general problems of the 2015 Toyota Highlander - part 2

The dash readout for mph began showing very erratic nmbers. Going from 24. 4 mpg to 29. 7 mpg and down to 13. 1 mpg all in a span of about 4 miles. This mpg of 24. 4 was for the prior 3000 miles. The dealer could not replicate this happening. They also said that Toyota had no bulletins for this matter either. I contacted Toyota and they said that I must have accidentally reset the unit and by doing so it was not unusual for these large swings in mpg. This was not the case. I had over 100 miles on since my last fill up and until this happening the mpg number was quite steady. The only that I indeed may have done this was that last fill up because that is the only time that I ever do a reset and I did not do it at that time. Previously I had seen some strange swings in mpg but not as large of a swing and not lasting for as long of time and those instances the reading did self correct.

This Highlander has a power liftgate. If a child or adult gets in the way of the liftgate when it is lowering, the child or adult can be seriously injured, crushed or killed because the liftgate has no easy reversing feature. It does reverse when it hits an object but the force required to make it reverse is too great and will hurt or kill a human who gets in the way. People often reach in the trunk to fetch something after the operator decides to close the trunk. If this happens with the power closer, the operator must know the exact location of the stop control either by feel or by sight to stop the operation of the liftgate in order to prevent injury. This is asking too much of the operator. The lift gate should be designed to reverse or stop immediately just like the safety features on automatic garage door closers. This is a serious safety defect and needs to be addressed immediately before some gets hurt or killed. I have already pointed this out to Toyota and the file number is #1502173715.

The transmission has a flutter when trying to shift up or down to different gears. It causes a hesitancy in the performance of the vehicle. It has been documented by the caldwell Toyota dealership in conway, ar USA and I have also been told that it is in other Highlanders. I request a recall to have this fixed. Thank you.

April 24, 2015 dr. Bern c. Spaulding 200 beechwood circle manchester, tennessee 37355 931-728-3063 bcspauldung@charter. Net to an appropriate representative of the national highway traffic safety administration: in November 2014, I purchased a Toyota Highlander limited model id# 5tdykrth2fs055814:. During freezing weather this winter I discovered a dangerous design fault relating to the vehicle. Much of the windshield wipers can be entrapped and imbedded in ice, and the defroster does not melt ice in that area. The wipers are incapacitated. The defroster clears the windshield but does nothing to free the wipers from ice. That was the case for me during four days of freezing weather. There is an auxiliary function in the vehicle that addresses the windshield wipers. But that only “bumps” the ice, it does nothing to melt the ice. Appreciative of your appropriately addressing this issue. Ben c. Spaulding.