The contact owns a 2006 Toyota Highlander hybrid. The contact was driving approximately 30 mph when the vehicle suddenly accelerated without warning. The contact applied the brakes to stop the unintended acceleration but the vehicle would not respond. The contact then crashed into a tree. The driver received injuries to her ankle and the front passenger sustained a broken finger. The rear passenger who was pregnant was killed and another passenger sustained major internal bleeding. The police were called and a report was filed. The three surviving passengers were transported to the hospital via ambulance. The vehicle was then towed to an independent mechanic where they are awaiting an investigation. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 27,000. The VIN was not available.

- Fremont, CA, USA

The contact owns a 2006 Toyota Highlander hybrid. The contact stated that when he puts the vehicle in reverse it would not respond. The contact would have to wait several moments before the vehicle would finally respond and move in reverse. On occasion, the vehicle would abnormally accelerate when in reverse with the brakes depressed. The contact would have to shut off the engine to stop the unintended acceleration. The dealer advised that he would not repair the vehicle. The contact was awaiting a response from the manufacturer to determine if the vehicle would be repaired. The VIN was not available. The failure and current mileage was 50,000.

- Happy Valley , OR, USA

My wife was parked in front of our apartment building, idling with her foot on the brake, when our 2006 Toyota Highlander hybrid suddenly accelerated and crashed into a gate. Before the car crashed, she repeatedly applied the brake and even put the car in park. The car did not stop. After the impact, the engine continued to rev and accelerate before finally stopping. This had never happened before. The body has been repaired, but per Toyota, nothing mechanical or electronic has been touched. Last week Toyota sent a specialist out to inspect the car and download data. We were present at the time, and 5 dtc codes displayed. The descriptions displayed on the investigator's lap top mentioned vehicle speed sensors on right wheel and left wheel, the emps, body ECU switch circuit and "low or high power supply voltage". the car was test driven, and no errors or codes were reported. The car is now waiting to be taken to a dealer to be reviewed and fixed.

- Sherman Oaks, CA, USA

2006 Toyota Highlander hybrid crashed after sudden unbreakable acceleration with $13,500 damage. Toyota investigated and said driver hit gas instead of brake despite vehement denials by driver.

- Ventura, CA, USA

Driver started to back up a 2006 Toyota Highlander hybrid in a parking lot. It shot back at maximum acceleration jumping a curb and striking a pedestrian. By then, driver had brakes on and shifted into neutral. She put the car into drive and it again accelerated to the maximum striking her husband. At the time, we couldn't figure out what was wrong. We assumed, somehow the driver, who had an impeccable record, had done something wrong. Now, with all the publicity, we believe it was caused by the electronic controls. Nothing else seems as likely because we had no reason to believe there was an electronic failure, nothing was done.

- Placerville , CA, USA

I own a 2006 Toyota highlander highbrid, which I purchased new. I have not had a runaway situation, but have experienced power surges while braking and only experienced these during the braking phase. The approximate speeds during these braking events were between 20-45 mph. The surging lasts for approximately 2-3 seconds, with the vehicle lunging forward while my right foot being on the brake. I discussed the issue with hecker Toyota and service advisor. I thought there was a problem with the cvt transmission and service advisor test drove the vehicle with no problems detected. Service advisor also stated there were no Toyota service bulletins for any issues like this. I have encountered this situation approximately 10-11 times since new. The problem does not seem to be temperature related. I don't recall any surges when cold (below 20F or colder) because mn roads usually have some icy or slippery conditions and I would remember this situation.

- Apple Valley, MN, USA

The contact owns a 2006 Toyota highlander hv. The contact stated as he was driving at 50 mph and set the vehicle speed control, the vehicle accelerated and the speed increased rapidly. He had to continue to apply his foot on and off of the accelerator pedal to stop the vehicle. After the vehicle slowed down he pull to the side of the road, turned the vehicle on and off, and drove the vehicle to the dealer. The dealer stated that he could not duplicated the failure, yet they reset the computer. The vehicle accelerated after the computer was reset while driving in rainy and inclement weather conditions. The vehicle would shut off immediately without any warning. The Toyota manufacturer was called and stated that the vehicle was designed to shut off in inclement weather to protect the electrical drive motor in the wheels. The manufacturer was not willing to repair the vehicle since there were no recalls associated with his VIN. The failure mileage was 18,000 and the current mileage was 60,000.

- Pisgah Forest, NC, USA

2006 hybrid Toyota highlander - accelerator pedal seems to depress on its own when driver's foot is on it; feels like someone is stepping on your foot and pushing it down further. My wife and I have each experienced this independently about a dozen times over the past year. The car is controllable and the breaks work when this happens.

- Wynnewood, PA, USA

I purchased a Toyota hilander hybrid in March 2006. Since that year, I have been experiencing a problem with braking. When I brake (example at a traffic light or a stop sign) I notice that the car begins to slow down, but for a fraction of a second, the car appears to coast or continue to lunge forward and I get a feeling that the car is not under my control any more. It is a terrible feeling to experience when I am firmly and gradually depressing the brake, and I sense that the car is moving and that I would not be able to stop!!! it appears to happen more often in cold weather, and no, it is definitely not ice or wet road that is the cause. The road could be dry, and free of ice, and I experience it. Please read an msnbc article on prius braking problem and I can relate to the description in that article. I have got my car checked out at two dealers - one in mason, oh and the other in brookfield, wi. Both dealers say they cannot reproduce the problem. I have filed a complaint with Toyota in late 2006 or early 2007, but Toyota denies any problem with the hybrid hilander SUV braking system. Toyota and the dealers tell me that they have never ever heard of such a problem from any owner of a Toyota hybrid car. If you visit townhall-talk.edmunds.com/direct/view/.F0D8058 you will see that there are several hundreds of hybrid customers (Toyota and Lexus) who are complaining about this very problem. This problem occurs occasionally, but it is distinct and a terrible one to experience. Please direct Toyota to thoroughly investigate and resolve 2006 hilander hybrid braking problem.

- Brookfield, WI, USA

2006 Highlander hybrid has surge in speed during braking. Happens consistently when going from descend to ascend.

- Beachwood, OH, USA

Moving a Toyota highlander 2006 had finished backing up and was preparing to move forward into a parking spot and the car continued backward and hit a pedestrian and another car. All observers agree that the car accelerated after my foot was off the pedal and I had no chance to put the car in drive before it happened. I hit a pedestrian who was hospitalized and received a large gash in her leg which required many stitches and physical therapy rehabilitation and another auto which was totaled due to the damage.

- San Clemente, CA, USA

Driving on the highway at a slow speed due to traffic, around 20 mph. The car in front of me unexpectedly came to a complete stop. I had 2 car lengths and put on the brakes, but the car never "grabbed"--I just slowed and coasted into the back of the car ahead of me. Because the ABS on a hybrid does not kick in until the car reaches 25 mph, my car was busy regenerating power from the brakes rather than doing a quick, emergency stop. Now I am liable for the damage to the car ahead of me that I rear-ended, and I am concerned that I would not stop properly if a child ran in front of me on a neighborhood street. This has been submitted as a problem with the Toyota prius as well on hybridcars.com forum.

- Burlingame, CA, USA