2017 Toyota Highlander

FIVE DIFFERENT TIMES FAILURE TO START THE ENGINE AND BATTERY APPEARS DRAINED WITH APPROX. 30K MILES. EACH TIME THE VEHICLE WAS STATIONARY AND EITHER IN MY GARAGE OR PARKED. JUMPER CABLES USED TO START THE CAR DID THE JOB THE FIRST TWO TIMES, THEN A POWERFUL PORTABLE BATTERY JUMPER WAS NEEDED THE NEXT TWO TIMES AND THE BATTERY WAS REPLACED BY AAA - TOLD ME THE OE BATTERY FAILED (NOT UNDER WARRANTY, SO IT COST ME OUT OF POCKET. NOW, THE 5TH TIME I AM WAITING FOR AAA AGAIN. THEIR BATTERY IS STILL UNDER FREE REPLACEMENT WARRANTY. THIS IS VERY POOR PERFORMANCE FOR A (I BOUGHT NEW) CAR THAT HAS JUST OVER 35K MILES AND LESS THAN 39 MONTHS OLD. ALSO, SEEING ALL THE ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS AND A RECALL FOR THE 2020 SAME MODEL, LEADS ME TO BELIEVE TOYOTA IS NOT AS RELIABLE AS THEY ONCE WERE.

ON 3/8/21 I WAS DRIVING MY 2017 TOYOTA HIGHLAND APPROX. 13 MILES AWAY FROM MY HOME. I BEGAN TO SMELL SMOKE AS I WAS DRIVING AND THROUGH FURTHER INVESTIGATION I FOUND THE SMOKE TO BE COMING FROM THE CHARGING PORT AT THE BOTTOM OF THE MIDDLE ARM REST. THERE IS A FUNCTIONAL CAP ON THIS PORT TO KEEP DEBRIS FROM FALLING INTO IT. I DID NOT SEE ANY DEBRIS IN IT AT THE TIME OF THE INCIDENT. BUT WHILE CHECKING FOR THE SOURCE OF SMOKE I FELT HEAT COMING FROM THE PORT AND THEN IT MELTED TO THE FLOOR. ONCE THIS HAPPENED I PULLED OVER TURNED THE TRUCK OFF AND EXITED.

I WAS OUT FOR HEADING HOME & MY VEHICLE WOULD NOT START. I HAD THE BRAKE PEDAL PRESSED & PUSHED THE START ENGINE BUTTON. THE VEHICLE JUST MADE A RAPID CLICKING NOISE. THERE WAS A "BRAKING POWER LOW/ STOP IN A SAFE PLACE" LIGHT ON THE DASHBOARD. HAVING BEEN THROUGH THIS BEFORE AFTER HAVING THE VEHICLE FOR 8 WKS I WAITED & TRIED TO GET THE BRAKE PEDAL TO THE UP POSITION. TRIED STARTING AGAIN;RESULTS THE SAME. CALLED THE LOCAL DEALERSHIP,WAS TOLD TO TOW IT IN FOR A DIAGNOTSTIC. AGAIN, I TRIED THE BRAKE PEDAL/ START SEQUENCE: NO LUCK. THE DASH MESSAGE CENTER LIGHT REAPPEARED IMMEDIATELY OVER-LAPPED BY "DEPRESS BRAKE PEDAL AND PUSH ENGINE SWITCH TO START"(BRAKE WAS DEPRESSED). TRIED ONE MORE TIME TO START RESULTS THE SAME. THEN THE "CHARGING SYSTEM MALFUNCTION/ STOP IN A SAFE PLACE/ SEE OWNER'S MANUAL" LIGHT APPEARED IN THE DASH. FINALLY STARTED 3 HOURS LATER: I DROVE HOME. WENT TO LOCAL DEALER THEY SAID IT WAS THE BATTERY. WENT TO MY REGULAR DEALERSHIP. ENROUTE, THE MESSAGE CENTER ON THE DASH FLASHED BRIGHT RED WITHOUT WORDS(@ 40MPH). MY REGULAR DEALERSHIP TESTED MY BATTERY, IT WAS FINE. THEY RAN DIAGNOSTIC; THEY SAID THE RESULT WAS A BAD COMPUTER THAT NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. WAS GIVEN A LOANER VEHICLE. 2 WKS LATER THEY CALLED AND SAID AFTER MORE TESTING IT IS THE BATTERY, NOT THE COMPUTER.

2017 WITH JUST UNDER 20K MILES. VEHICLE STALLED FROM STOP WHILE AT A A RED LIGHT. WOULD NOT RESTART. ONLY CLICKS FROM START BUTTON. MULTIPLE WARNING LIGHTS. HAD BEEN DRIVEN ON CITY STREETS 5 MILES OF 6 MILE COMMUTE. CAR ALSO REQUIRED JUMP START TWICE IN PAST WEEK. DEALER EVALUATION ONE DAY PRIOR TO STALL " BATTERY CHECKS OUT FINE". I'M AFRAID THERE'S SOMETHING MORE SERIOUS GOING ON.

1 WEEK AGO, 7-26-20, MY CAR STALLED SLIGHTLY AND THEN AN ENGINE ICON APPEARED. A MESSAGE APPEARED FOR ME TO VISIT MY DEALER. I TOOK IT TO THE TOYOTA DEALER. THE LIGHT WENT OFF AS I ARRIVED THERE. I HAD TO PAY FOR A DIAGNOSTIC CHECK AND THEY COULDN'T FIND ANYTHING WRONG. I WAS TOLD TO MAKE SURE I WAS USING A GOOD GRADE OF GAS. LATER IN THE WEEK I GOT GAS AT A SHELL STATION. THE CAR WOULDN'T CRANK AT THE PUMP. IT KEPT TRYING TO TURN OVER. I GOT A MESSAGE TO DEPRESS THE BRAKE AND PUSH IGNITION. THEN IT SAID LOW BRAKE PRESSURE. I SAT THERE A FEW MINUTES AND TRIED AGAIN. I FINALLY GOT IT TO STAY ON. THE NEXT DAY I DROVE AROUND FINE FOR A WHILE WITH NO PROBLEM. THEN I TRIED TO GO BACK OUT AND IT WOULDN'T CRANK. IT WAS FULL OF GOOD GAS. THE ENGINE ICON CAME BACK ON. THEN THE MESSAGE ABOUT BEING HARDER TO STEER CAME UP. IT KEPT SAYING DEPRESS THE BRAKE AND PUSH IGNITION. I TRIED A FEW MORE TIMES AND GOT THE MESSAGE ABOUT PROBLEMS WITH THE SMART KEY SYSTEM. I CHECKED THE RECALLS FOR 2017 HIGHLANDERS AND NOTICED THERE ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS. I BOUGHT THIS CAR USED IN MARCH 2020.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2017 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER. CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT VARIOUS SPEEDS, WITHOUT WARNING THE VEHICLE WOULD VIOLENTLY SHAKE INTERMITTENTLY, LURCH AND ACCELERATE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING IN A PARKING LOT THE VEHICLE INADVERTENTLY ACCELERATED WHILE DRIVING THROUGH A CROSSWALK. THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED TO STOP THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT STATED DUE TO THE VEHICLE LURCHING AND SHAKING, SHE HAS SUSTAINED INJURIES TO HER TONGUE, NECK AND BACK. NO MEDICAL ATTENTION WAS NEEDED. THE CONTACTED STATED THAT VARIOUS WARNING LIGHTS WOULD ILLUMINATE, THE MOON ROOF WOULD RANDOMLY OPEN AND CLOSE, AS WELL AS THE VEHICLE WOULD SHIFT GEARS VIOLENTLY. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO DEALER WHOM PERFORMED A SOFTWARE UPDATE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THESE WERE ONGOING FAILURES. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO TOYOTA OF GREENSBURG (4964 US-30, GREENSBURG, PA 15601 (724) 552-2761) WHERE THE FAILURE COULD NOT BE DUPLICATED AND DIAGNOSTIC TESTING RESULTS FOUND NO FAILURE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT AN INSPECTOR FROM THE MANUFACTURER TOYOTA WAS TO INSPECT THE VEHICLE HOWEVER, NO FINAL REPORTS HAVE BEEN COMPLETED. THE CONTACT MENTIONED THAT THE INSPECTOR STATED THAT HE WAS UNABLE TO DUPLICATE THE FAILURE. THE CONTACT WAS AWAITING CALL BACK FROM THE MANUFACTURER. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 23,000.

THE BATTERY FAILED AFTER WE OWNED THE CAR FOR 2 YRS AND 11 MONTHS (MILEAGE ~44,000). THE REPLACEMENT BATTERY COST ABOUT $450 INCLUDING INSTALLATION. THIS IS EXCESSIVELY EARLY FAILURE, AND WE ARE OUT A LARGE AMOUNT OF MONEY FOR SOMETHING THAT SHOULD NOT HAVE HAPPENED WITH THIS NEW OF A VEHICLE. IT TOOK 1 MONTH TO GET THE REPLACEMENT BATTERY. ALSO EXCESSIVE.