2009 Toyota Highlander ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,STRUCTURE

LIFTGATE WILL NOT CLOSE OR OPEN WHEN AUTOMATIC BUTTON IS PUSHED EITHER ON THE DASH OR THE BUTTON ON THE LIFTGATE ITSELF. STAYS OPEN AND HAVE TO FORCE THE LIFTGATE DOWN MANUALLY. AT TIMES LIFTGATE WILL OPEN BY ITSELF WHILE STATIONARY OR VEHICLE IS MOVING. CLOSING OR OPENING THE LIFTGATE AUTOMATICALLY PROBLEM HAS BE ONGOING FOR ABOUT 6 MONTHS. BROUGHT TO DEALERSHIP AND THEY COULD NOT REPAIR, BUT I COULD TAKE TO BODY SHOP FOR REPAIR. CURRENTLY A SERVICE BULLETIN HAS BEEN ISSUED, BUT SHOULD BE A SAFETY RECALL.

LIFT GATE AND POWER DOOR MOTOR BROKE. THE DOOR STOCKED AND COULD NOT BE OPENED OR LOCKED. I WAS LUCKY THAT MY TODDLER WAS NOT AROUND. I AM HORRIFIED WHAT WOULD HAPPENED IF HIS HAND STOCK IN IT AND THE DOOR COULD NOT BE OPEN. WE TOOK IT TO MOLLE TOYOTA. THEY TOLD ME THAT BESIDE THE LIFT GATE AND MOTOR THE WHOLE REAR DOOR AND HINGE HAS TO BE REPLACE. THEY SAID THAT IF I DON'T REPLACE THE DOORS I WILL HAVE SAME PROBLEM FEW MONTHS LATER. THEY SAID THAT TOYOTA MODIFIED THE NEW REAR DOOR THAT THEY ARE AWARE THAT THE DOOR IN MY VEHICLE CAUSING PROBLEMS. THEY REFUSED TO PAY FOR THE DOOR BECAUSE IT'S OUTSIDE WARRANTY. THE COST OF MOTOR AND LIFT GATE REPAIR IS $1500 THE COST WITH NEW DOOR IS $3500. I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY TOYOTA DOES NOT PAY FOR DOOR THAT THEY ARE AWARE THAT ARE DEFECTIVE AND NEEDED TO BE MODIFIED. I ALSO THINK THAT THERE SHOULD BE A RECALL ON THIS PART BECAUSE SOMEONE CAN GET INJURED.

THE POWER TAILGATE WILL NOT OPEN AND CLOSE AUTOMATICALLY. YOU HAVE TO FORCE IT TO OPEN MANUALLY AND FORCE IT TO CLOSE MANUALLY BECAUSE THE MOTOR GETS STUCK IN ONE POSITION. WE CALLED THE TOYOTA TO SEE IF THERE WAS ANY RECALLS AFTER READING SIMILAR COMPLAINTS ON THE INTERNET AND FEW LAWSUITS AGAINST TOYOTA FOR THE SAME PROBLEM, AND TOYOTA SAID NO THERE ARE NO RECALLS FOR THE TAILGATE MOTOR. THE MOTOR ITSELF COSTS ABOUT $1200 AND ONLY THE TOYOTA HAS IT, PLUS THE LABOR TO REPLACE IT WHICH COULD AMOUNTS UP TO $1500 IF YOU FIND AN OUTSIDE MECHANIC/BODY SHOP TO DO IT FOR YOU. IN ADDITION, YOU MIGHT NEED TO CHANGE THE RAILS AND SHOCKS THAT HOLD THE TAILGATE TO THE BODY OF THE CAR. IF YOU TAKE IT TO THE TOYOTA, IT COULD COST CLOSE TO $5000.00. SINCE THIS HAS OCCURRED WITH TOO MANY CONSUMERS, WE BELIEVE THERE SHOULD BE A RECALL FOR THIS PROBLEM BECAUSE IT COULD CAUSE SOME INJURIES IF SOMEONE GETS TRAPPED BETWEEN THE TAILGATE AND THE REAR BUMPER/CARGO AREA. *TR

THE TAILGATE MOTOR UNEXPECTEDLY MALFUNCTIONED AND CLOSED THE DOOR IN AN UNBALANCED WAY CAUSING THE BREAKING OF THE TAILGATE HINGES / ARMS. THE TAILGATE STOPPED / FROZE AND REMAINED AJAR ABOUT 1 INCH ON RIGHT PASSENGER SIDE OF THE DOOR AND LATCHING ON DRIVER'S SIDE OF THE DOOR. THE DOOR WOULD NOT MANUALLY OR ELECTRONICALLY OPEN BACK UP. HAD TO HAVE THE DOOR PHYSICALLY REMOVED BY TOYOTA DEALERSHIP AND REPLACED ENTIRE TAILGATE HATCH, MOTOR AND HINGES. COSTING ME IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD OF $5,000 FOR PARTS, LABOR, AND A RENTAL CAR FOR 12 DAYS TO REPAIR AS MY INSURANCE WITH PROGRESSIVE INSURANCE DECLINED COVERAGE UNDER MY COMPREHENSIVE INSURANCE AS THEY RELATED BACK TO WEAR AND TEAR. POTENTIAL SEVERE CRUSHING INJURY OR FATALITY COULD HAVE RESULTED FROM WHAT OCCURRED. SINCE THE DOOR CONTINUED TO CLOSE AFTER MALFUNCTIONING AND FROZE IN PLACE (UNABLE TO PHYSICALLY OPEN), HAD SOMEONE'S HAND OR BODY PART BEEN CAUGHT UNDER COULD HAVE RESULTED IN BEING CAUGHT / TRAPPED BETWEEN THE DOOR AND THE LATCHING AREA. QUICK SEARCH ON THE INTERNET SHOWS THAT THIS IS NOT THE FIRST TIME THAT THIS HAS OCCURRED. ALL SHOWING SIMILAR COST ASSOCIATED WITH REPAIR AND ALL WITH THE SAME LIFE ALTERING OR SEVERE INJURY CONSEQUENCE. WOULD LIKE TO GET TOYOTA TO RECALL THE HIGHLANDER AND FIX THE FAULTY MOTOR BEFORE SOMEONE GETS HURT OR WORSE, KILLED BY THIS DEFAULT

LIFTGATE DOES WILL NOT OPEN. SCHAUMBURG TOYOTA REPORTED THE FOLLOWING ON THEIR SERVICE REPORT THE FOLLOWING: "FOUND AUTO OPEN & CLOSE MOTOR SEIZED. NEED: TO GO TO BODYSHOP - REPLACE L/HINGE, MOTOR-DOOR". TOYOTA SCHAUMBURG IS SPECULATING (PURE SPECULATION) THAT THE CAR WAS BUMPED INTO AND THEREFORE THE DISTANCES (WHICH DISTANCES ?) ARE SKEWED. WE (OWNERS) BELIEVE THAT NO SUCH INCIDENCE HAPPENED. WE E-MAILED TOYOTA (CASE # [XXX].) WHO REFERRED US BACK TO [XXX]. [XXX] DID CALL BUT OFFERED NO PROOF OF THEIR SPECULATION (THAT THE CAR WAS BUMPED INTO), NEITHER DID [XXX] PROVIDE THE MISALIGNMENT NUMBERS. [XXX] DID MENTION THAT TOYOTA HAS KNOWN ABOUT THIS PROBLEM BUT THEY WILL HONOR THE PROBLEM ONLY WITHIN 3 MONTHS/36,000 MILES. THE POWER TO MY LIFTGATE IS NOW DISABLED AND I WOULD LIKE FOR TOYOTA TO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT THEY HAVE KNOWN ABOUT THIS PROBLEM AND THEREFORE MAKE THE LIFTGATE FULLY FUNCTIONAL (POWER CONNECTED) FOR ME. WE (OWNERS) ARE HONEST WHEN WE SAY THAT THE CARE WAS NOT BUMPED INTO FROM REAR-SIDE AND WE SHOULD NOT BE PAYING FOR THESE REPAIRS. I HAVE TRIED MY BEST TO WORK IT OUT WITH TOYOTA CORPORATION AND SCHAUMBURG TOYOTA, HOWEVER, BOTH ARE TRYING TO DEFLECT THE RESPONSIBILITY AWAY FROM THEMSELVES. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

REAR DOOR/HATCH ELECTRIC MOTOR AND LATCH/LOCK ASSEMBLY FAILED. SEVERAL INCIDENCES OF THE REAR ELECTRIC HATCH FAILING TO SEAT/CLOSE OCCURRED PRIOR TO THE FAILURE. THE DOOR WOULD START DOWN BUT WOULD NOT CLOSE/LATCH. TOYOTA SERVICE DEPARTMENT (DOTHAN, AL) SAID THE DOOR NEEDED TO BE ADJUSTED AND DID SO. ABOUT ONE MONTH LATER THE DOOR CLOSED WITH A LOUD NOISE AND WOULD NOT OPEN AFTERWARDS. UPON OUTSIDE INSPECTION, I SAW THE DOOR WAS OFFSET ABOUT A QUARTER OF AN INCH TOWARD THE PASSENGER SIDE AND SEATED ABOUT THE SAME (1/4 INCH) FURTHER IN THAN NORMAL. THE DOOR WOULD NOT OPEN AT ALL AT THAT POINT. THE SAME SERVICE DEPARTMENT INITIALLY ACCUSED ME OF DAMAGING THE CAR IN AN ACCIDENT (UNTRUE). THEY PRIED THE DOOR OPEN, AND RECOMMENDED I DISABLE THE ELECTRIC DOOR MOTOR AND ONLY OPERATE THE DOOR MANUALLY. LATER THE SAME SERVICE PERSONNEL ADMITTED THERE WAS A DESIGN PROBLEM WITH THE DOOR HINGES THAT CAUSED THE FAILURE. *JB