NHTSA Complaint #10523860 — 2007 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER HYBRID

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. :( *TR