2022 Toyota Highlander

The 3rd row seat belt buckle is imbedded too deep in the seat. This makes it very difficult for a child to buckle themselves and in several attempts the parent or another adult was required to insert the seat belt into the locking device. What is more concerning is the difficulty a child has when trying to release the seat belt. While this may be an annoyance that requires adult intervention it is of particular concern when a child, in an emergency is required to release the seat belt.

In November 2023, I received a notification about TOYOTA HIGHLANDER 2022 OPEN SAFETY RECALL WITH NO REMEDIES. I went to the local DeLuca Toyota (www.delucatoyota.com ) Dealership. The address is 1719 SW College Rd, Ocala, FL 34471, (352) 732-0770. I bought this car from this dealership. I was talking with service manager about these issues about safety recall WITH NO REMEDIES. He said they cannot do anything about. They offered a different car as a rental solution. The first problem with rental car is an additional cost. I must pay for the rental vehicle. Another problem is limit of the mileages per day. I am working in Gainesville, FL, which is 49 miles away (one way) from my home. I will use this limit in one week, and then I must pay for the mileage excess in addition to rental cost, monthly payments for Highlander and additional rental car insurance. Dealers do not know when the remedy is going to be and try to push/refer to the “LOW RISK” issue. LAW RISK cannot be measured yet should not be discussed. Risk is the risk that is why an open safety recall was issued. I discussed with repair service department and seller’s department to provide me with either of these options: repair, replacement, or refund. All these remedies were denied. I mention that I carry “A CAP INSURANCE”. The associates stated that the cap insurance, is not suitable for this situation. I think, if there are no remedies available for safety recall available for 0ver 45 days, and I aren’t provided with any of remedies, I am intitle by law, my consumer’s rights have been violated.

The highlander has been having starting issue where the dash reads that the hybrid system is not functioning and won’t turn over. There is a consumer report program instead of a recall. This is deceiving. This morning the TPMS was reading that all tired were at 32 pounds of air when in fact the right front passenger was complete flat to the rim. Clearly the computer was malfunctioning with not just one aspect of the car but multiple. The local dealership isn’t helpful in that they charge $185 for diagnostic tests.

The Front bumper came loose on the interstate, creating a loud noise as it slid under the tires. Once safely pulled over on the side of the road the car appeared to have spontaneously dropped the front bumper, we did not encounter any debris in the road, the weather is good and clear, there was no prior damage to the vehicle. The clips that hold the bumper in place seemed to be broken.

Toyota 2022 Highlander XLE AWD has a safety issue with the drivers side mirror. The issue is that the mirror vibrates when driving over small bumps or imperfections in the road. It is especially hazardous when driving at night and the following vehicles headlights flicker the reflection back in your face. It is very distracting to the driver. Toyota has similar vehicles (Rav4) that have TSB's for the same problem. Also many Lexus vehicles have similar TSB. I hope NHSTA will convince Toyota that the Highlander with mirror vibration problems need to be addressed similar to the Rav4 and Lexus models.

Unexpected brake failure; While driving at a slow 20 to 30 mph speed lightly braking anticipating a stop at a stop sign my car will unexpectedly surge and jolt the car forward while I'm applying maximum brake force to the peddle. I took it to the local Toyota dealer they checked it out and couldn't find or replicate the problem. I was told that possibly my driving habits or I may have my foot on the brake while still on the accelerator?? When this happens there are NO warning indicators or audible sounds either lit on the instrument panel prior to or after the event. This event on this day propelled my car approximately 6 ft past the crosswalk into the intersection of a four way stop.