2002 Toyota Highlander

FROM A STOPPED POSITION ON A SIDE STREET, I PRESSED THE ACCELERATOR TO PULL ONTO A MAIN STREET. BECAUSE TRAFFIC ON THE MAIN STREET MOVES RATHER FAST, I ACCELERATED SOMEWHAT ABOVE NORMAL, BUT IN NO WAY EXCESSIVE. AFTER GETTING INTO MY LANE, I BACKED OFF THE ACCELERATOR, BUT THE ENGINE ACTED AS IF I WAS FLOORING IT AND THE CAR CONTINUED ACCELERATING. IT WAS SCARY. I PUSHED HARD ON THE BREAK. THE CAR STILL ACCELERATED. I STEPPED ON THE HAND BRAKE. IT CONTINUED TO ACCELERATE. FINALLY, I TOOK THE CAR OUT OF DRIVE AND INTO NEUTRAL. THE ENGINE CONTINUED TO SCREAM, BUT I WAS ABLE TO STOP AT THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. AT SOME POINT THE ENGINE DID COME DOWN TO NORMAL IDLE, BUT I WAS SO SHAKEN, I REALLY DON'T KNOW WHEN THAT HAPPENED. FORTUNATELY NO ONE WAS AHEAD OF ME, THE ROAD IS STRAIGHT AND LEVEL, ETC. ASIDE FROM SHATTERED NERVES, THERE WAS NO HARM DONE. BUT I CAN IMAGINE ALL KINDS OF HORRIBLE OUTCOMES HAD CONDITIONS BEEN DIFFERENT. THE CAR ACTED AS IF THE ACCELERATOR STUCK ALL THE WAY DOWN, HOWEVER I KNOW I DIDN'T PRESS IT DOWN THAT FAR. LATER MY HUSBAND DROVE THE CAR HOME FROM WHERE I STOPPED IT. WITH THE CAR OFF, MY HUSBAND INSPECTED THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL PRESSING IT WITH HIS HAND AND LETTING IT BACK UP. THERE IS A POINT ABOUT HALF WAY BACK UP WHERE THE MECHANISM IS NOT SMOOTH. THE PEDAL COMES ALL THE WAY BACK UP, BUT SOMETHING INSIDE CATCHES AND CAUSES LOTS OF GAS TO FLOW INTO THE ENGINE. AT LEAST ONE TIME HE WAS ABLE TO REPRODUCE THE PROBLEM WITH THE CAR IN PARK. I AM AFRAID TO EVER DRIVE IT AGAIN. THIS TIME I WAS LUCKY, BUT I SHUTTER TO THINK. IF SOMEONE HAD BEEN IN ONE OF THE CROSSWALKS. IF I HAD BEEN APPROACHING A RED LIGHT. WHEN MIGHT THIS HAPPEN AGAIN? *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING AT SPEEDS OF 70 MPH, THE VEHICLE ABNORMALLY ACCELERATED. THIS WAS THE THIRD INCIDENT OF UNINTENDED ACCELERATION IN THE VEHICLE. ON THE FIRST INCIDENT, THE CONTACT WAS ABLE TO STOP THE VEHICLE BY APPLYING CONSTANT, STEADY PRESSURE TO THE BRAKE PEDAL. ON THE SECOND INCIDENT, THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL BECAME STUCK IN THE OPEN THROTTLE POSITION AND HE WAS ABLE TO MANUALLY REMOVE THE PEDAL FROM THE STUCK POSITION. THE DEALER WAS UNABLE TO DUPLICATE THE FAILURE AND THERE WERE NO REPAIRS MADE TO THE VEHICLE. THE MANUFACTURER ADVISED THE VEHICLE WAS NOT UNDER RECALL AND WOULD NOT PROVIDE ANY ASSISTANCE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 114,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 114,532.

SOMETIME IN 2006, MY 2002 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER EXPERIENCED UNINTENDED ACCELERATION. I WAS STANDING ON THE BRAKE TO MAKE THE CAR STOP AND IT WOULDN'T. I PULLED INTO A PARKING LOT THROUGH THE CAR INTO NEUTRAL, HIT THE BRAKE, THEN THROUGH IT INTO PARK WHILE IT WAS STILL MOVING. I CALLED JIFFY LUBE WHO JUST HAD PERFORMED AN OIL CHANGE. THEY SENT A TECHNICIAN OVER TO LOOK AT IT. WHEN I STARTED THE CAR FOR THE TECH THE ENGINE CONTINUED TO RACE. WE BOTH LOOKED TO SEE IF THERE WAS SOMETHING STUCK UNDER THE ACCELERATOR. THERE WAS NOT. WE BOTH PULLED UP ON THE ACCELERATOR AND IT DID NOT APPEAR TO BE STUCK. THE TECH COULDN'T EXPLAIN IT. I CAN'T RECALL IF I HAD THE CAR TOWED TO TOYOTA OR IF THE PROBLEM STOPPED SUDDENLY AND I DROVE MYSELF. TOYOTA IS ONE MILE FROM WHERE THE INCIDENT OCCURRED. TOYOTA TOLD ME THEY COULDN'T REPLICATE THE PROBLEM AND ASSURED ME THAT IT WOULDN'T HAPPEN AGAIN. I DROVE HIM WITHOUT INCIDENT UNTIL I PULLED IN MY DRIVEWAY, THE CAR ACCELERATED AND I AGAIN HAD TO THROW THE CAR INTO PARK WHILE MOVING. THE CAR WAS THEN TOWED TO TOYOTA AND WE WERE TOLD THE PROBLEM WAS "FIXED" AND GIVEN SOME EXCUSE THAT DIDN'T MAKE SENSE. IT NEVER HAPPENED AGAIN AND WE TRADED THE CAR FOR A NEW ONE IN 2008. THE DEALERSHIP WAS BOB ROHRMAN TOYOTA IN WESTMONT, IL. I THINK THE RECALL NEEDS TO GO BACK FURTHER TO INCLUDE 2002 VEHICLES. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER. THE DRIVER STATED THAT THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY ACCELERATED AND CRASHED INTO A WALL OF HIS GARAGE WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 5 MPH. THERE WERE NO INJURIES. A POLICE REPORT WAS NOT FILED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALERSHIP WHO WAS UNABLE TO DIAGNOSE THE FAILURE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 48,690. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 38,000.

I PULLED INTO MY GARAGE DURING EARLY AFTERNOON AND CAME TO THE USUAL STOP FACING THE WALL. MY FOOT WAS STILL ON THE BRAKE AND I HAD NOT YET PUT THE CAR INTO PARK. SUDDENLY THE CAR LURCHED FORWARD AND HIT THE WALL WITH GREAT ENOUGH FORCE TO DEPLOY THE AIR BAG. THE BAG FRACTURED MY STERNUM IN TWO PLACES. AT THE TIME I WAS NOT AWARE OF THE PREVALENCE OF UNINTENDED ACCELERATION PROBLEMS AND DID NOT REPORT IT. THERE HAVE BEEN NO EPISODES SINCE. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER. THE CONTACT WAS DRIVING 5 MPH INTO A PARKING GARAGE WHEN SUDDENLY, THE VEHICLE ACCELERATED. SHE ATTEMPTED TO ENGAGE THE BRAKE PEDAL TO STOP THE VEHICLE AND CRASHED INTO A TREE. THE CONTACT NOTIFIED THE INSURANCE COMPANY AND THEY COVERED THE REPAIR COST. THE CONTACT WAS SORE AFTER THE CRASH OCCURRED DUE TO MINOR INJURIES. THREE WEEKS AGO WHILE PARKING THE VEHICLE IT SURGED FORWARD AND HIT ANOTHER VEHICLE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED AND STATED THAT THEY WOULD SEND SOMEONE TO INSPECT THE VEHICLE AND IF THERE WAS SOMETHING WRONG WITH THE VEHICLE THEY WOULD REIMBURSE HER IN 35 DAYS. THE CONTACT IS CONCERNED ABOUT THE SAFETY RISK AND CHOSE TO RENT A VEHICLE TO DRIVE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 62,000. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 75,000.

2002 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER ACCELERATOR STICKING IN THE FULL DOWN POSITION WHEN PASSING ANOTHER VEHICLE. FIRST HAPPENED SUMMER OF 2008. SECOND TIME THIS HAPPENED AUGUST 13, 2009. PUT ON FULL BRAKE AND TURNED IGNITION KEY OFF. AFTER VEHICLE STOPPED, ABOUT 5-10 SECONDS, PEDAL RELEASED. SERVICE APPOINTMENT WITH DEALERSHIP AUGUST 18, 2009 TO CORRECT PROBLEM. DEALERSHIP COULD NOT FIND ANYTHING WRONG WITH VEHICLE. SAID IT WAS THE FLOOR MAT THAT MADE THE ACCELERATOR STICK IN THE OPEN POSITION. DON'T THINK TOYOTA INFORMED OF THIS COMPLAINT. SINCE TOYOTA RECALL HAS TAKEN PLACE, I WANTED TO GET MY VEHICLE BACK IN THE DEALERSHIP TO CORRECT MY PROBLEM. APPOINTMENT MADE 2/09/10 AT 10:30 WITH DEALERSHIP. DEALERSHIP CHECKED THROTTLE BODY AND THROTTLE CABLE. SAID ALL OKAY. DEALERSHIP CONTINUES TO TELL ME RUBBER MAT COULD CATCH PEDAL AND CAUSE PROBLEM. I DISAGREE WITH THIS DIAGNOSIS. I ASKED DEALERSHIP TO PLEASE INFORM TOYOTA ABOUT THIS PROBLEM IN MY MODEL SINCE THE RECALL IS ONLY CORRECTING 2010 MODELS. THE ONLY WAY I WILL TRY AND PASS ANOTHER VEHICLE NOW, ESPECIALLY ON MOUNTAIN ROADS, IS PLACE THE CAR IN SECOND GEAR AND ACCELERATE. I DON'T TRUST PLACING THE PEDAL DOWN TO FLOORBOARD. I OFFER THIS AS ADDITIONAL INFORMATION REGARDING THIS DANGEROUS PROBLEM. I HOPE TOYOTA WILL CORRECT THIS SITUATION IN "ALL" MODELS OF THEIR CARS. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER. WHILE STARTING THE VEHICLE HE HEARD A LOUD NOISE, AND THE RPMS RAPIDLY INCREASED FOR APPROXIMATELY 15 SECONDS BEFORE THE RPMS DECREASED. THE FAILURE OCCURRED ONE TIME AND DIDN'T RECUR WHEN THE CONTACT WAS DRIVING THE VEHICLE. THE DEALER STATED THAT THERE WERE NO RELATED RECALLS. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 23,000. THE CURRENT MILEAGE IS 23,500. UPDATED 03/12/10. *LJ UPDATED 07/12/10*JB