2008 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER Complaints

VEHICLE HYBRID/ENGINE SHUT OFF WHILE DRIVING. VARIOUS WARNING LIGHTS LIT UP INCLUDING VSC, HYBRID SYSTEM, AND CHECK ENGINE. I WAS FORCED TO CHANGE LANES WITH THE CAR OFF BUT MOVING AT ABOUT 40 MPH AND PULL OVER ON A SIDE STREET. I AS ABLE TO RESTART THE VEHICLE AND CONTINUE MY DRIVE. THE FOLLOWING DAY, EVEN THOUGH THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT AND ALL WARNINGS HAD CLEARED, THE CAR TURNED OFF AGAIN WHILE I WAS DRIVING AND BREAKING AT A RED LIGHT. THE CAR FAILED TO PROPERLY RESTART AFTER THIS SECOND INCIDENT. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A TOYOTA DEALERSHIP WHICH SPECIFIED THAT THE ISSUE IS THE HYBRID INVERTER. THE VEHICLE ONLY HAS ABOUT 81,000 MILES AND ACCORDING TO TOYOTA A RECALL HAD ALREADY BEEN PERFORMED ON THE INTELLIGENT POWER MODULE FOR THE INVERTER IN 2014.

THIS IS THE SECOND FAILURE WARNING ABOUT THE BRAKE SYSTEM (ABS WARNING) SINCE WE PURCHASED THE VEHICLE NEW. REPAIRS COST US IN EXCESS OF $5000.00 THE FIRST TIME THE SYSTEM FAILED. I PLACED A PHONE CALL TO TOYOTA'S NATIONAL CUSTOMER SUPPORT AND WAS TOLD THEY HAVE NO RECORDS OF ANY REPAIRS TO THE BRAKING SYSTEM ON OUR VEHICLE MATCHING THIS WARNING MESSAGE. WE HAVE ALL THE REPAIR AND SERVICE RECORDS SINCE THE CAR WAS PURCHASED NEW FROM TOYOTA, INCLUDING THE MENTIONED BRAKE SYSTEM FAILURE REPAIRS. THE TOYOTA REPRESENTATIVE WAS NO HELP, AND SAID WE NEED TO GET THE CAR DIAGNOSED BY A TOYOTA DEALER.

LIGHTS APPEARED ON DASH "BRAKE MALFUNCTION", "CHECK BRAKE SYSTEM", "CHECK VSC SYSTEM". TOOK MY 2008 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER HYBRID TO MY LOCAL TOYOTA DEALERSHIP. THEY SAID THAT IT WAS THE ABS BRAKE SYSTEM AND IT WOULD COST $6000 TO REPAIR. I HAD THE EXACT SAME PROBLEM IN MY 2007 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER HYBRID. IN THAT CASE, TOYOTA ISSUED A WARRANTY EXTENSION AND THE BRAKES WERE FIXED BY THE LOCAL DEALERSHIP. I HAD NOT YET DECIDED WHAT TO DO ABOUT MY CURRENT BRAKE PROBLEM. I HAD JUST GOTTEN ALL FOUR TIRES REPLACED AS THEY WERE GETTING BALD. I WAS ON A TRIP BACK FROM VA TO SC WITH MY FAMILY ON I-95 SOUTH. IT WAS RAINING. I WAS IN THE LEFT LANE AND THERE WAS HEAVY TRAFFIC. THERE WAS SUDDENLY A LARGE TRAFFIC ACCIDENT AHEAD OF ME AND CARS CAME TO AN ABRUPT STOP IN BOTH LANES. I HIT THE BRAKES AND BEGAN TO SKID. I DO NOT THINK THAT THERE WAS ENOUGH WATER ON THE ROAD THAT I WAS HYDROPLANING...I WAS SIMPLY SKIDDING ON THE WET PAVEMENT. I COULD NOT STOP IN TIME TO KEEP FROM HITTING THE CAR IN FRONT OF ME, SO I STEERED INTO THE EMERGENCY LANE, STILL SKIDDING. ANOTHER CAR SWERVED INTO THE EMERGENCY LANE SO I TURNED THE WHEEL AGAIN TO SKID INTO THE GRASS ON THE LEFT SIDE OF THE HIGHWAY. I WAS NOW SKIDDING SIDEWAYS DOWN A GRASSY EMBANKMENT TOWARDS TREES AT THE BOTTOM OF THE EMBANKMENT. LUCKILY THE CAR FINALLY SKIDDED TO A STOP AND CAME SLOWLY TO REST AGAINST A TREE. THERE WAS BODY DAMAGE TO THE VEHICLE, BUT NOBODY WAS INJURED. I AM SURE THAT THE ABS BRAKES WERE NOT FUNCTIONING AND THIS IS WHY THE CAR LOCKED UP AND SKIDDED SO FAR. IT WAS SKIDDING AS IF WE WERE ON ICE.

I WAS DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY AND THE BRAKE LIGHT AND ABS CAME ON AND STARTED BEEPING. WHEN THE BRAKE IS ENGAGED, IT'S HARD TO STOP AND VERY HARD TO DEPRESS THE PEDAL, INSPECTION FOR THE OPERATION OF THE BRAKING SYSTEM- FAIL. THE MECHANIC STATED WE HAVE TO REPLACE POWER BRAKE BOOSTER AND THE ABS ACTUATOR ASSEMBLY. $6,000

I HAVE A 2008 TOYOTA HIGLANDER HYBRID. DASH WARNINGS APPEARED SUDDENLY: CHECK VSC SYSTEM, CHECK ABS, BRAKE MALFUNCTION. I TOOK THE VEHICLE TO MY LOCAL DEALER AND WAS TOLD THAT THE REPAIR WOULD COST $6000. I PREVIOUSLY OWNED A 2007 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER HYBRID. SAME THING HAPPENED IN THAT VEHICLE. TOYOTA ISSUED A WARRANTY EXTENSION AND THE PROBLEM WAS SOLVED. LOOKS LIKE THE SAME ISSUE IN THE 2008 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER HYBRID.

THE ABS ,VSC ,CHECK ENGINE LIGHT COMING ON WHEN ACCELERATING. STATING TO PARK VEHICLE AND TAKE IT TO THE DEALER.

OIL COOLER PIPE MALFUNCTION. WHILE DRIVING, THE OIL COOLER PIPE STARTED TO LEAK FROM A HOLE IN THE RUBBER SECTION BETWEEN THE METAL CLAMPS. ALL THE ENGINE OIL CAME OUT WITHIN A FEW MINUTES WHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY. TOYOTA HAD A RECALL IN 2011 FOR THIS EQUIPMENT, BUT NO LONGER ALLOWS REPAIR OR REPLACEMENT UNDER RECALL.

BRAKE MALFUNCTION WARNING AND ABS WARNING LIGHTS CAME ON UNEXPECTEDLY WHILE DRIVING. UPON INSPECTION AT THE TOYOTA DEALERSHIP, I WAS TOLD THAT THE VEHICLE HAS A MAJOR SYSTEM FAILURE, THE ABS ACTUATOR HAD FAILED AND WOULD NEED TO BE REPLACED AT A COST OF OVER $4000. IT APPEARS THAT, LIKE WITH THE 2006-2007 MODELS FOR WHICH WARRANTY COVERAGE HAS BEEN EXTENDED, THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM. THIS IS AN UNSAFE, SUDDEN FAILURE PUTTING LIVES AT RISK!

BRAKE SYSTEM MALFUNCTION LIGHTS CAME ON, CHECK ABS SYSTEM LIGHTS CAME ON WHILE DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY AND I LOST FUNCTION OF MY ANTILOCK BRAKES WHICH FELT VERY UNSAFE AT HIGH SPEEDS. BROUGHT IT TO THE MECHANIC WHO TOLD ME THE BRAKE ACCUMULATOR WAS LEAKING INTERNALLY AND WILL NOT HOLD PRESSURE AND THE ACTUATOR HAS INTERNAL NITROGEN CONTAMINATION. THEY RECOMMEND I REPLACE BOTH PARTS AND QUOTED ME $5400! THERE WAS A RECALL ON THE 2007 MODE FOR THE SAME ISSUE THAT IS CURRENTLY HAPPENING WITH MY 2008 MODEL. I BELIEVE THERE SHOULD BE A RECALL ON THIS MODEL AS WELL, AS LOSING YOUR BRAKES WHILE DRIVING.

BRAKE ACTUATOR PROBLEM CAUSING NEED TO REPLACE ENTIRE BREAKING SYSTEM. MANY SIMILAR COMPLAINTS BEING REPORTED. SIMILAR RECALL ON 2006 AND 2007 MODELS.