2002 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER Electrical System Problems

I SAW SOMEONE STEAL MY CAR AND TOLD THEM THEY HACKED. WINDSHIELD WIPERS WOULD SLOW UP AND DOWN. BURNING OF THE ELECTRICS WHEN TRY TO CHARGE. CAR STOPPING IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD. CAR GOING ON AND OFF. THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD, TURNING BACK ON. SPEED CONTROL MESSING UP. SECURITY WARNING GOING UP AND DOWN.. BATTERY WOULD SHUT ON AND OFF. CAR LOCKS GOING ON AND OFF. COULD BARELY STEER THE CAR. *TR

THE AC LIKES TO BLOW HOT AIR WHEN IN THE MAX AC SETTING AND THE TEMP KNOB BEING IN THE COLDEST POSITION. NUT BEING THE TEMP SETTING GAUGE COMES LOOSE CAUSING THE AC TO BLOW HOT AIR. HAPPENS ANYTIME IF PARKED OR DRIVING.

MY PASSENGER SIDE BRAKE LIGHT IS INTERMITTENT AT BEST. REPLACED BULBS MANY TIMES, CLEANED CONTACTS, ETC...BUT NO HELP.ON-GOING PROBLEM . WAS REAR-ENDED DUE TO THIS EXACT PROBLEM. DRIVER SIDE BRAKE LIGHT FINE...IT IS ALWAYS PASSENGER SIDE. MANY COMPLAINTS ABOUT THIS SAME EXACT ISSUE ON-LINE. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE SECURITY SYSTEM FAILED AND CAUSED ALL OF THE DOORS TO LOCK. THE DOORS COULD NOT BE OPENED MANUALLY, CAUSING THE CONTACT TO BE TRAPPED IN THE VEHICLE DURING EXTREME HEAT. THE POLICE DEPARTMENT BROKE THE REAR WINDOW TO RELEASE THE CONTACT. THE CONTACT FELT CONSTANT WEAKNESS IN THE HEAD DUE TO THE EXTREME HEAT EXPOSURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO THE DEALER TO HAVE A DIAGNOSTIC TEST PERFORMED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 39,050 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 39,106.

THE HEATER WOULD NOT PROVIDE HOT AIR. I PUSHED IN ON THE SWITCH AND THE HEAT WOULD WORK AS LONG AS I HELD THE SWITCH PUSHED IN (NOT DESIGNED TO BE PUSHED - ROTARY SELECTOR). EVENTUALLY, EVEN PRESSING THE SWITCH IN WOULD NOT WORK. I WENT ON LINE AND FOUND A DISCUSSION BLOG THAT DISCUSSED MY EXACT ISSUE. I FOLLOWED THE RECOMMENDATION AND PULLED THE FACE COVER OFF, REMOVED THE CONTROL PANEL AND DISCOVERED EXACTLY WHAT HAD BEEN DESCRIBED - A BROKEN SINGLE STRAND WIRE THAT RAN TO THE BACK OF THE SWITCH. I ATTEMPTED TO MAKE THE REPAIR USING A MULTI-STRAND WIRE AS RECOMMENDED BECAUSE THE DEALER REPAIR OPTION WAS $1,000. THE HEATER APPEARS TO WORK -SLIGHTLY, BUT NOW I HAVE NO AC. I THINK THE CIRCUIT BOARD WAS DAMAGED BY THE SOLDERING IRON HEAT. BECAUSE WE LIVE IN THE SEATTLE AREA, THIS CAUSES ISSUES WITH THE WINDOW DEFOGGER...

AIR CONDITIONER THERMOSTAT DOES NOT WORK PROPERLY. IT SWINGS BACK AND FORTH BETWEEN COLD AND HOT WITHOUT TOUCHING DIAL. THIS IS VERY DANGEROUS DURING WINTER WHERE YOU COULD DIE IF NOT ABLE TO GET HEAT.

MY 2002 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER HAD APPROXIMATELY 110,000 MILES ON IT AT THE TIME WHEN I STARTED HEARING A NOISE AROUND THE DISTRIBUTOR. I TOOK IT TO MY MECHANIC (NOT TOYOTA FOR OTHER REASONS) AND HE SAID THE BEARINGS IN THE DISTRIBUTOR WERE GOING OUT. I CALLED TOYOTA (TOYOTA OF TEXAS - GRAPEVINE) TO ORDER THE PART. THEY DIDN'T HAVE ANY IN STOCK, SO HAD TO ORDER FROM THE DC. THEY SAID IT WOULD BE IN 4 DAYS AND TO CALL BACK. CALLED BACK IN 5 DAYS AND THEY SAID THEY HAD TO ORDER FROM HQ IN CALIFORNIA AND IT WOULD BE IN NEXT WEEK (HA!). CALLED NEXT WEEK. STILL NO DISTRIBUTOR!! HAD TO ORDER IT FROM JAPAN!! AT THAT POINT, THE REGIONAL PARTS MANAGER CALLED ME AND SAID THAT A HIGHLANDER DISTRIBUTOR HAS NEVER GONE OUT. I DISCUSSED MY DISGUST WITH THE FACT THAT THERE WAS NO DISTRIBUTORS FOR A...

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER. WHEN THE CONTACT OPENED THE DOOR TO HER VEHICLE, SHE DISCOVERED THE PASSENGER COMPARTMENT FILLED WITH SMOKE. THE PASSENGER SEAT WAS BURNED. THERE WERE NO OCCUPANTS IN THE VEHICLE AT THE TIME OF THE FAILURE. THE POLICE AND FIRE DEPARTMENTS ARRIVED AT THE SCENE AND EXTINGUISHED THE FIRE. THE INVESTIGATOR INFORMED HER THAT THERE WAS AN ELECTRICAL FIRE UNDERNEATH THE PASSENGER SEAT. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE SEAT WAS A MANUAL SEAT, NOT ELECTRIC. THE VEHICLE WAS DESTROYED. A POLICE AND FIRE REPORT WAS FILED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 97,000. UPDATED 1/6/09 *CN UPDATED 01/14/09. *JB

THE INTERIOR HEATING/AC SYSTEM AND FAN REPEATEDLY FAILS TO OPERATE PROPERLY. IN THE SPRING SUMMER WHEN THE AC WOULD FAIL TO BLOW COLD AND BLOW HEAT THAT WASN'T SO BAD. I GOT THE CONTROL KNOB FIXED AND ALL SEEMED TO WORK FINE. HOWEVER THE KNOB HAS FAILED AGAIN AND WHEN I NEEDED THE HEAT/DEFROST FAN TO WORK AT NIGHT THE FROST GOT WORSE BECAUSE THE KNOB FAILED AND THE HEATER/FAN WOULD ONLY BLOW COLD AIR. DEPENDING ON THE SEASON AND THE POSITION OF THE KNOB WHEN IT FAILS THIS SHOULD BE CONSTRUED AS A SAFETY ISSUE WHEN IT AFFECTS THE VISUAL CLARITY OF THE WINDSHIELD . *TR

WHILE PARKED, THE VEHICLE CAUGHT ON FIRE IN THE DASH BOARD PANEL. *JB