NHTSA Complaint #10949488 — 2017 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER

2017 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER SE AWD ("VEHICLE"). ON JANUARY 26, 2017 AT APPROXIMATELY 11:15 P.M., PACIFIC TIME, I WAS DRIVING THE VEHICLE ON THE INTERSTATE 10 FREEWAY NEAR THE LA BREA AVENUE EXIT. IT WAS DARK BUT CLEAR WITH LIGHT TO MEDIUM TRAFFIC. WHILE I WAS DRIVING AROUND 80 MPH AND MERGING TOWARD AN INNER LANE, THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY - ON ITS OWN - SLOWED TO AROUND 30 OR 40 MPH. CONCOMITANTLY, THE VEHICLE'S MESSAGING SYSTEM (BETWEEN THE TACHOMETER AND SPEEDOMETER) BEGAN BLINKING AND ALERTING ME THAT THE ALL WHEEL DRIVE SYSTEM WAS EXPERIENCING FAILURE AND THAT THE VEHICLE NEEDED IMMEDIATE SERVICING. A SMALL ORANGE TRIANGULAR INDICATOR WITH AN EMBEDDED EXCLAMATION POINT FLASHED AS WELL. I ENGAGED THE HAZARD LIGHTS AND THEN MANIPULATED THE TRANSMISSION SHIFTER INTO VARIOUS POSITIONS WHILE FULLY DEPRESSING THE ACCELERATOR, BUT THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT ACCELERATE OVER 30 OR 40 MPH. FACED WITH THE POSSIBILITY OF BEING REAR ENDED, I DISENGAGED THE HAZARD LIGHTS, SIGNALED TO THE RIGHT, AND EVENTUALLY MADE IT OFF THE FREEWAY. THE FOLLOWING DAY, JANUARY 27, 2017, I TOOK MY VEHICLE TO A TOYOTA DEALERSHIP WHERE I BELIEVE IT IS STILL BEING DIAGNOSED . THE LONGER THE DIAGNOSIS TAKES, THE MORE I AM CONCERNED THAT TOYOTA HAS NOT DETERMINED THE REMEDY FOR THIS ISSUE. GIVEN TOYOTA'S HISTORY, I AM ALSO CONCERNED THEY MAY RETURN THE VEHICLE TO ME WITHOUT DETERMINING CONCLUSIVELY HOW THE PROBLEM OCCURRED AND WITHOUT FIXING THE ISSUE SO THAT IT WILL NOT POSE A THREAT TO MY PASSENGERS, INCLUDING MY OWN FAMILY, AND THE PUBLIC. ACCORDINGLY, IT IS MY DUTY TO REPORT THIS TO THE NHTSA AND TO SEEK THE NHTSA'S GUIDANCE ABOUT STEPS I CAN TAKE TO ENSURE THAT TOYOTA DOES NOT HAND ME BACK THE VEHICLE, WHICH MAY BE A DEATHTRAP. I DON'T USE SUCH INFLAMMATORY WORDS LIGHTLY, BUT THE MORE I CONTEMPLATE, THE MORE I FEEL THAT THIS WAS A POTENTIALLY LIFE-THREATENING EVENT.