2007 Toyota Highlander Hybrid: sudden loss of power

Filed Feb 11, 2014 · Acceleration, Electrical · 109,000 miles · VT

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 happened when the inverter goes on the vehicle. I don't really trust them.

Filed Jul 29, 2013 · Electrical · 110,500 miles · CA

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.

Filed Jul 25, 2013 · Fuel system · 105,000 miles · CA · crash

I was leaving my condo driving up hill when my car lost power and rolled backwards . I panicked didn't know what was happening and rolled into another car . I had to roll downhill and call aaa to tow to hooman toyota long beach. Toyota knowingly sold a car with a defective hybrid system but want me to pay $8000 for repair .never was informed about recall.

Filed Jul 9, 2013 · Acceleration, Driver assistance · 154,579 miles · VA

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. :(

Filed Jul 2, 2013 · Electrical · 150,000 miles · MS

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.

Filed Mar 6, 2013 · Acceleration, Electrical · 106,083 miles · NC

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 brake 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.

Filed Oct 30, 2012 · Electrical, Transmission · 123,000 miles · MD

When starting after stop at the end of a freeway exit ramp a loud noise was heard in the front of the vehicle. The vehicle then lost all power and I was able to coast to the side of the road. The check hybrid system and check vsc system error lights were displayed and the car would not restart. The car was towed to a toyota dealership and diagnosed with failure of the inverter. My car was not included in the 2011 recall for this problem. The cost of repair was quoted as $8000 and after speaking with toyota corporate they offered a $1500 customer appreciation rebate. Based on online research this seems to be a known problem with this model. Another local toyota dealer said they have repaired 4 of these in the past week. Toyota can not assure us that the problem with this inverter has been solved or if the new one will be more reliable. This is a major safety concern. The car had always performed well and gave no warning before this complete failure. If my car had failed 60 seconds earlier I would have been on I-81 going 70 MPH surrounded by tractor trailers and would probably be dead. Have not decided whether or not to proceed with the repair.

Filed Apr 23, 2012 · Electrical, Engine · 124,000 miles · RI

While driving this vehicle on rt 138 in newport ri, I was accelerating and suddenly experienced a complete loss of power and was able to coast the vehicle out of the travel portion of the roadway. Vehicle required a flatbed tow truck to bring it to balise toyota in warwick ri. Service department informed me that the inverter had failed and that the repair estimate would be approximately $9400. After researching on the internet I found that this was a fairly common problem with the 2006 and 2007 models and that there had been a recall for certain models. My vehicle's VIN does not fall under the recall and the inverter. I have contacted toyota's corporate office regarding this problem, neither corporate nor the dealer offered up the information that nearly 100,000 of these vehicles had been recalled for this issue. I asked the people in service if there was a chance that my vehicle was affected by the recall. They looked up the part number for my inverter p/n g9200-48031 s/n ph09ym084 and told me that it was not a recall item. The failure mode resembles the multitude of failures that were covered under the recall which leads me to believe that the recall was not broad enough in its scope. I have yet to hear back from toyota on what if anything they are going to do to absorb this out of control repair cost.

Filed Sep 28, 2011 · Engine · 19,300 miles · MI

While driving on a highway at 65mph, the vehicle suddenly lost all power. I managed to steer car off to side of road, narrowly avoiding accident. The car did restart, but this stalling and power shut off reoccurred once more. Dealership examined car; test drove it; and said nothing was wrong. I indicated that there was a real problem and safety concern. After my prodding, they admintted that there was, in fact, a voluntary recall, but the needed parts were unavailable. It is one thing to postpone treating a car for a voluntary recall when that car has not experienced the problem. My car, however, has had this problem and I feel the manufacturer should find the needed part to repair the car to ensure its safety. I asked to have the service manager call me back but I have not yet received that call. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6)

Filed Jun 26, 2011 · Fuel system · 48,000 miles · PA

While accelerating to approximately 40 MPH from a standing stop at a traffic light in a zone merging 2 lanes to 1, my 2007 toyota highlander hybrid (`48,000 miles on odometer, I am original owner) experienced sudden and total power loss. I was able to pull off the road and had vehicle towed to dealer. They reported a failed inverter in the hybrid system and I am awaiting the part and repair. From my online research I understand this has been a problem with the 2006 and early 2007 models and that the federal safety agency may be investigating. Although no accident ensued this failure at speed in a lane merge was frightening, occurred without warning and could easily have resulted in a crash.

Filed May 31, 2011 · Body, Electrical · 55,000 miles · CO

Tl* the contact owns a 2007 toyota highland hybrid. While the contact was driving 20 MPH, the hybrid system warning indicator illuminated with a sudden loss of power. The vehicle was towed to an authorized dealer who detected an accumulation of water within the hybrid battery. The technician stated the water originated from the rear sub frame area and as a result of the failure, the frame exhibited two cracks and two holes. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the defect. The failure mileage was 55,000.

Filed Jul 19, 2009 · Driver assistance · 15,000 miles · IL

I have a 2007 toyota highlander hybrid with front wheel drive which is equipped with traction control. On two occasions I have been in situations where the traction control has engaged due to an unstable travel surface. In both instances, the vehicle has "shut down" and would not accelerate forward due to the traction control not allowing the vehicle to do so. I contacted my local toyota dealer. They indicated that this was normal to "protect" the CVT from damage on unstable surfaces. They could not provide a remedy for this situation. Living in the chicago area, my fear is that we may come across an icy winter roadway that will cause the traction control to initiate the "loss of power" to the drive train. Having no acceleration capability, the possibility exists that an approaching vehicle from the rear will strike our "disabled" vehicle. This poses a tremendous safety risk. Please help me with this situation as toyota has no solution. Thank you for your time.