NHTSA Complaint #10608513 — 2013 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER

PURCHASED 2013 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER 11/24/12; TRANSMISSION HAS MALFUNCTIONED APPROXIMATELY 16 TIMES SINCE DATE OF PURCHASE. WHEN REDUCING SPEED TO APPROXIMATELY 30 TO10 M.P.H. AND THEN TRY TO ACCELERATE, THE TRANSMISSION APPEARS TO GO INTO NEUTRAL; THE DRIVE STICK REMAINS IN DRIVE! WHEN THIS HAPPENS, I SHIFT DRIVE STICK TO NEUTRAL AND THEN BACK TO DRIVE AND THEN TRANSMISSION CONTINUES TO WORK FINE. I DON'T THINK YOU HAVE TO EXTEND YOUR IMAGINATION TOO FAR TO REALIZE THE POSSIBILITY OF SERIOUS INJURY OR DEATH WHEN MAKING A TURN OR TRYING TO PASS SOMEONE! DEALER WILL NOT ACKNOWLEDGE THERE IS A PROBLEM WITH TRANSMISSION. THE INITIAL RESPONSE FROM DEALER WAS THE TRANSMISSION HAS TO ADJUST TO MY DRIVING HABITS? IF YOU CHECK CARCOMPLAINTS.COM OR EDMONDS.COM, YOU WILL SEE I AM NOT THE ONLY ONE WITH THIS PROBLEM. IT APPEARS THIS PROBLEM HAS EXISTED SINCE 2004. IT WOULD BE INTERESTING TO REVIEW PAST HEAD ON COLLISIONS AND TURN ACCIDENTS TO CONSIDER IF IT WAS "DRIVER ERROR" VS "TRANSMISSION FAILURE" I WOULD LIKE TO BE CONTACTED TO HAVE FURTHER DISCUSSION ON THIS PROBLEM. THANK YOU *TR UPDATED 02/20/2015 *JS