NHTSA Complaint #10533659 — 2007 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER HYBRID

I WAS DRIVING WITH MY FAMILY ON BOARD ON 680-S BETWEEN WALNUT CREEK AND SAN RAMON. I WAS GOING AROUND 65-70 MPH IN THE FAST LANE WHEN THERE WAS A LOUD POP SOUND FROM THE FRONT AND ALL THE POWER FROM ENGINE DIED DOWN. I HAD TO SWITCH LANES WITH THE EMERGENCY LIGHTS ON AS THE SPEED KEPT DECREASING WITH NO ACCELERATION. THIS WAS ON A BUSY FREEWAY WITH HIGH SPEEDS. WE WERE LUCKY TO PULL OVER WITHOUT BEING HIT. I PULLED OFF TO THE SHOULDER AND TRIED TO ACCELERATE BUT COULD ONLY GO ANOTHER 10 FEET TO A SAFER LOCATION. I HAD TO GET MY VEHICLE TOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP. THERE WAS NO SERVICE AVAILABLE UNTIL TODAY. I GOT A PHONE CALL FROM THE DEALERSHIP TELLING ME THAT THE INVERTER IS THE CAUSE OF THIS AND WILL COST OVER $8,000 TO REPLACE. THEY ALSO TOLD ME THAT EVEN THOUGH THERE IS A RECALL FOR THE INVERTERS OF THE 2006 AND SOME 2007 HIGHLANDER HYBRIDS, MINE WAS NOT ON THE LIST. I PURCHASED MY 2007 HIGHLANDER IN OCTOBER 2006. I THINK THE RECALL SHOULD EXTEND TO ALL 2007 HIGHLANDERS AS THERE IS A GROWING NUMBER OF THESE CARS HAVING THE SAME ISSUES THIS YEAR AS WELL AS PREVIOUS YEARS. *TR