2015 Toyota Highlander

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2015 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 60 MPH, THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY STALLED. A POLICE OFFICER HELPED THE CONTACT COAST THE VEHICLE TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. THE VEHICLE RESTARTED AFTER IT WAS COASTED TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AND DRIVEN TO THE CONTACT'S RESIDENCE. THE CONTACT TOOK THE VEHICLE TO DARCARS TOYOTA FREDERICK (5293 BUCKEYSTOWN PIKE, FREDERICK, MD 21704, (301) 696-6300), BUT THE FAILURE COULD NOT BE DUPLICATED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 7,000.

THE POWER LIFTGATE CLOSED ON MY HEAD WHEN I WAS PUTTING STUFF IN THE TRUNK. IT WAS OPEN LIKE NORMAL, BUT THEN IT SUDDENLY DROPPED WITHOUT WARNING. BEFORE THIS HAPPENED IT WAS HAVING PROBLEMS CLOSING COMPLETELY. IT IS STILL HAVING THESE PROBLEMS. I TOOK IT INTO THE DEALERSHIP TO GET FIXED AND THEY "RESET" THE SYSTEM BUT THAT DIDNT FIX ANYTHING. IT IS STILL NOT CLOSING COMPLETELY SOMETIMES. IT WILL SEEMINGLY OPEN FINE (ALTHOUGH IM AFRAID IT WILL FALL ON MY HEAD) BUT WHEN I HAVE TO CLOSE IT WILL SOMETIMES CLOSE AND IT WILL SOMETIMES CLOSE ALMOST ALL THE WAY AND THEN IT WILL BEEP TWICE AND OPEN A BIT AGAIN AND SIT THERE. I WILL HAVE TO HIT IT TO OPEN AND CLOSE AGAIN AND HOPE THAT IT WORKS. SOMETIMES I GET IT IN 2 TRIES AND SOMETIMES IT TAKES 4 OR 5 TIMES TO GET IT TO CLOSE.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2015 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 25 MPH, THE VEHICLE STALLED AND ALL THE WARNING INDICATORS ILLUMINATED. THE CONTACT REMOVED THE KEY FROM THE IGNITION SWITCH AND RESTARTED THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WORKED NORMALLY. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO HARTFORD TOYOTA SUPERSTORE IN HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING. THE MANUFACTURER SENT AN EVALUATOR TO DIAGNOSE THE VEHICLE. ACCORDING TO THE REPORT, THE VEHICLE WAS WORKING TO MANUFACTURER STANDARDS. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE AND PROVIDED CASE NUMBER: 16001120892. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 91,000.

THE FRONT MAIN CONSOLE OF THE GPS, RADIO, AND ENTIRE RADIO HEAD WILL SUDDENLY GETS FROZEN AND/ REQUIRING REBOOT. THE VOICE ACTIVATION/RECOGNITION HAS HARD TIME RECOGNIZING VOICE, COMMANDS, AND 90% OF THE TIME IT IS A USELESS DEVICE, WHICH DRIVERS MUST USE THE PHONE MANUALLY INSTEAD. THIS IS A SAFETY CONCERN FOR A DRIVER SINCE WE ARE RELYING ON THE MODERN DEVICES. A CONSUMER LIKE ME IS EXPECTING >$36,000 TO HAVE HANDS FREE AND EFFICIENT VOICE RECOGNITION AS PART OF SAFETY FEATURES .

I WAS DRIVING 80 MPH ON THE INTERSTATE WHEN THE ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AND A "CHECK AWD" DISPLAY APPEARED. AT THAT SAME MOMENT I LOST THE ABILITY TO STEER AND TO ACCELERATE. I MANAGED TO GET THE CAR OFF OF THE INTERSTATE. THE CAR CAME TO A STOP. I DID NOT SEE ANY SMOKE, OR SMELL ANYTHING AND THE ENGINE TEMP GAUGE SHOWED MID COOL SO I DECIDED TO START THE CAR AGAIN. WHEN I TRIED TO START THE CAR, THE ENGINE LIGHT AND THE "CHECK AWD" DISPLAY CAME ON AGAIN, AND THEN SECONDS LATER A TEMPERATURE LIGHT CAME ON WITH A LOUD ALARM. SMOKE STARTED COMING OUT OF THE FRONT LEFT HOOD. I SHOUTED FOR MY DAUGHTER AND HER FRIEND TO GET OUT OF THE VEHICLE. I GRABBED MY PHONE AND RAN TO HER DOOR TO HELP HER AND HER FRIEND GET OUT. BY THE TIME WE WERE RUNNING AWAY, FLAMES WERE COMING OUT OF THE HOOD. WITHIN MINUTES MY CAR WAS COMPLETELY ENGULFED IN FLAMES.

TWO OR THREE TIMES NOW, WHILE PAUSED IN TRAFFIC, I LOOK AT THE RADIO INSTRUMENT PANEL AND IT HAS COMPLETELY SHUT OFF AND REBOOTS, IT THEN CAUSES ALL PREVIOUSLY PROGRAMMED INFORMATION IN THE SYSTEM TO BE CHANGED. IN ADDITION AT THE SAME TIME, THE STEERING FEELS LIKE IT "PAUSES". I CHECKED MY VIN IT IS NOT IN THE RECALL BUT I WILL BE TAKING IT TO THE DEALER AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. ONCE THE ELECTRICAL RADIO/ENTERTAINMENT SYSTEM REBOOTED WHILE TRAVELING ON THE HIGHWAY, I ONLY NOTICED IT BECAUSE THE RADIO SHUT OFF. I DID NOT NOTICE ANYTHING AT THAT TIME WITH THE STEERING AND I THOUGHT IT WAS A FLUKE, BUT NOW AFTER THREE TIMES, I AM BRINGING TO THE DEALER

TAKATA RECALL-THIS PAST SUNDAY MY CAR HAD BEEN PARKED IN THE DRIVE WAY FOR A FEW DAYS AND WHEN I WENT TO DRIVE MY CAR AND THERE WAS A STRANGE NOISE UNDER THE HOOD, I BACKED OUT OF THE DRIVE WAY AND WHEN THE CAR SHIFTED FROM FIRST TO SECOND IT JURKED AND WAS NOT SMOOTH SO I PARKED THE CAR. I LOOKED UNDER THE HOOD AND THERE WERE MOUSE DROPPING ON THE ENGINE. I CALLED TOYOTA ON MONDAY MORNING AND THEY SAID TO HAVE IT TOWED SO I DID MONDAY NIGHT. TODAY WEDNESDAY THEY CALLED AND SAID THERE WERE A LOT OF WIRE DAMAGE AND SOMETHING ELSE BUT THEY STILL NOT ABLE TO FIND THE PROBLEM. THEY SAID AT THIS POINT IT WAS GOING TO BE $500 MAYBE MORE. AND NOT UNDER MANUFACTURERS DEFECT WARRANTY. WHICH I THINK IF THEY ARE GOING TO PUT SOMETHING IN THE WIRE CASING THAT RODENTS LOVE THEN THEY SHOULD CORRECT ANY PROBLEMS AS A RESULTS OF THE PRODUCT USED AT NO COST TO THE CUSTOMER. MY CAR IS A $45,000 CAR AND I HAVE ONLY HAD IT A FEW MONTHS. THIS IS BULL.

WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS BEING DRIVEN, THE POWER CUT OUT AND A MESSAGE APPEARED ON THE DASH STATING THAT THE BRAKE AND ACCELERATOR WERE BEING DEPRESSED SIMULTANEOUSLY -- BUT THEY WERE NOT. THIS HAPPENED THREE TIMES IN A ROW. WE HAD THE VEHICLE TOWARD TO THE TOYOTA DEALER WHERE PURCHASED. THEY COULD NOT FIGURE OUT WHAT WAS WRONG AND ATTRIBUTED THE PROBLEM TO "DRIVER ERROR." THE DEALER'S MECHANIC PRODUCED A REPORT INDICATING THAT SIMILAR MALFUNCTIONS HAD OCCURRED IN THE PRIOR TWO MONTHS WITH NO NOTICE TO THE DRIVER. TOYOTA COULD PROVIDE NO EXPLANATION FOR THIS. TOYOTA CLAIMS THAT NOTHING IS WRONG AND REFUSES TO REPAIR OR REPLACE THE VEHICLE.