Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| SERVICE BRAKES | |||
| 10/31/2010 | 72000 | ||
| There's an engine surge, slight but still can be felt, when applying the brakes. the surge is intermittent but the surge is felt often. example: after take off from a stop the next time the brakes are applied there'll be a slight bump, as if the accelerator is stepped on at the same time the brakes are applied. there's no high rev, just a bump. | |||
| 07/01/2012 | 80000 | 1 | |
| Brakes started making loud grunting noises and felt odd and a bit less responsive; extremely loud noises when brake pedal was pushed hard; lots of buzzing when doors were opened (related to the abs); took vehicle to local dealer who failed to diagnose the problem then took to independent repair shop and was told that this has been seen somewhat frequently in toyota hybrids. there was even a toyota bulletin about the issue. had to replace the abs hydraulic unit - issue was also with the brake actuator. *tr | |||
| 07/01/2012 | 80000 | ||
| Brakes started making loud grunting noises and felt odd and a bit less responsive; extremely loud noises when brake pedal was pushed hard; lots of buzzing when doors were opened (related to the abs); took vehicle to local dealer who failed to diagnose the problem then took to independent repair shop and was told that this has been seen somewhat frequently in toyota hybrids. there was even a toyota bulletin about the issue. had to replace the abs hydraulic unit - issue was also with the brake actuator. | |||
| 07/22/2012 | 34000 | 1 | |
| 2006 highlander hybrid, 34,000 miles bought used. fairly often when i apply the brakes at lower speeds, the suv surges forward like the brakes have released for a moment and then have reapplied. it is dangerous. i took the car to lee's toyota (on 03/03/12) for recall not related to this. they told me there was some air in the braking system, the mechanic fixed. and i will not be charged for. the rotors needed to be cut and pads changed. when i got home i took the wheels off and the rotors and pads are fine. the dealer did not generate the ticket number for the problem. i did not make anything of it because they did not charge me. just the other day while backing up the suv did just that and the bumper ended up on the stop sign pole. i did online research & now i know i'm not the only one with this problem. it's defiantly dangerous and it should be recalled. *tr | |||
| SERVICE BRAKES, ELECTRIC | |||
| 03/21/2011 | 68000 | ||
| When braking, the vehicle often slips for a moment. there is a moment of acceleration when braking at low speeds. it has caused me to bump into the shelves in my garage. it has also caused me to rear-end another veehicle. i was slowing down at some train tracks and rolled into the car ahead of me. the car ahead of me suffered no damage, but my bumper was completely destroyed from the trailer hitch of the other car. the braking is inconsistent and unpredictable. i am just glad no one got hurt. | |||
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC | |||
| 10/13/2009 | 48000 | ||
| Tl- the contact owns a 2009 toyota highlander hybrid. the contact stated the vehicle was in an accident because the brakes failed on the vehicle. the contact stated that the vehicle seemed to accelerate when the brakes were preesed causing the vehicle to hit the vehicle. the vehicle was repaired, but the contact stated the failure still occrs. the vin was not available. the failure mileage was 48,000 and the current mileage was 85,000.rl | |||
| 02/21/2012 | 129000 | ||
| For the past month or so, the hylander has been making a squeeking noise at the end of a moderately hard stop. it also makes the same sound sometimes when beginning to move after start-up and the brakes are released. i went to the dealer on feb. 21, 2012, and they said it was the abs accuator making the noise. the service representative told me that the noise was no problem, he said it was not a safety issue, and that the abs accuator only needed to be replaced if i did not want to put up with the sound. it is a very expensive part to replace, and should be expected not to fail over the life of the vehicle. i read online that abs accuators have been an issue in hughlander hybrids, so i have reported this incident. | |||
| 07/31/2009 | 24000 | ||
| When i brake and have my foot firmly and gradually depressing the brake pedal, the car slows but there are these one second instances when the car continues to coast/lunge forward as if it is not going to stop. these problems occur between 25 mph and 30 mph and also sometimes at 5 mph. this creates an unsafe feeling that i am not in control of the car. | |||
| 10/04/2011 | 85000 | ||
| When running and decelarating when arriving at a stop, i applied a regular pressure on the breakes. at some point in the breaking the system stop breaking and truck keeps running. after few seconds and extra pressur the truck star breaking again. two months later i have to change both bearings on my truck. as a professionnal electrical engineer, i would say that the hybrid system seems defective and some current is flowing to the ground. this result in bearing discharge. this non-breaking behavior is occuring frequently around 3 to 4 times a week. | |||
| 07/26/2011 | 50000 | ||
| 2006 toyota highlander hybrid braking system temporarily releases when hitting a bump or uneven road conditions. this problem originally started in winter, when temps were below freezing. it is now happening no matter what the weather conditions are. the vehicle has been back to the toyota dealer 3 times and each time they say they cannot reproduce the fault, nor do they find any information about it when they search their database. the incident date cited in this complaint is the most recent incident. | |||
| 05/10/2011 | 68400 | ||
| When braking moderate to hard, usually going downhill at anywhere from 20 to 40 mph, brakes will occasionally release, causing vehicle to surge forward, and requiring reapplication of brake pedal, which usually then functions normally. failure occurs several times a week, but not daily. has happened ever since purchasing the vehicle used in 2009. have not reported it to dealer, but keep expecting a recall for this malfunction. | |||