Bulletins


BulletinBulletin dateReplacement BulletinItem no.SummaryAdded
POWER TRAIN
0080508/01/200510016636U140f transmission solenoid identification. *tt09/26/2005
POWER TRAIN - AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
0050408/26/200410009397Proper identification of the 5 solenoids used in the u240e/u241e automatic transaxles. *tt09/29/2004
POWER TRAIN - AXLE ASSEMBLY
0010305/23/200310002004Right rear axle squeak noise. *tt *jb07/31/2003
POWER TRAIN - DRIVELINE - DIFFERENTIAL UNIT
5037B04/28/200510015657Repair manual correction - differential carrier assy rear (4wd). 00400-rm918-u2. *tt 00400-rm837-u2. *tt08/03/2005

Consumer Complaints


Fail datemilesoccurencesPurchase date
POWER TRAIN
07/10/200999000
 Awhile back in the summer of 2009, i notified you about my concern for safety in my 2002 toyota highlander. the car took off for no apparent reason accelerating to an unsafe speed. i was only able to stop by shifting to neutral and slamming on the brakes missing several cars. the feedback i got was the floor mat...which i told the dealer was bull. i believe the problem may be in the computer. i checked all the cables and throttle body cables including linkage. i had the whole fuel system cleaned inside and out including the throttle body. this seemed to temporary solve the problem. my concerns are 1. i think toyota needs to look further back in years this has been a concern by goggling this problem. 2. when the problem(s) are identified you need the look at repairs where the parts may have been used. 3. i believe this problem may be caused by several factors. 2002 toyota highlander *cn
11/09/20020111/09/2002
 Exc. vibration in frt. axle assy. vibration can only be felt or heard in vehicle cab at the following speeds 38-43, 53-55,61-65 and above. sometimes at the lower speeds. this vehicle was purchased in commonwealth of p. r. and shipped to the u. s. during the ownership of this vehicle, i have never been able to get any of the dealers in p. r. or u. s. to repair it. complained in p.r. and stated tires balanced. always tires problems. vibration in the steering and cab area. the noise, drive you nuts ,hearing and feeling it in steering .when relocating to ill.,took to closes dealer, peoria toyota. several months wait for their computer system. peoria toyota work on the vehicle and stated tires bad. tires replace and still problems. replaced the tires . so, i replaced tires and found same vibration as before and curt baungart stated the was the characteristic of this vehicle, however the vehicle still vibrated in the front axle assemble and is getting worst with miles added. toyota has a problem with this vehicle and refuses to honor their warranty. i filed two arbitration hearing on this vehicle and have filed the complaint with lisa madigan's office of the atty. gen. they told me and i quote from their letter because this file appears to fall within your jurisdiction, we are referring it to your agency for your information and possible action. by copy of this letter, we are informing the complainant of this referral end of quote. letter dated august 22, 2006. lisa madigan has all of the correspondences(all record and letters from arbitration,toyota and etc.), that i have sent to them. it's been a long journey and i hope and pray someone will look into this problem. safety is being over looked because of the statement from dealer and toyota (veh. within specification of toyota. is it right to trade a vehicle off, which has a problem? incident of failure is the date of purchase. *jb
POWER TRAIN - AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
10/02/200777754
 Toyota 2002 highlander automatic transmission failed at 77,754 miles. replaced by dealer under extended warranty after paying $50 deductible. this is a common problem and needs a recall. toyota refuses to acknowledge that they have a problem. cost to replace without warrantee would have been $4290. the car now has 138,235 miles on it and based on other drivers' experience and history i could be facing another auto trans problem very soon.
05/09/2010131000
 Transmission went out in the middle of a busy interstate. just a week earlier, the dealer told me they cold find nothing wrong with the vehicle.
12/14/20091060001
 With only 106,000 miles on my highlander, the transmission has failed and needs to completely be replaced. a $4600 repair right before christmas. i am in tears. the dealership didn't seem very surprised that this would occur. ironic? but the transmission specialist i went to for a second opinion said this should never have happened. he advised even proper maintenance wouldn't have prevented this kind of failure. it's just bad equipment. he repeatedly stated how abnormal this was and toyota used to have a great reputation on the transmission and reliability. i purchased my toyota based on that reputation. and have had nothing but problems. at 35,000 miles i was a victim of the sludge engine issue too. before the recall was issued on that. the entire engine had to be replaced. before they were willing to fix it, i had to prove that i had changed the oil regularly. they accused me of not doing this. toyota knows there is a major problem with this vehicle transmission and from what i see, this is happening to others. it is happening in the rav4's too. they need to step up and take care of their customers and take care of these vehicles. this is the first and last toyota i will ever own. *tr
06/25/2009680001
 I am financing a 2002 toyota highlander. on 6/25/09 while driving on a major service road, i heard a large thump sound. i tried to pull over to make sure that i did not hit anything or blow a tire. once that i saw that everything seemed okay, i proceeded into my vehicle and put the car into drive when i stepped on the gas the car just revved and it stayed into position, i kept changing gears not knowing what was wrong and as i changed into drive and stepped on the gas, my car quickly shifted and almost hit the car in front of me then it stopped again. fortunately there was a automechanic shop on the corner, someone from the shop came to where i was to look at my car. the mechanic did the same as i did, shift gears and the car would jerk spontaneously back then forth but would not drive. the mechanics pushed it into the garage and inspected to find that my transmission wa gone at 68,000 miles. i have my car checked often, fluids replaced when need be. i do not understand how a transmission can just die at 68,000 miles. i called toyota because i have my car serviced at toyota. and because my extended warranty was expired in 2008 , they said there was nothing they can do but put in a new transmission. i have had the car towed to 3 locations to make sure i had several opinions and they all said the same thing that my transmission was bad. my car has been at reliable transmission for 2 weeks now, they are currently replacing the transmission for 4,000.00. the car will not be paid off until august 2010. i often heard that toyota was one of the best cars that one can purchase that's why i went with a toyota, however i find this to be quite disturbing to have to replace a major part of my vehicle in such a short time with low mileage. my complaint that i have done research and saw that there are a lot of problems with toyota highlander transmissions. this matter is serious and can cause an accident from the gears slipping. toyota should be responsible for this repair! *tr
02/27/2004272822
 Vehicle shifted out of park without warning. dealership was notified,but did not resolve the problem. *ak
POWER TRAIN - AXLE ASSEMBLY
11/09/20020111/09/2002
 Exc. vibration in frt. axle assy. vibration can only be felt or heard in vehicle cab at the following speeds 38-43, 53-55,61-65 and above. sometimes at the lower speeds. this vehicle was purchased in commonwealth of p. r. and shipped to the u. s. during the ownership of this vehicle, i have never been able to get any of the dealers in p. r. or u. s. to repair it. complained in p.r. and stated tires balanced. always tires problems. vibration in the steering and cab area. the noise, drive you nuts ,hearing and feeling it in steering .when relocating to ill.,took to closes dealer, peoria toyota. several months wait for their computer system. peoria toyota work on the vehicle and stated tires bad. tires replace and still problems. replaced the tires . so, i replaced tires and found same vibration as before and curt baungart stated the was the characteristic of this vehicle, however the vehicle still vibrated in the front axle assemble and is getting worst with miles added. toyota has a problem with this vehicle and refuses to honor their warranty. i filed two arbitration hearing on this vehicle and have filed the complaint with lisa madigan's office of the atty. gen. they told me and i quote from their letter because this file appears to fall within your jurisdiction, we are referring it to your agency for your information and possible action. by copy of this letter, we are informing the complainant of this referral end of quote. letter dated august 22, 2006. lisa madigan has all of the correspondences(all record and letters from arbitration,toyota and etc.), that i have sent to them. it's been a long journey and i hope and pray someone will look into this problem. safety is being over looked because of the statement from dealer and toyota (veh. within specification of toyota. is it right to trade a vehicle off, which has a problem? incident of failure is the date of purchase. *jb
POWER TRAIN - DRIVELINE
08/12/20091170001
 Drive shaft going bad on toyota highlander 2002. major part like this almost never fails. very expensive to fix. *tr