NHTSA Complaint #11180862 — 2019 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER HYBRID

MY TOYOTA HIGHLANDER LIMITED PLATINUM HYBRID NAVIGATION SYSTEM VEHICLE VOICE COMMAND DOESN'T WORK ON INITIAL START UP OF THE VEHICLE. THE NAVIGATION SYSTEM DOES ACCEPT DRIVER VOICE COMMANDS AND DOES SET UP THE NAVIGATION AND PROVIDES THE DRIVER WITH ON SCREEN DRIVING DIRECTIONS BUT THE VEHICLE VOICE COMMAND DOESN'T WORK AND THERE ARE NO TURN BY TURN VOICE INSTRUCTIONS. (NOTE: THERE IS A WORK AROUND AND THAT IS TO TURN OFF THE VEHICLE IMMEDIATELY AND RESTART THE SYSTEM ... THEN VOICE COMMAND OPERATES PROPERLY). MY SAFETY CONCERN IS: UNLESS I ANTICIPATE USING THE NAVIGATION SYSTEM AND RESTART THE VEHICLE A SECOND TIME I WILL NOT GET TURN BY TURN VOICE COMMANDS FROM THE VEHICLES NAVIGATION SYSTEM. SINCE THE NAVIGATION SYSTEM RESPONDS TO THE DRIVERS COMMANDS I DO GET ON SCREEN DIRECTION (W/O VOICE COMMAND) AND FIND MYSELF WATCHING THE SCREEN FOR DIRECTIONS RATHER THAT THE TRAFFIC IN FRONT OF ME. TO DATE I HAVE NOT HAD AN ACCIDENT BUT HAVE HAD A COUPLE OF CLOSE CALLS IN URBAN DRIVING SITUATION WHEN I'M MISSING VEHICLE TURN BY TURN VOICE COMMANDS. I SEE THIS AS A VEHICLE DEFECT THAT WILL BE CAUSING SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUES AS THE NUMBER OF THESE VEHICLES INCREASE ON THE ROAD*. I HAVE MADE NUMEROUS TRIPS TO THE DEALERSHIP AND CONTACTED TOYOTA CUSTOMER SUPPORT A NUMBER OF TIMES. AT THIS TIME IT IS AN ISSUE THEORETICALLY BEING WORKED BY TOYOTA WITH NO KNOWN ECD. *I'VE GOOGLED NUMEROUS HIGHLANDER FORUMS AND FOUND OWNERS OF THE 2019 HYBRID LIMITED PLATINUM ALL OVER THE COUNTRY HAVE THIS SIMILAR ISSUE AND HAVE RECEIVED THE SAME RESPONSE FROM TOYOTA. IT'S ONLY A MATTER OF TIME THAT SOMEONE WATCHING THEIR NAVIGATION SCREEN BECAUSE THEY WEREN'T GETTING TURN BY TURN VOICE COMMANDS FROM THE VEHICLE WILL CAUSE A SERIOUS ACCIDENT OR RUN OVER A PEDESTRIAN. PLEASE HELP US 2019 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER HYBRID LIMITED PLATINUM OWNERS RESOLVE THIS SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE. THKS.