2014 Toyota Highlander

VEHICLE SHUT OFF DURING DRIVING, CAUSING ALL ELECTRICAL SYSTEMS TO FAIL INCLUDING THE ELECTRONIC STEERING, WHICH SINCE VEHICLE ALSO TURNED OFF, CAUSED THE STEERING COLUMN TO LOCK UP. SINCE THE PROBLEM OCCURRED AT SPEED AND INFACT WHILE MAKING A TURN, A NEAR COLLISION OCCURED. THE PROBLEM OCCURED MULTIPLE TIMES IN SUCCESSION AND WAS ALSO INTERMITTENT WITH MUCH TIME ELAPSING BETWEEN EPISODES. TWO OTHER TYPES OF RELATED OCCURRENCES DURING THIS TIMEFRAME WERE THE (1) VEHICLE ALSO CYCLING OFF AND ON AND (2) WOULD ALSO TURN ON ITSELF IF THE KEY WAS IN THE VICINITY OF THE VEHICLE. TOYOTA OF SEATTLE EXPERIENCED THE ISSUES WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS BROUGHT IN AND DIAGNOSED THE ISSUE TO BE A LOOSE BOLTED CONNECTION OF THE NEGATIVE ELECTRICAL WIRE FROM THE BATTERY TO THE FRAME OF THE VEHICLE. THOUGH THE VEHICLE HAS EXPERIENCED SIMILAR ISSUES SINCE TIGHTENING OF THE NEGATIVE WIRE BOLTS. ONGOING ISSUES INCLUDE THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM CYCLING OFF AND ON WHILE DRIVING INCLUDING THE NAVIGATION AND FRONT CONSOLE DISPLAY. THE VEHICLE WAS BOUGHT IN SEPTEMBER 2014 AND HAD LESS THAN 25K MILES AS OF APRIL 2016. ON TWO PRIOR INSTANCES ELECTRICAL ISSUES WERE IDENTIFIED AND DOCUMENTED TO TOYOTA OF SEATTLE AND THE VEHICLE WAS KEPT FOR TESTING. THE FIRST ELECTRICAL ISSUE OCCURED WITH THE ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL FAILING AND THEREBY REQUIRING PASSENGER INTERVENTION TO AVOID COLLISION. THIS CRUISE CONTROL FAILURE FIRST SEEMED TO OCCUR IN DECEMBER 2015. TOYOTA OF SEATTLE DID NOT FIND ANY FAULT AND SENT ME AWAY. THE SECOND PRIOR ELECTRICAL ISSUE OF THE BATTERY PREMATURELY FAILING OCCURRED IN MARCH 2016. THE READINGS INDICATED SOME ODD DRAWS. TOYOTA OF SEATTLE REPLACED THE BATTERY AND SENT ME AWAY WITHOUT ADDRESSING THE ODD DRAWS. THE VEHICLE'S SAFETY REMAINS SUSPECT WITH ONGOING ELECTRICAL CYCLING OFF AND ON WHILE DRIVING.

AUTOMATIC/POWER LIFTGATE DOES NOT CLOSE ALL THE WAY. STARTS - THEN STOPS HALF TO 90% CLOSED. REQUIRES MANUALLY LOWERING TO CLOSE. HAPPENS 75% OF THE TIME. TOYOTA DEALER RELUCTANTLY ACKNOWLEDGED A SERVICE BULLETIN AND SAYS THEY WILL REPLACE MOTOR BUT IT TOOK SOME PUSHING TO GET PAST THE SERVICE DESK AND TECH WHO SAY, "WE COULDN'T FIND ANYTHING WRONG". I SAID NOT GOOD ENOUGH ANSWER AND, LO AND BEHOLD, THE SENIOR CSR LOOKED IT UP ONLINE AND CONFIRMED THE MALFUNCTION IS NOT UNCOMMON AND IMMEDIATELY OFFERED TO REPLACE THE POWER LIFTGATE MOTOR.

TO SELECT AN OPTION ON THE MAP MODE SCREEN (TURN LIST, FREE-WAY EXIT LIST ,INTER-SECTION SCREEN OR THE TURN-BY-TURN SCREEN) VEHICLE HAS TO IN MOTION. DRIVER HAS TO TAKE EYES OFF ROAD AND FOCUS ON THE SCREEN AND THEN FIND THE OPTION HE WANTS AND THEN SELECT IT. ALL THIS WHILE VEHICLE IS IN MOTION. UNSAFE AT ANY SPEED. A SOFTWARE UPGRADE CAN FIX THIS SO VEHICLE DOESN'T NEED TO BE IN MOTION. NOTIFIED TOYOTA CASE # [XXX] 8/3/2014. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

OUR 2014 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER LIMITED WAS PURCHASED NEW WITH 18 MILES ON FEBRUARY 25, 2014. ON MARCH 7, 2014 WHILE DRIVING ON CITY STREETS ANOTHER DRIVER FAILED TO STOP AT A RED LIGHT SO I PRESSED THE HORN TO ALERT THE DRIVER WHILE I SWERVED OUT OF HIS PATH. THE HORN DID NOT WORK SO THE DRIVER WAS NOT ALERTED AND CONTINUED IN THEIR DIRECTION OF TRAVEL. MY NEED TO SWERVE WOULD HAVE BEEN AVOIDED IF THE OTHER DRIVER WAS PAYING ATTENTION AND I WAS ABLE TO ALERT HIM WITH MY HORN. *TR