2011 Toyota HIGHLANDER HV - Ratings, Complaints and Recalls

"clicking in steering column light comes on dash for power steering then hard to make turn then well go back off then able to make turns with ease again"

"in the last 30 days, the steering has begun to feel "loose", as if i am driving on ice. at first it was barely perceptable. there has been more "play" in the steering. during the last 2 days, the car is now making a thud when i am steering right. i have an appointment for a mechanic to look at it. the car is a 2011 highlander, awd, with 89,000 miles on it. i feel the steering issue could be very dangerous at some point."

"the power steering is clunky, locks in position when backing out of a parking spot, is clunky and unreliable at slow speeds. i can feel the steering column get far tighter feeling when turning at slow speed (3-10 mph)"

"when you turn the steering wheel and then the turn is completed...the steering wheel does not go back into position. this occurs when you are in motion."

"for several months, there's a thump when turning the steering wheel in either direction, no matter what road/street. we have less than 43,000 miles on it & do not drive on ruff terrain. we purchased the 2011 toyota highlander new, take it to the dealer every 6 mos for maint. & now told it needs a steering shaft replacement & 4 wheel alignment. ($657.33 total!) this is inconceivable to pass on to customers. and a road hazard to all on the roads."

"clunking and clicking when turning the wheel. tsb from toyota calls for intermediate steering shaft replacement, but toyota will not warranty replacement of the faulty part. hundreds of complaints online with this same issue."

"steering shaft u joint makes clunking noise. dealer advised immediate replacement as this is a safety concern."

"i started experiencing a clunk in the steering wheel column when turning the wheel to the left for parking . it happened a couple of times so i took it to my regular toyota dealership for service. after test driving the car they told me it was the steering intermediate shaft that needed to be replaced. i felt i had no choice so had them do the work and it cost $782.30 for parts / labor plus $134.95 for alignment. total of $917.25. i found out that toyota had issued a technical service bulletin #t-sb-0034-13 on february 21,2013 sent to all toyota repair shops addressing this issue. they told the mechanics how to replace this equipment and that "a new intermediate shaft has been developed to address this condition". to me that means that in 2013 they knew it was a design flaw and corrected the problem by designing a new shaft. if they had notified the 2008-2013 toyota highlander customers then that this would be an issue, many would have still been under warranty and it would have been covered. but instead they waited until people had the problem, brought their cars in for repair and then charged them whatever the going rate is. in the technical service bulletin is clearly states that this would be covered under a basic warranty for toyota. i spoke to my service advisor and he referred me to toyota headquarters. i called there and spoke to two "senior customer advisors" and basically was told i was out of luck...no recall, no campaign and no customer remuneration. when i look online it's clear that my highlander is not the only one who has had to deal with this issue and spend hundreds of dollars for the repair. i think this is an issue that toyota should have to own up to !!"

"at a stop or at low speed starts, turning the steering wheel results in a clunking or creaking noise. this does not happen at higher speeds. the noise happens whether turning it left or right. usually hear it coming out of a parking spot or moving from a stop. it has been doing this for a few years."

"when turning or over bumps the steering column makes clunking noise. has become louder with time"