Problems with 2006 Toyota Highlander Hybrid ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

Tl* the contact owns a 2006 toyota highlander hybrid. the contact was driving approximately 35 mph when the check esc warning light illuminated and the entire hybrid system shut down, causing the vehicle to come to a complete stop. the vehicle was towed to the contacts residence where he contacted the dealer and was advised that the failure was common for his year, make and model. the vehicle was neither inspected nor repaired. the vin was unavailable. the current and failure mileage was approximately 191,000. updated 03/23/11 *bf updated 1/5/12 *cn

I made a right hand turn and was accelerating, heard a pop and the car shut down. i coasted to the side of the road and the car wouldn't start. the check hybrid system light came on and then the check vsc light came on. the car was towed to the dealership. dealership said the hybrid inverter failed.

Toyota is not following cra (corrective repair action) for pre-notification remedies. according to the defect information report dated june 29, 2011 regarding inverter failure recall, item 7 "the owner letter will instruct vehicle owners who have paid to have this condition remedied prior to this campaign to seek reimbursement pursuant to toyota's general reimbursement plan." however, the 'interim' recall notification letter to owners did not supply instructions to vehicle owners who paid to have the condition remedied. the inverter in my 2006 toyota highlander hybrid failed. i replaced the inverter at my own expense. i contacted toyota motors corp customer care and they requested that i have the vehicle inspected to document the repair was completed, mail or fax the paid invoice for the inverter, proof of ownership and the inspection report in for payment. this information was faxed and sent via us mail on october 19, 2011. i was contacted via phone by toyota motors corp on 11/10/11 and was informed that my claim was denied because "toyota does not have a recall" on the inverter . i referred the toyota representative to the nhtsa website. i was told my claim was denied because the letter was an 'interim letter" and not a recall. i was informed that because the part is not officially recalled, i would need to wait until it was official because toyota does not have a remedy for the failure. my concern is that the 'interim' letter is almost 4 months old and toyota does not offer relief to owners. further, i am very concerned that the toyota representative told me repeatedly that they do not have a recall on this part. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2006 toyota highlander hybrid. while attempting to drive in reverse, the vehicle stalled. the contact stated the vsc light illuminated on the instrument panel after the vehicle had stalled. the vehicle was towed to the dealer. the technicians stated the inverter had failed and stated the transaxle and the inverter needed to be replaced. the dealer informed the contact they were aware of a possible inverter problem with those models and would contact the manufacturer to see if the repairs could be made free of charge since the warranty had expired. the vehicle was not repaired. the approximate failure mileage was 125,000.

2006 toyota highlander hybrid consumer states that toyota sold her a vehicle in unsafe condition and writes regarding an engineering defect *tgw the consumer stated her son dropped a cup with liquid inside and managed to get into the hybrid's battery that was located beneath the back passenger seat. the vehicle shut off and the check hybrid system and check vsc system lights illuminated.

2006 toyota highlander hybrid. consumer states that the vehicle shut off while driving 75 mph. *kb the consumer stated the vehicle had to be towed to the dealer where the inverter was replaced in the hybrid system. *jb

2006 toyota highlander hybrid power inverter failed causing sudden loss of all power, including brakes, and steering. $9500 replacement cost was negotiated down to $4700 with dealer and toyota. a number of 2006 highlander hybrids have had the same failure, with no ability to use the battery to get the vehicle off the road and out of danger. *tr

Have a toyota 2006 highlander hybrid and was driving the car less than a week ago and was on the parkway doing 65 in the middle lane and car started to decelerate, lost the power steering, could not brake nor was i able to push the pedal for the gas. able to get to the shoulder and car stopped. put it in drive and went to restart car, would not turn on the entire dashboard lit up with check hybrid system, check vsh, brake light etc..... brought to a toyota dealership thursday, still no word. states it might be an electrical problem part is approximate. 1500 to start. theycannot even evaluate the car till they place this part in. sounds costly to me . went on another website, appears that other owners of the 2006 highlander hybrid have had similar problems when they are over 100,000 miles. october 4 email:"finally got my car back after 3 weeks. they put in a new control panel and inverter, i paid $1400 for the control panel and was compensated for the $8800 inverter. plus they fixed a steering wheel recall and the rear brakes were shot (my fault). [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6). *tr

Driving in 6 lanes of heavy traffic we heard a 'thunk' and lost all power. i wrestled the vehicle to get it to coast off of the road. car was towed to toyota dealer where it was found that the inverter needed to be replaced. cost was $7600, after a substantial discount from the dealer, who was obviously embarrassed about charging so much for a single part. the incident could have caused an accident, since all power and electrically assisted driving functions failed simultaneously. fortunately it didn't. subsequently i found that toyota had upgraded their inverters beginning in 2007. we have also received in 2011 from toyota an "interim safety recall notice" for the inverter, but have heard nothing since. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2006 toyota highlander hybrid. while driving approximately 30 mph the vehicle stalled. the contact stated that no warning lights came on before the failure occurred. she drove onto the shoulder of the road and called a tow company. the vehicle was towed to her home, then to an authorized dealer. the dealer advised her that the inverter for the hybrid failed, and needed to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the contact stated that the vehicle was serviced by an authorized dealer 10 days before the failure occurred. the approximate failure and current mileages were 122,231.

My wife was parked in front of our apartment building, idling with her foot on the brake, when our 2006 toyota highlander hybrid suddenly accelerated and crashed into a gate. before the car crashed, she repeatedly applied the brake and even put the car in park. the car did not stop. after the impact, the engine continued to rev and accelerate before finally stopping. this had never happened before. the body has been repaired, but per toyota, nothing mechanical or electronic has been touched. last week toyota sent a specialist out to inspect the car and download data. we were present at the time, and 5 dtc codes displayed. the descriptions displayed on the investigator's lap top mentioned vehicle speed sensors on right wheel and left wheel, the emps, body ecu switch circuit and "low or high power supply voltage". the car was test driven, and no errors or codes were reported. the car is now waiting to be taken to a dealer to be reviewed and fixed. *tr

2006 hybrid highlander. well maintained. on two occasions, the engine died without warning. lights flashed the car stalled in heavy traffic areas. towed to toyota dealership. each time the dealership said could not replicate the problem. it happened at 96,000 miles and again at 105,000. i was offered a low trade in price for an new rav 4. the dealership said they can not replicate the problem. i suggested the problem was above their feeble minds. ill trained brains can not comprehend complex issues. it is real easy, put in an new inverter. new month i will have a larger settlement check for a business venture. last toyota product i buy. i have owned 8 vehicles from this dealership. looks like i am going back to american it was very scary on top of the interstate 12 during rush hour with a hard rain failing.. *tr

i have an 06 toyota highlander hybrid with 64,900 miles on it, we were driving on interstate 5 south on central ca, suddenly vsc and check hybrid system flashed on the instrument panel and the car was totally dead, tried to start it a couple of times but to no avail. the car was towed too a nearest dealership and the problem was the hybrid inverter. 2 days before the incident the car's battery was totally drained, not a single light will turn on. i jump started the car to make run. the inverter was replaced under warranty and it would have caused us $8200 w/o installation to replaced it if it was not covered under warranty. i did some research and found out that a lot of people the same problem with their highlander hybrid inverter failure. this can happen anytime again w/o warning and could lead to accidents , and i don't feel safe on driving this car again. *tr

Engine mechanical ~|~check and report...check engine light and vsc light on dash, ,,car lost power while driving, had to pull over and get the vehicle towed in to the dealership... ~|~tech pulled code p0a05,p0a08,p0a93, ...found inverter pump not working properly ~|~replaced inverter water pump

Tl-the contact owns a 2006 toyota highlander hybrid. while driving at approximately 70 mph the vehicle stalled and would not start. it towed to an authorized dealer where she was told a wire shorted and blew out the hybrid system. she was told the failure occurred within the inverter. the authorized dealer also informed her this failure was a manufactured defect. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure and current mileages were 131,600. sm.

Tl* the contact owns a 2006 toyota highlander hybrid. in july 2010, the contact was traveling 35 mph, when she heard a loud popping noise and she also noticed that the check hybrid system warning light illuminated. the vehicle suddenly lost all power where it was towed to a dealer. the dealer inspected the vehicle and informed the contact that the inverter assembly failed. the vehicle was repaired. in july 2011, the contact experienced the same failure when she heard a loud popping noise and the vehicle stalled. the vehicle was towed to the dealer and the contact was informed that the inverter assembly failed again. the manufacturer was notified and informed the contact that her vin was not included in recall number: 11v342000 (electrical system). the vehicle was awaiting repairs. the current mileage was 98,600. the approximate failure mileage was 79,072. updated 09/15/11 *bf the consumer stated toyota finally admitted the vehicle was apart of a recall. the inverter assembly was replaced for the second time. however, the actual part that was recall, would not be available until the january 2012. updated 11/18/11

I was backing out of our driveway into the middle of the street & the vehicle died. it couldn't be started & the gearshift could not be moved into any other gear, therefore it remained in reverse. nothing electrical would work either & the car's interior is fully electric , (windows, door locks, nav, seats, radio ect). the "check engine" message was on. at first we thought it was the battery, as per tow truck driver . the car had to be towed. first towed the car to get a new battery but after installation of the newly purchased battery, the car still was inoperable & had to be towed again to the toyota dealer. this was an additional out of pocket expense. the dealer replaced the "inverter" & something listed on the receipt as "super long life c". *tr

The inverter ( a very expensive electrical component) on my 2006 toyota highlander hybrid failed resulting in a complete loss of power on the highway. the car was towed to dealer. it took a week to diagnose and repair. repair was covered under the extended warranty that applies to hybrid components. i have asked, but toyota can/will not tell me how often this type of failure has occurred; the internet has stories from others who experienced this type of failure. complete loss of power on the highway is clearly a safety issue. with toyota's reputation, i can't help but wonder if this is an issue that they don't want discussed. *tr

The toyota dealership where i bought my 2006 highlander hybrid new installed a car alarm at the time of purchase. while going down the road the left hand passenger "door ajar" alarm will begin going off. this is very disturbing and dangerous at night because it will cause the dome lights to flash on and off as well as the dinging of the bell. this typically happens when hitting pot holes - but i do not always feel any bump. i have had the car into the dealership several times for this problem. they finally traced it to a cause of "the knock sensor for the alarm is tied to the ground in the door ajar sensor", they said that the connection was loose. the first time they replaced the alarm, the second and third, and ... times they said the wire was loose. the last time i advised them to change where the alarm knock sensor was grounded and they said that they solved the problem with a better connection. granted the problem does not happen much anymore, but it still continues. on a recent trip from san diego to corpus christie the alarm went off for about 15 minutes on the second morning of our trip. it typically happens in what seems to me as cooler damper weather. again, i feel this is a safety concern that has been largely ignored by the dealership (toyota of poway in poway, ca) the last time, they told me that the vehicle was out of warranty... i have not contacted them after this last incident in december on our trip, then again last weekend (saturday night) when driving home from a casino - about 15 dings and associated flashing lights over a few seconds. *tr

Live in northern us, 2006 toyota highlander hybrid, im feeling electricity on and off as im driving my car, feel electricity in quick bursts thru legs and thru seat. i took to dealer and showed nothing, i think this is cover up.. *tr

We have a 2006 toyota highlander hybrid. there are a number of minor but annoying problems: 1) battery dead in morning 4 or 5 times for no apparent reason. 2) after turning off engine and opening door, buzzer occasionally goes off for no apparent reason. 3) some radio stations pick up a lot of static when brake pedal is pushed. 4) dvd carousel player picks up errors when attempting to play disks four or five. wrote a letter to toyota in 2007 regarding some of these issues but got no response. these problems could be related to the electronic issues we have recently been hearing about. *tr

While driving at speed on the highway the inverter/converter failed the vehicle was coasted to a stop on the highway shoulder. now again on 04/28/2011 with 88,856 miles on the vehicle the same failure has occurred while acceleration up-hill on the highway at about 40 mph. most of the damaged components (inverter/converter & an ecu) where covered by warranty. i am very concerned about the safety of this vehicle and my wife continuing to drive it even though it has been repaired again.

Tl*the contact owns a 2006 toyota highlander hybrid. while the vehicle was parked, the vehicle would not start. the contact had the vehicle jumpstarted . the failure occurred between three and four times. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer who replaced the battery; the battery had been placed four times in five years. the vehicle was at the dealer. the failure mileage was unknown and the current mileage was 108,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2006 toyota highlander hybrid. the contact stated that as she decelerated to a complete stop, the vehicle stalled without warning. the vehicle was then towed to an authorized dealer but the failure was unable to be diagnosed. the manufacturer was contacted and advised the contact that the vehicle should be driven every daily in order to prevent the failure. no further assistance was offered. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was 200 and current mileage was 16,000.