2014 Toyota Highlander Steering Problems

Steering column locked on several occasions while driving. Electrical systems blink on and off. Exactly as described in NHTSA recall #15V144000 and as far I can tell the exact same part number.

MY TOYOTA HIGHLANDER 2014 HAS A HUGE SECURITY AND SAFETY ISSUE. ITS STEERING WHEEL JAMMED AND IT BECOME COMPLETELY DISABLED WHILE I WAS DRIVING AND THE ENGINE WONT START AGAIN. IT HAS THE FOLLOWING MESSAGES IN THE DASHBOARD. 1- 'EPS FAILURE. STEERING WHEEL IS HARDER TO TURN'. 2- 'THE ENGINE HAS STOPPED. PLEASE PUT THE SHIFT LEVER TO P'. 3- 'TRAC OFF' 4- 'BRAKE OVERRIDE SYSTEM FAILURE'. MY CAR HAD SAME ISSUE BACK AUG 2017 BUT THE TOYOTA DEALERSHIP CLAIMED THAT THEY DIDN'T SEE SUCH ISSUE AND THE CAR STARTED NORMAL. I DON'T KNOW WHAT KIND OF DIAGNOSTICS THEY PERFORMED BECAUSE I AM HAVING THE SAME ISSUE WHICH HAS SIMILAR SYMPTOM AS THE RECALL ISSUE (NHTSA CAMPAIGN # 15V14000) FOR TOYOTA HIGHLANDER 2015 MODELS. IT IS A VERY DANGEROUS SECURITY FAULT BECAUSE MY CAR WAS IDOL WHILE I WAS DRIVING AND THE STEERING WHEEL JAMMED. ON BOTH OCCASION THE VEHICLE WAS STATIONARY.

VEHICLE SHUT OFF DURING DRIVING, CAUSING ALL ELECTRICAL SYSTEMS TO FAIL INCLUDING THE ELECTRONIC STEERING, WHICH SINCE VEHICLE ALSO TURNED OFF, CAUSED THE STEERING COLUMN TO LOCK UP. SINCE THE PROBLEM OCCURRED AT SPEED AND INFACT WHILE MAKING A TURN, A NEAR COLLISION OCCURED. THE PROBLEM OCCURED MULTIPLE TIMES IN SUCCESSION AND WAS ALSO INTERMITTENT WITH MUCH TIME ELAPSING BETWEEN EPISODES. TWO OTHER TYPES OF RELATED OCCURRENCES DURING THIS TIMEFRAME WERE THE (1) VEHICLE ALSO CYCLING OFF AND ON AND (2) WOULD ALSO TURN ON ITSELF IF THE KEY WAS IN THE VICINITY OF THE VEHICLE. TOYOTA OF SEATTLE EXPERIENCED THE ISSUES WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS BROUGHT IN AND DIAGNOSED THE ISSUE TO BE A LOOSE BOLTED CONNECTION OF THE NEGATIVE ELECTRICAL WIRE FROM THE BATTERY TO THE FRAME OF THE VEHICLE. THOUGH THE VEHICLE HAS EXPERIENCED SIMILAR ISSUES SINCE TIGHTENING OF THE NEGATIVE WIRE BOLTS. ONGOING ISSUES INCLUDE THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM CYCLING OFF AND ON WHILE DRIVING INCLUDING THE NAVIGATION AND FRONT CONSOLE DISPLAY. THE VEHICLE WAS BOUGHT IN SEPTEMBER 2014 AND HAD LESS THAN 25K MILES AS OF APRIL 2016. ON TWO PRIOR INSTANCES ELECTRICAL ISSUES WERE IDENTIFIED AND DOCUMENTED TO TOYOTA OF SEATTLE AND THE VEHICLE WAS KEPT FOR TESTING. THE FIRST ELECTRICAL ISSUE OCCURED WITH THE ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL FAILING AND THEREBY REQUIRING PASSENGER INTERVENTION TO AVOID COLLISION. THIS CRUISE CONTROL FAILURE FIRST SEEMED TO OCCUR IN DECEMBER 2015. TOYOTA OF SEATTLE DID NOT FIND ANY FAULT AND SENT ME AWAY. THE SECOND PRIOR ELECTRICAL ISSUE OF THE BATTERY PREMATURELY FAILING OCCURRED IN MARCH 2016. THE READINGS INDICATED SOME ODD DRAWS. TOYOTA OF SEATTLE REPLACED THE BATTERY AND SENT ME AWAY WITHOUT ADDRESSING THE ODD DRAWS. THE VEHICLE'S SAFETY REMAINS SUSPECT WITH ONGOING ELECTRICAL CYCLING OFF AND ON WHILE DRIVING.

I WAS BACKING OUT OF MY PARKING SPACE AND THE VEHICLE JERK. THEN A WARNING SIGN APPEAR ON THE DASH THAT SAID EPS FAILURE. THE STEERING WHEEL WAS HARD TO TURN. I BEGAN TO STRUGGLE WITH THE STEERING WHEEL AT THAT POINT IT WAS LOCK. AFTER SEVERAL ATTEMPTS; I WAS ABLE TO PULL INTO AN EMPTY PARKING SPACE, PARKED THE VEHICLE AND HAD IT TOWED TO DICK DYER IN COLUMBIA SC. THE DEALERSHIP WAS NOT ABLE TO CONFIRM WHAT WAS ACTUALLY WRONG WITH THE VEHICLE. AT THIS TIME, THEY THINK THEY FOUND THE PROBLEM. THE TECHNICIAN STATED HE HAS NEVER SEEN SUCH A PROBLEM BEFORE AND WAS NOT SURE HOW TO FIX IT. I DID NOT PURCHASED THE VEHICLE FROM DICK DYER INSTEAD I PURCHASED IT FROM SPARKS TOYOTA IN MYRTLE BEACH SC. THEY ARE AWARE OF THE PROBLEM AND I WAS TOLD TO CALL THE CENTRAL OFFICE. I WAS TOLD BY THE CENTRAL OFFICE TO COMPLETE THE ARBITRATION PROCESS. I AM IN PROCESS OF DOING THIS NOW. AT THIS TIME, I DO NOT FEEL COMFORTABLE DRIVING THIS VEHICLE AND INSTEAD WOULD LIKE A DIFFERENT VEHICLE. AT DICK DYER NO ONE WANTED TO SIGN OFF ON THE SERVICE INVOICE STATING THE CAR IS FIX. I FEEL NO ONE WANTS TO BE LIABLE FOR ANY FUTURE ISSUE WITH THE VEHICLE IF THIS DOES NOT FIX THE PROBLEM. *TR