2008 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER Complaints

CHECK BRAKE SYSTEMS, CHECK VSC LIGHTS, BRAKE MALFUNCTION ETC LIGHTS HAVE COME ON

BRAKING BECAME ERRATIC. PEDAL WAS SQUISHY AND ABS LIGHTS CAME ON. THIS OCCURRED OVER SEVERAL MONTHS BUT ON AN INTERMITTENT BASIS. LIGHTS WOULD GO OFF FOR A WHILE THEN COME BACK ON.

DEAR NHTSA, I WAS RECENTLY INFORMED BY MY MECHANIC THAT MY ABS BRAKE ACTUATOR REQUIRES REPLACEMENT. THE COST OF THIS REPAIR IS EXORBITANT...APPROXIMATELY $3,200.00. WHILE THE BRAKES THEMSELVES STILL FUNCTION, AND WILL PASS PENNSYLVANIA STATE INSPECTION, THE VEHICLE APPARENTLY NO LONGER HAS ANTI-LOCK BRAKE CAPABILITIES. MY 17-YEAR OLD DAUGHTER CURRENTLY DRIVES THIS VEHICLE. AS YOU CAN IMAGINE I HAVE GREAT CONCERNS OVER HER SAFETY. UNFORTUNATELY, AT THIS TIME WE CANNOT AFFORD TO MAKE THIS REPAIR. WHAT IS MOST CONCERNING AS A TOYOTA OWNER, IS THEIR LACK OF CONCERN. INTERESTINGLY, IF MY CAR WAS A YEAR OLDER, TOYOTA WOULD COVER THE REPAIR OF THIS DEVICE AS PART OF AN EXPANDED WARRANTY SPEARHEADED THROUGH NHTSA. THIS IS A CONSIDERABLE SAFETY ISSUE AND COULD RESULT IS SERIOUS INJURY TO MY DAUGHTER. PLEASE LOOK INTO TOYOTA'S REFUSAL TO EXPAND THE WARRANTY ON THIS PART. THE LIVES OF THOUSANDS OF TOYOTA HIGHLANDER OWNERS IS POTENTIALLY AT STAKE. THANKS YOU. [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

THE ABS ACTUATOR AND PUMP ON MY 2008 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER HYBRID SPONTANEOUSLY FAILED WHILE DRIVING AT MODERATE SPEEDS ON A CITY STREET. THE ABS INDICATOR LIGHT, BRAKE FAILURE LIGHT, AND VEHICLE STABILITY CONTROL LIGHT ALL CAME ON AT ONCE. THE CAR THEN ABRUPTLY DECELERATED TO IDLE SPEED BEFORE I TURNED OFF THE ROADWAY. THERE WAS NO IMPACT ON THE CAR AND NO SPEED BUMPS/ABNORMALITIES ON THE PAVEMENT. I TOOK THE VEHICLE TO A LOCAL TOYOTA DEALERSHIP WHO STATED THE PROBLEM IS AS LISTED ABOVE, THAT THE ABS ACTUATOR AND PUMP HAD FAILED AND WOULD REQUIRE REPLACEMENT. I HAVE NOT YET PERFORMED THE REPLACEMENT.

ABS LIGHT, VSC LIGHT, AND CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. BRAKES WENT OUT COMPLETELY WHILE DRIVING ON ROAD. LUCKILY IT WAS AT LOW SPEED THROUGH TOWN AND I WAS ABLE TO MAKE IT HOME SAFELY. ALARM SOUNDED AND WOULD NOT TURN OFF. TOWED TO DEALER AND WAS TOLD THAT IT WOULD COST $4300 FOR REPAIR. DEALER WOULD NOT TAKE IT AS TRADE IN EVEN THOUGH THEY SOLD IT TO ME ONLY ABOUT A YEAR PRIOR, LEAVING ME WITH NO OPTION BUT TO PAY FOR THE REPAIR.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER HYBRID. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 40 MPH, THE ENGINE STALLED AND THE INSTRUMENT PANEL WARNING INDICATORS FLASHED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THERE WAS WATER IN THE HYBRID BATTERY COMPARTMENT AND THE COMPARTMENT NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 120,000.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER HYBRID. WHILE DRIVING VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE EMERGENCY REPAIR INDICATOR ILLUMINATED ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL. THE DEALER DIAGNOSED THAT THE BRAKE BOOSTER ACTUATOR PUMP AND ACCUMULATOR PUMP WOULD NEED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 126,000.

RE: NHTSA RECALL 14V168000, AKA SC-E0M141007, (10/07/14) 'A NUMBER OF VEHICLES INCLUDING THE TOYOTA HIGHLANDER 2008-2010, WHERE THE STEERING COLUMN ASSEMBLY CONTAINS ELECTRICAL CONNECTIONS TO THE DRIVER'S AIRBAG MODULE HOUSED IN A SPIRAL CABLE ASSEMBLY, WHICH INCLUDES A FLEXIBLE FLAT CABLE (FFC). DUE TO THE SHAPE AND LOCATION OF THE FFC'S RETAINER, THE FFC COULD BECOME DAMAGED WHEN THE STEERING WHEEL IS TURNED. CONSEQUENCE: IF THE FFC IS DAMAGED, CONNECTIVITY TO THE DRIVER'S AIR BAG MODULE COULD BE LOST AND THE AIR BAG DEACTIVATED. 2 YRS AGO OUR '08 HIGHLANDER SPORT THE CRUISE CONTROL STARTED ACTING ERRATICALLY, NOT ENGAGING/NOT TURN/OFF USING THE COLUMN MOUNTED STALK. OUR WARRANTY HAD EXPIRED, & TIME PASSED, & THE CC BECAME UNRELIABLE, ON A FEW OCCASIONS WAS UNSAFE WHEN IT DID NOT 'CANCEL' PULLING BACK ON THE STALK. I'M HANDY SO I PULLED OFF THE STEERING WHEEL AND TOOK APART THE CLOCK SPRING, DISCOVERED THAT THE SPIRAL CABLE WAS COATED IN A WAXY DIRTY LOOKING BUILDUP & THERE WERE ABRASIONS ON THE FLAT WIRE TAPE, EXPOSING THE COPPER BENEATH, WHICH CRACKED. THIS TO ME IS THE SAME THING THAT HAPPENED TO THE WIRE TAPE FOR THE VEHICLES IN THE AIRBAG RECALL MENTIONED ABOVE, ONLY THE DAMAGE ON MINE HAPPENED TO THE CC WIRING PORTION AND NOT THE AIRBAG PORTION (OR THE HVAC CONTROLS OR HORN WIRING). I FEEL OUR VEHICLE SHOULD HAVE BEEN INCLUDED IN THIS CAMPAIGN AND THAT OUR CLOCK SPRING SHOULD BE REPLACED AS WELL. PLEASE REFER TO THE 2 PHOTOS I ATTACHED. THE ONE SHOWING THE WEAR SPOT, IF YOU DOWNLOAD IT AND ZOOM IN, SHOWS THE EXPOSED COPPER AND CRACK IN IT. THE OTHER PHOTO SHOWS THE LOOP IN THE FLAT ELECTRICAL TAPE WHERE THE WEAR SPOT HAPPENED AS WELL AS THE DIRTY WAXY BUILDUP ON THE TAPE. THIS SAME WEAR COULD CREEP DOWN TO THE AIRBAG MODULE WIRES IN THIS FLAT TAPE AND MAKE THE AIRBAG SYSTEM SHUT DOWN, CAUSING MORE UNSAFE CONDITIONS FOR MY WIFE AND I. MY VIN SHOULD BE ADDED

DRIVING AT A SLOWER SPEED AND DURING A TURN - MY POWER STEERING SHUT OFF- THE POWER STEERING INDICATOR APPEARED ON MY DASH BUT THEN DISAPPEARED. AS A RESULT I LOST ACCESS TO POWER STEERING. THIS HAPPENED SEVERAL TIMES AND HAS HAPPENED AT APPROXIMATELY 20 MPH. I CHECKED THE RECALL NOTIFICATIONS AND IDENTIFIED I HAD 3 SEPARATE RECALLS RELATED TO THIS VEHICLE HOW THE POWER STEERING CONCERN WAS NOT ONE OF THEM. I SOON DISCOVERED THIS ARTICLE WHICH EXPLAINS WHAT HAPPENED TO MY VEHICLE EXACTLY HTTP://WWW.TECHTIMES.COM/ARTICLES/39149/20150312/TOYOTA-RECALLS-112-500-VEHICLES-DUE-TO-POWER-STEERING-AND-SOFTWARE-ISSUES.HTM .

CAR AUTOMATICALLY LOCKED MY YOUNG CHILD IN THE CAR. I USED THE FOB TO UNLOCK THE CAR. THEN I OPENED THE BACK DOOR TO PUT MY CHILD IN HIS CARSEAT AND PLACED MY KEYS ON THE DRIVER SEAT TO HAVE ACCESS TO BOTH MY HANDS FOR THE TASKS. ONCE MY CHILD WAS STRAPPED IN I SHUT THE BACK RIGHT DOOR TO GO GET IN THE DRIVER FRONT DOOR. AS SOON AS I SHUT THE BACK DOOR I HEARD A BEEP AND ALL THE DOORS LOCKED DOWN, LOCKING MY CHILD INSIDE WITH THE KEYS. AS IT WAS A HOT DAY IN MY TOWN, I IMMEDIATELY CALLED THE POLICE, WHO HAD TO COME AND JAMMED THE THE DOOR SO I COULD GET OUT MY SON. WE HAVE SINCE CHANGED THE KEYS IN THE FOB AND ON 9/25/2016 WHILE SEATED IN THE CAR IT AGAIN LOCKED ITSELF BEFORE I WAS ABLE TO PUT THE KEYS IN THE IGNITION