ACCELERATOR PEDAL STICKING - TOYOTA HIGHLANDER HYBRID 2008 (NOT RECALLED!) ON 2/18/10, MY ACCELERATOR GOT STUCK WHILE DRIVING. I HAVE BEEN DRIVING FOR 30 YEARS, AND I KNOW HOW TO DRIVE, SO PLEASE SPARE ME TOYOTA! ALSO, MY CAR IS NOT EVEN ON THE RECALL LIST YET!!!! I ACCELERATED QUICKLY FROM A STOPPED POSITION. ONCE THE ACCELERATOR WAS RELEASED, THE VEHICLE CONTINUED TO RACE. I HIT THE BRAKE, PUT CAR IN NEUTRAL, AND THE VEHICLE STOPPED MOVING. ABOUT 3 SECONDS LATER, AND WITHOUT TOUCHING THE ACCELERATOR, (THE ACCELERATOR WAS NOT STUCK TO THE MAT, AND IN ITS RELEASED POSITION) I PUT THE CAR BACK INTO DRIVE. THE CAR ONCE AGAIN BEGAN TO RACE FORWARD. I PUT THE CAR IN NEUTRAL AGAIN (IT STOPPED ONCE AGAIN), WAITED 20 SECONDS, AND BACK IN DRIVE, IT WAS THEN OK. THE PEDAL DID NOT GET STUCK TO THE FLOOR MAT AS TOYOTA CLAIMS COULD HAPPEN. THE FLOOR MAT IN MY CAR WAS NO WHERE NEAR THE PATH OF THE PEDAL. I WAS ABLE TO DRIVE THE CAR HOME, ALBEIT VERY CAREFULLY! THE SCARY PART, IS THAT TOYOTA DID NOT RECALL THIS VEHICLE FOR THIS PROBLEM! I BOUGHT THE CAR TO THE DEALER THE SAME DAY, AND THEY WERE A BIT NONCHALANT ABOUT THIS, AND ALSO TOLD ME THEY DID NOT FIND A PROBLEM, AND THERE WAS NOTHING THEY COULD DO ABOUT IT, WHICH REALLY CONCERNS ME! ALSO, MY CALL TO TOYOTA CORPORATION WAS TAKEN VERY LOOSELY, AND THEY DID NOT SEEM TO HAVE MUCH CONCERN, EXCEPT TO TELL ME TO REMOVE MY FLOOR MATS. *TR
2006
HYBRID PROPULSION SYSTEM: INVERTER
WHILE TRAVELING DOWN HIGHWAY 101 DURING RUSH HOUR AT 70+ MILES AN HOUR, THE VEHICLE MADE A CLUNKING SOUND AND SUDDENLY STALLED. I SWERVE ACROSS SEVERAL LANES OF HIGHWAY WHILE COASTING TO A STOP NEARLY COLLIDING WITH TWO VEHICLES WHILE CHANGING LANES TO PULL OFF TO THE SHOULDER. I HAD TO PUSH THE VEHICLE TO COMPLETELY REMOVE IT FROM THE HIGHWAY. SEVERAL ATTEMPT TO RESTART IT WERE UNSUCCESSFUL AND THE ERROR MESSAGE "CHECK HYBRID SYSTEM" APPEARED ON THE DASHBOARD. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE NEAREST TOYOTA DEALERSHIP WHO INSPECTED THE VEHICLE AND THE FOLLOWING DAY INFORMED ME THE INVERTER HAD FAILED. THEY ESTIMATED THE COST OF REPAIRS AT NEARLY $10,000.00. THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE FOR A CAR THAT IS ONLY 5 YEARS OLD AND COST OVER $45,000 NEW, NOT TO MENTION THE FACT THAT I HAD TO PUSH THE VEHICLE OFF OF A BUSY HIGHWAY. *TR
