEW SET OF LARGER BORED BOLTS WOULD BE UNLIKELY TO HOLD. THE COST TO PUT IN ANOTHER ENGINE IS APPROXIMATELY THE VALUE OF THE CAR, IF THERE WERE USED ENGINES AVAILABLE. A NEW ENGINE WOULD BE IN THE $15K RANGE, MUCH MORE THAN THE CAR IS WORTH. WE WILL LIKELY SELL THE CAR FOR SCRAP. WHEN WE BOUGHT THE CAR, WE FELT WE COULD REASONABLY EXPECT A 250K MILEAGE LIFE. THE ENGINE FAILED AT 128K. JUST HALF OF ITS USEFUL LIFE.

MY SUV AFTER A HEAVY RAIN WAS FLOODED. (FLOOR, BOTH FRONT AND BACK). I TOOK THE CAR IN TO SEVERAL MECHANICS . ALL AGREED THAT IT COULD BE A CLOGGED AC LINE,CLOGGED VENT IN HOOD, DOOR SEALS. ALL WAS CHECKED AND FOUND NO PROBLEMS. THE A CRACK STARTED IN MY WINDSHIELD. NOT RELATING THE TWO PROBLEMS I TOOK THE CAR IN AGAIN TO A MECHANIC. HE FOUND RUST POPPING OUT FROM THE ROOF WHERE THE WINDSHIELD HAD BEEN FORCED OUTWARD BY RUST, CAUSING IT TO CRACK. THE LEAK WAS THEN DISCOVERED, AND CAUSED BY THE ROOF RACKS. ALLOWING WATER TO RUN INSIDE ROOF AND DOOR TRACK INTO THE CAR. I HAVE HERD OF OTHER PEOPLE HAVING THE SAME PROBLEMS WITH ROOF RACKS. THIS PROBLEM SHOULD BE ADDRESSED, AS IT CAN CAUSE A NUMBER OF MORE SERIOUS PROBLEMS.

IN VERY COLD MAINE TEMPERATURES, AFTER THE VEHICLE HAS SET UNUSED ALL NIGHT, THE AIRBAG WARNING LIGHT COMES ON IN THE MORNING WHEN THE VEHICLE IS STARTED. THIS ALSO HAPPENS IN VERY WARM TEMPERATURES AFTER VEHICLE HAS SET UNUSED ALL NIGHT. AFTER THE VEHICLE HAS RUN A SHORT WHILE AND WARMED UP OR COOLED DOWN, THE AIRBAG SIGNAL WARNING GOES OFF.

NEEDED TO HAVE A TOTAL ENGINE REBUILD DUE TO FAULTY HEAD BOLTS THAT STRIPPED AND ALLOWED COOLANT TO ENTER THE ENGINE AND BURN. LUCKY-I GUESS-THAT I ACTED QUICKLY SO AS TO AVERT CATALYTIC CONVERTER ISSUES OR SENSORS GETTING DAMAGED BY BURNING COOLANT. I ALSO AVOIDED THE TOTAL LOSS OF ANTIFREEZE AND THE RESULTING DAMAGE &/OR INCONVENIENCE THAT THOUSANDS OF OTHERS HAD. STILL, A HUGE INCONVENIENCE AND HUGE $5425.82 COST DUE TO MANUFACTURER'S DEFECT: WEAK METAL THAT COULDN'T WITHSTAND THE TORQUE/PULL ON THEM... PERHAPS THE THREADING PLAYED A PART. I ONLY KNOW THAT 1000S UPON 1000S OF PEOPLE SUFFERED THE SAME ISSUE FROM TOYOTA ON THIS ENGINE IN SEVERAL YEARS/MODELS. THERE SHOULD BE A RECALL. THERE SHOULD BE COMPENSATION. *TR