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Toyota Highlander Hybrid - Hybrid System Problems

314 messages,  Last post on May 22, 2013 at 4:56 PM

You are in the Toyota Highlander Hybrid Forum.

What is this discussion about? Toyota Highlander Hybrid, Hybrid Cars, SUV

    
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Messages Page 22 of 32

#209 of 314 Re: Full Warranty Information [kenduff] by rescue131

Sep 21, 2011 (7:38 pm)

Replying to: kenduff (Sep 21, 2011 10:50 am)
Hi, all...
 
     First of all, the pressure is on Toyota...according to today's NY Times, Toyota has 5 days to come up with a plan for fixing these cars...pressure on Toyota makes negotiating for us owners easier. Source: Toyota Recalls 82,000 Highlander and Lexus RX 400 Hybrids for Stalling Problem. Link:
http://wheels.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/06/29/toyota-recalls-82000-highlander-and-l- exus-rx-400-hybrids-for-stalling-problem/
**Note to the member asking about purchasing a Toyota HiHy 2007- some of the cars recalled are from 2007. The one you are thinking of purchasing could have the bad inverter.
     According to Hybridcars.com, the 2006 Toyota Highlander Hy is SULEV. (The sticker telling you for sure the rating, the Vehicle Emissions Control Information sticker, by law must be under the hood of your vehicle, and may also be on one of the two rear windows. Source:
 http://www.hybridcar.com/index.phpoption=com_content&task=view&id=68&Itemid=65
This gives you a minimum of 8 years/80k miles. I suggest everyone whose vehicle is NOT part of the recall, but whose inverter blew, get the rating information of your emissions rating from under the hood, A copy of the applicable CA warranty code, sourced in my most recent post, or distilled here:
http://www.anr.state.vt.us/air/MobileSources/docs/WebsiteWarrantyBrochure.pdf
and request free replacement, based on the 8 yr, 80k mile warranty.
     If your vehicle is one of the recalled VINs, just print out the now formal recall news, and march yourselves down to the dealer.
   Alert: Toyota is sending owners of recalled 06s super-disingenous letters offering to buy back your Toyota 06 HyHi, and sell you another Toyota car, not because the lemon is a deathtrap, which has been recalled. No, no, no. if they told you that, you'd demand they fix it for free, which will cost them mega bucks. Instead, they ate trying to buy back your vehicle and sell you another Toyota. It's cheaper for them to buy it back than to fix it, PLUS, they get the added bonus of a NEW sale. Since they dont want to notify some who may not know about the recall, they are claiming they want your 06 because they are in desperate need of Toyota 2006 cars. Really? It's 2011. All of a sudden, we are to believe that there is increased demand for 2006 models? Toyota blames this, most shamefully, on a shortage of 2006 models created by a production lapse caused by - wait for it - the earthquake in Japan. Yup. Now, I'm no mathemetician, but the earthquake was in March, 2011. If I subtract 2006 from 2011, I will get 5 years. Sooo, they stopped producing 2006 cars 5 years before the earthquake supposedly halted their production of them. But we are to believe they were STILL producing them up until the earthquake, and now have a shortfall? I love my Toyota, but their shoddy inverter caused deaths. And now they want to avoid the responsibility of making good on this recall? Where are the ethics in business? Before I get off my soapbox, if the corporate greed were not shameful enough, to cart into this that devastating earthquake? And to insult our intelligence....everyone's clamoring for 2006 vehicles right now, and they had to stop producing new ones in March 2011? I won't buy another Toyota on the basis of this letter. Shame on them.

#210 of 314 2007s by rescue131

Sep 21, 2011 (7:56 pm)

For Kenduff - you may have a late 2007 vehicle, but if you haven't already just cheked your VIN against the recall list...you might want to give it a try. Maybe it's included.

#211 of 314 Correction by rescue131

Sep 21, 2011 (8:05 pm)

The NY Times article was dated June, not September...their 5 day plan was to tell us to drive more slowly until they figure a way out for themselves...but keep watching that NHTSA info...they cannot stall much longer. Oh! Golly...no pun intended!

#212 of 314 Re: 2007s [rescue131] by kenduff

Sep 22, 2011 (11:53 am)

Replying to: rescue131 (Sep 21, 2011 7:56 pm)
i did and it is not.....

#213 of 314 Re: 2007s [kenduff] by rescue131

Sep 29, 2011 (8:20 pm)

Replying to: kenduff (Sep 22, 2011 11:53 am)
New information....
 
My HiHy is a 2006 SULEV II (level II). This info is found on the sticker under the hood. My vehicle was covered under the 150k CARB warranty, regardless of recalled VIN num. I have been trying to find out why some of yours was not covered. This is what I found.
 
The warranty was updated 12/8/2010. If your service ppl are referring to your original warranty, it has been ammended. According to the amount, vehicles meeting the SULEV II requirements fall into 2 dif categories (depending on emission specs). The category determines whether it is warrantied for 120 or 150k. Because my own vehicle was manufactured to the specs granting it the higher 150k warranty, I assume all the same year make and models would be (they are massed produced, of course).
 
This link is the ammended CARB emissins regulations. http://www.arb.ca.gov/msprog/levprog/cleandoc/cleancomplete_lev-ghg_regs_12-10.p- df
On page 46 there is a chart. The top of the chart is for SULEV II light duty trucks (as is the toyota hihy). The vehicles emissions specs will cause it to land in either the 150 or 120k warranty plan. MY vehicle fell in the 150k plan. So it must be that anyone else's 2006 Toyota Highlander Hybrid was manufactured to the same emissins specs and must also meet the same standards for the 150k warramty.
 
If any of you are still not getting covered for this, I would print out this (mandatory) warranty regulation (just page 47 is necessary), bring it to my service tech, and show him that this part is covered under the ammended warranty. If he says it is not, I would then ask him to show me the mfr specs showing it to conform to the lower emissions warranty. If he shows you specs showing it conforms to the 150k warranty, you are done. And again, it simply must conform, because my vehicle was not produced individually. It is a 2096 toy hi hy, and they were all mass produced.
 
Good luck.

#214 of 314 My '06 HH Died with Inverter Issue by fvongraf

Oct 02, 2011 (6:55 pm)

Same story as most of the others on this forum. My 2006 Highlander Hybrid with 83,000 miles died earlier this week when I was driving my kids around. We just left a parking lot and started in to traffic on a major road and then *POP* there was no power and the warning lights kick on, including the Check Hyrbrid system, check VCS system, ABS, etc. It was the worst time of day, right after 5pm so thing congested rush hour conditions... I managed to coast the car over and was just short of a bus stop, so with a little pushing we made it off the road. Called my wife to pick up the kids and I got to wait for the tow truck to pick me up.
 
Once we got the car in to the dealer, they confirmed that the inverter had blown and would need to be replaced. They replaced it under warranty saying that this was covered under a recall for the Highlander Hybrid. My VIN doesn't end within the previously mentioned range so not sure if we had the earlier inverter or later inverter, either way it was bad. I'm glad it was covered because when I came in to pick it up the bill (to Toyota) said $7329, I'm guessing they'd mark that up further if it was to be billed to a customer.
 
The new inverter drives great, but I think it's time to look at getting a new vehicle and not a Toyota. I've never been much of a domestic guy (outside of trucks) but the new Ford's are really looking good...

#215 of 314 Re: 2007s [rescue131] by kenduff

Oct 03, 2011 (10:02 am)

Replying to: rescue131 (Sep 29, 2011 8:20 pm)
did as you said and Toyota tech said "no way". it is not covered under the amended law....he actually did not even read what I printed out...nasty bunch them Toyota boys....writing a letter to NHTSA today....

#216 of 314 Re: 2007s [kenduff] by rescue131

Oct 03, 2011 (8:44 pm)

Replying to: kenduff (Oct 03, 2011 10:02 am)
If I were you, assuming you live in one of the states which has adopted the California clean air regulation (the list of states which did is posted in onee of my earlier posts), I would get that sticker info from the underside of my hood (the SULEV II warranty info), my registration, and any emissions info I had on this car, set aside a block of time and call carb. Their num is on their website. Some Sulev IIs are covered for 150k, some are not, as you saw on Page 47 of the amended regulation. I would ask carb to let me know for sure, and if it is, I would then ask for documentation. Then I would take that documentation to the Regional Manager or Regional VP to whom this tech reports. I would let him know that the part was a safety recall, and that you have been in touch with the NHTSA regarding the policy toyota is required to follow on this. (that policy info is a link on the NHTSA website. And I would also call NHTSA and advise them of the situation and ask for their assistance. The steps manufacturer's must take in a recall are not negotiable. They are mandated by NHTSA. Likewise, if the amended regulation governing emissions warranties is not something the tech can choose to go along with or not. It is a binding agreement between mfr's of low emission vehicles and carb, which mfr's must (must) honor in exchange for incentives. I have a strong suspicion this tech does not even know the reg was updated. I would write letters for sure, but I'd be on the phone with NHTSA, Carb, getting my info crystal clear, and then on the phone with the senior exec to whom this tech, or this tech's boss, or boss's boss, reports. Toyota can get in huge, huge trouble for not honoring the regulatory agreement or the NHTSA recall mandates. Make sure you let this exec know exactly what is required of them, and the penalties from nhtsa and carb for noncompliance. Assuming, of course, you gave carb your info and they attested your model vehicle went w the 150k plan (mine did, and it is SULEV II). If they took the carb benefits, they honor warranty. I would also make sure that the exec you speak to for help in getting the tech to follow Toyota's policies and mandates knows the name of this tech. That's what I would do if I were you...

#217 of 314 Re: 2007s [rescue131] by kenduff

Oct 07, 2011 (10:29 am)

Replying to: rescue131 (Oct 03, 2011 8:44 pm)
Hi rescue 131...here is the reply I received from the CARB and the HH is a later 07 model that was not recalled, my VIN# is a few hundred beyond the recall numbers.... I think Toyota chose not to certify as a PZEV is because they knew the inverters were faulty..time will tell.. Ken
 
The certification Executive Order for your vehicle, 2007 Toyota Highlander hybrid, shows that the vehicle was indeed certified as a SULEV. Unfortunately, SULEV certification alone does not qualify for the 15 year/150,000 mile emission warranty. Only vehicles certified as partial zero emission vehicles (PZEV) qualify for the extended emission warranty. In order to qualify as a PZEV, a vehicles must have SULEV tailpipe emissions and zero fuel evaporative emissions. For some reason, Toyota chose not to certify the Highlander as a PZEV, as you will note in the attached certification Executive Order.
 
To illustrate the difference, I’ve attached the certification Executive Orders for your vehicle and the 2007 Toyota Camry hybrid which is a PZEV.
 
I fully sympathize with your position, this is not a trivial repair cost. For your information, I noted during a search on Ebay that the Highlander inverter is available for considerably less than $10,000.
 
I’ve cc’ed John Urkov, branch chief overseeing the section dealing with warranty concerns for confirmation on the Highlander status.
 
Regards,
Paul.

Messages Page 22 of 32

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