2006 Toyota Highlander Fuel System Problems

MY 2008 HIGHLANDER ONLY HAS 130,000 MILES, YET THE DRIVER'S SIDE VISOR DROPS AND FALLS UNEXPECTEDLY WHILE DRIVING, THUS CAUSING A DRIVING SAFETY HAZARDTHE VEHICLE IS ACCIDENT FREE. I HAVE CODES CHECK ENGINE, VSC AND TRAC OFF. GAS CAP WAS REPLACED WITH NEW OFFICIAL TOYOTA MATCHED PART & SYSTEM CHECKED BUT PROBLEM FOUND - THIS DISPLAY LIGHT COMBINATION IS COMMON ON TOYOTAS AROUND THIS TIME.. MY GAS MILEAGE & ACCELERATION PERFORMANCE IS NEGATIVELY AFFECTED. INABILITY TO PROPERLY ACCELERATE CREATES A DANGER FOR INABILITY TO AVOID COLLISIONS.

06 HIGHLANDER HYBRID AND AM UNABLE TO FILL GAS TANK WITHOUT NOZZLE CLICKING OFF THIRTY OR MORE TIMES. DOESN'T SEEM TO MATTER WHAT ANGLE, BRAND OF GAS OR DISTANCE. -- MY TECHNICIAN SAID A NEW GAS TANK NEED TO BE REPLACE AND IT COST $1700... THIS PARTS SHOULD BE A SAFETY MEASURE AND WORK DURING THE LIVE OF THE VEHICLE.... TOYOTA SELL ME DEFECTIVE FUEL TANK.

SUDDEN ACCELERATION. VEHICLE WAS STOPPED, WITH FOOT ON BRAKE, WHEN SUDDEN ACCELERATION OCCURRED VERY RAPIDLY. BRAKE PRESSURE COULD NOT KEEP VEHICLE FROM LURCHING FOWARD AND HITTING THE REAR A OF STOPPED VEHICLE. I NEVER USE MY LEFT FOOT ON THE BRAKE, SO I CAN NEVER HIT THE BRAKE AND ACCELERATOR SIMULTANEOUSLY.

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE SHOULD GET 35 MILES PER GALLON IN THE CITY; HOWEVER, IT ONLY GETS 21 MILES. HE CALLED THE DEALER AND WAS ADVISED TO CALL THE TOYOTA MANUFACTURER. THE MANUFACTURER STATED THAT THEY APPRECIATED HIS INPUT AND COMMENTS. THE CONTACT FEELS THAT A RECALL SHOULD BE ISSUED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 31,000.

FRIDAY EARLY MAY 2008, I CARRIED MY HIGHLANDER FOR IT'S 30K SERVICE AT 28K, DUE TO HESITATION, LURCHING, BACKFIRING AT TIMES AND POOR GAS MILEAGE. AT THE SERVICE, I WAS TOLD THEY CLEAN THE ACCELERATOR SENOR. THE VEHICLE RAN FINE GETTING 28 MILES PER GALLON, BUT NOTICE A CHANGE IN THE VEHICLE GROUNDING. I COULD HEAR THE ENGINE NOISE THOUGH THE RADIO SOMETIMES IN THE MORNING. THE ENGINE NOISE WAS ADDED FEATURE. I NOTICED THE ENGINE SHIFTING WAS SMOOTH UNTIL THE FOLLOWING TUESDAY. IT WAS RAIN TRAFFIC MEDIUM DRIVING 65 MPH. THE HIGHLANDER CONSUMED A QUARTER OF A TANK WITHIN 20 MILES. MY HIGHLANDER IS KEPT IN GARAGE NIGHTLY AND MOST OF THE DAY. I MAKE AN APPOINTMENT TO MY NEAREST TOYOTA DEALER ON 16MAY08 31K. THE LOCAL DEALERSHIP RESET MY VEHICLE?S COMPUTER BY CONNECTING THE BATTERY AND RECONNECTION. I WAS TOLD 2 WEEKS BEFORE HAND AT THE DEALERSHIP IT WAS A POSSIBLY OF VEHICLE ?S COMPUTER SOFTWARE NEEDING UPGRADING WHEN THEY CLEANED THE ACCELERATOR SENOR. TODAY, THE VEHICLE DOESN'T HAVE THE SMOOTH ACCELERATING POWER. FOR THIS VEHICLE, RIDING IN TRAFFIC CAUSES SERIOUS PROBLEMS DUE LACK OF POWER LURCHING, POOR GAS MILEAGE OR THE POSSIBLE OF LOSING CONTROL. NO COMPUTER TEST WAS COMPLETED. I CHANGE GAS STATION TYPES AND VARIOUS GAS TREATMENTS, IT ?S NOT THE GAS. I HAVE DRIVING AND WORKING ON CARS SINCE 1978 FROM ENGINE, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM AND BRAKES. I EVEN NOTICED WHEN THE HIGHLANDER IS FULL WITH GAS. THE VEHICLE SOMETIME COUGH OR DELAY. IS THERE A LEMON LAW THIS? *TR

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING 65 MPH A METAL SHEET HIT THE GAS TANK CREATING A HOLE. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER WHERE THE GAS TANK WAS OBSERVED TO BE 3/4 COVERED IN METAL AND 1/4 COVERED IN PLASTIC. THE HOLE WAS CREATED IN THE PLASTIC PORTION OF THE GAS TANK. THE DEALER DETERMINED THAT THE GAS TANK MET THE NHTSA FMVSS THEREFORE REPAIRS WOULD NOT BE FREE OF CHARGE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS ALSO ALERTED. *NM

FIRST STARTUP IN MORNINGS. SOMETIMES VEHICLE FAILS TO START ON FIRST ATTEMPT. SECOND ATTEMPT IT STARTS BUT FOR SEVERAL MILES AFTER, A STRONG ODOR OF GAS IN CABIN AREA. MUST ROLL WINDOW DOWN TO ALLOW VENTILATION. WIFE FIRST COMPLAINED ABOUT THIS ISSUE AND I ASSUMED IT WAS BECAUSE SHE WAS DEPRESSING THE ACCELERATOR WHILE TRYING TO START VEHICLE. IT WAS NOT UNTIL I ATTEMPTED ON SEVERAL OCCASION AND THE SAME THING HAPPENED. *NM