NHTSA Complaint #11326480 — 2018 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER

ON MAY 5, 2020 I STOPPED AT A RED LIGHT IN THE LEFT TURN LANE, AFTER JUST HAVING A 20K MAINTENANCE PERFORMED ON MY 2018 HIGHLANDER XLE. AFTER THE LIGHT TURNED GREEN, I ACCELERATED AND AS I WAS ENTERING THE INTERSECTION, THE VEHICLE ABRUPTLY STALLED. IT WAS NOT A SMOOTH DECELERATION, BUT RATHER A JOLTING AND ABRUPT, SLAMMING DECELERATION, ALMOST SCREECHING TO A HALT. LUCKILY, THE CAR BEHIND ME SLAMMED ON THEIR BRAKES AND DID NOT HIT ME. ENGINE LIGHTS CAME ON, AND AFTER THE CAR WAS STOPPED COMPLETELY, IT RESTARTED AND I DROVE INTO THE NEAREST PARKING LOT. HAD I AND THE CARS BEHIND ME BEEN TRAVELING FASTER, IT'S LIKELY THAT I WOULD HAVE BEEN REAR-ENDED. THE STOPPING FORCE WAS ENOUGH TO SLAM ME INTO MY SEATBELT. I CALLED TOYOTA SERVICE AND THEY RECOMMENDED THAT I TURN OFF THE AUTO-START FUNCTION EVERY TIME I DRIVE THE VEHICLE, WHICH I HAVE DONE. THIS APPEARS TO BE DIRECTLY RELATED TO THE SAFETY RECALL 20TA02, WHERE THE LOW-PRESSURE FUEL PUMP MAY STOP OPERATING. THE VEHICLE IS IN AN EXTREMELY UNSAFE DRIVING CONDITION AND I'M VERY DISAPPOINTED THAT TOYOTA HAS NOT ROLLED OUT THE RECALL REPAIR SOONER. I'M LUCKY THAT I WAS THE ONLY OCCUPANT IN THE VEHICLE, AND IF THIS HAPPENED ON THE FREEWAY WITH MY FAMILY IN THE CAR, THE RESULTS COULD HAVE BEEN CATASTROPHIC. *TR