Body problems of the 2010 Toyota Highlander

2010 Toyota Highlander caught on fire while parked in garage of residence, destroying the Highlander and the car parked adjacent to it, along with most of the house. Prior to the fire, there were no issues with the vehicle. The Highlander was stationary, with the ignition off and parked in the garage. A subsequent investigation including inspecting burn patterns and thermal damage indicated the fire originated at the front of the Toyota Highlander on the driver's side where the fuse panel, battery and starter/solenoid were located. All three sources of ignition remain energized with the ignition off. The upper portion of the plastic housing on the fuse panel and battery had melted exposing the receivers for the fuses and plates inside the battery. The ends of the receivers had alloying on the receivers, but no failures were noted on fuse panel or battery. Extreme thermal damage was observed on the connector end of the solenoid where most of the facing had melted or was consumed. Lines of demarcation from extreme heat was observed on the remaining section of the solenoid facing. The cable connecting the battery to the solenoid was not connected to the solenoid due to the extreme damaged to the solenoid. The terminal connector on the cable sustained arcing and/or melting of the metal terminal. The conclusions were that the fire was caused by a failed solenoid attached to the starter on the 2010 Toyota Highlander. Lab analysis of the starter/solenoid revealed failure at the connection end of the solenoid with beading and arcing on contacts inside the solenoid.

Faulty rear door ajar sensor reports rear door open intermittently while door is closed causing interior lights, warning lights, and chimes. Started with only turns, acceleration, deceleration, but rapidly deteriorated to near constant failure, particularly in warm weather. Initially started near 2 years ago (25k miles), but was only mildly irritating. Now vehicle cannot be locked with this condition.

Power lift hatchback door not cosed all the way. Very dangerous.

In late 2012, Toyota issued a TSB related to the rear power lift gate. Instructions were to replace the hinges, motor unit, etc. . . If evidence of failure. Limitations were 3 yr 36,000 mile warranty. Explanations from the dealer were that the hinges for the back hatch were under manufactured for the weight of the door causing them to twist/warp and pull away from the door and/or frame. This also created undue stress on the motor assembly unit often times leading to failure. I had service performed in early 2013 as recommended by the TSB. I am currently experiencing the identical issues as stated above but worse. The door no longer operates by using the power lift feature on the key fob. The door is again warped causing the grinding and clicking noises when you open it manually. The motor has failed and I am afraid my actual door is warped. I have spoken to my dealer and have been told that the work was completed and that there was nothing else they could do for me. This in spite of the fact that the repairs have been proven to be less than effective. I do not feel this is a car mileage issue. It is simply a manufacturing error that has yet to be resolved. Toyota failed to issue a recall on this problem. After researching my problem I have found that there have been very large class action law suits related to this very issue. Many times these doors are not closing at all creating a potentially very dangerous safety issue.

When the service manager from copeland Toyota in brockton, MA and I looked at the trunk hinges together it was clear that the trunk not closing was a direct result of the way that the Highlander was manufactured versus due to any fault of our own. This issue has left my children and I with a drained battery on more than one occasion, which is not only inconvenient but a safety issue given the risks involved with being stranded in unfamiliar towns. The malfunction and inoperability of our trunk door leaves my family at risk of danger. However, I was quoted $3,600 to repair this issue by a third party body shop that copeland Toyota uses. However, the repair expenses should not be paid by my family but rather Toyota since the issue is a direct result of faulty manufacturing. To this point, I recognize that I am not alone, there are several videos and endless complaints of several Toyota Highlanders with the same issue (newer models as well). . Read more...

Accident occurred in southbound lane of I-95 at the dillon, SC exit on 6/14/14. Northbound trailer lost a tire/rim due to mechanical failure and it crossed the medium and impacted our vehicle blowing three (3) airbags. This model and year did not initially have takata airbags installed during production. It is unknown, to date, whether the replacement air bags installed by griffin Toyota at rockingham, nc where manufactured by takata and pose a danger to occupants if activated. The takata airbag problem did not get public attention until the October & November, 2014, timeframe. I contacted griffin Toyota stating my concern in January, 2015 and was told that there was a possibility the replacement were manufactured by takata and could be defective. I have subsequently contacted Toyota customer service and reported same (given case number 1503161212) and them referred me to the local Toyota dealership (charles barker Toyota in virginia beach, va). This dealership continues to "struggle" to get the information from the Toyota headquarters in CA to determine whether the airbags should be replaced (that is, if takata replacements were installed after the wreck) to ensure the occupants safety. Please investigate to determine what potentially defective airbags (manufactured by takata) were installed in the June-July 2014 timeframe.

The drivers sun visor has 2 stop points. One is supposed to be fully upright in the recess of the head liner. The stop point has moved so that the upper most point the visor will go is about 10% below level and right in the line of sight of the driver. This causes an unsafe condition in that the driver can not see the road or stop lights. I have run a red light because I can not see it. I have looked on all the websites and this is a common problem for Toyota. Not only on the Highlander but on several other models. There needs to be a recall for what ever is causing that stop point to "droop". The visor can not be taken apart and Toyota wants $200 ti replace the thing. It is a rip off as they know the part is defective.

While driving on the interstate at 70 mph, a deer hit my car. Airbags did not deploy, damaged front end, minor damage to the bumper, major damage to engine compartment and windshield was cracked why did the airbag not deploy our major oncern concern that will the airbag work after repairs??.

2010 Highlander 4wd: system check panel indicating the rear door is open, when it's not. Sometimes the indicator only chimes (& overhead light blinks) when we take a left or right turn. Sometimes it chimes continuously as soon as we get the car into gear. The back door is most definitely closed each time; the back door indicator is malfunctioning.