Cruise Control problems of the 2005 Toyota Highlander

2005 Toyota Highlander hybrid. Driving to work in a blizzard on 12/11/09 all dash board lights went on. Dealership found that the sunroof housing failed causing $3,977. 16 worth of damage. Being out of warranty the dealer agreed to pay 2,000. 00. Toyota customer service another 1,500 and we paid 477. 16. We picked up the car on 12/24/09. On 2/2/10 we returned it after noticing a burn spot on each of the plastic head light covers. The dealer found both highbeam bulbs melted,and suggested I had overused them causing the intense heat that did the damage. I am concerned it could be a result of delayed water damage showing up. Our concerns with this car(which we purchased new in Nov. Of 2005)goes back to 9/7/06 when the cruise control did not slow the car going down hills. On 2/28/07 we had brake and wiper blade issues. On 4/20/07 the blades locked during a downpour on the 5 freeway. I had to pull over in a panic. On 7/12/07 the cargo clip had to be replaced. On 9/10/07 that parking brake did not hold properly and there was a rattle from the right rear. On 11/6/07 we complained of squeaky brakes. Dealer tightened loose nuts and bolts on 4x4 assembly. On 4/1/08 the brakes were replaced @ 29,080 miles. On 10/22/08 the sound system failed and was replaced under warranty. Next week we are having the 5th set of tires put on this vehicle which has only 53,000 miles on it. The set to be replaced has only about 15,000 miles on them. They have a 60,000 mile warranty.

Under a specific set of circumstances, the cruise control causes the car to surge past the set cruise speed. I've never let the surge get past 10 mph above the set cruise speed, I always turn off the cruise which cancels the surge. I cannot force the replication of the problem but it has happened a number of times over the life of the car. The circumstances I can identify are the cruise is set on a specific speed (like 60 mph), the cruise is disengaged to slow down (well below 60 mph), using the gas pedal to speed up on a long uphill grade, engage the cruise to take the car back to the set speed (60 mph) and the cruise blows past 60 mph. In the seconds it takes to disengage the cruise control, I've reached 70 mph.

2005 Toyota Highlander v6- the consumer drove off the lot on June 3, 2005; the cruise control behaved erratically and it often felt as if it was accelerating a couple of miles behind the desired speed. The consumer requested to pass this turkey which yielded different results. There is sometimes awkward down shifting and rapid acceleration which is preceded by hesitation. The consumer approached a village intersection, downhill with his foot on the brake. The consumer took his foot off of the brake and began to make a left turn onto desired street. The consumer tried to apply a bit of gas and nothing happened. The consumer tried to apply a bit more gas and again nothing happened. The third time the consumer added a bit more gas and the vehicle accelerated too fast causing the driver's and passenger's heads to tip back. This was a narrow main street in a main village. There were lots of possible targets, cars/ kids bikes, and others. Then there was the unanticipated down shifting for braking effect that tipped heads forward, but that was another story for another day, and not quite as annoying or nearly of the same concern. The dealer's service manager first asserted that there were no adjustments accessible for the mechanics. Inability to do something. After applying more gas and vehicle hesitation consumer searched for a technical service bulletin (TSB) and found none. But found one from June 3, 2005 that related to recalibrating of the transmission. Absolutely no mention of expressions of concern or earlier tsbs.