9 complaints reported

2007 Toyota Highlander VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

Owner-reported problems and safety issues filed with NHTSA. Review common failures, severity levels, and complaint trends over time.

Reports
9
Crashes
5
Fires
0
Injuries
3

Complaint Timeline

Chronological view of owner reports

Jul 2013 Crash Injury

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2007 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 5 MPH, THE VEHICLE ACCELERATED WITHOUT THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL BEING DEPRESSED. THE CONTACT CRASHED INTO A WALL AS A RESULT. THE CONTACT SUSTAINED INJURIES AND WAS TRANSPORTED TO A LOCAL HOSPITAL VIA AMBULANCE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING WHERE THE TECHNICIAN ADVISED THAT THERE WERE NO FAILURES WITH THE VEHICLE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE AND STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN ANY RECALLS. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 40,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 43,299.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2007 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER, Manufacturer: Toyota Motor Corporation
Incident: Oct 2012
Jan 2011

2007 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER HYBRID, V6, 4X4 --- ON NOVEMBER 23RD, 2011, AT APPROXIMATELY 10:00AM, I WAS DRIVING WITH MY FAMILY ON I-5 SOUTH IN THE CENTRAL VALLEY OF CALIFORNIA. THE CRUISE CONTROL WAS ON, BUT NOT ENGAGED BECAUSE THE TRAFFIC WAS TOO HEAVY. MY SPEED WAS APPROXIMATELY 65 MILES-PER-HOUR, GOING UPHILL. UNEXPECTEDLY, THE ENGINE BEGAN TO RACE. I APPLIED THE BRAKES TO KEEP THE CAR AT THE SPEED OF TRAFFIC AND EXAMINED MY CABIN FOR CLUES OF THE PROBLEM. THE TRANSMISSION LEVER WAS STILL IN "D". I TURNED OFF THE CRUISE CONTROL, BUT THAT MADE NO DIFFERENCE. I MOMENTARILY RELEASED THE BRAKE AND USED MY RIGHT FOOT TO ENSURE THAT THE ACCELERATOR WAS NOT STUCK. IT WAS NOT. DURING THAT TIME THE ENGINE POWER METER JUMPED UP TO FULL POWER AROUND 200 KW. I RE-APPLIED THE BRAKES TO DECELERATE AND BROUGHT THE CAR TO A STOP ON THE RIGHT SHOULDER OF THE HIGHWAY. AS SOON AS THE CAR WAS COMPLETELY STOPPED, I SHIFTED TO "P" AND TURNED THE KEY TO THE OFF POSITION. SOME SMOKE APPEARED FOR ABOUT TWO SECONDS, WHICH I PRESUMED WAS FROM THE BRAKES. I THEN EXAMINED THE FLOOR MAT, BUT IT WAS NOT OUT OF POSITION. I WAITED ABOUT 30 SECONDS AND TURNED THE KEY BACK TO THE ON POSITION AND THE "READY" SIGNAL ILLUMINATED ON THE DASH. THE ACCELERATION PROBLEM WAS GONE. I DROVE ABOUT 15 MILES TO THE NEXT EXIT AND STOPPED FOR GAS. I CHECKED THE OIL, COOLANT, AND BRAKE FLUID LEVELS, WHICH WERE ALL GOOD. THE PROBLEM DID NOT RE-OCCUR DURING THE ADDITIONAL 250 MILES THAT I DROVE DURING THAT DAY. THERE WERE NO INJURIES. I CALLED "CROWN TOYOTA", WHERE I HAD PURCHASED THE VEHICLE NEW AND SPOKE TO A REPRESENTATIVE THERE. HE TOLD ME THAT HE DID NOT KNOW OF ANY OTHER ACCELERATION PROBLEMS OTHER THAN THOSE THAT WERE FLOOR MAT RELATED. *TR

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2007 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER, Manufacturer: Toyota Motor Corporation
Incident: Nov 2011
Sep 2010

2007 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER 6-CYL LIMITED RUNNING UNDER CRUISE CONTROL WILL SLOWLY BEGIN TO ACCELERATE WHEN "RESUME" IS PRESSED IN ORDER TO GET BACK UP TO THE CRUISING SPEED. HOWEVER AS THE SPEED NEARS (WITHIN 4-5 MPH) THE CRUISING SPEED, THE TRANSMISSION DOWNSHIFTS RESULTING IN A HAZARDOUS QUICK ACCELERATION THAT REQUIRES BRAKING OR QUICKLY TURNING OFF THE CRUISE CONTROL. THIS OCCURS REGULARLY DURING HIGH SPEED HIGHWAY DRIVING. THE PROBLEM CAN ONLY BE AVOIDED BY MANUALLY RETURNING THE VEHICLE TO CRUISING SPEED BEFORE PRESSING RESUME. THE DEALER STATES THEY HAVE NO KNOWLEDGE OF THIS PROBLEM. *TR

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2007 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER, Manufacturer: Toyota Motor Corporation
Incident: Jan 2010
Feb 2010

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2007 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER. THE CONTACT WAS DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 55 MPH ON NORMAL ROAD CONDITIONS. THERE WAS PRESSURE APPLIED TO THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL IN WHICH AN INCREASE OF UNINTENDED ACCELERATION OCCURRED WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS ABLE TO CONTINUE IN NORMAL OPERATION. THIS WAS A ONE TIME FAILURE OCCURRENCE AND THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO THE DEALER TO BE INSPECTED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 18,000.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2007 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER, Manufacturer: Toyota Motor Corporation
Incident: Sep 2009
Jan 2010 Crash

PARKING MY 2007 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER IN MY PARKING SPACE AT WORK. I GO TO PARK AND MY GAS PEDAL IS STUCK AND ACCELERATED INTO TWO OTHER VEHICLES RESULTING IN $3000 TO MY VEHICLE AND UNKNOWN AMOUNT TO THE OTHER TWO VEHICLES. NOTHING HAS BEEN DONE SO FAR TO CORRECT THE PROBLEM. IT HAS ONLY OCCURRED ONCE SO FAR. *TR

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2007 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER, Manufacturer: Toyota Motor Corporation
Incident: Aug 2009
Dec 2009 Crash

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2007 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER. WHEN ENTERING A PARKING SPACE THE VEHICLE ACCELERATED FORWARD WITHOUT INTENTION. CONSEQUENTLY SHE CRASHED INTO A SIGN. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER. THE TECHNICIAN INSTALLED A SECONDARY HOOK TO SECURE THE FLOOR-MAT. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 50398. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 50998.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2007 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER, Manufacturer: Toyota Motor Corporation
Incident: Aug 2009
Sep 2009 Crash Injury

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2007 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHEN ATTEMPTING TO EXIT A PARKING SPACE, THE ALL WEATHER FLOOR MATS THAT HE PURCHASED IN 2007 CAUSED THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL TO STICK. AS A CONSEQUENCE HE CRASHED INTO SEVERAL TREES. THE VEHICLE WAS COMPLETELY DESTROYED. HE AND THREE OTHER OCCUPANTS WERE INJURIED. THE MANUFACTURER AND THE DEALER WERE BOTH NOTIFIED. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 41,212.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2007 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER, Manufacturer: Toyota Motor Corporation
Incident: Aug 2009
Aug 2009 Crash Injury

MY ACCELERATOR PEDAL GOT CAUGHT BETWEEN MY TOES AND BOTTOM OF MY FOOT AND THE BOTTOM OF AN OPEN-TOED SHOE AND I COULD NOT PULL MYSELF FREE TO STOP MY CAR AND I RAN INTO A STOPPED CAR IN FRONT OF ME AT AN INTERSECTION, WHICH WAS PUSHED INTO ANOTHER CAR. I WAS TRAVELING VERY SLOWLY, BUT MY ACTIVITY IN TRYING TO FREE MY FOOT CAUSED MY CAR TO ACCELERATE SOME. THIS HAD NEVER HAPPENED TO ME BEFORE. WHEN I TOLD A NEIGHBOR SHE SAID THE SAME THING HAD HAPPENED TO HER, BUT THAT SHE WAS NOT OUT IN TRAFFIC AT THE TIME. I NOTICED THAT BOTH OF OUR VEHICLES HAVE VERY NARROW ACCELERATOR PEDALS, AND THAT THIS COULD HAVE HAPPENED TO ANYONE. I HAVE NOT BEEN DRIVING WITH SANDALS SINCE THEN, BUT A GREAT MANY PEOPLE DO. *TR

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2007 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER, Manufacturer: Toyota Motor Corporation
Incident: Jul 2009
Apr 2009

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2007 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER. WHILE HE WAS ATTEMPTING TO APPLY THE BRAKES AT 5 MPH THE PEDAL FELL TO THE FLOOR. THE VEHICLE LURCHED FORWARD OVER A STONE LEDGE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALERSHIP , BUT THE TECHNICIANS COULD NOT DUPLICATE THE FAILURE, THEREFORE THEY COULD NOT PROVIDE A REMEDY. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 18000.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2007 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER, Manufacturer: Toyota Motor Corporation
Incident: Mar 2009

Trend Over Time

Complaints by year

Quick Summary

The 2007 Toyota Highlander has 9 VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL complaints on file. 5 crashes have been reported. Review the timeline above for detailed owner experiences.