2007 Toyota Highlander Hybrid Transmission and drivetrain Problems

“I was exiting a parking lot onto the street. I suddenly lost power while I was waiting to merge into traffic. My car was in drive but I had my foot on the brake when my car went dead. There were warnings flashing at me from my dashboard. I put my car in park. Turned off the engine and restarted my car but the same thing happened plus I began to roll backwards do to the slight incline in the parking lot exit. I quickly put my car in park again, turned on my hazard lights, and waived the cars behind me to go around. …”

“When starting after stop at the end of a freeway exit ramp a loud noise was heard in the front of the vehicle. The vehicle then lost all power and I was able to coast to the side of the road. The check hybrid system and check vsc system error lights were displayed and the car would not restart. The car was towed to a Toyota dealership and diagnosed with failure of the inverter. My car was not included in the 2011 recall for this problem. The cost of repair was quoted as $8000 and after speaking with Toyota corporate they offered a $1500 customer appreciation rebate. …”

“To the best of my knowledge, the Highlander Hybrid inverter, electronic unit, electrical wiring, circuit boards and other components have or may have malfunctioned (burned out/overheated). I was preparing to back out of a parking space when I heard a loud noise or pop from under my car. I smelled something burning and immediately asked my daughter to get my grand daughter out of the back seat and wait until I could determine what was wrong with the car. I attempted to re-start it but it would not go into gear, yet the engine remained running. The electric motor would not engage. …”

“The hybrid abruptly stalled while driving, light and alarms all around. Dealer states its the power inverter, he mentioned it was a recall, but not covering my car. The symptoms are identical.”