I PURCHASED A NEW 2004 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER ON 3/26/2004 AND AFTER ABOUT 2 MONTHS STARTED NOTICING A PROBLEM WITH HESITATION WHEN ACCELERATING FROM A STOP OR WHEN PASSING. THE CAR FEELS LIKE IT DIES FOR 1 TO 2 SECONDS AND THEN LURCHES FORWARD. THIS IS VERY DANGEROUS WHEN MAKING A LEFT HAND TURN AT A LIGHT WITH ONCOMING CARS FROM THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION. THIS ALSO CAUSES PROBLEMS WHEN TRYING TO MERGE WITH HIGHWAY TRAFFIC OR WHEN PASSING. THIS OCCURES EVERY DAY AND WHEN IT WAS REPORTED TO TOYOTA SERVICE THEY STATED IT WAS A KNOWN ISSUE WITH NO FIX OR TECHNICAL BULLETIN. *AK
2006
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
2006 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER HYBRID - I WAS STOPPED IN A RIGHT TURN ONLY LANE. THE VEHICLE IN FRONT OF ME BEGAN TO MAKE A RIGHT TURN ON A RED LIGHT. AS HE MOVED FORWARD, I SLIGHTLY RELEASED PRESSURE ON THE BRAKES AND MY VEHICLE LUNGED FORWARD AND CRASHED INTO THE VEHICLE IN FRONT OF ME WHICH HAD STOPPED SUDDENLY. THIS "LUNGING" IS A COMMON OCCURRENCE IN THIS TOYOTA VEHICLE. WE HAD THOUGHT IT WAS JUST AN IDIOSYNCRASY OF THE HYBRID VEHICLE. HOWEVER, MY BROTHER HAS A NEWER MODEL HIGHLANDER HYBRID AND HE DOES NOT EXPERIENCE THIS LUNGING. WHAT I MEAN BY LUNGING IS THAT THE VEHICLE, AT TIMES, WILL LUNGE FORWARD AS YOU RELEASE THE BRAKE AT HIGHER SPEED THAN AN IDLE. IN THE SIMPLE ACCIDENT MENTIONED ABOVE, MY VEHICLE SUSTAINED OVER $3000 IN DAMAGE, WHICH IS QUITE AN EXTRAORDINARY AMOUNT FOR THIS TYPE OF ACCIDENT. *TR
