2002 Toyota Highlander Body & Structure Problems

DRIVER SIDE VISOR WILL NOT STAY IN PLACE, DROPS DOWN DUE TO VIBRATION. APPEARS TO BE A DESIGN FLAW. VISOR TOO HEAVY FOR ARMITURE, DEALERSHIP COST TO REPLACE APPROXIMATELY 800.00. *TR

2002 TOYOTA SIENNA MINIVAN. WHEN I TRY TO OPEN THE DRIVER SIDE SLIDING DOOR, I CAN HEAR IT UNLATCH BUT REMAINS SHUT. YOU HAVE TO PUSH THE REAR PART OF THE DOOR BACK IN UNTIL YOU HEAR A CLICK, THEN YOU HAVE TO VIOLENTLY PULL THE HANDLE AND THE DOOR WILL OPEN. *TR

SAFETY ISSUE WITH TOYOTA HIGHLANDER (02 MODEL)...SUN VISOR ON DRIVERS SIDE KEEPS FALLING DOWN AND OBSTRUCTING VIEW. *TR

I PURCHASED A USED 2002 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER 3 YEARS AGO, LAST YEAR, THE VISOR ON THE DRIVERS SIDE STARTED FLIPPING DOWN (WILL NOT STAY UP). I HAVE BEEN QUOTED APPROX $700 TO REPLACE THE VISOR WHICH SEEMS EXCESSIVE ESPECIALLY SINCE IT IS NOT EVEN LIGHTED. *TR

2002 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER. BOTH SUNVISORS FAULTY. HIT A BUMP AND THEY WILL FALL DOWN IN FRONT OF VISION. CRASH HAZARD IN CERTAIN DRIVING SITUATIONS, ESPECIALLY DRIVING UPHILL OR TRYING TO LOOK AT A TRAFFIC LIGHT. THEY SUDDENLY FALL AND OBSCURE UPWARD VISION. *TR

2002 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER DRIVER'S SIDE VISOR FALLS DOWN AND BLOCKS THE VISION OF THE DRIVER. TOYOTA'S SOLUTION TO THIS PROBLEM IS TO REPLACE THE VISOR AT A COST OF $600 PLUS LABOR. THERE HAVE BEEN MANY REPORTS OF THIS PROBLEM ACCORDING TO THE TOYOTA DEALER, YET TOYOTA HAS NOT ISSUED A RECALL. *TR

THE SUN VISORS ON MY 2002 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER ARE BOTH FAILING. THE DRIVER SIDE VISOR FAILED AFTER ABOUT 2 YEARS. I TOOK IT TO THE DEALERSHIP AND THEY REPLACED IT UNDER WARRANTY. NOW IT IS FAILING AGAIN. THE PASSENGER SIDE VISOR IS NOW FAILING AS WELL. ACCORDING TO MY MECHANIC, THE COST TO REPLACE THEM WOULD BE ABOUT $1,000 - PARTS ONLY. *TR

2002 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER. DRIVER SIDE SUN VISOR DOES NOT STAY UP, DROPS DOWN WHILE DRIVING DUE TO ANY SMALL BUMPS. OFTEN DROPS AND TEMPORARILY BLOCKS VIEW WHILE DRIVING. FROM WEB SEARCHES SOUNDS LIKE A COMMON ISSUE WITH THE 02 HIGHLANDERS. *TR

I HAVE A COMPLAINT ABOUT MY 2002 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER. THE DRIVER SIDE SUN VISOR HAS A PROBLEM STAYING UP AND MY LOCAL TOYOTA DEALERSHIP HAS QUOTED ME A PRICE TO REPLACE THE PART THAT SEEMS EXTREMELY HIGH. THIS VISOR IS THE HOMELINK VISOR. *TR

THE SUN VISOR ON THE DRIVER SIDE WILL NOT STAY IN PLACE. THIS IS A MAJOR SAFETY HAZARD AS IT FALLS INTO THE DRIVER'S LINE OF SITE WHILE THE VEHICLE IS IN MOTION. *TR

DRIVERS SIDE SUN VISOR IN '02 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER WILL NOT STAY UP. THE PASSENGER SIDE IS STARTING TO FAIL AS WELL. THIS IS A CONSISTENT PROBLEM. *TR

SAFETY ISSUE WITH TOYOTA 2002 HIGHLANDER. THE DRIVER'S SIDE SUN VISOR REPEATEDLY FALLS DOWN OBSCURING VISION OF THE ROAD LEADING TO POTENTIAL ACCIDENTS. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER. THE DRIVER AND PASSENGER MUD FLAPS HAVE CRACKED. THE FLAPS HAVE NOT BEEN REPLACED. THE DEALER STATED THAT THEY WILL NOT REPLACE THE MUD FLAPS FOR FREE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 50,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 89,000.

SUN VISORS ON 2002 TOYOTA HIGHLANDERS DID NOT STAY IN POSITION AND INTERFERED WITH DRIVER VISIBILITY- THE SUN VISORS WILL NOT STAY IN THE UP POSITION AND WILL DROP DOWN INTO THE DRIVER'S EYES WHILE DRIVING. FURTHERMORE, THE SUN VISORS WERE RENDERED USELESS AS THEY WILL NOT STAY IN POSITION WHEN IN USE. THE DRIVER IS FORCED TO EITHER NOT USE THE VISOR, A HAZARD WHEN DRIVING INTO THE SUN, OR MUST SLUMP DOWN IN THE SEAT AND USE THE VISOR IN THE COMPLETELY DOWN POSITION. BOTH THE PASSENGER AND DRIVER'S VISORS ARE AFFECTED. THIS WAS A KNOWN ISSUE WITH 2002 HIGHLANDERS AS DOCUMENTED ON OWNER'S WEB FORUMS. *AK

ON EXTREMELY SUNNY DAYS, THE INSTRUMENT PANEL WAS IMPOSSIBLE TO READ. *JB PH *JB

WE CANNOT READ THE INSTRUMENT PANEL OF OUR 2002 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER IN THE BRIGHT ARIZONA SUN WHEN WEARING SUNGLASSES (A SAFETY AND MEDICAL REQUIREMENT IN ARIZONA  THAT IS TO WEAR SUN GLASSES IN THE VERY BRIGHT LATE SPRING TO EARLY FALL SUN). WE HAVE DRIVEN AT LEAST 100 DIFFERENT CARS AND TRUCKS (MANY OF THEM RENTAL VEHICLES) OVER THE YEARS AND NEVER EXPERIENCED NOR EXPECTED THIS PROBLEM WHEN WE PURCHASED OUR 2002 HIGHLANDER. DURING THE BRIGHT SUNNY DAYS IN CENTRAL ARIZONA (IT IS SUNNY HERE OVER 300 DAYS A YEAR), IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO READ ANY INSTRUMENTS (SPEEDOMETER, TEMP GAGE, FUEL GAGE, ODOMETER, AND TACHOMETER) WHEN THE SUN IS COMING IN THE WINDSHIELD AND THE DRIVER IS WEARING SUNGLASSES. OBVIOUSLY THIS IS A SEVERE SAFETY HAZARD. I HAVE REPEATEDLY CONTACTED THE DEALER, THE DEALER SERVICE DEPARTMENT, AND TOYOTA ON THIS EXTREME SAFETY HAZARD SINCE ACQUIRING THE VEHICLE IN FEBRUARY 2002. IN CONSIDERATION FOR TOYOTA AND ITS REPUTATION, I AVOIDED CONTACTING CU AND THE NATIONAL HIGHWAY TRAFFIC SAFETY ADMINISTRATION TO ALLOW TIME FOR TOYOTA TO RESPOND TO THIS SAFETY ISSUE. MY PATIENCE ENDED WITH THE BEGINNING OF ANOTHER SEASON OF VERY BRIGHT SUNSHINE IN ARIZONA. THE DEALER AND TOYOTA FACTORY REPRESENTATIVES TOLD ME AS RECENTLY AS MAY 14, 2003 THAT THERE IS NOTHING THAT TOYOTA CAN DO, SINCE THERE ARE NOT ENOUGH COMPLAINTS OR PERHAPS ANY OTHER THAN MINE (PERHAPS MANY PEOPLE DON'T LOOK AT THEIR DASH INSTRUMENTS WHEN THEY DRIVE). HOWEVER, THE SERVICE MANAGER AT A LOCAL DEALERSHIP TELLS ME THAT OTHER ARIZONA HIGHLANDER OWNERS HAVE COMPLAINED, BUT THAT THERE IS NOTHING THAT HE CAN DO ABOUT THE REPORTED PROBLEM. HE AGREES WITH MY ASSESSMENT OF THE PROBLEM. HOW CAN HE NOT AGREE WHEN IT IS SO EVIDENT BY SETTING IN THE VEHICLE WITH THE BRIGHT ARIZONA SUN COMING THROUGH THE WINDSHIELD WHILE WEARING SUNGLASSES?*JB

A MAJOR WATER LEAK WAS FOUND IN THE FRONT PASSENGER SIDE DUE TO THE FRONT COWL PANEL NOT BEING INSTALLED CORRECTLY. IN ADDITION THERE IS NOW A MOLD/MILDEW SMELL THAT THE DEALER CAN NOT GET OUT OF THE VEHICLE. THEY HAVE RUN THE VEHICLE THROUGH THE OZONE SYSTEM SEVERAL TIMES BUT IT HAS NOT CORRECTED THE PROBLEM.

WHILE IN MOTION AND GOING OVER 45 MPH, WITH THE BACK WINDOWS DOWN AND ALL OTHER WINDOWS UP, THERE IS SEVERE TURBULANCE THAT OCCURS WITHIN THE VEHICLE. THE TURBULENCE CREATES PAIN TO THE EARS WHICH COULD DISTRACT THE DRIVER CAUSING AN ACCIDENT. *JG

WHILE TRAVELING ON HIGHWAY WITH THE WINDOWS DOWN, THERE IS A VIBRATION AND TREMBLING NOISE, THE DEALERSHIP IS AWARE OF THE PROBLEM. NLM

ON TWO OCCASIONS WHILE DRIVING THE SUNLIGHT WOULD SHINE THROUGH THE FRONT PASSENGER SIDE WINDOW, REFLECTING OFF THE SHINY WOOD LIKE PANEL OVER THE GLOVE COMPARTMENT BLINDING THE DRIVER, THIS OCCURED FOR OVER AN HOUR ON BOTH OCCASIONS, CONSUMER TRIED AND HELD NEWSPAPERS AND ROAD MAPS AGAINST THE WINDOW TO BLOCK THE SUN RAYS, BUT THE TRIM IN THE CAR WAS TOO LONG AND RECAPTURED THE SUNLIGHT AS THE HIGHWAY CURVED, MANUFACTURER HAS BEEN NOTIFIED OF THIS DESIGN FLAW. *TT THE CONSUMER IS REQUESTING INFORMATION IN WRITING, FROM THE DESIGN ENGINEER OF TOYOTA, AND FEELS THAT THIS WARRANTS AN IMMEDIATE DESIGN CHANGE DUE TO VEHICLE HAZARD. *SCC