2006 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER Complaints

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

THIS IS AN ON-GOING OCCURRANCE. I OWN A 2006 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER HYBRID THAT IS HAVING BRAKE PROBLEMS. WHEN I PRESS ON THE BRAKE PEDAL MY VEHICLE WILL LUNGE FORWARD FOR A BRIEF MOMENT AND THEN ENGAGE THE BRAKES. IF I WOULD BE CLOSE ENOUGH TO ANOTHER VEHICLE I WOULD END UP REAR-ENDING THE VECHILE IN FRONT OF ME. *TR

I HAVE A TOYOTA HIGHLANDER HYBRID PURCHASED JAN 2006. PERIODICALLY I EXPERIENCE BRAKE SURGING AS I'VE READ DESCRIBED BY PRIUS OWNERS. THIS IS A RANDOM EVENT THAT OCCURS WHEN FIRST APPLYING THE BRAKE. I'VE REPORTED IT SEVERAL TIMES TO MY DEALER AND THE REPLY IS "TOYOTA SAYS THERE IS NO PROBLEM WITH THE BRAKES." THE LAST TIME WAS TWO WEEKS AGO. SINCE TOYOTA HAS A FIX FOR THE PRIUS I HOPE YOU'LL WILL ENCOURAGE THEM TO ADDRESS THE HIGHLANDER HYBRID PROBLEM. BY THE WAY, I AM AN ENGINEER AND RECOGNIZE A PROBLEM WHEN I EXPERIENCE IT. *TR

2006 HYBRID TOYOTA HIGHLANDER - ACCELERATOR PEDAL SEEMS TO DEPRESS ON ITS OWN WHEN DRIVER'S FOOT IS ON IT; FEELS LIKE SOMEONE IS STEPPING ON YOUR FOOT AND PUSHING IT DOWN FURTHER. MY WIFE AND I HAVE EACH EXPERIENCED THIS INDEPENDENTLY ABOUT A DOZEN TIMES OVER THE PAST YEAR. THE CAR IS CONTROLLABLE AND THE BREAKS WORK WHEN THIS HAPPENS. *TR

MY 2006 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER HYBRID HAS A PERSISTENT PROBLEM WITH THE BRAKES. THE PROBLEM RESEMBLES THAT REPORTED BY PRIUS DRIVERS. SPECIFICALLY WHEN I AM RIDING THE BRAKES, ON AN DOWNHILL, AS I APPROACH A STOP, ETC, IF I HIT A POTHOLE OR A BUMP IN THE ROAD THE BRAKES SUDDENLY RELEASE AND THE VEHICLE FEELS LIKE IT IS LURCHING FORWARD FOR A MOMENT. IT IS A FRIGHTENING SENSATION OF LOSING CONTROL. THIS PROBLEM HAPPENS ON A DAILY BASIS. I LIVE AT THE TOP OF A STEEP HILL AND EXPERIENCE THE PROBLEM EVERYTIME I LEAVE HOME. IT HAS NOT CAUSED AN ACCIDENT BUT I BELIEVE IT COULD IN AN EMERGENCY STOPPING SITUATION. *TR

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

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

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

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

CRUISE CONTROL. IF CRUISE IS SET AT 70 MPG AND YOU RELEASE IT BY THE BRAKE THEN TRY TO RESUME THE CRUISE AFTER THE VEHICLE HAS GONE TO 65 IT WILL ACCELERATE TO 72 OR 74 THEN DROP TO 70. I WILL NOT LET THIS HAPPEN NOW BY LETTING THE SPEED GET TO WHATEVER I HAD BEFORE, THEN RESUME TO THE ORIGINAL SPEED. I CAN DUPLICATE THIS ANY TIME. THE DEALER SAID THIS WAS THE WAY IT NOW WORKED. MY 1998 AVALON DOES NOT DO THIS WHEN CRUISE IS TURNED ON. *TR