2005 Toyota Highlander Engine Problems

My 2025 Acura MDX (under 10,000 miles) has failed to restart after the automatic idle stop engaged at stoplights and drive-thru lines at least 7 separate times. When I release the brake, the engine often remains off and the vehicle will not move, leaving me stopped in traffic. I have not yet required a jump start, but on several occasions the vehicle came very close to not restarting at all. This most recently occurred at a sandwich shop drive-thru. These incidents occurred in normal drive mode and in normal weather conditions. No abnormal driving conditions were present when the failures happened. Other owners online report the same problem, with some needing to carry jumper cables. I believe this is a serious safety risk because the vehicle can stall unexpectedly in intersections and traffic when the auto stop-start system activates. I am now concerned about relying on this vehicle in traffic because I cannot trust it to restart when stopped.

ENGINE SLUDGE

MY WIFE WAS DRIVING OUR 2005 TOYOTA WITHIN THE CITY LIMITS AT A LOW RATE OF SPEED AND NOTICED SMOKE COMING OUT OF THE FRONT ENGINE HOOD AREA. THERE WERE NO TROUBLE LIGHTS SHOWING FOR THE ENGINE AT THE TIME, NOR WAS THE TEMPERATURE GAUGE SHOWING A HIGH TEMPERATURE. SHE PULLED OVER AND FOUND THE GRILL AREA AND FRONT ENGINE HOOD WERE MELTING AND SCORTCHED. SHE CALLED POLICE / FIRE TO RESPOND TO THE SCENE. THE FIRE DEPARTMENT WAS UNABLE TO OPEN THE FRONT HOOD, SINCE IT APPEARED THAT THE RELEASE CABLE HAD MELTED FROM THE EXTREME HEAT. THEY BENT THE HOOD UP TO GAIN ACCESS TO THE FIRE, AND THEN EXTINGUISHED THE FIRE. VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A LOCAL REPAIR FACILITY. *TR

2005 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARDS TO VEHICLE RECALL NOTICE *TGW THE CONSUMER STATED ON TWO SEPARATE OCCASIONS, WHEN HE ARRIVED AT THE DEALER TO HAVE THE RECALL PERFORMED, HE WAS ADVISED THE PARTS WERE NOT AVAILABLE. *JB

WHILE DRIVING TO SCHOOL TO PICK UP KIDS, THE ENGINE GOT OVERHEATED. COOLANT IS FULL IN THE RADIATOR. NOTHING WRONG WITH THE BRAKES. *TR

ON NUMEROUS OCCASIONS THIS VEHICLE STUTTERS WHEN MERGING ON TO TRAFFIC. ON THIS SPECIFIC INSTANCE I WAS MERGING FROM TURN IN LANE. THE THROTTLE WAS SLOW TO RESPOND AFTER DEPRESSING THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL 3/4 OF THE WAY. THEN IT JUMPED/LURCHED FORWARD. I WAS NEARLY HIT BUT THE TRAFFIC COMING UP FROM BEHIND. THIS HAS OCCURRED ON MULTIPLE OCCASSIONS IN THE PAST, BEGINNING WITH 20000 MILES ON THE CAR. HAD BROUGHT IT TO THE DEALERS ATTENTION IN THE PAST AND WAS TOLD THAT THIS IS A "DESIGN FEATURE" OF THE ELECTRONIC THROTTLE. THEY SEEMED TO BE AWARE OF THE PROBLEM BUT COULD NOT OFFER ANY SOLUTION. THE ECM WAS REPROGRAMMED ONCE UNDER WARRANTY BUT THAT ALSO DID NOT SOLVE THE PROBLEM. *TR

2005 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER, CAR WILL ACCELERATE FROM A DEAD STOP ON ITS OWN. CHANGE TRANSMISSION FROM PARK TO DRIVE AND LET OFF BRAKE AND CAR WILL ACCELERATE WITHOUT TOUCHING GAS PEDAL FAST ENOUGH TO CHANGE GEARS AND CONTINUE. HAVE REACHED A SPEED OF 30 MPH BEFORE BRAKING. THE TACHOMETER DOES NOT SHOW THAT THE ENGINE IS REVVING HIGHER THAN A NORMAL IDLE WHEN IN PARK CHANGING INTO DRIVE SO IT SEEMS LIKE AN ELECTRONIC PROBLEM, ETC. ISSUE IS INTERMITTENT. THE CAR HAS BEEN TO 2 DEALERS OVER THE TIME IT HAS BEEN OWNED AND WE WERE TOLD THE ISSUE COULD NOT BE DUPLICATED SO NOTHING COULD BE DONE. I CALLED THE SAME DAY THIS EMAIL WAS SENT AND WAS TOLD THE SAME THING BY THE LOCAL TOYOTA DEALERSHIP. WELL, THE RECALLED GAS PEDALS DON'T STICK ALL THE TIME SO THEY ARE INTERMITTENT PROBLEMS SO WHERE IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THEIR CARS AND OURS! I HAVE TRIED EVERY CONTACT NUMBER FOR TOYOTA AND CANNOT GET ANYWHERE!!!!!! *TR

WHEN I ACCELERATE FROM A VERY SLOW SPEED (ALMOST STOP) MY 2005 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER WILL SURGE. I HAVE EXPERIENCE THIS WHEN TRY TO PASS OR WHEN SLOWED TO TAKE A TURN BUT WITH NOT COMING TO A COMPLETE STOP. THE DEALER HAS NOT BEEN ABLE TO CORRECT IT. I GET THE FEELING THAT THEY THINK IT IS NORMAL OR OK. *NM

CONSUMER 2005 HIGHLANDER HAS EXPERIENCED HESITATION DURING ACCELERATIONS AND SOMETIMES DECELERATION. *TS THE DEALER RECALIBRATED THE ECM WHICH IMPROVED THE HESITATION PROBLEM WHILE SHIFTING BUT ALSO REDUCED THE GAS MILEAGE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO ANOTHER DEALER AND THEIR COMPUTER INDICATED THAT EVERYTHING WAS FINE. *NM

INTERMITTENT PROBLEM: WHILE TRAVELING APPROX 30 MPH (OR CRUISING SPEED), ATTEMPTED TO PASS ANOTHER VEHICLE. THE ACCELERATOR WAS PRESSED TO THE FLOOR AND THE VEHICLE REFUSED TO ACCELERATE FOR A PERIOD OF APPROXIMATELY 2 SECONDS. ACCELERATION RESUMED AFTER THIS PERIOD. CONTACTED TOYOTA. TOYOTA SAID THIS IS A NORMAL PHENOMENON IN THEIR DRIVE-BY-WIRE SYSTEMS.

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING 2 MPH TOWARDS A STOP, THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT ACCELERATE. THERE WERE NO WARNING SIGNALS PRIOR TO THE INCIDENT. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE SERVICE DEALER WHO PERFORMED DIAGNOSTIC TESTING AND TEMPORARILY RECALIBRATED THE ECM ENGINE. ADDITIONALLY, THE SERVICE DEALER WAS UNABLE TO DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT CONTACTED. *AK