2006 Toyota Highlander Engine
Owner-reported problems and safety issues filed with NHTSA. Review common failures, severity levels, and complaint trends over time.
Complaint Timeline
Chronological view of owner reports
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER HYBRID . WHILE DRIVING 65 MPH, THE VEHICLE STALLED WITHOUT WARNING . SHE WAS ABLE TO COAST THE VEHICLE ONTO THE EMERGENCY LANE. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A DEALER WHO DIAGNOSED THE FAILURE AND STATED THAT THE HYBRID INVERTER MALFUNCTIONED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 128,648.
WHILE ATTEMPTING TO PASS A VEHICLE ON INTERSTATE 85 NB, MY TOYOTA CERTIFIED PRE-OWNED 2006 HIGHLANDER HYBRID COMPLETELY SHUTDOWN RESULTING IN THE LOSS OF POWER STEERING, POWER BRAKING, AND ALL ENGINE POWER. I WAS ABLE TO MAINTAIN CONTROL OF MY VEHICLE DESPITE THE FAILURE AND COAST TO THE SHOULDER OF THE HIGHWAY FROM AN INITIAL SPEED OF APPROXIMATELY 70 MPH. MY VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO MY LOCAL TOYOTA DEALERSHIP WHERE I WAS INFORMED THAT MY "POWER INVERTER" HAD FAILED AND WOULD SUBSEQUENTLY NEED TO BE REPLACED. I WAS ALSO TOLD THAT THIS WAS THE SECOND INSTANCE THAT DAY OF A 2006 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER HYBRID HAVING A FAILURE OF THE POWER INVERTER. UPON FURTHER RESEARCH VIA MULTIPLE ONLINE FORUMS SUCH AS EDMUNDS I DISCOVERED THAT THIS PROBLEM HAD OCCURRED TO SEVERAL OTHERS IN THE PAST YEAR RESULTING IN SIMILAR CONSEQUENCES (LOSS OF CONTROL, POWER STEERING, POWER BRAKING, ETC.). MY POWER INVERTER WAS COVERED UNDER THE TOYOTA WARRANTY AND IS CURRENTLY BEING REPLACED FREE OF CHARGE. NONETHELESS, GIVEN THE COMPLETE FAILURE OF THE SYSTEM AND SUBSEQUENT LOSS OF ALL POWER BRAKING, STEERING, AND ENGINE USE WHILE AT SPEED ON AN INTERSTATE AND MULTIPLE TOYOTA OWNERS EXPERIENCING THE SAME SITUATION I BELIEVE THE NHTSA SHOULD INVESTIGATE FURTHER. *TR
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 30 MPH, THE ENGINE STALLED WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER WHERE THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE INVERTER WAS DEFECTIVE AND WOULD NEED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 104,000. UPDATED 11/03/10. *LJ
TL- THE CALLER HAS A 20006 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER. THE CONTACTED THAT WHILE TRAVELING DONE THE DOWN THE HIGHWAY THE VEHICLE LOST POWER. THE VEHICLE WAS TRAVELING 55MPH AND THE VEHICLE COMPLEYELY SHUT DOWN. NO WARNING LIGHTS CAME ON BEFORE THE VEHICLE SHUT DOWN. THE DEALER STATED THAT NO PROBLEMS WERE FOUND WHEN A DIOGNOSTIC PERFORMED ON THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE HAD 63000 MILES AT THE TIME OF THE FAILURE AND THOSE ARE ALSO THE CURRENT MILEAGE. RL
FROM A PARKED POSITION, I STARTED ENGINE ON 2006 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER. THE CAR MOVED FORWARD FOR A FEW SECONDS AT SLOW SPEED, THEN VERY RAPIDLY ACCELERATED SO THAT I COULD NOT STOP THE CAR. SERIOUS INJURIES OCCURRED. CAR FLEW THROUGH AIR AND ONLOOKERS HEARD ENGINE REV UP.WE LANDED IN A WATER CANAL. *TR
WHEN I USE THE A/C AND TURN IT OFF A BAD ODOR COMES FROM THE VENT . THIS IS A NEW 2006 HIGHLANDER, THE NEXT DAY I BROUGHT IT TO THE DEALER HE SAID TAKE FOR SERVICE , THEY TOLD ME TO DRIVE IT FOR A FEW MORE DAYS . I PUT 1500 MILES AND THE ODOR IS STILL THERE . I TOOK IT FOR SERVICE AGAIN . THE MECHANIC SAID TO USE A DEODORIZER ON THE VENT. I AM NOT A SATISFIED CUSTOMER. I WANT THIS ISSUE RESOLVED. I PAID FOR THE HIGHLANDER NOT THE SMELL THAT CAME WITH IT. *NM
Trend Over Time
Complaints by year
Other Issues
Common problems reported
Quick Summary
The 2006 Toyota Highlander has 31 Engine complaints on file. Review the timeline above for detailed owner experiences.