general problems of the 2003 Toyota Highlander

When I start the car in the morning (or the first in that day) the car have strong gas smell . . I'm worried of a fire.

)n the morning of 12-05-09, as I'm pulling into my garage, the car suddenly lurched forward with an unexpected increase in speed. Before I could brake, the car slammed into a steel shelving unit on the back wall which resulted in extensive damage to the wall ( both interior & exterior) and what appeared to be minimal damage to the auto. I took the vehicle to my Toyota service on that same day because I/we felt that this could constitute an unsafe driving condition. Total costs from this incident were as follows: covered by insurance- $3607. 81 (plus 703. 31 pd. Directly to the dealer?) and $916. 27 ( 500. 00 insurance deductible and an additional mechanical charge for a fuel/air sensor that failed on 12-26-09). I have not previously experienced "sudden acceleration" with this vehicle. I have notified both my local dealer, southeast Toyota distributors and Toyota customer relations regarding the problem stating that there may be other vehicles beyond the scope of their current recall that should also be considered as potentially dangerous. Updated 05/03. 10 Toyota denied the consumer claim, stating the vehicle examination revealed no apparent reason for the acceleration. However, the dealer that performed the inspection stated the throttle was became stuck due to gummy deposits cased by ethanol in the gasoline. Updated 08/210/jb.

Vehicle was in reverse and motor raced and vehicle traveled backward at rapid rate of speed and could not be stopped in spite of braking. Attempt to stop vehicle was unsuccessful. Vehicle only stopped when struck telephone pole. Problem was engine racing which could not be stopped. Accelerator seemed to stick down or accelerate without foot application.

Replacement of a charcoal canister on a 2003 Toyota Highlander. No accidents occurred as a result of the replacement of this part; however, I am concerned about the number of reports of having to replace this very expensive part. Also if the part is a safety hazard (may cause an engine fire) it should not be at the expense of the owner. The part is an emission control device that is surely required by the government. This action is taken because I noticed, while researching charcoal canisters that Toyotas come up frequently as having to have this type repair. At this writing I am unable to confirm the part is defective as it is the original part that came with the vehicle when I purchased it brand new. This is not a pre-owned vehicle.