Problems with 2008 Toyota Highlander ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

I sent a letter to toyota motor sales usa after being refused service at a local dealer to resolve a safety issue, with no reply. while pressing brake when starting i got a couple of error messages that said to contact a toyota dealer. i did some very detailed research into this problem and what others had encountered. i found the errors would only show when the 12 volt battery was getting low on charge. the brake booster pump is one of the suspect items draining the battery because it continues to run long after the vehicle is parked. since i don't have the tools to check the current draw on this or if it is even supposed to run long after the vehicle is shut off, i wanted my toyota dealer to check this. there is a " customer support program notification - zkc" related to this for the brake actuator assembly and brake booster pump assembly. i specifically requested that they check out the electrical component of the brake booster pump even if not covered by warranty. i also told them about the errors only occurring on a low 12 volt battery charge. their diagnosis showed an ...

At toyota, we are dedicated to providing vehicles of outstanding quality and value. as part of our continual efforts to ensure customer satisfaction, toyota would like to advise you of a voluntary customer support program that has been initiated for your vehicle. toyota has received reports regarding certain internal malfunctions of the brake actuator assembly in certain 2008-2010 model year highlander hybrid vehicles. in these reports, customers have noted various brake system related warning lamps are illuminated. this customer support program provides coverage as it applies to the brake actuator assembly and brake booster pump assembly. the specific condition covered by this program is for certain internal malfunctions of the brake actuator assembly. if the condition is verified, the vehicle will be repaired with new brake actuator assembly and brake booster pump assembly under the terms of this customer support program. if the following warning lamps are illuminated, the vehicle may be experiencing a concern with the brake actuator assembly and brake booster pump assembly that is covered by this customer support program. the part is back ordered and they don't know when they will be available. i just picked the vehicle for the dealership and they will notify me ...

2008 toyota highlander. consumer writes in regard to defective srs airbag system. *ld *tr

At 5:00 pm on may 16, 2017 i drove home from work (15 minutes of in-town driving) everything was fine. i parked in the garage and went inside to prepare to leave with my family for my son's senior honors night. at 5;45 pm we got into the car and immediately my mom and my husband said, "what's burning?". it smelled like paper burning. before leaving the house, my husband popped the hood to make sure there wasn't a wire or something else burning under the hood of the car. we dove 10 minutes to town to eat. we stayed in restaurant 30 minutes. when we returned to my car, my mother got in the passenger's front seat and and my husband in back and we all smelled a strong smell of something burning. i looked at my mom before starting the car and saw the black, burnt headrest. it appears there was an actual flame at some point. everyone got out of the car, we removed the headrest, but the back left side of the passengers seat was still very hot ...

Car automatically locked my young child in the car. i used the fob to unlock the car. then i opened the back door to put my child in his carseat and placed my keys on the driver seat to have access to both my hands for the tasks. once my child was strapped in i shut the back right door to go get in the driver front door. as soon as i shut the back door i heard a beep and all the doors locked down, locking my child inside with the keys. as it was a hot day in my town, i immediately called the police, who had to come and jammed the the door so i could get out my son. we have since changed the keys in the fob and on 9/25/2016 while seated in the car it again locked itself before i was able to put the keys in the ignition

Tl* the contact owns a 2008 toyota highlander. after the contact placed the 7 month old child in the back seat with the smart key inside the vehicle, all the doors erroneously locked. the child became trapped inside the vehicle. the window had to be broken in order to unlock the doors. the contact indicated that the smart key safety feature did not prevent the doors from becoming locked while the smart key was inside the vehicle. the vehicle was taken to the dealer who was unable to diagnose the cause of the failure. the manufacturer was notified. the failure mileage was 113,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2008 toyota highlander. while stopping the vehicle after pressing the keyless push start system, the vehicle continued to travel down a hill which resulted in a crash. the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. a police report was not filed and no injuries were sustained. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 160,000. the vin was not available.

Tl* the contact owned a 2008 toyota highlander. the contact stated that while driving at an unknown speed, smoke appeared under the dashboard. the fire department was able to extinguish the fire. the contact did not disclose if a police report and a fire report were filed. the vehicle was destroyed. the cause of the fire was unknown. the failure mileage was 84,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2008 toyota highlander. the contact stated after turning on the air conditioner, it emitted hot air through the vents and would continue to do so once the air conditioner was turned off. the manufacturer was notified of the failure and did not offer a remedy. the dealer diagnosed that a computer chip needed to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure and current mileage were 63,000.

We were starting off to go on vacation when warning lights came on the dashboard and information panel with hybrid system warnings and brake warnings then the car completely stopped in the middle of the road and steering was lost. we were able to get off to the side enough to prevent causing an accident however we were on a busy street. had it towed to the local toyota dealer and the diagnosis was a failed coil. they replaced all 3 coils saying that it would be prudent as the engine was already apart (i agree). they also said that this is a relatively common occurrence with some of the highlander hybrids. i have the part and it looks like the top of the coil became over heated and blew out the top plastic compound. i consider myself very lucky that this did not happen while on a highway on a rainy day where the vehicle abruptly stopping would certainly have caused me to be in an accident. this is certainly a flaw that toyota should address for safety reasons and it makes me hesitant to want to purchase another ...

The driver's side back door has stopped locking/unlocking with the key fob as well as the electrical lock. the beep doesn't occur when i use the fob to lock the doors because the door isn't locking, but does beep when unlocking the vehicle although the back door still remains locked. i did have the recall on the window lock switch completed, so not sure if that is factoring in with the problem or not.. *tr

My windshield wiper defroster started to crackle and smoke. i turned it off and back on and it started to do it again. *tr

The spiral cable in the steering wheel has caused the airbag light to come on, which means the airbags will not operate in the event of a crash. also the horn and cruise control will not operate. these items are all associated with the spiral cable. toyota customer service said they know of the spiral cable problem but do not have a fix for it now. *tr

In early november i received a recall notice from toyota instructing me to arrange for replacement of the intelligent power module. the letter indicated that this replacement is urgent and that i would be in violation of california regulations if i did not do this repair. i called my local dealer, toyota of santa cruz, the next day to schedule the appointment. i was told that toyota rations the parts for these repairs and that i would be put an a waiting list and to expect a call in 2-3 weeks. a month later i called again and was told that i was still on a waiting list and it would be 2-3 weeks at the earliest before i could schedule the repair. i feel that toyota (or the dealership) is not fulfilling its obligation to its customers by failing to supply parts for this repair in a timely manner. *tr

I own a 2008 highlander sport that has a major issue with the door locks. the remote key fob no longer works, and now even the button inside the car stopped working. i have done a lot of research and it appears that many people who have owned highlanders have had this issue. my car was recalled recently for the power windows, and now the door locks no longer work. i would like to file this complaint with the hope that enough people complain to force toyota to fix this issue. *tr