Tl* the contact owns a 2004 toyota highlander. The contact stated that the vehicle accelerated without warning. The contact crashed into another vehicle as a result. A police report was not filed and no injuries were reported. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer or an independent mechanic. The contact also received notification of the federal safety agency campaign number: 11v112000 (vehicle speed control) however, the manufacture was not notified of the failure. The failure and current mileage was 96,000.
2004 Toyota Highlander: sudden unintended acceleration
12 of the 286 complaints about the 2004 Toyota Highlander describe sudden unintended acceleration.
- owner complaints
- 12
- of this car's complaints
- 4%
- typical mileage
- 59,000
- recalls
- 2
Is there a fix? There are 2 recalls and 1 service bulletin for this area of the car. See below
Sudden unintended acceleration by model year
What owners say
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 toyota highlander. The contact stated that while entering the highway, the vehicle accelerated without manual force and the contact crashed into a tree. The contact sustained knee, chest and arm injuries. A police report was filed and the vehicle was destroyed. The manufacturer was notified. The approximate failure mileage was unknown. Updated 12-05-13
While parallel parking and slowly backing into the parking space, my vehicle suddenly accelerated backward crashing into the vehicle parked behind me. My vehicle continued accelerating backward into the other vehicle and pushed it back even though I was applying the brakes as hard as I could. I then put my vehicle into drive while applying the brakes, and it immediately lunged forward crashing into the vehicle in front of me. While continuing to accelerate forward, with the brakes applied, my vehicle pushed that vehicle into the vehicle in front of it. I then turned off the ignition and my vehicle stopped moving. All four vehicles sustained damage. There were no occupants in the other parked vehicles. Repairs to my vehicle totaled $4,076, plus $1,444 for a rental car. I also received a summons for careless driving. I believe the accident was the result of sudden unintended acceleration due to a defect in the electronic throttle control system.
Car hesitates and suddenly surges forward. The is the 2nd time this has occurred in the past 3 months. The first time was near my garage and fortunately the car only traveled several feet forward before hitting the corner of the garage and coming to a stop. Last sunday, I was leaving a parking lot. I was turning left when the car hesitated and suddenly surged forward at a rapid speed. Before I was able to regain control, the car had traveled approximately 20-25 feet forward, ran up on a median and crashed into a tree. I called the police about filing a report but as it occurred on private property, they declined.
Date of incident: saturday, july 17, 2010 at approximately 12:45 p.m. Incident description: coming from a complete stop, turned the steering wheel to park a 2004 toyota highlander into a parking spot. The driver gently/minimally touched the accelerator pedal to pull into the parking spot. The vehicle suddenly accelerated without any additional force placed on the accelerator pedal. The driver immediately applied the brakes in an attempt to stop the vehicle. Prior to the vehicle coming to a complete stop, the front of the vehicle struck the metal part of a sign. This is the first occurrence of sudden acceleration since purchasing the vehicle used from a dealership. The vehicle has not been scheduled for repair at this time. Updated 10/20/10 *bf updated 10/22/10
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 toyota highlander. The contact was pulling out of a parking space at speeds of 5 MPH when the vehicle abnormally accelerated without driver intent. The vehicle accelerated to approximate speeds of 35 MPH. The vehicle then struck a tree. The contact was taken to the emergency room but was not injured, yet, he is very sore. The vehicle was destroyed. The failure mileage was 59,000. Updated 06/04/10. *lj the consumer believed the accelerator became stuck. Updated 10/05/10
Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6). Please note that the VIN info is not correct. I inserted random numbers because I don't have that info in my possession right now as I am at my work desk. Also keep in mind that my car is a 2004 vibe. It did not have that option. In 2/28/08, I had an acceleratation problem. If you get in touch with barstow in potsdam ny, they can verify this. They have it on record. This problem was unpredictable when it happened and the last time it happened, I thought I was going to die. I could not get the car to stop after it accelerated by itself. I brought it to barstow, explained the situation and they said they had had no other complaints such as mine. The mechanic there undid the cruise control, and the problem went away. Five months later I had him put it back on in july. It cost me $25 ea. Time. Please contact ken murray at barstow motors potsdam ny to verify all of this. I would like to be reimbursed for the money I had to pay as I strongly feel that the problem is related to the one that toyota is having now with acceleration difficulties. Also, although I have not had any other problems, I want to know what will toyota do if it happens again. My vibe is a 2004. [xxx]
We have a 2004 toyota highlander, and we have had surges on the gas since we bought it in 2004. It usually is something that we can control, as you will be driving along, and it will surge forward a bit, but we have always been able to apply brake and control it. There has only been one instance where it surged strongly, and I had to slam on the brakes to avoid hitting the car in front of me. We tried to sell the car a couple of years ago, but the buyer test drove it, and noticed the surging, asked about it, and then decided not to buy it - so we kept it after that. We were thinking it is a software problem, or something.... We have never taken it into a shop to have it diagnosed, but thought maybe it was important to mention it, in case other highlanders have had the same issue. I didn't think it was the gas pedal sticking, but just the gas surging somehow, but maybe it is related.
Dt: the contact stated there was a problem with sudden acceleration. While shifting into reverse the vehicle suddenly accelerated on july 8, 2005. The problem did not reappear until november 22, 2005. The vehicle accelerated under the same conditions. He was able to stop the vehicle after it had gone through two fences and crashed into the corner of the neighbor's garage. The vehicle is currently at the dealership for diagnostics.*ak updated 12/27/05.
Dt: the contact stated while pulling into a parking slot heard a grinding noise followed by the vehicle lurching into another parked vehicle. He took the vehicle to the dealer. The dealer could not duplicate the sudden acceleration. The dealer replaced the mass air flow sensor, oxygen sensor, and reprogrammed the ecu. The dealer could not determine what caused this problem.
2004 toyota highlander with approx. 11,000 miles. 6cyl. 2w/d I have noticed a slight but consistent hesitation between pressing the accelerator and actually accelerating. I recently experienced that when accellerating heavily, as to pass another car, the highlander actually seems to pause, and to even momentarily slow down instead of acellerating. And then it suddenly accelerates. This delay is greater than 1-2 seconds and is significantly noticable. This is not a situation where the vehicle is droping smoothly into a lower gear to accellerate. The first time it occured to me I thought for a moment that the transmission had fully disingaged or otherwise failed. I had time to briefly consider how I was going to get safely out of traffic & onto the shoulder before it suddenly accellerated. Please understand, the engine in fact did rev in acceleration while the vehicle itself slowed before the transmission suddenly surged into connection at a high RPM. This is my wifes vehicle. She's described this "surging" before and I pretty much blew her off until it happened to me. No more. This is an accident waiting to happen. In the meantime toyota, or more accurately the mechanic at the toyota dealer, tells me they are aware of the issue as fairly common, but don't have a fix and have not entered a bulletin to their dealers. Again, this is an accident waiting to happen.
Unintended acceleration problem, in a brand new toyota highlander causing an accident. (it had the same problem twice before)
Service bulletins that may apply
Related recalls
Vehicle speed control: accelerator pedal
- What is wrong
- Toyota is recalling certain model year 2004-2006 highlander, highlander hybrid, and model year 2004-2007 lexus rx330, rx350, and rx400h vehicles. If the forward retention clip used to secure the floor carpet cover, which is located in front of the center console, is not installed properly the cover may lean toward the accelerator pedal and interfere with the accelerator pedal arm.
- Risk
- If this occurs, the accelerator pedal may temporarily become stuck in a partially depressed position rather than return to the idle position. A stuck accelerator pedal may result in unintended and sustained vehicle speeds and make it difficult to stop, increasing the risk of a vehicle crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will replace the floor carpet cover with a newly designed one free or charge. The safety recall is expected to begin during march 2011. Owners may contact toyota at 1‑800‑331‑4331.
Recall number 11V112000 · Recall details
Vehicle speed control: accelerator pedal
- What is wrong
- On certain sport utility and hybrid vehicles, the two retaining clips for the driver's side forward center console can become loose. If both clips separate from the floor carpet cover, the cover may lean toward the accelerator pedal, causing interference with the accelerator pedal rod.
- Risk
- This condition may interfere with the accelerator pedal returning to the idle position increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will replace the two floor carpet cover retaining clips free of charge. The recall began on july 24, 2006, and should be completed by early september 2006. Owners may contact toyota at 1‑800‑331‑4331 or lexus at 1‑800‑255‑3987.
Recall number 06V253000 · Recall details
Questions about the 2004 Toyota Highlander sudden acceleration
Is sudden unintended acceleration a common problem on the 2004 Toyota Highlander?
12 of 286 owner complaints about the 2004 Toyota Highlander (4%) mention sudden unintended acceleration. The model year with the most reports is 2008.
Is there a recall or service bulletin for this on the 2004 Toyota Highlander?
There are 2 recalls and 1 service bulletin for the same area of the car. Check them below with your VIN.
Other symptoms on the 2004 Toyota Highlander
Hesitation 49Overheating 15Headlights 12Harsh shifting 10Jerking 10Check engine light 7Grinding brakes 6Engine failure 6Steering noise 6
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