WE HAD JUST PASSED THROUGH A TOLLBOOTH ON A FREEWAY AND WERE ACCELERATING TO MERGE WITH TRAFFIC WHEN THE CAR SHUDDERED AND SLOWED AND STEERING BECAME DIFFICULT. A NUMBER OF WARNING LIGHTS CAME ON TELLING US TO STOP DRIVING THE CAR IMMEDIATELY AND TO CALL THE DEALERSHIP. THERE WERE THREE WARNING LIGHTS WHICH WERE SOMETHING LIKE: 'CHECK HYBRID SYSTEM', 'CHECK BRAKES' AND 'CHECK VSC'. WE WERE CLOSE TO THE MEDIAN AND WERE LUCKILY ABLE TO PULL OFF INTO IT AND TURNED OFF THE CAR. WHEN WE TURNED IT BACK ON THE CAR WOULD NOT MOVE FORWARD OR BACKWARD AND WE HAD TO HAVE IT TOWED HOME. WE HAVE SINCE HAD IT TOWED TO THE TOYOTA DEALERSHIP AND THEY HAVE TOLD US THAT WE NEED A NEW INVERTER BATTERY. WE UNDERSTAND THAT TOYOTA HAS HAD PROBLEMS WITH THIS PART IN THE PAST FOR THE 2006 AND 2007 TOYOTA HIGHLANDERS AND WANTED TO REPORT THE PROBLEM BECAUSE OURS IS A 2008 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER. *TR
2007
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
WHILE ACCELERATING FROM A STOPLIGHT AND DRIVING IN A 45MPH ZONE, OUR 2007 HIGHLANDER HYBRID BEGAN TO ACCELERATE ON ITS OWN. THE ENGINE REVVED AS IF SOMEONE WERE FLOORING THE GAS PEDAL. NEITHER MY HUSBAND NOR I KNEW WHAT WAS HAPPENING. THEN WE HEARD A LOUD THUD SOUND FROM THE BACK SEAT AND WE LOST POWER STEERING, POWER BRAKES, AND WE STARTED TO DECELERATE. TRAFFIC WAS AVERAGING 45-50MPH AROUND US. THANKFULLY, MY HUSBAND WAS ABLE TO SAFELY COAST US INTO THE RIGHT LANE, THEN INTO A PARKING LOT, AND THEN INTO A PARKING SPOT. AFTER THAT WE WERE NOT ABLE TO START THE VEHICLE AND WE HAD MULTIPLE ERROR MESSAGES FLASH ACROSS THE INSTRUMENT PANEL: "CHECK HYBRID SYSTEM" & "CHECK VEHICLE STABILITY". WE WERE TOLD BY TOYOTA THAT OUR ERROR CODES INDICATED THAT THE INVERTER "BLEW UP" & NEEDS REPLACEMENT. THEY DID NOT MENTION ANYTHING ABOUT THE RECALL WHICH I FOUND WHILE RESEARCHING. WE ARE 13 VIN NUMBERS AFTER THE RECALL FOR THIS SAME ISSUE. WE WERE TOLD THE PART COSTS $10,000 BEFORE TAXES & INSTALLATION. TOYOTA WON'T HONOR THE EARLIER RECALL AND SO I'VE TOWED THE VEHICLE HOME. :( *TR
