2002 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER Visibilitywiper Problems

DRIVER SIDE VISOR HAS 2 POSITIONS ONLY. DOWN OR UP. CANNOT ADJUST FOR TALLER DRIVERS.

SUN VISORS FALL DOWN WHILE DRIVING. AT ANY GIVEN TIME WHILE DRIVING BOTH SUNVISORS WILL FALL COMPLETELY DOWN OBSTRUCTING VIEW OF THE ROAD AHEAD. VERY DANGEROUS.TOYOTA WILL NOT RECALL.

THE AIR BAG SENSOR STAY ON WHEN COLD. IT WILL NOT TURN OFF UNTIL CAR WORMS UP AND ENGINE IS SHUT DOWN AND RESTART. THE SUN VISOR WILL NOT STAY ON AND IT IS FALLING DOWN DURING DRIVING. BOTH ISSUES ARE SAFETY HAZARD

THIS IS THE FOURTH SUN VISOR ON THE DRIVERS SIDE OF THIS CAR WHICH WILL NO LONGER STAY UP BLOCKING MY VISION WHILE DRIVING. THE FIRST WAS REPLACED 09/03 AT ABOUT 22,600 MILES UNDER WARRANTY WITH A HOME LINK INCLUDED AS WAS THE ORIGINAL. THE SECOND REPLACEMENT WAS 01/07 AT 65,300 MILES AND THE PASSENGER ONE WAS REPLACED AT THE SAME TIME. THESE DID NOT HAVE THE HOME LINK FEATURE AS IT WAS TOO EXPENSIVE. THE PROBLEM RECURRED IN 3/10 AT 86,000 MILES AND WAS ONCE AGAIN REPLACED. IT IS NOW 3/16 WITH 115,000 MILES AND THE SAME PROBLEM AS BEFORE EXISTS. IT FALLS RIGHT AT EYE LEVEL WHICH IMPAIRS VISIBILITY. WITH THE NUMBER OF COMPLAINTS TOYOTA HAS RECEIVED ON THIS AND OTHER MODELS, A MANDATORY REPLACEMENT IS WARRANTED.

THE DRIVERS SIDE SUN VISOR NO LONGER STAYS FULLY UP. IT STAYS 1/2 DOWN WHICH BLOCKS VISIBILITY. IT SUDDENLY FALLS DOWN FURTHER, BLOCKING MY VIEW EVEN MORE, ESPECIALLY WHEN I BRAKE (EVEN LIGHT BRAKING), CHANGE LANES OR CHANGE VEHICLE SPEEDS. AFTER SEVERAL TIMES OF GETTING SCARED WHEN THE VISOR SUDDENLY FLIPS DOWN, I NOW HAVE TO USE BUNGEE CORDS OR RUBBER BANDS TO HOLD THE VISOR UP SO THAT I CAN SEE. UNFORTUNATELY, THAT MEANS THAT I CANNOT EASILY FLIP IT DOWN TO BLOCK THE SUN, WHICH IS ITS PURPOSE, AND I LIVE IN "SUNNY CALIFORNIA!" I HAVE SEEN DOZENS OF OTHER PEOPLE COMPLAIN ONLINE FALLS ABOUT THIS SAFETY ISSUE OVER THE PAST FEW YEARS. MY RESEARCH A FEW YEARS AGO SHOWED THAT THE REPLACEMENT FOR THE VISOR WAS RIDICULOUSLY OVER $800 (I THINK BECAUSE IT HAS A LIGHTED MIRROR). MY ASSUMPTION IS THAT IT ONLY NEEDS A SPRING REPLACED...

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE DRIVERS SIDE SUN VISOR WOULD CONTINUE TO FALL. THE FAILURE WAS RECURRING. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER, WHO STATED THAT THE SUN VISOR NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE DEFECT. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 124,000.

WHEN DRIVING THE 2002 HIGHLANDER, THE DRIVER SIDE VISOR DROPPED DOWN AND HIT THE DRIVER ON THE NOSE AND OBSTRUCTED VISION OF THE ROAD. TOYOTA REPLACED THE VISOR ONCE YEARS BEFORE, BUT WILL NOT DO SO AGAIN BECAUSE IT IS OUT OF WARRANTY. NO REPAIR IS POSSIBLE, SO IT MUST BE REPLACED AT A COST OF MORE THAN $800.00 FOR THE VISOR (WITH GARAGE DOOR OPENER) PART ONLY. THE VISOR IS NOW FALLING DOWN DUE TO A POOR HINGE, AND IS A CONSTANT HAZARD. MANY OTHER OWNERS OF THE SAME TOYOTA REPORT THE SAME PROBLEM. *TR

SUN VISOR ON DRIVER'S SIDE UNEXPECTEDLY FALLS DOWN. I HAVE ALMOST REAR ENDED A FEW VEHICLES ON THE HIGHWAY AND SURFACE STREETS DUE TO THIS PROBLEM. THIS IS A RECURRING PROBLEM FOR ME AND IS GETTING MORE AND MORE SERIOUS. I SEE THAT THERE HAVE BEEN SEVERAL COMPLAINTS ON THIS ISSUE FOR THIS YEAR TOYOTA HIGHLANDER. HOW MANY COMPLAINTS DOES NHTSA/TOYOTA HAVE TO RECEIVE BEFORE THIS IS CONSIDERED A SAFETY ISSUE? HOW MANY DEATHS? I WAS QUOTED $750 BY A TOYOTA DEALERSHIP TO HAVE THE VISOR REPLACED. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE DRIVER'S SIDE SUN VISOR BRACKET FAILED. THE SUN VISOR DETACHED FROM THE BRACKET AND OBSTRUCTED THE CONTACT'S VIEW OF THE ROADWAY. THE DEALER HAD PREVIOUSLY REPLACED THE SUN VISOR BRACKET HOWEVER, THE FAILURE WAS NOT CORRECTED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 70,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 140,000.

DRIVER SIDE VISOR WILL NOT STAY IN PLACE, DROPS DOWN DUE TO VIBRATION. APPEARS TO BE A DESIGN FLAW. VISOR TOO HEAVY FOR ARMITURE, DEALERSHIP COST TO REPLACE APPROXIMATELY 800.00. *TR

SUN VISOR DOES NOT STAY IN POSITION. IT ROTATES DOWN TO A VERTICAL POSITION, OBSTRUCTING DRIVER'S VIEW AND WILL NOT STAY IN HORIZONTAL POSITION AGAINST CABIN CEILING. *TR

WHILE DRIVING BOTH SUN VISORS FALL UNEXPECTEDLY AND BLOCK VISION. THIS HAS BEEN A PROBLEM FROM THE GET-GO AND WE HAD THESE REPLACED ALREADY AND JUST OVER A YEAR LATER THE PROBLEM IS OCCURRING AGAIN. *TR

THE DRIVER'S SIDE SUN VISOR WILL NOT STAY DOWN WHEN PUSHED INTO PLACE TO BLOCK BRIGHT SUN. INSTEAD, IT MOVES PARTIALLY BACK UP, THEREBY OBSCURING THE DRIVER'S VISION. THERE ARE NUMEROUS REPORTS OF THE SAME PROBLEM IN OTHER 2002 AND 2003 TOYOTA HIGHLANDERS. TOYOTA'S RESPONSE IS SIMPLY THAT THE CAR IS OUT OF WARRANTY, AND WE ARE WELCOME TO PAY $850 FOR A NEW VISOR (IT IS SO EXPENSIVE BECAUSE IT CONTAINS A GARAGE DOOR OPENER REMOTE CONTROL). THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE. HERE IS MORE INFO FROM OTHERS WITH THE SAME PROBLEM HTTP://WWW.FIXYA.COM/CARS/T594661-HIGHLANDER_PROBLEM_SUN_VISOR. *TR

THE SUN VISOR WILL NOT STAY IN THE UP POSITION. TOYOTA REPLACED THE VISORS UNDER WARRANTY AFTER THE FIRST OCCURRENCE. HOWEVER, THEY ARE NOT STAYING UP ANYMORE. THE DRIVERS SIDE VISOR FALLS DOWN WHEN DRIVING CREATING A SAFETY HAZARD. BOTH OF THEM FALL DOWN AT AN ANGLE WHICH COULD CAUSE HEAD INJURIES DURING A CRASH. IN DOING AN INTERNET SEARCH, IT APPEARS THIS IS AN ISSUE WITH MANY OTHER HIGHLANDERS. I WENT BACK TO TOYOTA AND THEY WOULD NOT REPLACE IT UNDER WARRANTY. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE DRIVER AND PASSENGER SIDE SUN VISORS WOULD RELEASE DOWNWARDLY WITHOUT INTENT WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS STATIONARY OR IN MOTION. THE SUN VISORS WOULD BE PLACED IN THE UPWARD POSITION UPON RELEASING. THE FAILURE OCCURRED INTERMITTENTLY AND TEMPORARILY DISTORTED THE VISIBILITY. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER AND AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC, WHO BOTH STATED THAT THE ENTIRE SUN VISOR WOULD NEED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE PROBLEM. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 80,000.

I HAVE A PROBLEM WITH THE SUN VISORS ON MY 2002 HIGHLANDER. THE VISORS SEEM OVERLY HEAVY AND DUE TO THE NORMAL VIBRATIONS IN THE CAR THEY FREQUENTLY FALL DOWN, WHICH IS QUITE DISCONCERTING WHEN DRIVING! I'VE TALKED TO TOYOTA BUT THEY MENTION THERE IS NO WAY TO ADJUST THE TENSION AND I'M GOING TO HAVE TO PAY 700.00 TO GET THEM FIXED. I'M CONCERNED AS IT LOOKS TO BE A DESIGN FAULT (I.E. BOTH VISORS ARE FALLING DOWN, DUE TO THE WEIGHT OF THE THINGS) AND I DON'T WANT TO PAY FOR NEW ONES TO BE IN EXACTLY THE SAME SITUATION IN 18 MONTHS TIME. I HAVE RESEARCHED THE PROBLEM ON THE INTERNET AAND MANY PEOPLE ARE REPORTING THIS PROBLEM WITH TOYOTA HIGHLANDERS. *TT