2017 Toyota Highlander

WHILE DRIVING ON INTERSTATE ON CRUISE CONTROL AT 75 MPH, WITHOUT WARNING, ALERTS WENT OFF AND VEHICLE SLOWED TO ABOUT 40 MPH AND WOULD NOT LET ME GO ANY FASTER. THE AWD FAILURE ALERT SIGN CAME ON AS DID SYSTEM ENGINE FAILURE ALERT CAME ON. I WAS ABLE DRIVE AT THAT SLOW SPEED FOR APPROXIMATELY 4 MILES ON INTERSTATE RAMP WITH FLASHERS ON. MY SON ADVISED ME TO TURN ENGINE OFF FOR ONE MINUTE AND RESTART, WHICH IT DID WITHOUT ALERTS. THEN ABLE TO DRIVE THE 2O MILES HOME. NEXT DAY TOOK IT DEALERSHIP WHERE IT'S BEEN GOING ON 3 RD DAY. EXTREMELY BAD POSSIBLE OUTCOME COULD HAVE OCCURRED ON THE INTERSTATE BEING REAR-ENDED OR IF HAD BEEN TRYING TO PASS SOMEONE OR VICE VERSE. CAR PRESENTLY AT DEALERSHIP SO DO NOT HAVE VIN. OR ACTUAL MULES

VEHICLE DESIGN DOES NOT INCLUDE FRONT RECOVERY HOOK(S) NOR ANY SECURE LATCH POINT TO TOW THE VEHICLE IN AN EMERGENCY SITUATION. OWNERS MANUAL DOES NOT ADDRESS THIS ISSUE. TOYOTA CUSTOMER SERVICE (?) SUGGESTED USING THE FLAT BED TIGHT DOWN HOOKS AT MID-VEHICLE, HOWEVER THIS APPROACH WOULD NOT BE SAFE NOR REASONABLE IN AN EMERGENCY SITUATION. TOYOTA CUSTOMER SERVICE (?) IS CURRENTLY UNABLE TO SAFELY ADDRESS THIS SITUATION.

AT ABOUT 11,000 MILES, A HIGH PITCH WHINING SOUND APPEARED DURING ACCELERATION. THE DEALER IDENTIFIED A PROBLEM THAT REQUIRES A NEW TRANSMISSION. THE PARTS ARE BACK ORDERED. I WAS ADVISED TO CONTINUE TO DRIVE THE CAR UNTIL TOYOTA APPROVED THE REPAIR AND THE PARTS WERE AVAILABLE. RESEARCH INDICATED THAT THIS ISSUE IS COMMON AND MAY LEAD TO COMPLETE TRANSMISSION FAILURE PRESENTING A SAFETY ISSUE.

4 WEEKS AGO THERE WAS A NOTICEABLE HIGH PITCHED WHINE DURING ACCELERATION FROM 40 MPH AND UP. THE WHINE'S PITCH WOULD CHANGE UP OR DOWN WHEN THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION CHANGED GEARS AND THE VEHICLE'S SPEED CHANGED. ON 2/12/2018, THE TRANSMISSION LET GO (THE ENGINE WOULD REV, BUT NO POWER TO THE WHEELS) WHILE MY WIFE WAS DRIVING ON A BUSY 45 MPH STREET. FORTUNATELY, THE PERSON BEHIND HERE DIDN'T REAR-END HER AND MY WIFE WAS ABLE TO PULL THE VEHICLE INTO A TURNING LANE AND STOP WITH FLASHERS ON. SHE TURNED THE VEHICLE OFF AND ON. THE TRANSMISSION ENGAGED AND SHE WAS ABLE TO DRIVE THE VEHICLE HOME. RIGHT BEFORE THE TRANSMISSION LET GO, SHE HEARD A GRINDING NOISE. WHEN I DROVE THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALERSHIP, THE WHINE WAS GONE ON ACCELERATION, BUT NOW IT WOULD WHINE ON DECELERATION! THE MECHANIC AT THE DEALERSHIP DETERMINED THE TRANSMISSION NEEDED TO BE REPLACED DUE TO AN INTERNAL CLIP THAT BECOMES UNSEATED. THE CLIP CAN CAUSE INTERNAL DAMAGE TO THE TRANSMISSION. THEY WERE WORKING ON ANOTHER HIGHLANDER WITH THE EXACT SAME PROBLEM. THERE IS A CONVERSATION PUBLISHED ON EDMUNDS.COM WITH OTHER PEOPLE REPORTING THE SAME ISSUE I HAD WITH MY HIGHLANDER'S 8-SPEED AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION. MY HIGHLANDER HAD 13.200 MILES ON IT WHEN I TOOK IT TO THE SHOP. IT TOOK 9 CALENDAR DAYS TO GET THE VEHICLE FIXED DUE TO LIMITED AVAILABILITY OF THE TRANSMISSION. THE DEALERSHIP TOLD ME MY REPLACEMENT TRANSMISSION WAS THE ONLY ONE IN THE COUNTRY (USA) WHEN THEY ORDERED IT! IF THIS IS HAPPENING WITH SO MANY HIGHLANDERS WITH THIS 8-SPEED AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION, IT'S JUST A MATTER OF TIME BEFORE A SERIOUS ACCIDENT RESULTS FROM THE TRANSMISSION FAILING ON SOMEONE ELSE.

I HAVE A SAFETY CONCERN REGARDING MY 2017 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER. I AM TRYING TO USE THE HIGHLANDER'S ADVERTISED ABILITY TO TOW A SMALL RV TRAILER (UNDER 5000LBS). TOYOTA AGREES THIS REQUIRES INSTALLATION OF A BRAKE CONTROLLER IN THE HIGHLANDER AND ELECTRIC BRAKES ON THE RV TRAILER. I INSTALLED A BRAKE CONTROLLER FOLLOWING STANDARD INDUSTRY PRACTICES. WHEN THE MANUAL BRAKE SWITCH IS THEN APPLIED, MY TOYOTA HIGHLANDER DISPLAYS "PRE-COLLISION SYSTEM MALFUNCTION" WARNING MESSAGE EVEN IF THE PRE-COLLISION SYSTEM IS TURNED-OFF. (NOTE: THIS ISSUE ONLY OCCURS IN 2017 AND 2018 HIGHLANDERS SINCE EARLIER VERSIONS DID NOT COME EQUIPPED WITH A COLLISION AVOIDANCE SYSTEM). I BELIEVE THAT THE BURDEN SHOULD BE ON TOYOTA TO PROVIDE PROPER INSTRUCTIONS ON HOW TO RECTIFY THIS ISSUE. TOYOTA HAS NOT PROPERLY ADDRESSED THIS ISSUE DESPITE MY REPEATED LETTERS TO TOYOTA. I AM PARTICULARLY CONCERNED THAT BECAUSE OF THE LACK OF GUIDANCE PROVIDED BY TOYOTA ON THIS ISSUE, SOME FOLKS (AS NOTED ON INTERNET HTTP://WWW.TOYOTANATION.COM/FORUM/333-HIGHLANDER-3RD-GENERATION-2014/1509914-7-PIN-WIRING-HARNESS-2017-HIGHLANDER-LIMITED.HTML) ARE INSERTING A DIODE TO PREVENT THEIR BRAKE CONTROLLER FROM DRIVING POWER BACK ONTO THE BRAKE SENSE LINE IN ORDER TO PREVENT THE "PRE-COLLISION SYSTEM MALFUNCTION" WARNING MESSAGE. THIS ALSO PREVENTS THE BRAKE LIGHTS ON BOTH THE TOW VEHICLE AND TRAILER FROM BEING LIT WHEN THE TRAILER BRAKES ARE MANUALLY APPLIED. I BELIEVE THIS TO BE UNSAFE. THE ABILITY TO APPLY THE TRAILER BRAKES INDEPENDENTLY OF THE TOW VEHICLE BRAKES (I.E. THE MANUAL OVERRIDE CAPABILITY) IS A SAFETY FEATURE FOR REDUCING TRAILER SWAY WHICH CAN OCCUR IN CERTAIN CIRCUMSTANCES. FURTHERMORE, IT IS MY UNDERSTANDING THAT THE MANUAL OVERRIDE CAPABILITY IS REQUIRED BY LAW IN CALIFORNIA. TOYOTA NEEDS TO PROVIDE GUIDANCE SINCE ONLY THEY HAVE THE DETAILED KNOWLEDGE NEEDED TO DEVELOP A SOLUTION.

AS I WAS TURNING LEFT AT A GREEN ARROW ACROSS A DIVIDED HIGHWAY, THE CAR STOPPED MOVING IN THE MIDDLE OF THE INTERSECTION. THERE WERE NO WARNING LIGHTS OR ALARMS IN ADVANCE OF THE STOP, NOR WERE THERE ANY CRUNCHING OR GRINDING SOUNDS AT THE TIME THE CAR STOPPED. I COULD TELL WHEN I STEPPED ON THE ACCELERATOR AT THE TIME THE LIGHT TURNED GREEN THAT SOMETHING WASN'T RIGHT. AFTER THE CAR STOPPED, I TRIED TO RE-START 2X IN THE INTERSECTION, THEN PUSHED THE CAR OUT OF THE INTERSECTION. THE LIGHTS AND ELECTRICAL CAME ON, BUT WHEN I PUT IT IN GEAR AND HIT THE ACCELERATOR, THE ENGINE REVVED AND THE RPMS WENT UP, BUT THE TIRES DID NOT ENGAGE. TOYOTA DEALERSHIP WITH CALLS TO TOYOTA ENGINEERING TOOK 2 DAYS TO DIAGNOSE IT AS A TRANSMISSION " PRODUCTION ERROR" THAT REQUIRED A "COUNTERMANDED" REPLACEMENT. THEY HAVE HAD THE CAR IN FOR SERVICE FOR OVER 30 DAYS. I WAS CONTACTED LAST FRIDAY THE 12TH TO BE TOLD THAT THE REPLACEMENT PART WAS IN, BUT HAVE NOT BEEN CONTACTED TO PICK UP.

THIS VEHICLE HAS A DEFECTIVE WINDSHIELD WASHER PUMP THAT TOYOTA REFUSES TO REPLACE. I WAS IN CHICAGO ON 12/26-31/2017 AND THE TEMPERATURE WAS BELOW 20 DEGREES. THE WINDSHIELD WASHER FROZE AND I TOOK THE VEHICLE TO GROSSINGER TOYOTA, LINCOLNWOOD, IL ON 12/27 AND 12/29. THEY DID NOTHING ON 12/27 OTHER THAN PARK THE VEHICLE INSIDE WHERE THE PUMP THAWED AND WORKED. THE NEXT TWO DAYS IT FROZE AGAIN. ON 12/29 I DROVE TO WI AND PLACED MY FAMILY IN AN UNSAFE SITUATION WITH SALT ON THE WINDSHIELD AND NO WORKING WASHER. I TOOK THE VEHICLE BACK TO GROSSINGER AND THEY CHANGED FLUID TO A COLDER TEMPERATURE AND USED AIR TO BLOW OUT THE LINES. THE NEXT MORNING IT WAS AGAIN BELOW 10 DEGREES WHEN I LEFT CHICAGO. THE WASHER AGAIN DID NOT WORK AND IT PLACED MY FAMILY IN AN UNSAFE SITUATION WITH SALT AND DIRT ON THE WINDSHIELD. IN HANNIBAL, MO I SAT IN A FAST FOOD DRIVE THRU FOR 15 MINUTES AND THE WASHER STARTED WORKING. SOON AS I WAS BACK ON THE ROAD IT AGAIN FROZE UP. I TOOK THE VEHICLE TO TEXAS TOYOTA, GRAPEVINE, TX ON 1/4/2018 AND THEY REFUSED TO LOOK AT THE VEHICLE UNLESS THE PROBLEM COULD BE DUPLICATED. I REFUSED TO DRIVE BACK TO CHICAGO TO DUPLICATE THE FROZEN WINDSHIELD WASHER PUMP. IT IS OBVIOUS THE CULTURE OF NOT CARING ABOUT SAFETY HAZARDS ON THEIR VEHICLES CONTINUES AT TOYOTA. I BELIEVE THE DIAPHRAGM INSIDE THE WINDSHIELD WASHER PUMP IS DEFECTIVE AND FREEZES WHEN THE TEMPERATURE IS BELOW 20 DEGREES. TOYOTA REFUSES TO ACKNOWLEDGE A DEFECTIVE WINDSHIELD WASHER PUMP.

WHILE DRIVING UP THE I-5 GRAPEVINE AT 72 MPH THE CAR SUDDENLY SLOWED WITHOUT ANY WARNING TO UNDER 20 MPH. THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT TURNED ON AND THE DASH SAID AWD SYSTEM DISENGAGED OR ERROR OR SOME SIMILAR MESSAGE AND TO TAKE TO THE DEALER. I WAS BARELY ABLE TO ACCELERATE TO GET OFF THE ROAD. I PULLED OFF, TURNED THE CAR OFF AND BACK ON, AND IT STARTED RUNNING AGAIN. I'M LUCKY I WAS NOT REAR ENDED.

THE DRIVER'S SEATBELT IS NOT ERGONOMICALLY PLACED, AND REACHING UP, BACK AND PULLING FORWARD WITH MY LEFT ARM TO ATTACH THE SEATBELT HAS DAMAGED MY LEFT SHOULDER (SEVERE TENDINITIS AND A PARTIALLY TORN ROTATOR CUFF). TO DATE PHYSICAL THERAPY HAS NOT RESOLVED THE ISSUE AND I MUST RETURN TO THE ORTHOPEDIC SURGEON FOR FURTHER EVALUATION.