2018 Toyota Highlander

While driving my 2018 Toyota Highlander Limited, the check engine light began flashing off and on. I was near an exit and drove off the freeway. I could feel the car (near the gas pedal) start shaking, then the power went down quickly... as I was trying to find a safe place to go. The farther I drove, there was less power until the car was going about 2 miles an hour. The check light continued flashing as I pulled into a parking lot. This was very scary as I'm sure the car would have just stopped on the freeway if I had not been near an exit as it just simply had no power left. (The check engine light has been on over a year and I took it to three different mechanics. Not one could fix it. This car wiped out my savings and now sits at a Toyota dealership)!

The contact owns a 2018 Toyota Highlander. The contact stated that while attempting to turn left or right, the steering wheel became difficult to turn. The check engine warning light illuminated, and the vehicle lost power. The contact waited for several minutes before being able to restart the vehicle. The check engine warning light remained illuminated. The failure had occurred several times and had become more persistent. The vehicle was taken to a certified mechanic, who diagnosed that the body throttle, air control system, and battery sensor had failed. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failures persisted. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 200,000.

1. What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? The issue involves the Dynamic Radar Cruise Control system (vehicle-to-vehicle distance control mode) in my 2018 Toyota Highlander. This system automatically cancels when the vehicle’s speed drops to approximately 25 mph (40 km/h) or below. The system disengages without driver input during normal driving conditions such as heavy traffic or congestion. The component remains functional but poses a safety concern due to its operational design. The vehicle and system are available for inspection upon request. 2. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? This malfunction creates a significant safety risk when driving in stop-and-go or congested traffic. The sudden loss of adaptive speed control forces the driver to quickly resume manual braking and acceleration, which can cause delayed reactions and potential rear-end collisions. The unexpected disengagement may also confuse drivers, especially those relying on the system to maintain safe following distances. This behavior increases cognitive load and the chance of driver error, particularly for elderly or less experienced drivers. 3. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? Yes. The issue has been observed and replicated multiple times during normal driving conditions, such as during city traffic or highway slowdowns. It is also acknowledged in the vehicle owner’s manual, which specifies that the system automatically cancels below approximately 25 mph. However, this design flaw has not been formally addressed or corrected by Toyota dealerships or service centers as a safety concern. 4. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? The vehicle has not been inspected specifically for this concern by Toyota or other third parties. However, the condition is consistent across the same model and year,

My relatives remembered the 2002-2011 recall of 80,000 Toyotas, 90 deaths due to unintended acceleration and said that seems exactly what happened to me last month. NEAR FATAL COLLISION DUE TO STICKY PEDAL 2018 Toyota Highlander 10/10 Slowly backed out of parking space in large, empty commercial lot: sunny day, 3pm  Tapped pedal into Drive  Car sped off at 50+mph with my foot off pedal  Sped around lot for approximately 3minutes  Holding brake down and down-shifting did nothing except cause sheer terror with my uncontrollable vehicle  Hit pole and vehicle came to a stop after near-complete destruction of passenger-side bumper  No injury except sheer mental terror  No witnesses DO NOT Blame the victim. Dealer says all-weather floormat could never have been or be involved.

PROBLEMS WITH MY 2018 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER ([XXX]) 1 ) LANE DEPART INDICATOR:SOMETIMES DOESN'T WORK UNTIL I'VE DRIVEN 1 OR 2 OR 4 MILES. SOMETIMES IN EVERY TRIP STOPS WORKING AS WELL AS ACTIVATES WHEN MAYBE A FOOT FROM LANE MARKERS ON BOTH SIDES OF THE CAR 2) CLIMATE CONTROL: USUALLY DOES NOT RETAIN MEMORY OF FAN SPEED, CONTROL OF PASSENGER SIDE TEMP, AND AIR FLOW DIRECTION WHEN RESTARTING THE CAR. WHEN TEMP SET ON, E.G. 69 TEMP IN CAR IS ~76-80. WHEN AIRFLOW SHOWS THE FLOW AIMED AT WINDSHIELD & FEET, MOST OF THE AIR FLOW COMES TO MY TORSO WITH MINIMAL FLOW TO OTHER 2 SITES. 3) NEED COFFEE BREAK MESSAGE: HAS COME ON TWICE WHEN ON A LONG TRIP, DISAPPEARING AFTER ~ A MINUTE, BUT SEVERAL TIMES CAME ON AFTER DRIVING ONLY 2-4 MILES. 4) FAULTY RESUMPTION OF SPEED: WHEN THE SPEED CONTROL WAS SET AT 50 MPH (ONCE) OR 60 MPH (ONCE) AND I TOGGLED THE CONTROL TO RESUME SET SPEED THE CAR SPED UP WELL BEYOND WHAT IT WAS SET AT. I HAD TO DISENGAGE THE SPEED CONTROLLER TO STOP THE ACCELERATION. HAPPENED AGAIN ~3 WEEKS AGO WHEN SPEED SET AT 35, AND WHEN I TOGGLED IT RESUME SPEED IT ROARED AHEAD UNTIL IT REACHED 45 MPH. 5) DOOR HANDLE LOCKING MECHANISM; NOT AS SENSITIVE TO LOCKING WHEN TOUCHED AS IT WAS WHEN CAR WAS NEW. UNLOCKING WHEN TOUCHING HANDLE WORKS FINE. 6) MOTOR TURNOFF WHEN AT STOPLIGHT: SELDOM WORKS. WHEN IT DOES IT TURNS ITSELF OFF AFTER AS LITTLE AS 30 SECONDS EVEN THO PRESSURE ON BRAKE PEDAL IS CONSTANT. 8) (NON-ELECTRONIC PROBLEM) THE TRANSPARENT PLASTIC COVER OVER THE DASH CONTROL SETTINGS IS DETERIORATING - - CAN?T SEE THRU IT VERY WELL IN CERTAIN WAYS THE LIGHT HITS IT 9) SPEEDOMETER READING PROBLEM: WHEN CRUISE CONTROL IS WORKING, THE DIGITAL READOUT FOR THE SPEED IS USUALLY 1-2 MPH LOWER THAN WHAT THE SPEEDOMETER DIAL SAYS IT IS. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2018 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER. WHILE DRIVING VARIOUS SPEEDS AND DEPRESSING THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL, THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT IMMEDIATELY RESPOND. APPROXIMATELY TWO SECONDS AFTER DEPRESSING THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL, THE ENGINE REVVED AND THE VEHICLE ABRUPTLY ACCELERATED FORWARD. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO CONICELLI TOYOTA (550 W. RIDGE PIKE, CONSHOHOCKEN, PA) ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS, BUT NO FAILURE WAS FOUND. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE FAILURE CONTINUED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 3,450. *AS THE CONSUMER STATED THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN BACK TO THE DEALER 6 TIMES FOR THE SAME DEFECT. *TR

APON ACCESLARATION , CAR HESITATE FOR A FEW SECOND, RPM GOES TO 5000 UNTIL VEHICLE SLOWLY START TO MOVE. FEELS LIKEW THER IS NO PROPER SYNCH BETWEEN ENGING AND TRANSMISSION. DANGEROUS WHEN PASSING OR AVOIDING A VEHICLE AHEAD OF YOU. THE SAME ISSUE WHILE USING THE CRUSE CONTROL, IT JUMPS FROM A FEW RPMS TO 5K + THAT ALWAYS I HAVE TO BRAKE TO AVID RAMMING A CAR AHEAD OF ME. BRAKES GET SOF THAT I HAVE TO PUMP IT A FEW TIMES. MILEAGE IS 1780 MILES.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2018 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER. WHILE DRIVING 55 MPH, ANOTHER VEHICLE PULLED IN FRONT OF THE CONTACT'S VEHICLE IN INCLEMENT WEATHER AND SPLASHED WATER ONTO THE FRONT END OF THE VEHICLE. AS A RESULT, THE CRUISE CONTROL MALFUNCTIONED AND THE CONTACT'S VEHICLE EXPERIENCED UNINTENDED ACCELERATION. THE FAILURE OCCURRED WITHOUT WARNING. THE DEALER (PERUZZI TOYOTA, 2601 BETHLEHEM PIKE, HARTFIELD, PA) WAS CALLED AND A DIAGNOSTIC APPOINTMENT WAS SCHEDULED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 12,000.