2017 Toyota Highlander

ON FOUR SEPARATE OCCASIONS WHILE DRIVING DOWN A MAJOR HIGHWAY OUR HIGHLANDER HAS TOTALLY LOST ENGINE POWER; PUSHING THE ACCELERATOR WOULD CAUSE THE ENGINE TO COUGH AN SPUTTER; AND WE HAD TO GET OFF OF THE ROAD AND KILL THE ENGINE. AFTER A FEW MINUTES THE ENGINE WOULD RESTART. ONLY ONCE WAS THE DEALER ABLE TO PICK-UP ANY CODE OR REASON AND IT WAS NOTED TO HAVE BEEN AN ENGINE MISS, AND THE TECHNICIAN SAID IT MAY HAVE BEEN A BAD FUEL ISSUE. I AM SEEING RECALLS FOR 2018 & 2019 TOYOTA AND LEXUS VEHICLES DUE TO A FUEL PUMP ISSUE AND I AM WRITING BECAUSE I BELIEVE OUR 2017 HIGHLANDER MAY HAVE THE SAME ISSUE. ONE STRANGE CIRCUMSTANCE WITH ALL 4 TIMES IS THAT WE WERE CHANGING LANES TO THE LEFT, THERE WOULD BE A SHORT BEEP AND THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WOULD COME ON AND I AM ALSO WONDERING IF THE ISSUE COULD BE CAUSED BY ONE OF THE NEW SAFETY SENSORS. OUR LANE CHANGE SENSOR WAS NEVER ON, BUT OUR BLIND SPOT MONITOR (BSM) WAS ON AND AT ONE TIME THERE WAS A NOTICE TO A BSM ISSUE, BUT THE DEALER CANNOT FIND ANY ISSUES IN THE DIAGNOSTICS. THE FIRST 3 TIMES THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WOULD NOT COME BACK ON AFTER THE CAR RESTARTED AND THE DEALER COULD NOT FIND ANY CODES, BUT THE LAST TIME THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT STAYED ON FOR 2 DAYS AND THAT IS WHEN THE DEALER DIAGNOSED AN ENGINE MISS. THIS LAST TIME MY WIFE HAD 18 WHEELERS ON BOTH SIDES OF HER AND ONE BEHIND HER. THANK GOD THE DRIVER BEHIND HER WAS PAYING ATTENTION.

ACCELERATE SPEED OVER 80MPG CAR JUST SHUTSDOWN THOUGH STEERING STILL MANAGEABLE OR WORKING GAS PEDAL DONT WORK NO MORE HAVE TO CRUISE THE CAR FROM 1 LANE ALL THE WAY TO THE VERY RIGHT LANE LUCKILY EXIT RAMP JUST THERE AND HAVE TO EXIT. TURN OFF CAR THEM RESTARTT CAR WORKS AGAIN NORMAL. SENT TO DEALER KEYES TOYOTA VAN NUYS NOW WILL BE 3 WEEKS STILL NO NEWS AS THE GUY STOPS CALLING US GIVE ME UPDATE AFTER 1ST WEEK. TRIED TO CALL FRIDAY OF 2ND WEEK BUT WAS PUT ON HOLD FOREVER.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2017 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT SINCE THE VEHICLE WAS PURCHASED, THE CHECK ENGINE WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED INTERMITTENTLY. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THERE WAS ALSO AN ABNORMAL FUEL ODOR EMITTING FROM THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT ALSO STATED THAT THERE WAS PHYSICAL EVIDENCE OF A FUEL LEAK UNDER THE REAR OF THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO FORT'S TOYOTA OF PEKIN LOCATED AT: 120 RADIO CITY DR, PEKIN, IL 61554, TO BE DIAGNOSED. THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT RODENTS HAD CHEWED THROUGH THE FUEL LINE. THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE REPAIR WAS NOT COVERED UNDER WARRANTY. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED AND MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 2,000. UPDATED 11/06/17*LJ *JS *TT

2017 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER SE AWD ("VEHICLE"). ON JANUARY 26, 2017 AT APPROXIMATELY 11:15 P.M., PACIFIC TIME, I WAS DRIVING THE VEHICLE ON THE INTERSTATE 10 FREEWAY NEAR THE LA BREA AVENUE EXIT. IT WAS DARK BUT CLEAR WITH LIGHT TO MEDIUM TRAFFIC. WHILE I WAS DRIVING AROUND 80 MPH AND MERGING TOWARD AN INNER LANE, THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY - ON ITS OWN - SLOWED TO AROUND 30 OR 40 MPH. CONCOMITANTLY, THE VEHICLE'S MESSAGING SYSTEM (BETWEEN THE TACHOMETER AND SPEEDOMETER) BEGAN BLINKING AND ALERTING ME THAT THE ALL WHEEL DRIVE SYSTEM WAS EXPERIENCING FAILURE AND THAT THE VEHICLE NEEDED IMMEDIATE SERVICING. A SMALL ORANGE TRIANGULAR INDICATOR WITH AN EMBEDDED EXCLAMATION POINT FLASHED AS WELL. I ENGAGED THE HAZARD LIGHTS AND THEN MANIPULATED THE TRANSMISSION SHIFTER INTO VARIOUS POSITIONS WHILE FULLY DEPRESSING THE ACCELERATOR, BUT THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT ACCELERATE OVER 30 OR 40 MPH. FACED WITH THE POSSIBILITY OF BEING REAR ENDED, I DISENGAGED THE HAZARD LIGHTS, SIGNALED TO THE RIGHT, AND EVENTUALLY MADE IT OFF THE FREEWAY. THE FOLLOWING DAY, JANUARY 27, 2017, I TOOK MY VEHICLE TO A TOYOTA DEALERSHIP WHERE I BELIEVE IT IS STILL BEING DIAGNOSED . THE LONGER THE DIAGNOSIS TAKES, THE MORE I AM CONCERNED THAT TOYOTA HAS NOT DETERMINED THE REMEDY FOR THIS ISSUE. GIVEN TOYOTA'S HISTORY, I AM ALSO CONCERNED THEY MAY RETURN THE VEHICLE TO ME WITHOUT DETERMINING CONCLUSIVELY HOW THE PROBLEM OCCURRED AND WITHOUT FIXING THE ISSUE SO THAT IT WILL NOT POSE A THREAT TO MY PASSENGERS, INCLUDING MY OWN FAMILY, AND THE PUBLIC. ACCORDINGLY, IT IS MY DUTY TO REPORT THIS TO THE NHTSA AND TO SEEK THE NHTSA'S GUIDANCE ABOUT STEPS I CAN TAKE TO ENSURE THAT TOYOTA DOES NOT HAND ME BACK THE VEHICLE, WHICH MAY BE A DEATHTRAP. I DON'T USE SUCH INFLAMMATORY WORDS LIGHTLY, BUT THE MORE I CONTEMPLATE, THE MORE I FEEL THAT THIS WAS A POTENTIALLY LIFE-THREATENING EVENT.