41 of the
1,104 complaints filed about the Toyota Highlander Hybrid
are about the steering —
4% of everything owners reported.
The worst model year for it is 2006.
The contact owns a 2022 Toyota Highlander Hybrid. The contact stated that the second-row seats had been making an abnormal rattling sound. Additionally, the contact stated that there was an abnormally strong foul odor inside the vehicle. The contact stated that upon taking the vehicle to the car wash, the contact was informed that the foul odor was coming from the steering wheel. The contact stated that the foul odor was stronger while the steering heater was engaged, causing the contact to suffer from headaches. The contact stated that the foul odor was transferred to the driver's hands, requiring the driver to thoroughly wash his hands. The contact had not received medical assistance. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the VIN was only included in the second-row seats recall. The contact was referred to the dealer for assistance. The dealer was not yet contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 30,000.
NHTSA complaint #11722206 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owns a 2023 Toyota Highlander Hybrid. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V480000 (Steering) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
NHTSA complaint #11550266 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
I REPLACED MY BRAKES AFTER SEVERAL WARNING LIGHTS AND CODES KEPT POPPING UP ON MY DASH. HAD THE ROTORS TURNED. BUT WHEN I RETURNED TO DRIVING MY CAR AFTER I THOUGHT IT WAS FIXED THE BRAKES WOULD ALL OF A SUDDEN JUST GO OUT THE HYDRAULIC PART WOULD GO COMPLETELY TO THE FLOOR. THE CAR WOULD MAKE A HIGH PITCHED NOISE AND THEN NO BRAKES. TOOK IT TO TOYOTA IN CLINTON TN. SAID MY ABS BRAKE ACTUATOR WAS FAILING. WOULD COST ME 2200 DOLLARS TO FIX. THIS CERTAIN PART ON YOUR CAR IS SUPPOSED TO LAST YOU A LIFETIME. I DONT HAVE MONEY LIKE THAT NOW IT WAS TAKE ME A LIFETIME TO SAVE UP FOR THE REPAIRS. VERY SCARY. THIS WOULD HAPPEN TO ME RANDOMLY AS I WAS DRIVING NO MATTER WHERE OR HOW FAR THE TRIP I WAS TAKING. DIDN'T KNOW IF I WAS GOING TO BE ABLE TO MAKE IT HOME SOMETIMES. YOU JUST NEVER KNEW WHEN. SOMETIMES IT WOULD BE FINE AND OTHERS IT WOULD BE ABSOLUTELY SCARY.
NHTSA complaint #11234591 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
MY 2006 HIGHLANDER DROVE JUST FINE. PARKED IN MY USUAL SPOT AND THE NEXT TIME I START IT MY P/S LIGHT IS ON AND I HAVE NO STEERING. I SEARCHED ONLINE AND IT SEEMS TO BE A COMMON PROBLEM FOR IT TO JUST QUIT WORKING ON PEOPLE. I'M CURIOUS AS TO WHY THIS ISSUE HASN'T BEEN ADDRESSED BY TOYOTA YET. THANK GOD I WASN'T DRIVING LIKE OTHERS WERE WHEN IT HAPPENED.
NHTSA complaint #11220268 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
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
NHTSA complaint #11205787 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
STEERING DOES NOT STEER CORRECTLY SOMETIMES WHEN I DRIVE. DEALER SAYS THAT THEY WANT $2000 TO FIX IT BY REPLACING THE STEERING MECHANISM. I HAVE NOTICED IT SOMETIMES WHEN I AM MOVING.
NHTSA complaint #11154460 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
THE VEHICLE DEVELOPED A CLUNK OR KNOCK TYPE NOISE WHEN TURNING THE STEERING WHEEL LEFT OR RIGHT. IT OCCURRED AT SLOW SPEEDS SUCH AS TURNING AT AN INTERSECTION. THIS REQUIRED REPLACEMENT OF THE STEERING INTERMEDIATE SHAFT. THIS IS A KNOWN , REPORTED DEFECT ON HIGHLANDERS FROM 2008 - 2013. IT NEEDS TO BE ELEVATED TO THE LEVEL OF A RECALL.
NHTSA complaint #11101251 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2016 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER HYBRID. WHILE DRIVING 40 MPH USING THE FACTORY COMPACT SPARE TIRE, THE CONTACT LOST CONTROL OF THE STEERING WHEN DRIVING OVER GROOVED ROADS. THE CONTACT FILED A COMPLAINT WITH THE MANUFACTURER, BUT THERE WAS NO RESOLUTION. THE DEALER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 28,000.
NHTSA complaint #11092839 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
DEFECTIVE INTERMEDIATE STEERING SHAFT. CLUNKING, ETC. SEEMS DANGEROUS, NO RECALL.... THIS IS ONE COMPLAINT TO ADD TO THE NUMEROUS OTHERS. TOYOTA, WHEN ARE YOU GOING TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT THIS?
NHTSA complaint #11084019 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
WHEN THE CAR IS TURNED SHARPLY TO THE RIGHT THE POWER STEERING FOR BOTH RIGHT AND LEFT GOES OUT. IF THERE IS NO HARD TURN TO THE RIGHT THE STEERING REMAINS FUNCTIONAL. HAPPENED WHILE ON WINDING ROAD NEARLY RAN OFF THE ROAD. RESTART THE CAR AND THE PROBLEM DISAPPEARS UNTIL THE NEXT RIGHT TURN. DEALER COULD NOT DIAGNOSE THE PROBLEM NEEDED TO REPLACE BOTH THE POWER STEERING ECU AND THE POWER STEERING CONVERTER AND GIVE ME A BILL FOR OVER $1000.
NHTSA complaint #10959178 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER HYBRID. WHILE DRIVING AR ANY SPEED, THE POWER STEERING WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL. THE STEERING WHEEL BECAME VERY DIFFICULT TO TURN. WHEN THE CONTACT TURNED OFF AND RESTARTED THE VEHICLE, THE STEERING RETURNED TO NORMAL. THE STEERING FAILURE OCCURRED INTERMITTENTLY. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 105,000. UPDATED 09/06/16*LJ THE CONSUMER STATED THE POWER STEERING DIDN'T ALWAYS RETURN. SOMETIMES, THE CONSUMER HAD TO SIT FOR SEVERAL HOURS. UPDATED 09/08/16.
NHTSA complaint #10882591 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
MY CAR HAS THE SAME PROBLEM AS DESCRIBED HERE AND IN MANY PLACES ONLINE AND TOYOTA REFUSED TO INCLUDE MY VEHICLE FOR RECALL. THE PROBLEM AS DESCRIBED BY NHTSA AS FOLLOWS REPORT RECEIPT DATE: SEP 04, 2013 NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 13V396000 COMPONENT(S): HYBRID PROPULSION SYSTEM ALL PRODUCTS ASSOCIATED WITH THIS RECALL EXPAND DETAILS CLOSE 12 ASSOCIATED DOCUMENTS EXPAND MANUFACTURER: TOYOTA MOTOR ENGINEERING & MANUFACTURING SUMMARY: TOYOTA IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2006-2010 HIGHLANDER HYBRID VEHICLES MANUFACTURED FEBRUARY 16, 2005, THROUGH JULY 29, 2010; AND MODEL YEAR 2006-2008 LEXUS RX400H VEHICLES MANUFACTURED FEBRUARY 23, 2005, THROUGH DECEMBER 2, 2008. THE INTELLIGENT POWER MODULE (IPM) INSIDE THE INVERTER MODULE MAY CONTAIN TRANSISTORS THAT HAVE HIGHER OPERATING TEMPERATURES THAN THE SOLDER CAN SUPPORT AND THE TRANSISTORS MAY BE HEAT DAMAGED BY THE SOLDER. IF THIS OCCURS, VARIOUS WARNING LAMPS, INCLUDING THE MALFUNCTION INDICATOR LAMP, SLIP INDICATOR LIGHT, BRAKE SYSTEM WARNING LIGHT, AND MASTER WARNING LIGHT, WILL BE ILLUMINATED ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL. CONSEQUENCE: THE VEHICLE MAY ENTER A FAIL-SAFE/LIMP-HOME MODE THAT LIMITS THE DRIVABILITY OF THE VEHICLE. IT IS POSSIBLE THAT THE HYBRID SYSTEM WILL SHUT DOWN WHILE THE VEHICLE IS BEING DRIVEN, CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO STALL UNEXPECTEDLY, INCREASING THE RISK OF A CRASH. REMEDY:
NHTSA complaint #10881657 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
IT IS A 2006 HIGHLANDER HYBRID WITH 105200 MILES AND WELL MAINTAINED.. IT LOOSES POWER ASSIST IN STEERING AT ALL SPEEDS INTERMITTENTLY. IT IS VERY DANGEROUS AS I HAVE TO PUT LOT OF MUSCLE IN STEERING AT LOW SPEEDS BUT IT HAD LOST POWER ASSIST EVEN AT 65 MPH AS WELL WHICH MADE ME VERY NERVOUS. I CANNOT DRIVE THE VEHICLE AS THE POWER STEERING P/S LIGHT COMES ON MOST OF THE TIMES NOW. ONLY ONCE A WHILE IT IS OFF WHICH IS WHEN I DRIVE BUT FEW MILES OF DRIVING GETS THE LIGHT BACK ON WITH NO POWER ASSIST. I HAVE SEEN MANY PEOPLE IN FORUMS WITH THE SAME PROBLEM FOR THAT YEARS HYBRIDS. THEREFORE I AM REQUESTING TO HELP ME OUT WITH EITHER A RECALL OR GETTING THIS FIXED AT MY LOCAL ROCHESTER MN DEALERSHIP. ANYTHING YOU COULD DO AT THE EARLIEST WOULD BE APPRECIATED.. CUSTOMER REQUEST TO BE REMOVED FROM COMPLAINT LIST, CELL PHONE , ADDRESS. NOT TO BE CONTACTED. UPDATED 08/12/16*LJ UPDATED 6/18/18
NHTSA complaint #10875791 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
VERY COMMON PROBLEM IS BEING REPORTED IN ALL OF THE HIGHLANDERS OF 2008 FORWARD. AT LOW MILEAGE, THE STEERING COLUMN HAS A BEARING IN IT CALLED A STUB SHAFT BUT APPARENTLY GETS LOOSE LEAVING TO A CLUNK AND LOOSENESS IN THE STEERING. IT IS SO COMMON THAT OUR DEALER HAS TO KEEP MULTIPLE REPLACEMENT PARTS IN STOCK. PEOPLE ARE REPORTING THIS WITHIN THE 36,000 MILE WARRANTY, MY CAR BEGAN TO DO IT AT ABOUT 60,000 MILES. IT IS A $700 REPAIR. LOSS OF CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE IS POSSIBLE.
NHTSA complaint #10840076 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
I APOLOGIZE FOR THE DELAY IN FILING THIS COMPLAINT. I JUST LEARNED OF THE COMPLAINT PROCESS. WE TOOK DELIVERY OF THE VEHICLE ON 12/7/09 FROM BURNSVILLE TOYOTA IN BURNSVILLE, MN. ON 12/10/09 WHILE TRAVELING FROM EAGAN, MN TO OMAHA, NE THE POWER STEERING WENT OUT ON THE VEHICLE. WE WERE ABLE TO GET THE POWER STEERING REPAIRED IN BELLEVUE, NE ON 12/12. I FELT FORTUNATE TO HAVE REPAIRS MADE AS IT WAS A SATURDAY AND THE VEHICLE IS A HYBRID. THE BELLEVUE DEALERSHIP MADE THE REPAIRS AT NO CHARGE AND INFORMED ME OF THE OPEN RECALL ON THE POWER STEERING. UPON RETURNING HOME I CONTACTED THE DEALERSHIP. THEY APOLOGIZED AND OFFERED A FREE UPDATE ON THE GPS. I ALSO LATER CONTACTED TOYOTA CORPORATE. MY NOTES FROM THAT CONTACT INDICATE A REFERENCE NUMBER OF 1001108638. UPON LEARNING OF THE COMPLAINT PROCESS I ALSO LEARNED THAT IT IS ILLEGAL FOR A NEW CAR DEALERSHIP TO SELL A VEHICLE WITH AN OPEN RECALL. I DO NOT KNOW IF THAT WAS THE CASE IN 2009. I AM PLEASED TO BE ABLE TO SUBMIT THIS COMPLAINT AS I HAVE ALWAYS FELT CONSUMERS SHOULD BE PROTECTED FROM PURCHASING PRODUCTS WITH KNOWN DEFECTS
NHTSA complaint #10766401 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
I WAS DRIVING ON A STRAIGHT HIGHWAY BETWEEN 45 -50 MPH. SUDDEN A BUNCH OF LIGHTS AND WARNINGS CAME UP IN THE DASHBOARD. I LOST POWER STEERING AND MOTOR PROPULSION TOO. I PRESSED THE ACCELERATOR AND NOTHING HAPPENED. ALTHOUGH I HAD THE ABILITY TO BRAKE, IT SEEMED THAT THE BRAKING WAS ALSO IMPAIRED. HOWEVER BECAUSE I WAS GOING UP AN INCLINE I DID NOT NEED STRONG BRAKING. I MANAGED TO COAST OVER TO THE BREAKDOWN LANE. LUCKILY THERE WERE ONLY A COUPLE OTHER CARS NEAR ME SO IT WASN'T TOO DIFFICULT TO MANEUVER BY THEM AND COAST TO THE OTHER SIDE OF THE ROAD WHERE THE BREAKDOWN LANE WAS. ONCE I WAS COMPLETELY STOPPED I SHUT THE CAR DOWN COMPLETELY AND RESTARTED IN THE NORMAL HYBRID STARTUP MANNER. THE CAR PROPULSION AND STEERING CAME BACK BUT NOW THE MESSAGE WAS ALTERNATING BETWEEN "MAINTENANCE NEEDED" AND "CHECK VSC SYSTEM", AND THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT AND SYMBOL WAS ON. I SHUT OFF EVERYTHING ELECTRICAL TO MINIMIZE ELECTRICAL DRAIN. I WAS ABLE TO DRIVE THE CAR ANOTHER 8-10 MILES TO GET HOME BUT I WAS CONSTANTLY LOOKING TO SEE WHERE I COULD PULL OVER IF THE CAR STOPPED AGAIN. I MADE IT HOME. TOMORROW BRING IT TO THE TOYOTA DEALER. SIGNIFICANTLY, I RECENTLY HAD THE BRAKE ACTUATOR REPLACED AT A COST OF AROUND $2700, SPECIFICALLY BECAUSE THEY WARNED ME THAT I COULD LOSE BRAKING AND OTHER ELECTRONIC FACILITIES UNPREDICTABLY. I THOUGHT THAT EXPENSIVE REPAIR WOULD AVOID THIS. UNFORTUNATELY IT APPEARS THAT WHAT THEY WERE PREDICTING COULD HAPPEN DID HAPPEN, BUT AFTER THE REPAIR! I WAS ON A HIGHWAY WHEN THE CAR DIED BUT WITH NOT MUCH TRAFFIC AND AN EASY ACCESS BREAKDOWN LANE. HAD IT BEEN 10 MINUTES LATER I MIGHT HAVE BEEN ON A MUCH BUSIER HIGHWAY IN A PLACE WHERE A BREAKDOWN LANE IS MUCH HARDER TO REACH. THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN A DANGEROUS SITUATION. HAD IT BEEN DAYTIME AND IN A SAFER AREA I WOULD HAVE STOPPED AND CALLED FOR A TOW TRUCK.
NHTSA complaint #10706384 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
WHILE DRIVING THE POWER STEERING STOP WORKING. VERY HARD TO TURN THE STEERING WHEEL TO PARK IN SAFE PLACE. CAR RUNS BUT IS VERY DIFFICULT TO STEER. SAFETY HAZARD.
NHTSA complaint #10693710 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
STARTED VEHICLE, POWER STEERING FAULT INDICATOR CAME ON. NO POWER STEERING. DOES STEER WHILE IN MOTION BUT EXTREMELY HARD TO TURN, IMPOSSIBLE WHILE STANDING STILL.
NHTSA complaint #10577362 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.