2019 Toyota Highlander

ME AND MY FAMILY WERE LEAVING A HOTEL IN TARRYTOWN NY. I PARKED THE CAR: TOYOTA HIGHLANDER 2019 OUTSIDE, HELPED MY WIFE AND 21-MONTH BABY INTO THE BACK SEAT AND HAD TO PUT SOMETHING IN THE TRUNK BUT IT WAS LOCKED. IN THAT MOMENT THE CAR WAS IN PARK WITH THE ENGINE RUNNING; THE GROUND WAS NOT STEEP AT ALL: 5-10 DEGREES THE MOST. I TOOK OUT THE KEY FROM IGNITION TO GO OPEN THE TRUNK WITH THE BUTTON FROM THE REMOTE. SUDDENLY THE CAR STARTED ROLLING BACKWARDS WITH MY WIFE AND KID IN THE BACK SEAT. THERE WAS A SLOPE FEW FEET AWAY FROM WHERE I PARKED AND THE ANGLE BECAME ABOUT 40 DEGREES AND IT PICKED UP SPEED QUICKLY. I RUSHED IN (DRIVERS DOOR WAS LUCKY OPEN AND FLAPPING AROUND), AT THE LAST MOMENT WAS ABLE TO PRESS THE BREAK BUT WE STILL HIT ANOTHER CAR WITH PEOPLE INSIDE. I AM THE ONLY ONE WITH VISUAL SCARS AND BRUISES ON MY LEFT LEG FROM TRYING TO CLIMB IN THE CAR, BUT MY WIFE FELT PAIN IN HER LOWER BACK THE DAY AFTER THE CRASH. THERE WERE WITNESSES AND MOST LIKELY A CAMERA, SINCE IT WAS BY THE FRONT ENTRANCE OF A MAJOR HOTEL. FROM READING AND RESEARCHING ON THIS MATTER I SUSPECT IT IS A DEFECT IN THE PARKING PAWL (THE PIECE INSIDE THE TRANSMISSION THAT HOLDS THE CAR IN PARK). THIS IS AN ABSOLUTE MANUFACTURERS DEFECT. I SAW HERE ON THE NHTSA WEBSITE THAT A PERSON FROM NJ FILED A COMPLAINT ABOUT THE EXACT SAME MATTER WITH THE SAME CAR: TOYOTA HIGHLANDER 2019 (NHTSA ID NUMBER: 11245263), JUST A MONTH AGO SO THIS IS DEFINITELY NOT AN ISOLATED CASE. PLEASE TAKE ACTION. THIS VEHICLE SHOULD BE RECALLED ASAP BEFORE SOMEONE GETS SERIOUSLY INJURED OR WORSE!

HYBRID HIGHLANDER STALLED AS I WAS PULLING OUT OF DRIVEWAY, WAS IN MOTION WHEN MY CAR COASTED TO A COMPLETE STOP, COULD NOT BRAKE, ALL POWER SEEMED TO SHUT DOWN. MESSAGE APPEARED SAYING: HYBRID SYSTEM MALFUNCTION CONTACT DEALER. CAR WAS TOWED TO DEALER AND THE DIAGNOSTIC REPORT WAS TO IMMEDIATELY CALL TOYOTA CORPORATION. CONSUMER REPORTS SAID THIS HAS BEEN A PAST ISSUE WITH HYBRID PRIUS AND SOME HIGHLANDERS. IS TOYOTA HIDING NEW ISSUES? I AM AFRAID THAT THIS CAR WILL DIE ON A BUSY HIGHWAY, DEALER SAID IT NEEDED A NEW "WIRING HARNESS"..(?) I HAVE AN ILL CHILD THAT NEEDS RELIABLE TRANSPORTATION, IS THIS NOT ONLY UNRELIABLE BUT DANGEROUS FOR MY FAMILY? HELP

THE REAR AC VENTS PUMP OUT PERFUMED AIR. WE BOUGHT OUR VEHICLE IN DECEMBER SO DID NOT TEST DRIVE WITH THE AC ON OR WE WOULD NEVER HAVE BOUGHT THE CAR. I AM ONE OF MANY WHO ARE SENSITIVE TO PERFUMES AND THE POLLUTION IN THE CAR GIVES ME A HEADACHE, MAKES ME NAUSEOUS AND WORST OF ALL MAKES ME SLEEPY. I HAVE TAKEN THE CAR TO THE DEALERSHIP WHO REPLACED THE AIR FILTER WITH NO RESULTS. I HAVE TAKEN THE ISSUE UP WITH TOYOTA WHO HAS STATED THAT THERE IS NO PERFUME AND THEY ARE DONE WITH ME. I HAVE A COMPLAINT ON CAR GURUS THAT HAS PRODUCED OTHER PEOPLE WITH THIS PROBLEM. I HAVE FOUND MORE PEOPLE WITH THE SAME PROBLEM ON THE HIGHLANDER FACEBOOK PAGE. ONE COUPLE NEVER DRIVES THEIR CAR IN WARM WEATHER. ONE DRIVER SAYS THAT THEIR 2 YEAR OLD VEHICLE IS STILL PUMPING OUT THE PERFUME SO IT DOESN'T AGE OUT. THE SMELL RESEMBLES LAUNDRY PRODUCT PERFUME SO MY HUSBAND AND THOUGHT THAT PERHAPS TOYOTA USED SOME RECYCLED PLASTIC IN THE REAR VENTS WHICH WOULD BE ADMIRABLE BUT THEY DENY THAT THEY DID. I BELIEVE THAT THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE AS THE INSIDIOUS PERFUME CAN MAKE DRIVERS SLEEPY AND SICK. I AM VERY DISAPPOINTED IN TOYOTA FOR ESSENTIALLY CALLING ME A LIAR AND I HAVE A $40,000 VEHICLE THAT MAKES ME SICK. I AM NOT HAVING ANY LUCK PUTTING MY COMMUNICATIONS WITH TOYOTA AND OTHER OWNERS INTO AN ACCEPTABLE FORMAT

THIS SUVS 2019 HIGHLANDER STANDARD 'EQUIPMENT LIST' STATES THAT IT CAN TOW UP TO 5,000 LBS. IT ONLY HAS FRONT WHEEL DRIVE. WITH A WEIGHT DISTRIBUTION HITCH INSTALLED, AROUND 4,200 LBS. TOW WEIGHT AND AROUND 370 LBS. OF TOUGH WEIGHT THE SUV HAD A HARD TIME PULLING AWAY FROM STOP LIGHTS WITHOUT THE TIRES BREAKING LOOSE. WHEN BACKING OFF OF THE ROAD ONTO A FLAT SURFACE WITH WET GRASS THE SUV LOST ALL TRACTION WITH THE TIRES SPILLING. THE TIRES DID NOT DIG INTO THE GROUND AT ALL. THEY WERE JUST SLIPPING ON TOP OF THE GRASS. I CONTACTED TOYOTA AND DISCUSSED THIS WITH THEM, WITH LITTLE INFORMATION SUPPLIED MY TOYOTA OVER ABOUT FOUR MONTH TIME PERIOD. BOTTOM LINE FROM TOYOTA THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH THE SUV. IF THIS SUV WOULD HAVE BEEN AN ALL WHEEL DRIVE I DO NOT THINK THERE WOULD HAVE BEEN A PROBLEM, BUT USING THIS FWD SUV TO TOW UP TO 5,000 LBS. MAYBE UNSAFE. THE ATTACHED PICS SHOW WHERE IT LOST TRACTION.

WHILE DRIVING, THE VEHICLE HAD A SLIGHT LAG WHEN I APPLIED GAS THEN STARTED BEEPING AND PROVIDED THE WARNINGS: CHECK ENGINE, HYBRID SYSTEM MALFUNCTION, PRE-COLLISION SYSTEM MALFUNCTION, CHECK AWD SYSTEM. I TURNED THE CAR OFF MULTIPLE TIMES, THE ERRORS WERE STILL ON THE CAR THE NEXT MORNING WHEN I STARTED THE CAR TO TAKE IT TO THE SERVICE APPT. WHEN I GOT TO THE DEALERSHIP I TURNED THE CAR OFF TO CHECK IT IN, WHEN I CAME BACK THE ERROR WAS GONE. THEY CHECKED OUT THE CAR THEY SAID THERE WAS NOTHING WRONG WITH IT AND THOUGHT IT WAS JUST 'AMBIENT CONDITIONS'. TWO WEEKS LATER, I WAS DRIVING AND I HAD THE SAME LAG IN POWER THEN THE SAME ALARMS AND STARTED DRIVING TOWARD THE DEALERSHIP (ABOUT 3 MILES AWAY) AND THE HYBRID SYSTEM AND POWER STEERING SHUT DOWN IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD LEAVING ME WITH NO POWER. I TURNED THE VEHICLE OFF AND BACK ON AND THE ERRORS WERE STILL THERE AND IT SHUT DOWN AGAIN ANOTHER HALF MILE DOWN THE ROAD. IT IS AT THE DEALERSHIP AGAIN. THE VEHICLE HAS 10,800 MILES AND SHOULD NOT BE HAVING THESE SIGNIFICANT ISSUES. I WAS DRIVING IN THE CITY DURING ALL THESE EVENTS.

THE ENTIRE VOICE GUIDANCE SYSTEM IS INOPERATIVE ON MY ONE WEEK OLD 2019 HIGHLANDER HYBRID PLATINUM. NO AUDIBLE VOICE OR BEEPS WITH NAVIGATION ASSIST, NO PHONE ASSIST,, NO EYES-FREE ASSIST, NO DRIVER ANNOUNCE TO REAR CABIN VOICE, NO ENTERTAINMENT SYSTEM VOICE ASSIST. THIS IS A SAFETY HAZARD ELIMINATING HANDS FREE DRIVING, AND NO NAVIGATION GUIDANCE. I WAS ON UNFAMILIAR ROADS IN THE DARK OF NIGHT, ALONE, UNABLE TO OPERATE NECESSARY EQUIPMENT WHICH PROVED TO BE UNRELIABLE. I JUST LEARNED THAT THIS ISSUE HAS BEEN KNOWN TO TOYOTA FOR SEVERAL MONTHS, YET NEW VEHICLES ARE DRIVEN AWAY FROM DEALERSHIPS BY UNSUSPECTING NEW OWNERS AFTER PAYING GOOD MONEY FOR A DEFECTIVE VEHICLE. DECEITFUL, UNETHICAL, AND UNSAFE! WHERE IS THE RECALL FOR THIS ISSUE? WHY ARE VEHICLES NOT FIXED BEFORE BEING SOLD AS NEW?

THE GPS SYSTEM DOES NOT PROVIDE VERBAL INSTRUCTIONS; ONLY VISUAL. THIS CAUSES THE DRIVER TO REMOVE HIS/HER EYES FROM THE ROAD AND LOOK FREQUENTLY AND MONITOR THE SCREEN. I HAVE VISITED THE DEALERSHIP NUMEROUS TIMES BUT THERE ARE UNABLE TO FIX THE ISSUE. THEY ACKNOWLEDGE THE ISSUE AND STATED THAT TOYOTA IS WORKING ON A WORK AROUND BUT NO ESTIMATE IS PROVIDED. I KNOW AT LEAST 5 OTHER HIGHLANDERS IN THE TAMPA BAY AREA ARE EXPERIENCING THIS BECAUSE WHEN I OPENED A CASE WITH WWW.TOYOTA.COM THE CASE OFFICER CALLED AND HE INFORMED ME OF THIS. I WAS TOLD YESTERDAY BY THE VICE PRESIDENT OF STADIUM TOYOTA THAT THIS ISSUE AFFECTS ALL 2019 HIGHLANDER LIMITED AND LIMITED PREMIUM MODELS. TOYOTA HAS KNOW OF THIS PROBLEM SINCE THE LAST WEEK IN DECEMBER 2018 AND YET HAS NOT IMPLEMENTED A RECALL OR ADVICE DOCUMENTS TO OWNERS.