Model years Toyota Highlander Hybrid
2009 Toyota Highlander Hybrid
Complaints about this year name out far more often than the model's other years — 19% of them, about 47× the usual rate of 0.4%.
NHTSA opened a defect investigation into this model year.
| Complaints filed | 174 |
|---|---|
| Median for this model | 9 |
| Involving a crash | 8 |
| Involving a fire | 5 |
| Recalls | 4 |
| EPA combined | 26 mpg |
What the complaints were about
- traction control — 7.5% of this year's complaints, against 2.8% across the model's other years (2.7×). Owners wrote it as: traction control, hybrid driving, via.
- issued — 6.3% of this year's complaints, against 2.5% across the model's other years (2.6×). Owners wrote it as: issued, toyota issued, said problem.
Words owners used for the same problem are counted together, so a fault written four different ways is measured once. Grouped by which complaints they appear in, not by a list anyone wrote in advance.
Also unusual this year
- abs — 18% of complaints, 46× usual
- since — 17% of complaints, 43× usual
- about — 17% of complaints, 43× usual
What owners wrote
I WAS DRIVING 5 MPH AND MY BRAKES COMPLETELY WENT OUT. LUCKILY, SINCE IT WAS ON HALLOWEEN NIGHT WITH KIDS EVERYWHERE NO ONE WAS HURT. ABS WARNING LIGHTS CAME ON AND WARNING LIGHTS SAID TO PULL OVER AND TAKE TO MECHANIC. I HAD NO BRAKES AND COASTED HOME GOING 2…
ABS, TRACTION CONTROL, BRAKE MALFUNCTION LIGHT ON IN DASH DUE TO THE ABS BRAKE PUMP AND ACTUATOR NOT HAVING ENOUGH POWER AND A ABNORMAL LEAK. THE LIGHTS STAY ON FOR A DAY OR 2 AND GO OFF FOR ABOUT THE SAME TIME FIRST TIME LIGHTS CAME ON I HIT POUNDING WATER ON…
Verbatim from NHTSA complaint filings, with identifying details removed.
Recalls for this year
- 15V689000 VISIBILITY Fixed free of charge.
- 13V014000 AIR BAGS
- 13V396000 HYBRID PROPULSION SYSTEM Fixed free of charge.
- 09V223000 EQUIPMENT Fixed free of charge.
How this was worked out
Every year of the Toyota Highlander Hybrid was compared against its own history rather than against other cars, which removes popularity and age from the answer — a common car draws more complaints at equal reliability, and an older one has had longer to accumulate them. A year is flagged when it drew at least 2.5× this model's median and at least 50 complaints.
This is a fault record, not a review. Nobody files a federal complaint to say the car was fine, so it shows what tends to go wrong — not whether owners liked it, and not whether it is a good car.
Source: NHTSA complaints, recalls and investigations, retrieved . Look this vehicle up directly on NHTSA's site to check anything here.
Own a 2009 Toyota Highlander Hybrid? What happened to yours?
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