2001 Toyota Highlander

2001 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER PURCHASED NEW. ABOUT ONCE A YEAR IT ACCELERATES ON ITS OWN. REPORTED PROBLEM TO TOYOTA DEALER IN 2002 OR 2003 - HAVE RECEIPT. WE CAN STOP THE CAR WITH FIRM PRESSURE ON THE BRAKE. IN MOST CASES WHEN WE PUT THE TRANSMISSION INTO PARK THE ENGINE CONTINUED TO RACE AT HIGH RPM. I CAN'T REMEMBER ALL INCIDENTS, BUT BELIEVE THAT IN SOME CASES WAS ABLE TO SLOW THE ENGINE DOWN BY KEEPING MY FOOT ON THE BRAKE AND PUTTING THE CAR BACK INTO DRIVE. OTHER TIMES I TURNED OFF THE IGNITION. WHEN I RESTART THE CAR IT IS FINE. MOST RECENT OCCURRENCE WAS SUNDAY 4/18/2010 IN PARKING LOT OF A&P ON SOUTH AVENUE IN CLARK OR WESTFIELD, NJ. MY WIFE WAS IN THE CAR WITH ME. I HAD BEEN DRIVING THE CAR FOR ABOUT AN HOUR. THE LAST HALF HOUR WAS ON THE GARDEN STATE PARKWAY AT 55+ MILES PER HOUR. WAS OFF THE PARKWAY FOR LESS THAN 5 MINUTES WHEN I MADE LEFT TURN INTO A&P PARKING LOT AND ANOTHER LEFT IN THE PARKING LOT. DRIVING LESS THAN 15 MILES PER HOUR. THEN WAS ALMOST STOPPED AS I WAS ABOUT TO TURN LEFT INTO PARKING SPACE. NOTICED THE ENGINE RPM SEEMED A LITTLE HIGHER THAN NORMAL AND I BECAME MORE CAUTIOUS AND MADE SURE MY FOOT WAS FIRMLY ON THE BRAKE PEDAL. THE ENGINE RPM BEGAN TO INCREASE RAPIDLY. I PRESSED ON THE BRAKE PEDAL AS HARD AS POSSIBLE AND WAS ABLE TO KEEP THE CAR FROM MOVING FORWARD, BUT THE ENGINE WOULD NOT STOP RACING. I PUT THE TRANSMISSION IN PARK AND THE ENGINE CONTINUED TO RACE AT FULL THROTTLE. I TURNED OFF THE IGNITION AND THE ENGINE STOPPED. RESTARTED THE CAR AFTER A MINUTE AND IT WAS FINE. DON'T BELIEVE I WAS PRESSING ON THE GAS AT THE SAME TIME AS THE BRAKE BECAUSE THE TWO PEDALS ARE FAR ENOUGH APART THAT TO DO SO MY FOOT COULD ONLY BE HALFWAY ON THE BRAKE PEDAL. IN THAT CASE WHEN I PRESS HARD MY ANKLE STARTS TO TWIST. I AM SURE MY FOOT WAS CENTERED ON THE BRAKE IN THIS INCIDENT BECAUSE I HAD TIME TO PREPARE AND IT FELT FIRMLY IN THE CENTER. I DON'T THINK THE GAS PEDAL WAS STUCK BECAUSE I HAD BEEN DRIVING VERY SLOWLY IMMEDIATELY BEFORE THE INCIDENT. *TR

WHILE MY 2001 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER WAS IN OPERATION THE ENGINE BOLTS PULLED LOOSE CAUSING THE ENGINE TO SEIZE AND BE DESTROYED. THE CAR WAS STOPPED AT A LIGHT AT THE TIME AND HAD IT BEEN IN OPERATION ON THE FREEWAY COULD HAVE CAUSED A SERIOUS ACCIDENT. THE ENGINE IS DESTROYED AND A NEW ENGINE WOULD COST $7000. I BELIEVE THAT THERE HAVE BEEN NUMEROUS INCIDENTS INVOLVING ENGINE BOLTS ON TOYOTA CARS AND TRUCKS AND THAT TOYOTA HAS ALWAYS BLAMED OTHER THINGS AND NOT ADDRESSED WHETHER THE BOLTS ARE DEFECTIVE OR HAVE NOT BEEN INSTALLED PROPERLY. THERE ARE VARIOUS REFERENCES ON THE INTERNET OF CUSTOMERS HAVING PROBLEMS WITH THE ENGINE BOLTS ON TOYOTA VEHICLES..TOYOTA HAS NO EXPLANATION FOR WHAT HAPPENED TO MY CAR. I BELIEVE IT MAY BE THE INSTALLATION OF THE BOLTS OR THE QUALITY OF THEM. *TR

THIS IS NOT A SAFETY COMPLAINT. IT IS AN ATTEMPT TO GET TOYOTA MOTOR TO ADMIT A DEFECT IN MANY OF THEIR ENGINES. OIL AND COOLANT LEAKING FROM THE ENGINE OF MY 2001 HIGHLANDER. I WAS TOLD BY TOYOTA SERVICE THAT THEY FOUND 3 STRIPPED HEAD BOLTS WHICH CAUSE THE LEAK AND IT ENDED UP COSTING ME $3,500 TO REPAIR THE HEAD AND BLOCK. NO GUARANTEE THAT THE BOLTS WOULD NOT SKIP OUT AGAIN. I HAVE READ A GROWING NUMBER OF COMPLAINTS FROM TOYOTA OWNERS WHO HAVE FACED THE SAME PROBLEM AND TOYOTA REFUSES TO HELP OR ADMIT THAT THIS MAYBE A ENGINE FLAW. *TR

2.4 (4CYL) ENGINE MAKING NOISE, SOUNDS LIKE ROD KNOCKING. TOYOTA DEALER SAID SAME THING. ENGINE BLEW UP AT 45 MPH. OIL WAS ALWAYS CHANGED AT APPROXIMATELY 3000 MILES. USED ON HIGHWAYS AND CITY STREETS. CONTACTED TOYOTA CORPORATE AND THEY DIDN'T SEEM TO CARE. OUT OF WARRANTY. NEVER HEARD OF A TOYOTA ENGINE BLOWING A ROD. THIS HIGHLANDER WAS IN EX. COND. TO SOLD AS JUNK NEVER BUY ANOTHER TOYOTA AGAIN !!!!!! *TR

WE BOUGHT OUR HIGHLANDER JUST OVER A YEAR AGO AND WE HAVE TO CONSTANTLY PUT OIL INTO VEHICLE. IT ONLY HAS 80,000 ON IT, AND WE HAVE TO PUT ABOUT A LITER OF OIL INTO IT EVERY OTHER WEEK. THE MANUFACTURER OF OUR AREA CHECKED IT TWICE, AND DETERMINED THAT WE NEED ANOTHER ENGINE, BUT THE COST WAS AROUND $7000 IN CANADIAN THAT ENGINE WOULD COME FROM JAPAN, AND IT WOULD BE A USED ONE, AND WOULD ONLY WARRANTY THAT FOR 1 YEAR. THEN WHAT AM COMPLETELY DISGUSTED!! WE PLAN ON GETTING RID OF THIS THING AS FAST AS POSSIBLE AND WILL NEVER BUY ANOTHER TOYOTA AGAIN..DO YOURSELVES A FAVOR AND TELL PEOPLE ABOUT THIS SO NO ONE GOES THIS .*AK

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED, WHILE DRIVING 55 MPH A NOISE WAS HEARD COMING FROM THE ENGINE. THE VEHICLE WAS MANEUVERED OFF THE ROAD WHERE IT STALLED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER WHO DETERMINED THE ENGINE NEEDED TO BE REPLACED DUE TO SLUDGE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN INTO THE DEALER ONCE BEFORE FOR THIS PROBLEM AND THE ENGINE WAS CLEANED. THE MANUFACTURER HAS BEEN ALERTED.

PURCHASED THE VEHICLE USED AT ABOUT 42,000 MILES. IT BURNED OIL (1 QUART PER 1,000 MILES) FROM THE FIRST DAY I HAD IT. THE TOYOTA DEALERSHIP HAS BEEN MONITORING THE OIL EVERY 1,000 MILES FOR ABOUT 6 MONTHS AND AGREED IT HAS A PROBLEM BUT IT WILL COST ME $2,600 FOR THEM TO TEAR DOWN THE ENGINE TO SEE IF THEY CAN FIND OUT WHAT'S WRONG. THEY REPORT THERE IS "SLUDGE" IN THE ENGINE AND I SHOULD HAVE CHANGED THE OIL MORE OFTEN. THEY WON'T DETERMINE A PROBLEM OR DO ANYTHING ELSE FOR FREE EVEN THOUGH THEY SAY I DO HAVE A PROBLEM AND THEY KNOW THE WARRANTY IS UP IN ABOUT 2,500 MORE MILES WHICH SHOULD COVER THE ENGINE AND DRIVETRAIN. PLEASE HELP. *JB