2008 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER Complaints

ABS BRAKE ACTUATOR FAILED AT 98470 MILES ON A DEALER MAINTAINED SCHEDULE. FAINT BUT CONSTANT BRAKE PULSATION WAS FELT 80% OF THE TIME WHEN BRAKING. DEALERSHIP CURRENTLY HAS CAR AS ISSUE WAS DIAGNOSED TODAY. VEHICLE HAS DONE NOTHING BUT HIGHWAY AND CITY DRIVING, NO TOWING OR EXTREME CONDITIONS.

ABS BRAKE ACTUATOR FAILED WHILE DRIVING. 2008 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER HYBRID - SAME FAILED PART AS CAMRY-AS NOTED BY TOYOTA MASTER TECH YET ONLY CAMRY GETS EXTENDED WARRANTY NOT HIGHLANDER. SHOULD BE SAFETY RECALL ASAP. FAULTY BRAKE PARTS SHOULD BE RECALLED ASAP!!! CLASS ACTION MEDIA NEXT

CAR SEEMINGLY RUNNING FINE. VSC LIGHT, ABS LIGHT AND BRAKE MALFUNCTIOM LIGHT COME ON OUT OF NOWHERE. TOLD TO TOW TO DEALERSHIP. $3450 TO REPLACE ABS ACTUATOR. SAME PART HAS BEEN RECALLED IN OTHER YEARS AND MODELS BUT NOT 2008 HIGHLANDER HYBRID. THIS REPAIR IS 1/10 THE COST OF THE ORIGINAL PURCHASE PRICE OF THE NEW CAR. CAR HAS 116,000 MILES ON IT.

DRIVING DOWN ROADWAY WHEN A LOUD NOISE WAS HEARD IN THE ENGINE, FOLLOWED BY CHECK OIL LIGHT TO ILLUMINATE SHORTLY AFTER. DROVE TO NEAREST AUTOMOTIVE REPAIR SITE FOR SERVICE FEARING MORE DAMAGE TO ENGINE BY DRIVING FARTHER. MECHANIC DISCOVERED OIL LINE (PREVIOUSLY REPAIRED UNDER RECALL) HAD BURST AND EMPTIED ALL OIL ONTO ROADWAY. PREVIOUS REPAIR, DONE UNDER SPECS OF RECALL, DIDN'T HOLD UP AND REQUIRED ANOTHER REPAIR. TOYOTA DEALERSHIP CALLED DUE TO RECALL BEING PERFORMED THERE PRIOR. BECAUSE IT WAS COMPLETED TO SPECS, NO FURTHER ASSISTANCE WAS OFFERED. REPAIR COMPLETED WITH METAL (NOT RUBBER) TUBING AND PAID FOR OUT OF POCKET BY DRIVER. FIRE RISK NOTED SINCE OIL SPRAYED UNDERNEATH CAR, ONTO BACK OF CAR AND ONTO ROADWAY.

VEHICLE WAS IN MOTION, DEPARTING FROM PARKED LOT. VEHICLE LOST ALL DRIVE POWER, AND INSTRUMENT PANEL WARNING LIGHTS TURNED ON. AFTER SHUTTING VEHICLE OFF AND RESTARTING, WARNING MESSAGE TO CHECK BRAKE SYSTEM, AND CHECK HYBRID SYSTEM ILLUMINATED. ALSO ALL WARNING INDICATORS ACTIVATED IN THE GUAGE CLUSTER PANEL. THANKFULLY, WE WERE NOT DRIVING FAST WHEN THE VEHICLE BECAME DISABLED, OTHERWISE IT COULD HAVE BEEN FATAL. HAD VEHICLE TOWED TO NEAREST TOYOTA DEALERSHIP, WHERE THEY ADVISE "THE POWER INVERTER ASSEMBLY FAILED." TOYOTA REFUSES TO HELP, EVEN THOUGH THIS EXACT PROBLEM HAS BEEN RECALLED FOR OTHER VIN NUMBERS MATCHING MY VEHICLE. THESE ARE UNSAFE CONDITIONS AND PROVES THAT TOYOTA HAS NOT DONE A THOROUGH JOB OF RECALLING ALL AFFECTED UNITS.

SUDDEN LOSS OF OIL WHILE DRIVING CAUSING ME TO PULL OVER IMMEDIATELY SECONDARY TO LOUD ENGINE NOISE, DECREASED POWER, AND FEAR OF CAUSING MORE ENGINE DAMAGE. LOCAL MECHANIC DISCOVERED THAT THE ENGINE OIL COOLING TUBE BURST AND DUMPED ALL THE OIL. SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE WHEN YOU ARE FORCED TO PULL OVER TO THE SHOULDER ON A BUSY ROAD AND LEFT STRANDED AS WELL AS THE FIRE RISK WHEN ALL THE OIL NOW COVERS THE ENGINE/UNDERBODY/BACK OF VEHICLE.

ENG LIGHTS AND SERVICE LIGHTS STAYS ON EVEN AFTER SERVICE HARD TO START BATTERY ALWAYS DOWN DEALERSHIP COULD'T FIX PROBLEM!!

VEHICLE MAKES A VERY SCARY "EEEK EEEK" NOISES WHEN THE BRAKE PEDAL IS DEPRESSED BOTH WHEN CAR IS NOT MOVING AND ALSO DURING BRAKING. DEALER DIAGNOSED THE ISSUE TO A MALFUNCTION OF ABS ACTUATOR (PART # 44510-48080 SUPERSEDED BY PART # 44050-48320). TOTAL COST OF PARTS PLUS LABOR QUOTED OVER $4000. NOTE: TOYOTA HAS DONE WARRANTY EXTENSION FOR SAME TYPE OF PROBLEM WITH OTHER MODELS LIKE THE 07-08 HIGHLANDER HYBRID, PRIUS HYBRID, LEXUS RX400H, ETC. HOWEVER 2008+ HIGHLANDER HYBRIDS HAVE NOT BEEN INCLUDED YET. THIS SHOULD BE A RECALL OR WARRANTY EXTENSION.

I WAS DRIVING STRAIGHT ON A CITY STREET AT 40 MPH WHEN THE VEHICLE STABILITY CONTROL AND CHECK BRAKE SYSTEM WARNINGS ALERTED, AS WELL AS THE CABIN ALARM. AT THAT TIME I PULLED INTO A GAS STATION AND REALIZED THE BRAKES HAD GONE SOFT AND WERE NOT FUNCTIONING PROPERLY. I TURNED OFF AND RESTARTED THE CAR; THE PROBLEM PERSISTED. I CAUTIOUSLY DROVE A HALF MILE TO MY HOUSE AND CONNECTED MY VEHICLE TO A DIAGNOSTIC TOOL. THE CODES INDICATED C1252-7 (BRAKE BOOSTER PUMP MOTOR), C1256-7 (LOW PRESSURE ACCUMULATOR), AND C1345-7 (LINEAR SOLENOID VALVE OFFSET LEARNING UNDONE). THE COMBINATION OF CODES POINTS TO THE BRAKE ACTUATOR AND PUMP NEEDING TO BE REPLACED. THE BRAKE PADS, SPEED SENSORS, WHEEL BEARINGS, AND RELAYS ARE ALL GOOD. AFTER MUCH ONLINE RESEARCH I DISCOVERED THAT BRAKE ACTUATOR/PUMP FAILURE IS A COMMON COMPLAINT ON THIS VEHICLE AND COSTS THOUSANDS TO REPAIR. 2006-2007 BRAKE ACTUATORS ARE ALREADY RECALLED, AS WELL AS 07-11 CAMRY HYBRID AND PRIUS WHICH USE THE SAME PLATFORM. I CONTACTED A LOCAL TOYOTA DEALERSHIP WHO OFFERED NO HELP. THE PART ITSELF IS $1800+ WITHOUT FACTORING IN LABOR. I AM ALSO TROUBLED BY THE SAFETY FACTOR THIS MALFUNCTION PRESENTS, ESPECIALLY WE'RE IT TO OCCUR AT A HIGHER SPEED.

WHILE HAVE TIRES AND BRAKE PADS CHANGED, TOYOTA DEALERSHIP NOTED ABS ACTUATOR NOT FUNCTIONING PROPERLY AND ONCE I DECLINED TO HAVE IT REPLACED THAT DAY DUE TO COST AND TIME, VEHICLE IS NOW ALARMING TO GET BACK TO DEALERSHIP AND HAVE ABS CHECKED IMMEDIATELY. THIS ALARM WAS NOT ON BEFORE MY SERVICE APPOINTMENT. NO ABNORMAL NOISES WERE NOTED PRIOR TO APPOINTMENT, EITHER.