2014 Toyota Highlander

THE POWER LIFT GATE ACTUATORS ONLY WORKED INTERMITTENTLY AND CAUSED US TO CLOSE/OPEN BY HAND. THIS OCCURRED WHILE PARKED. THIS EVENTUALLY LEAD TO A LEAK IN THE DRIVER SIDE ACTUATOR. A REVIEW OF THE NHTSA WEBSITE SHOWED THAT OF THE 54 COMPLAINTS LISTED 14 CONCERNED THE POWER LIFT GATES. THAT IS ABOUT 25%. I HAD TO HAVE THE DEALER REPLACE BOTH AND THEY SAID THERE WAS NOT A RECALL. THEY SUGGESTED I CALL TOYOTA DIRECTLY. TOYOTA REP SAID THEY COULD NOT REIMBURSE ME AFTER THE REPAIR WAS COMPLETE. NO SUGGESTION AS TO REPLACING MY CAR WHILE IT WAITED IN SHOP FOR ACTION FROM TOYOTA. HOWEVER TOYOTA DID PAY FOR HALF OF THE REPAIR ($1000) AND STATED THAT IF A RECALL OCCURRED AT A LATER DATE WE COULD REVISIT THE COST OF THE OTHER ACTUATOR. SINCE THERE ARE SO MANY COMPLAINTS RE THIS PROBLEM I HOPE THIS NOTIFICATION MIGHT LEAD TO OTHER DOCUMENTATION OF SIMILAR ISSUES AND MAYBE A RECALL. AT THIS TIME I WOULD ALSO LIKE TO ADD MY COMPLAINT RE THE RADIO/ENTUNE SYSTEM GOING BLACK AND THEN TURNING BACK ON, THIS SEEMS TO BE THE MOST FREQUENT COMPLAINT.

THE REAR TRUNK DOOR OF MY TOYOTA HIGHLANDER IS NOT FUNCTIONING AS EXPECTED. THE MOTORS THAT POWER THE ACTUATORS OF THE TRUNK DOOR ARE NOT WORKING AND WE HAVE TO MANUALLY OPEN AND CLOSE THE TRUNK DOOR. SOMETIMES WE DO NOT REALIZE IF THE TRUNK IS CLOSED OR NOT WHICH CREATES A SIGNIFICANT SAFETY CONCERN. TOYOTA WAS HAVING SIMILAR PROBLEMS IN THE 2008 TO 2013 HIGHLANDER MODELS BUT THE SAME ISSUE STILL PERSISTS IN THE 2014 MODELS ALSO. I TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALERSHIP AT IRVING, TX AND THEY ADVISED ME THAT THE MOTOR POWERING THE ACTUATORS WILL NEED TO BE REPLACED AND TOYOTA COVERS IT AS PART OF WARRANTY. SINCE THE VEHICLE'S FACTORY WARRANTY EXPIRED IN THIS YEAR THEY ADVISED ME THAT I WILL HAVE TO BEAR THE COST OF REPAIR AND PARTS.

WHILE DRIVING IN HOUSTON TX. USING THE NAV SYSTEM THE SCREEN WENT BLANK. IN HEAVY TRAFFIC DURING RUSH HOUR ABOUT 5 PM. I ACUTALLY MISSED MY TURN AND HAD TO PULL INTO A PARKING LOT. SHUT THE CAR OFF AND RE STARTED IT. SCREEN BLANKED OUT AGAIN WHILE PARKED. I HAD TO RESORT TO MY CELL PHONE. I"M NEW TO THE AREA. TOYOTA TELLS ME THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH ITS SOFTWEAR. I FEEL THIS SHOULD HAVE BEEN A RECALL. THIS COULD HAVE CAUSED AN ACCIDENT. IT WAS VERY DISTURBING WHILE LOOKING FOR DIRECTIONS AND THE SCREEN GOES BLANK.

GPS/RADIO OFTEN TURNS OFF WHILE DRIVING. SCREEN COMPLETELY GOES BLANK AND KEEPS TRYING TO RESET ITSELF. VOICE COMMANDS OFTEN DON'T WORK WHILE DRIVING OR STATIONARY. BLUE TOOTH OFTEN DOESN'T CONNECT WHILE DRIVING OR STATIONARY. TAILGATE OFTEN DOESN'T CLOSE AND TAKES MULTIPLE TRIES TO GET TO WORKING AGAIN WHEN STATIONARY. SPONGY/BROKEN SPRING SOUND COMING FROM THE REAR OF THE CAR AS I DROVE OVER UNEVEN ROAD. REAR LEFT TAIL LIGHT ALWAYS FOGGY AND CONTAINS MOISTURE EVEN AFTER REPLACING IT. CHIRPING SOUND COMING FROM RIGHT SIDE OF CAR WHEN DRIVING ON HIGHWAY ON WINDY DAYS. WHEEL AND CAR SHAKING WHILE DRIVING ON HIGHWAY AT SPEED OVER 60 MPH.

EVERY SINGLE DOOR LOCK ACTUATOR HAS FAILED IN THE VEHICLE CAUSING REMOTE LOCKING AND UNLOCKING TO NOT WORK. DOORS, AFTER FAILING, REQUIRED TO BE MANUALLY LOCKED OR UNLOCKED. THE DRIVER FRONT AND REAR FAILED ABOUT 39 MONTHS AFTER OWNING THE VEHICLE, THEN 3 MONTHS LATER THE RIGHT REAR ONE FAILED, AND NOW THE FOURTH AND FINAL ONE HAS FAILED.

I HAVE THREE ISSUES WITH THE ELECTRONICS IN MY 2014 HIGHLANDER STARTING IN JUNE 2017 (RIGHT AFTER MY WARRANTEE EXPIRED): 1. THE ELECTRONIC LIFTGATE IS NON-FUNCTIONAL. WHEN OPENING, IT TAKES MULTIPLE (5-10) ATTEMPTS TO GET IT TO OPEN ALL THE WAY UP. SAME WITH CLOSING THE LIFTGATE. VEHICLE IS STATIONARY. 2. THE ELECTRIC PASSENGER WINDOW WILL NOT CLOSE ALL THE WAY UNTIL YOU TRY TO CLOSE IT MULTIPLE (5-10) TIMES. IT GOES UP ABOUT 3/4 OF THE WAY, THEN OPENS AGAIN. I FOUND THAT IT WORKS QUICKER, AFTER 2-3 TIMES IF THE ENGINE IS SHUT OFF. VEHICLE CAN BE STATIONARY OR MOVING. 3. THE BLUETOOTH CONNECTING MY ANDROID PHONE STAYS CONNECTED FOR ABOUT 2 WEEKS AND THEN I HAVE TO INITIALIZE IT AGAIN TO MAKE IT WORK. VEHICLE CAN BE STATIONARY OR MOVING.

THE ENTUNE RADIO HAS A BUG THAT CAUSES IT TO REBOOT RANDOMLY. I HAVE HAD IT HAPPEN WHILE DRIVING AND RELYING ON THE NAVIGATION SYSTEM FOR DIRECTIONS IN HEAVY TRAFFIC. IT IS ANNOYING, DISTRACTING AND VERY UNSAFE. I HAVE INVESTIGATED THE ISSUE AND IT APPEARS THAT RELOADING OR NEW FIRMWARE DOES NOT WORK WHICH IS WHAT TOYOTA RECOMMENDS. REFER TO THIS LINK FOR OTHER PEOPLE'S COMPLAINTS. HTTP://WWW.LANDERFAN.COM/ARCHIVES/ENTUNE-NAVIGATION-FREEZE-CRASH-REBOOT-FOLLOWUP/

STATIONARY VEHICLE. POWER REAR LIFT GATE WILL OPEN OR CLOSE ON DEMAND ONLY SPORADICALLY. IT MAY BEGIN TO OPEN OR CLOSE AND MOVE JUST SEVERAL INCHES, OR PERHAPS A FOOT. IT THUS REQUIRES THE OPERATOR TO MANUALLY OPEN OR CLOSE THE GATE WHICH IS VERY DIFFICULT TO ACCOMPLISH ESPECIALLY FOR SMALLER OR ELDERLY PEOPLE AS THE RESISTANCE IS SEVERE, REQUIRING AN ENORMOUS AMOUNT OF EFFORT AND RISK OF INJURY. THIS IS AN ONGOING PROBLEM AND OCCURS CONTINUOUSLY.