WHILE DRIVING ON A HIGHWAY AT 65MPH, THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY LOST ALL POWER. I MANAGED TO STEER CAR OFF TO SIDE OF ROAD, NARROWLY AVOIDING ACCIDENT. THE CAR DID RESTART, BUT THIS STALLING AND POWER SHUT OFF REOCCURRED ONCE MORE. DEALERSHIP EXAMINED CAR; TEST DROVE IT; AND SAID NOTHING WAS WRONG. I INDICATED THAT THERE WAS A REAL PROBLEM AND SAFETY CONCERN. AFTER MY PRODDING, THEY ADMINTTED THAT THERE WAS, IN FACT, A VOLUNTARY RECALL, BUT THE NEEDED PARTS WERE UNAVAILABLE. IT IS ONE THING TO POSTPONE TREATING A CAR FOR A VOLUNTARY RECALL WHEN THAT CAR HAS NOT EXPERIENCED THE PROBLEM. MY CAR, HOWEVER, HAS HAD THIS PROBLEM AND I FEEL THE MANUFACTURER SHOULD FIND THE NEEDED PART TO REPAIR THE CAR TO ENSURE ITS SAFETY. I ASKED TO HAVE THE SERVICE MANAGER CALL ME BACK BUT I HAVE NOT YET RECEIVED THAT CALL. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6) *TT
2007
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
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
