Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| SERVICE BRAKES, ELECTRIC | |||
| 01/15/2010 | 35000 | 1 | |
| I have experienced many instances of loss of braking power, particularly while traveling on an incline, decline, or over an uneven surface. i have complained of this problem since i began driving the vehicle in 2006. when attempting to stop on one of these surfaces, there is a momentary loss of braking power and the suv seems to lurch forward for an instant before braking power returns and the vehicle stops. *tr | |||
| 02/13/2010 | 30000 | 1 | |
| In our 2006 highlander hybrid we have had a repeated feeling that the brakes are giving way. the problem has been present for the 10 months we've owned this vehicle. the condition seems to occur regardless of conditions. i don't notice it after hitting a bump like is reported with other toyotas. this problem seems to resolve itself within a moment or two of the give way. it definitely is a concern when braking in traffic at a red light or coming down a hill to a stop. there is definitely a greater chance for rear-ending the vehicle in front of us when this occurs. i would estimate that this has happened weekly, if not daily. so far, the problem doesn't seem to be getting worse - it's just something you can count on. i've seen this problem reported on multiple car forums. it's also been described as a lurch, feeling of brief acceleration, give-way, brake gap and others. i haven't read anywhere yet that toyota has a fix for this problem. would like info if there is. *tr | |||
| 12/15/2009 | 20000 | 1 | |
| On numerous occasions both my wife and i have experienced a momentary loss of braking while going over bumps on a nearby street to our house. it only happens for a second or two and then normal slowing continues. *tr | |||
| 01/12/2010 | 66000 | 4 | |
| Toyota highlander hybrid 2006 model has had momentary failure of brakes on at least 4 occasions over last 2 years. *tr | |||
| 05/01/2009 | 1 | ||
| 2006 toyota highlander hybrid brakes malfunction on rough roads, rain, bumps. this happens everyday to and from work or driving around town. toyota said this is how a hybrid drives, no action taken by toyota. i drive slow to avoid accidents. *cn | |||
| 02/05/2010 | 10000 | 1 | |
| I have a toyota highlander hybrid and have been experiencing inconsistent brake feel since the time i bought this vehicle. the vehicle just goes forward at times when you apply the brake as if there is no brake, it happens only for a second or 2 but i almost had had a few accidents because of this. i have complained to the dealership and also to toyota and nothing has been done. the dealership dismisses my claims saying there is nothing wrong and it's the abs and since i cannot recreate it at the dealership its been a tough. it is the exact same issues as mentioned with prius. *cn | |||
| 02/04/2009 | 1 | ||
| 2006 highlander hybrid exhibits same braking problem described for prius. i owned one for three years and made repeated attempts to have it repaired. i traded on a rav 4 in march 2009. this car has exactly the same problem with jumping forward when braking and hit a pothole etc. *tr | |||
| 09/22/2009 | 30000 | 1 | |
| Multiple instances of momentary loss of braking power on uneven surface. automobile: 2006 toyota highlander hybrid. dealer states it is 'normal' and that the newer highlander hybrids have been redesigned. *tr | |||
| 01/10/2006 | 50000 | 30 | |
| During constant braking of my 2006 toyota highlander hybrid (such as when approaching a red light), there is sometimes a momentary, but noticeable failure of the brakes (which causes slight acceleration), before the condition resolves itself on its own. at the moment of failure, it feels as if the brakes are released for a split second and then the condition self-corrects before there is time to react. i have noticed this perhaps 30 times in the nearly three years that i have driven the vehicle. my wife has also noticed this condition. about a year ago i received a service letter from toyota which, i thought, was intended to address this issue. i took the car to the deal to have it serviced, but the problem persists. *tr | |||
| 01/15/2010 | 35000 | 1 | |
| Lag between regenerative and hydraulic braking under all conditions. *tr | |||
| 11/15/2006 | 5000 | 1 | |
| 2006 toyota highlander hybrid the vehicle lurches forward whenever slow braking (gas pedal not pushed) ever since purchase in 2006, and still behaves this way now. we have contacted our dealer on at least three different occasion, and one additional time after the recall being issued. each time, the dealer says that there is nothing wrong with the car. the dealers most resent response (02/02/2010) was that our car is not in the recalled list, and there is nothing wrong with our car. the dealer can check again but if they still finds nothing wrong, we have to pay for the check up. but we hear so many reports of identical experience to ours in toyota hybrid cars (prius, camry and highlander) that does not involve the gas pedal. the car lurches or accelerate when slow braking!!! *tr | |||
| 04/27/2008 | 35000 | 1 | |
| 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. *tr | |||
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC | |||
| 11/25/2010 | 51500 | ||
| I was parking on a steep hill and as i stepped on the brake, the vehicle lurched forward approximately 2 feet and hit the side of a fence post and caused damage to my front bumper. since i bought this vehicle in 2007 i have noticed that often times while driving and then trying to brake on steep hills the vehicle lurches forward. this lurching often causes me to end up in the middle of an intersection or very close to a car in front of me, thus making it a very unsafe situation especially while driving kids. i have reported this problem to my toyota service dealer several times and each time they deny that there is any issue. | |||
| 02/10/2010 | 38000 | 1 | |
| Brakes release for a split second. it seems to occur if applying over a rough surface but not 100% certain of this. we've noticed this behavior ever since we purchased the highlander in 2006. not until hearing of similar issues with the prius did we feel it necessary to report. *tr | |||
| 11/22/2006 | 35 | 1 | |
| Failure of 2006 highlander hybrid brakes to maintain consistent resistance to forward motion. this failure occurs repeatedly and causes much anxiety and heart palpitation upon occurrence. this failure was brought to the attention of our local dealer and they claimed to not have any indications of the problem. i also brought them copies of numerous reports which read the same and indicated extremely similar conditions. 11/22/2006 reported to local dealer brake concerns. their notes were:inter. cond. more pronounced during 1st few applications in the morning. c/s pedal seems to fade & engine has a slight surge when braking. customer has left vehicle for the day & overnight if necessary to duplicate concern. results: road tested 3 times. concern could not be duplicated. brake calipers & hardware functioning properly at this time. no repairs made at this time. what i actually told them was that the vehicle surged forward when the brakes seemed to fail . 10/02/07 brake concerns- per previous advise, replace front pads, resurface rotors removed and replaced front pads and resurfaced rotors. charge 235.04. talked to service manager about brake concerns. talked to my salesman about brake concerns, talked to dealer manager about brake concerns. reported on most service surveys and in person to survey callers. ironically, dealer suggests front brake pads should be replaced now again. toyota has never contacted me back after any of my reports to them. only the local service manager ever called me back about this problem and he afforded no remedy. *tr | |||
| 12/01/2007 | 6000 | 1 | |
| 2006 toyota highlander hybrid occasionally get a feeling of no brakes when applying the brakes. they have always stopped the car, but sometimes there is a brief feeling that they are not working i have reported it to the dealer on at least 3 occasions that i recall. the first time they turned the rotors, the second time they told me there was nothing wrong. the third time they said it was during the transition from regenerative braking to hydraulic braking and that they're all like that. in my conversations with other pre-2010 toyota hybrid owners, about a third to a half of them have the same problem. date below is approximately when i first reported it to the dealer. *tr | |||
| 02/12/2010 | 62000 | 1 | |
| My wife owns a 2006 toyota highlander hybrid. like the prius, this car will occasionally experience a momentary pause in its braking sequence as it switches from its regenerative braking system to its hydraulic one. how often does this happen? it is infrequent, occurring approximately once weekly or so. nevertheless, it is noticeable. to date, we have not had an accident due to this glitch, but i am concerned that, eventually, it might. the pause is very short--a second or less. *tr | |||
| 02/12/2010 | 78000 | 1 | |
| I am the owner of a 2006 highlander hybrid. i have experienced the same brake conditions as caused the recent recall, specifically, the brakes skip when braking at speeds less than 25 mph when they switch from regen to regular braking. this is very dangerous as the car does not continue to slow down at the same rate and i have almost hit the car in front of me several times. this seems to be a very common condition and may be more frequent when hitting a sharp bump, but it happens once or twice a day in all conditions. *tr | |||
| 02/01/2006 | 300 | 1 | |
| My highlander hybrid (2006) was only a few months old when an incident occurred where my brakes failed to stop the vehicle as anticipated in a normal distance causing me to bump the car in front of me (no injuries). i thought my foot had slipped off the brake momentarily. however, i discovered this to be an occurrence under certain conditions - typically 25mph or less and hitting a bump. i contacted the dealer service department and the manager indicated he was aware that some owners were experiencing similar occurrences. the sensation is like the braking friction suddenly slips causing the vehicle to stop at a further distance than anticipated. i've sense found that there is a sudden transition from hybrid regen braking to standard hydraulic braking. some have indicated that it might be related to the abs system. when contacted by a toyota rep about the problem he simply indicated that it didn't exist. this was not true since the dealer mechanic knew of the problem back then. and, as recently as last week i spoke to a mechanic who serviced my car at the toyota dealer and he acknowledged that the problem is reported by other owners. a disappointing response. now we find that the prius hybrid is producing similar eccentricities in braking. toyota should have included all hybrids that have this problem in their recall repair. *tr | |||
| 02/09/2010 | 52001 | 1 | |
| Please do not limit your brake investigation to new priuses. we have a 2006 toyota highlander hybrid that has extra brake fading when braking on bumpy surfaces. one particular street is very ruff at the bottom of a hill where we brake to make a right turn, and on this street the brakes always feel like they are letting go but if you keep pressing the pedal the vehicle does slow down. we have never had an accident due to this behavior, we have just grown accustomed to this quirk. *tr | |||
| 05/01/2009 | 1 | ||
| 2006 toyota highlander hybrid brakes malfunction on rough roads, rain, bumps. this happens everyday to and from work or driving around town. toyota said this is how a hybrid drives, no action taken by toyota. i drive slow to avoid accidents. *cn | |||
| 02/04/2010 | 100 | 1 | |
| 2006 toyota highlander hybrid limited 2wd - same symptoms as the just announced prius brake recall. if i am braking and hit a pothole, the brakes relax and i must push much harder to get the same braking force. i have noticed this since my vehicle was new, but have adapted to it. i have not had an accident, but this should be addressed as the fix is likely a software update. *tr | |||
| 06/10/2006 | 10 | 1 | |
| Purchased 2006 toyota highlander hybrid new in 2006. complained several times to the dealer that just before coming to a complete stop, the brakes seemed to release and the car surged forward. the dealer insisted that this was normal for hybrids as the electronic braking switched to hydraulic braking and no fix was available. i now have a 2010 prius with a similar problem. i would like to see the toyota highlander included and also investigated for this problem along with the 2010 prius investigation. *tr | |||
| 12/24/2009 | 36000 | 1 | |
| I purchased a 2006 toyota hybrid highlander from alexandria toyota. alexandria, va. over the years since purchase, i have noticed problems with a peculiar forward thrust movement with active breaking and have had it in the shop specifically for this in 2007, as well as mentioned it at all manufacturer checkup times.the dealer downloaded some new toyota ?drive train computerized program once (?2007) to correct the problem, but the problem intermittently continues. here is a specific example which occurred christmas eve when applying the brakes prior to the stop sign at the end of our street. i applied the brakes but the car did not stop, instead it thrust itself, for lack of better word, further forward while breaks were applied, forcing me to slam on the brakes to avoid busy cross street oncoming traffic. upon slamming the breaks all the way down and holding, the car reacted correctly and stopped. inches away from a car traveling at 35 mph or more. our street road was not wet nor did it have ice: the car motion was not one of a slippery slide. the ambient temperature was 40f. my teens were in the car, and the passenger seated teen observed the situation. she has similarly reported this tendency to go forward with braking rather than slow, and the need to press hard. i was naturally upset at this near miss occurrence christmas eve. i personally have had this happen at least a half a dozen times as i can recall since purchase. i called toyota when it first happened to report it without satisfaction. i went to my dealer without correction or recognition of it being a problem. the recent reports on fellow toyota brands have me worried. any car that goes forward rather than stop under certain conditions when breaks are applied is worrisome. please include your evaluation of the highlander hybrid in your review. is toyota aware and not telling us? i want nhtsa to know about this and i appreciate any help you have to offer. *tr | |||
| 01/20/2009 | 54284 | 1 | |
| 2006 toyota highlander, 54,248 miles i brought my 2006 highlander into a dealer facility for routine maintenance and to investigate a v.s.c. warning light indication that had appeared. i was told that the obd test revealed a c1241 code. i was told that i needed to purchase a new battery. i followed the service recommendations and replaced the battery. immediately after the battery was replaced the v.s.c /abs/check engine lights were on. returned to dealer where obd test indicatedc1300 failed skid control ecu. vehicle appears to operate without anti-lock brake, vehicle skid control and traction control functionality. vehicle handling is very unstable. near crash on freeway when left front brake locked up. *tr | |||
| 12/16/2008 | 40000 | 1 | |
| Hi, this is an issue with toyota highlander hybrid braking, the braking system doesn't work properly and and vehicle moves forward and this is intermittent. it been recurring for some time and the dealership(toyota of hackensack) won't acknowledge the issue ad are dismissive to downright disrespectful . when you brake st times the vehicle continues forward like the brakes are not holding or no brakes being applied. as you can see from the links below its not an isolated issue. http://www.hybridcars.com/forums/toyota-highlander-hybrid-t404.html http://townhall-talk.edmunds.com/direct/view/.f0d8058/3 http://www.hybridcars.com/forums/brake-failure-2007-t1013.html http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news04/2007/09/prius_accelerate.html thanks manoj das *tr | |||
| 04/27/2008 | 10800 | 1 | |
| Vehicle started to loose brake pressure when going down hill or moving ahead slowly as in a fast food rest line. the brakes would hold at first then loose pressure to a point were you had to push harder on the pedal to make them work. this would happen on a hill which would take you by surprise and cause the car to be out of control until you pushed harder on the brake. if a car was coming from another intersection you would not have time to stop your car and could cause a accident. while in a line at the drive thru the brake pressure let go and my car hit the car in front there was no damage and the other driver was nice enough to forgive me but that might not always be the way. the car was going in for service the next day or so and i explained the problem to the dealer. they said it was a normal condition of the hybrid. this was after the tech. person drove the car and said he felt it, he also drove another hybrid and he said the same thing happened which to me proves my point. i called toyota they and the dealer say they cannot fix the problem and will do nothing about it. i told them it did not do this when i first bought the car it only started about 2 months ago which proves it is not a normal condition. *tr | |||
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC - ANTILOCK | |||
| 08/30/2006 | 15000 | 9999 | 11/11/2005 |
| Have been experiencing braking problems ... driving in traffic or coming to a complete stop fairly quickly (i.e. stop sign), the brake engages ... lets go for a second... catches, car stops. this didn't happen all the time, but it began happening quite frequently ... took it to toyota. they changed the brake pads and rotors on the front ... since there was a technical bulletin on the newer model, but not mine. riving on a service road ... 55-60 mph ... the car starts slowing down by itself ... constantly.. kept speeding up and it kept slowing down, as if brakes were being applied... no brake lights though. today i was driving the car ... going down a gradual slope ... on a turn ... braked ... the car sped up .. went from 30 mph to about 35 mph, while braking ... car skided off the road, skid light came on, beeping non stop ... hit a pole... shattered my mirror and scratched the side ... car wouldn't stop ... threw it into park and finally skidded to a stop. driving on thursday, about to come to a stop and .... it does this short stop thing recently.. where it brakes rather forcefully and abruptly when it is cold... so after that happens ...the car completely shuts off... and comes to a full stop. no lights. no engine. brake pedal goes all the way to the floor. car is still in drive, key still in ignition ...push it into park, take out key... restart.... driving again. the glove compartment light doesn't turn on anymore now. this has happened 3 times since last thursday now. there are alot more incidences and different failures. *jb | |||