Electrical System Problems of Toyota Highlander Hybrid - part 2

Car was driven from home location at approximately 3 pm on February 4, 2015. After a quarter of a mile an audible warning sounded and the car began to slow. A flashing warning to the effect of "hybrid system failure, stop car immediately" appeared on the instrument panel. Car continued to slow to about 1 mph. Pulled car to side of road and turned it off. Consulted owners manual which suggested trying to restart the car. Restarted. The same warning reappeared. Tried one more cycle with no success. Towed to dealer next day. They were not able to replicate condition. This unexpected condition has grave safety implications. Consider driving at highway speed in dense traffic and having the vehicle effectively shut off.

See all problems of the 2014 Toyota Highlander Hybrid 🔎.

The battery is in new condition. While I was making a call in my car for 20 minutes, the whole system shutdown, the 12v battery had to be jumped and recharged. Concerned this could happen while driving etc.

See all problems of the 2008 Toyota Highlander Hybrid 🔎.

Rheostat on vehicle hvac control panel n longer controls temperature setting. . . Vehicle will usually start at setting - respond to desired heat or a/c - cut-out to a neutral (cabin or outside depending on vent setting) temperature. Hitting a road surface bump or sharply turning on a curve will re-actuate the rheostat setting until the next erratic interruption begins.

See all problems of the 2007 Toyota Highlander Hybrid 🔎.

While decelerating to turn into our drive way the vehicle rapidly accelerated. We were able to get it stopped by using the brakes, ending up in the yard/sidewalk. There were approximately 10 feet of skid marks. The engine was racing while the brakes were being applied. The floor mat was not involved. The increased engine rpm was not initiated nor controllable by the operator. This was truly an uncontrolled run away that could have been life threatening.

See all problems of the 2006 Toyota Highlander Hybrid 🔎.

I was driving down the road and lost power of my vehicle. Toyota dealership said it was my #6 coil but I have a feeling it was the inverter with everything that happened to it. I googled it and everything that happened was exactly what happeneds when the inverter goes on the vehicle. I don't really trust them.

As I pulled out of the parking lot of a hotel the check vcs system, check hybrid system, check awd system warnings began to illuminate and alternate. The master warning light, slip indicator light, check engine warning light and the electronically controlled brake system warning light were all illuminated as well. The car would drive, however, the power steering and abs were not working. I was able to drive the car to the closest Toyota dealership. I was originally told that the car simply needed a new battery. Once the battery was replaced, I was told that the ecu for the abs system had died and would need to be replaced at the cost of $2000. When I mentioned the recall and the fact that the symptoms were directly in line with the recall notice for the imp I was told that while my VIN fell under the boj recall, the specific serial # of my imp did not. I was also told that this was not the problem my car was having. When I asked whether the serial numbers of the d1m recall were checked I was told this was an "interim recall" and that they were not authorized to do repairs on this one yet so they couldn't check. Research has indicated that an imp failure can cause and ecu failure. Furthermore, an ecu failure would not have caused the system to go into fail safe mode as it did. I have a Toyota case #, but they have told me there is nothing they can do.

My wife was backing out of our driveway when the car suddenly lost power to the wheels and all of the warning lights came on. She was unable to move the car forward or backward to get the car out of the lane of traffic. We got the car towed to the local Toyota dealership. They informed us that the inverter was bad and we needed a new one. We had received a recall notice about replacing an "intelligent power module" and had the repairs done Jan 9th 2013. The repair shop has said that the replaced part is working and that it is the inverter itself that has gone bad. I have seen many other complaints about this problem online. I am just thankful that she wasn't going highway speed with our child in the car when she lost power. That could have been very dangerous.

I accelerated from a stop sign to 45 mph. Just as I reached speed I heard a pop come from the forward engine bay and got all different warning lights in the display. Luckily the vehicle continued to roll and I was able to get out of immediate danger. The light said check brake system, check hybrid system, and check svs. I got vehicle towed to a Toyota dealership were it took them 3 days to tell me it was the hybrid inverter which costs around $8500. After some research I found there are many other people out there having the same issue, so I called Toyota corporate and filed a complaint.

The driver's door power window switch is defective and dangerous. The driver window will surprise by rolling itself down at any time. Also, white smoke has come out of it once. It's happened overnight lately, at first I was surprised, I couldnt rememeber leaving the window down. So I put a piece of scotch tape at the top of the window joinging the door frame as proof I left the window up. . The tape proved itself 5 times so far. Toyota has recalled 7. 4 million other vehicles for this exact same problem, they insist that the issue isnt covered by recall for my vehicle. I dont understand this since the vehicle's behavior exactly fits the description of the recall. I called Toyota at 18003314331, spoke at length with daniel vendez for issue number 1408141983. They have no reason or explanation that makes any sense to me. Please advise.

I was driving with my family on board on 680-s between walnut creek and san ramon. I was going around 65-70 mph in the fast lane when there was a loud pop sound from the front and all the power from engine died down. I had to switch lanes with the emergency lights on as the speed kept decreasing with no acceleration. This was on a busy freeway with high speeds. We were lucky to pull over without being hit. I pulled off to the shoulder and tried to accelerate but could only go another 10 feet to a safer location. I had to get my vehicle towed to the dealership. There was no service available until today. I got a phone call from the dealership telling me that the inverter is the cause of this and will cost over $8,000 to replace. They also told me that even though there is a recall for the inverters of the 2006 and some 2007 Highlander Hybrids, mine was not on the list. I purchased my 2007 highlander in October 2006. I think the recall should extend to all 2007 highlanders as there is a growing number of these cars having the same issues this year as well as previous years.

While at the Toyota dealer for service, the dealer took the car for a test drive prior to the service and upon returning to the dealer lot the car died - no power. Dealer diagnosed as a bad inverter, ballpark repair cost is $9500. Besides being a serious safety issue, I cannot understand how a modern car can contain a critical component that costs $10k to replace that has no maintenance in the maintenance schedule or other diagnostics to alert the driver of pending catastrophic failure that may strand them in an extremely unsafe location (I. E. Middle of the freeway). I hope that NHTSA investigates the 2008 Highlander Hybrid inverter failures documented on this site and Toyota is held accountable for this serious safety hazard and extremely costly defect.

We were accelerating under full power onto us 101 on the northbound onramp from CA 41 when the vehicle lost all power, power steering and air conditioning. Oncoming traffic was able to steer around us to avoid collision and we were able to steer to the side of the highway and roll to a stop on the next off ramp. Warning indicators hybrid system, brakes, stability control, and return to Toyota dealer. Towed to dealer. Dealer determined with Toyota technical assistance that inverter assembly (g92a0-48100) failed and needed replacement. Vehicle is out of warranty due to milage. We were charged $8244. 77 for a new inverter assembly plus installation. We were lucky to avoid an accident. This kind of failure is dangerous.

I was driving on i15 near lake elsinore on the way home from a trip and the car lost power on the freeway in rush hour and big rig traffic. We were lucky to roll off to the right and escape death by a 40 wheeler crash. The car was towed to Toyota carlsbad where all maintenance was performed per schedule since the car was purchased. The last service was at 108,800 on June 23, 2013. The cost of the repair is $8200 for the part plus labor. Toyota would only offer to pay 1/2 of the inverter cost but the car was not worth putting that kind of money into and I was forced to buy a new car. Toyota corporate has my case and they are terrible. They are offering $1000 "good will" and $500 for the towing. This is a highly danger defect and there should be government action against Toyota.

We had just passed through a tollbooth on a freeway and were accelerating to merge with traffic when the car shuddered and slowed and steering became difficult. A number of warning lights came on telling us to stop driving the car immediately and to call the dealership. There were three warning lights which were something like: 'check hybrid system', 'check brakes' and 'check vsc'. We were close to the median and were luckily able to pull off into it and turned off the car. When we turned it back on the car would not move forward or backward and we had to have it towed home. We have since had it towed to the Toyota dealership and they have told us that we need a new inverter battery. We understand that Toyota has had problems with this part in the past for the 2006 and 2007 Toyota highlanders and wanted to report the problem because ours is a 2008 Toyota highlander.

Vehicle was traveling out of state when it suddenly stalled and loss all power. Fortunately was able to pull into a rest stop which was 100 miles from my home. Had the vehicle towed to Toyota dealership in hattiesburg, ms and they stated the problem was with the inverter and it would cost approx. $8000 to fix. Toyota has had a recall on the exact same inverter for model years 2006 and 2007. I contacted Toyota headquarters and they stated that the recall does not apply to my VIN number although in reading complaints by others online, my vehicle and description of the problem and diagnosis by the dealer all fit. Toyota knew it had a problem with the inverter system and I was never alerted to a potential problem with the system as I was not the original owner. I am lucky that my child was not in the vehicle at the time and also lucky that I was not involved in a crash as a result of this problem. They refuse to address my concerns or pay for the repairs for this defective system which they knew was defective when I purchased the vehicle.

While accelerating from a stoplight and driving in a 45mph zone, our 2007 Highlander Hybrid began to accelerate on its own. The engine revved as if someone were flooring the gas pedal. Neither my husband nor I knew what was happening. Then we heard a loud thud sound from the back seat and we lost power steering, power brakes, and we started to decelerate. Traffic was averaging 45-50mph around us. Thankfully, my husband was able to safely coast us into the right lane, then into a parking lot, and then into a parking spot. After that we were not able to start the vehicle and we had multiple error messages flash across the instrument panel: "check hybrid system" & "check vehicle stability". We were told by Toyota that our error codes indicated that the inverter "blew up" & needs replacement. They did not mention anything about the recall which I found while researching. We are 13 VIN numbers after the recall for this same issue. We were told the part costs $10,000 before taxes & installation. Toyota won't honor the earlier recall and so I've towed the vehicle home. :(.

My wife and daughter were driving on a busy highway when they heard a "pop" noise from the engine. The car stalled on the road. By the grace of god, they were able to drift to the side and did not have an accident. Next day, the dealer informed that the issue was with the hybrid system - the inversion part. The cost for repair would be $11,000! we live about an hour from our workplaces and thus put a good many miles on our car - the 125,000 miles on the car put the drivetrain out of warranty. We have had all recall services performed at the dealer, and kept regular maintenance. Not once were we advised by Toyota that the hybrid system was showing wear and may be in need of service. There was no indication (warning lights, etc. ,) that the hybrid system needed attention - no fore warning at all prior to the incident. In doing research, we really got upset to find Toyota had recalled 06 and 07 models for the very same hybrid issue. We also noticed there are many people with complaints on the same issue in various online forums. To cap it off -- after the dealer told us the repair bill is $11,000, we were advised to discuss with a Toyota case manager. We did and their offer? $1,500 toward a new Toyota purchase. We were highly frustrated by this response. We feel they are well aware of the problem and should provide better warnings to users and better resolutions to the problem - and recall all effected hybrids!.

Nhtsa action number : pe11005 exact same situation. This issue kills the car immediately with no time to prepare. I was very lucky as I was just entering onto the freeway. I drifted over to the right median. If I was in the middle or far left lane this would have been a major safety concern. There are more highlanders hybrids in my VIN range that are coming of age and should have these defective inverter assembly parts replaced ASAP.

Driving my beloved 2007 Highlander Hybrid (hh) home from work, I was on the freeway in the slow lane and heard a loud "pop" sound. I immediately saw numerous warning messages flash on the dashboard - "check hybrid system", "check vcs system", and "check power steering. " thankfully my car did not stop immediately on the freeway as others have but I was able to get off the freeway and to my trusted mechanic before the system completely failed. According to the dealership that now has my car, the inverter has failed but this VIN number was not in the Toyota recall of 2006/2007 hh cars. I have 146,000 miles and this part should not have failed. Though I purchased the car used just 2 years ago, I have maintained it exactly as directed and the carfax on the car showed that the previous owner had all of the required maintenance done at a dealership using the Toyota maintenance schedule. Though the full extent of the damage will not be determined until after the inverter is replaced (it is believed that the power steering went out at the same time and there is the potential for other damage as well), the inverter issue on these vehicles continue to place people in very dangerous situations. I feel very fortunate that I was not in one of the fast lanes and that the car didn't stop working; I was fortunate to get off the freeway and to a safe location. I know that the nhtsb had a hand in the 2011 recall of the 2006/2007 hh vehicles and I believe that there are still vehicles on the road that were not included in the recall that probably should have been (mine included. ) please continue to monitor this situation and hold Toyota accountable for the poor design/manufacturing of their hybrid technology.

Vehicle died while goiung down street. Had to be pushed out of roadway.

The contact owns a 2008 Toyota Highlander Hybrid. The contact stated that while traveling approximately 20 mph, the vehicle suddenly stalled. The vehicle was towed a dealer where it was found the electrical inverter had failed. The vehicle was being repaired. The manufacturer was contacted about the failure. The failure mileage was 150,000.

Highlander hybrid lost complete power while traveling on highway at 65mph. Vehicle was towed to dealer and diagnosed as failure of the power inverter. Estimated cost to repair quoted as $9,140.

The hybrid abruptly stalled while driving, light and alarms all around. Dealer states its the power inverter, he mentioned it was a recall, but not covering my car. The symptoms are identical.

I was exiting a parking lot onto the street. I suddenly lost power while I was waiting to merge into traffic. My car was in drive but I had my foot on the break when my car went dead. There were warnings flashing at me from my dashboard. I put my car in park. Turned off the engine and restarted my car but the same thing happened plus I began to roll backwards do to the slight incline in the parking lot exit. I quickly put my car in park again, turned on my hazard lights, and waived the cars behind me to go around. I was able to put my car in reverse and back it up to a safe area in the parking lot. I called the Toyota dealership in charlotte where I purchased the car at and continued having it serviced. They told me to have it towed to the nearest dealership immediately. I called the service department at team Toyota mall of GA to let them know I was bringing it in. After their mechanic determined it was the faulty inverter in the transmission, I was told it would cost me $8,000 to fix it. I still owed $15,000 on the car. I found out about the recall on 2006-2007 Highlander Hybrids for the same faulty inverter. The dealership said my car was ineligible for the recall since the VIN was not listed. I called Toyota as advised and opened a case number. I received the worst customer service and constant run around from Toyota. They offered to give me $1,000 towards the repairs or $2,500 for a new or Toyota certified used vehicle. I'm still waiting to find out why my car wasn't included on the list though it met the criteria. I am truly shocked by the dismissive attitude I'm currently getting from Toyota as if they didn't know about the faulty inverter. My car broke down on my way home to north carolina. Now I'm trapped in georgia with no way of getting home to my husband and children. I'm still waiting on Toyota's decision about my case, in GA.

Tl-the contact owns a 2006 Toyota Highlander Hybrid. The contact stated the inverter/converter hybrid system shuts down while the vehicle was being driven. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who inspected the vehicle and stated the inverter/converter needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified who stated they will contact him within the next couple of days. The mileage was 146,000. Mw.

The car completely shut off when driving, without any warning! luckily, the driver was not rear- ended!! the car was towed to Toyota where we were told that the inverter needs to be replaced for $9000! the car is in otherwise great shape and has been serviced at Toyota regularly . The last check up was last month at 118,000 miles! this is exactly the same problem reported for the 2006 Toyota Highlander Hybrid, which was recalled.

My 17-year-old daughter was driving on I-5 in northern California. She had cruise control set at 70mph and was traveling up hill when cruise control suddenly popped off and car went dead. She had no power, and power steering went out. She managed to coast to the crest of the hill and down the other side to pull off the road, but was in a very dangerous situation near truck weigh station with big rigs pulling on and off highway. Car had to be towed to dealership. We were informed that hybrid inverter was dead and would cost $8,000. 00+ to repair. Contacted corporate and was informed that since the car was out of warranty they would offer no assistance in repair costs. Have since heard other similar stories regarding 2006 Toyota hybrids.

My wife went to move the car and backed it up where it died. Car started rolling back the drive and stopped half on half off the drop off of our driveway. She had no steering and no brakes. I checked out the car and it said hybrid error call dealer. The car would not run. I had it towed to dealer and he called me to tell us the power inverter needs to replaced at the cost of 8,600. 00. I understand Toyota had a problem with their 06 - 07 highlanders for the same issue. Nothing on a car should cost $8,600 to fix without being in a major car accident. We should have been told up front how much this would cost to fix in the event of failure. Luckily she wasn't on a highway when this happened.

After making a left turn at a stop sign, the vehicle display started indicating error codes including check hybrid system. After driving approx 1/2 mile, the vehicle lost power and shut down/stalled in the middle of the highway in traffic. Fortunate, I received some help from an on-looker to help me manually steer the car over slightly on to the sidewalk area as traffic is congested in that area. Toyota does not consider this a safety issue even though their recall notice indicates "increasing the risk of a crash". Additionally, they will not honor their recall notice for the hybrid system inverter stating the intelligent power module located on the inverter was not the cause of the failure even though the conditions were exactly what is stated on the recall notice.

Depressed accelerator after being stopped at traffic light. Car jerked forward, stopped and would not restart. Warning messages for the hybrid system (message was 'stop immediately and notify dealer'), brake system and 4 wheel drive. Car was towed to dealer who determined it was failure of hybrid inverter requiring complete replacement. I'm concerned because this sound similar to issues reported for 2006 and 2007 highlander models.

See all problems of the 2009 Toyota Highlander Hybrid 🔎.

The contact owns a 2006 Toyota Highlander Hybrid. The contact stated that while driving approximately 55 mph, the vehicle stalled without any warnings. The vehicle was towed to the dealer who diagnosed that the inverter needed to be replaced. There was a recall under NHTSA campaign id number: 11v342000 (electrical system) that may be related to the failure. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure who did not offer any assistance since the VIN was not included in the recall. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 80,000.

The contact owns a 2006 Toyota Highlander Hybrid. The contact stated that while attempting to reverse from a residential drive way, the vehicle exhibited a loud popping noise and all of the warning lamps illuminated. The contact mentioned that immediately after the failure occurred, the vehicle stalled. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who diagnosed that the inverter and electronic control unit was defective and needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure who did not offer any assistance since the vehicle was not included in NHTSA campaign id number: 11v342000 (electrical system). The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and current mileage was 113,000.

While decelerating on an off-ramp, the vehicle began to vibrate and then stalled. I waited for a tow to the Toyota dealership and was informed about the inverter being bad about 5 days later.

While driving vehicle had a loud pop sound occurred while driving 40/mph. Within 2 seconds vehicle slowed to about 5/mph allowing just enough time to get to the bike lane before coming to a complete stop. No vehicles were on same side of road allowed to jump to bike lane. Toyota of kearny mesa (san diego, CA) ran diagnostic on vehicle to determine that the hybrid inverter dead�. At this time they are still attempting to fix the vehicle.

I was driving to queens NY and suddenly after paying hte tolls at the queens midtown tunnel the vehicle suddenly stalled . It was towede to queensboro Toyota where it was diagnosed as the power inverter had died and cost $8504. 50 to have it replaced .