2008 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER HYBRID Complaints

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.

MY 2008 HIGHLANDER ABS IS FAILED AND THAT PUT OUR FAMILY AND OTHERS IN DANGER BECAUSE OF THE ABS IS NOT WORKING PROPERLY. THE LIGHTS KEEP STAYED ON DOESN'T MATTER WHAT YOU DO, RESET IT OR NOT. THE BRAKES STOPPED WORKING, THE SIREN INSIDE THE VEHICLE MAKING BUZZY NOISE WHEN OPEN THE DOOR OR ATTEMPT TO START THE VEHICLE. I'VE DONE MANY RESEARCH ONLINE REGARDING TO THE TOYOTA HYBRID MODELS AND FOUND MANY DISAPPOINTED CUSTOMERS REVIEWS, THEY ALL POINT TO THE ABS PLATFORM DESIGN FLAWS BY TOYOTA JUST LIKE THE ABS ON CAMRY HYRIDS & OTHER HYBRIDS MODELS THAT HAS RECALLED. I TOOK MY VEHICLE TO A LOCAL TOYOTA DEALER AS SUGGEST BY TOYOTA PRESENTATIVE, THE SAME TOYOTA DEALERSHIP WHERE I BOUGHT MY TWO CAMRY FROM; PAID $125 TO HAVE THEM CHECKED OUT MY HIGHLANDER ABS AND THE RESULTS TUNED OUT TO BE BOTH ABS ACTUATOR (47070-48010) AND ABS PUMP (44510-48080) ARE FAILED AND THE COSTS TO HAVE BOTH FIX IS $5240.46 WHILE THE VEHICLE ONLY WORTH BETWEEN $8000-$9000 WHICH IS MORE THAN HALF OF THE VEHICLE’S VALUE, FOR JUST A FEW SMALL DEFECTIVE PARTS MADE BY TOYOTA, WHICH I DO BELIEVE THAT THE COST IS RIDICULOUSLY HIGH AND BECAUSE OF THE MANUFACTURE DESIGN FLAWS & NOT FROM END USERS FAULT. SEE ATTACHED QUOTES FROM DEALER. I'VE CALLED TOYOTA TWICE TO BROUGHT TO THEIR ATTENTION BUT I GOT DISAPPOINTED RESULTS INSTEAD. CASE # 1604020974. TOYOTA OFFER US $1000 FOR REPAIR COST WHICH I DENIED AND ASKED FOR A COMPLETE FREE REPLACEMENT PARTS. WE, TOYOTA HIGHLANDER HYBRID OWNERS NEED TO UNITE AND CONTACT TOYOTA AND OR SMART ATTORNEYS TO CONNECT ALL THE DOTS AND SUE TOYOTA FOR THE ABOVE PROBLEMS. OUR LIFE AND OTHERS IS IN DANGER DUE TO TOYOTA'S DEFECTIVE PARTS.

2008 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER EXPERIENCED HYBRID SYSTEM FAILURE. IT TURNS OUT ITS A INVERTER ASSEMBLY FAILURE. THERE WAS CLASS LAW SUIT FILED IN 2006 FOR THE SAME FAILURE HTTPS://TOPCLASSACTIONS.COM/LAWSUIT-SETTLEMENTS/LAWSUIT-NEWS/1074-TOYOTA-HIGHLANDER-HYBRID-CLASS-ACTION-LAWSUIT/ MY CAR 2008 MODEL EXPERIENCED SAME FAILURE BUT IT WAS NEVER RECALLED. I HAD NEAR DEATH EXPERIENCE DRIVING THIS CAR WHEN IT CAME TO ABRUPT HALT PLEASE REVIEW THIS AND CONSIDER THESE MODEL CAR FOR RECALL BEFORE THEY RESULT IN ANY DEATHS. TOYOTA HAS BEEN VERY RELUCTANTLY PUTTING IT ON NHTSA THAT THEY ARE THE ONES ISSUING THE RECALLS AND NOT TOYOTA.

FAILED ABS BRAKE ACCUATOR ASSEMBLY. THIS IS A KNOWN ISSUE AND TOYOTA HAS PAID FOR CAMRY OWNERS TO HAVE THEIRS FIXED FREE OF CHARGE. THE DEALER WANTS $3800 TO REPLACE MINE. WITH AS MANY COMPLAINTS AS THERE ARE OUT THERE COUPLED WITH THE DANGER INVOLVED WITH THIS PART FAILING THERE SHOULD BE A RECALL. IT CAUSED US TO VERY NEARLY HAVE AN ACCIDENT DUE TO LOSS OF BRAKING POWER. I HOPE TOYOTA DOESNT WAIT FOR SOMEOBE TO BE KILLED BEFORE THEY ACT ON THIS.

STARTED CAR IN EVENING AND GOT WARNING "BRAKE MALFUNCTION, CHECK ABS, CHECK VSC SYSTEM". TOOK CAR TO OUR MECHANIC AND HE FOUND CODE C1391. MECHANIC SAID PART VERY EXPENSIVE AND RECOMMENDED CONTACTING TOYOTA SERVICE AS COST TO REPAIR WOULD PROBABLY BE SIMILAR. MECHANIC SAID HE HAD REPLACED FOR ANOTHER CUSTOMER (2004 MODEL HIGHLANDER) WHO AFTER THE REPAIR GOT NOTICE FROM TOYOTA ABOUT RECALL REPAIR LAST WEEK. TOYOTA SERVICE SAID COST TO REPAIR IS $4000! READING ON THIS SITE I SEE OTHERS WITH THIS ISSUE. DEFINITELY NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED BY NHTSA.

MY CAR HAS THE SAME PROBLEM AS DESCRIBED HERE AND IN MANY PLACES ONLINE AND TOYOTA REFUSED TO INCLUDE MY VEHICLE FOR RECALL. THE PROBLEM AS DESCRIBED BY NHTSA AS FOLLOWS REPORT RECEIPT DATE: SEP 04, 2013 NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 13V396000 COMPONENT(S): HYBRID PROPULSION SYSTEM ALL PRODUCTS ASSOCIATED WITH THIS RECALL EXPAND DETAILS CLOSE 12 ASSOCIATED DOCUMENTS EXPAND MANUFACTURER: TOYOTA MOTOR ENGINEERING & MANUFACTURING SUMMARY: TOYOTA IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2006-2010 HIGHLANDER HYBRID VEHICLES MANUFACTURED FEBRUARY 16, 2005, THROUGH JULY 29, 2010; AND MODEL YEAR 2006-2008 LEXUS RX400H VEHICLES MANUFACTURED FEBRUARY 23, 2005, THROUGH DECEMBER 2, 2008. THE INTELLIGENT POWER MODULE (IPM) INSIDE THE INVERTER MODULE MAY CONTAIN TRANSISTORS THAT HAVE HIGHER OPERATING TEMPERATURES THAN THE SOLDER CAN SUPPORT AND THE TRANSISTORS MAY BE HEAT DAMAGED BY THE SOLDER. IF THIS OCCURS, VARIOUS WARNING LAMPS, INCLUDING THE MALFUNCTION INDICATOR LAMP, SLIP INDICATOR LIGHT, BRAKE SYSTEM WARNING LIGHT, AND MASTER WARNING LIGHT, WILL BE ILLUMINATED ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL. CONSEQUENCE: THE VEHICLE MAY ENTER A FAIL-SAFE/LIMP-HOME MODE THAT LIMITS THE DRIVABILITY OF THE VEHICLE. IT IS POSSIBLE THAT THE HYBRID SYSTEM WILL SHUT DOWN WHILE THE VEHICLE IS BEING DRIVEN, CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO STALL UNEXPECTEDLY, INCREASING THE RISK OF A CRASH. REMEDY:

ON JUNE 15TH, 2016 WHILE OVER 200 MILES FROM HOME ON A FAMILY TRIP WITH MY PREGNANT WIFE AND 2 YEAR OLD SON IN THE CAR DRIVING DOWN A 2 LANE HIGHWAY WITH A SEMI TRUCK BEHIND US AT APPROXIMATELY 45 MPH CONSTANT SPEED OUR 2008 HIGHLANDER HYBRID BRAKES LOCKED UP, A WARNING TONE SOUNDED, SEVERAL LIGHTS LIT UP ON THE DASH INCLUDING BRAKES, ABS, VSC, (((!))), AND /!\, AND THE CAR STOPPED COMPLETELY IN THE HIGHWAY WITH THE ENGINE STILL RUNNING. THE LCD DISPLAYED SEVERAL ALTERNATING MESSAGES ABOUT THE BRAKES, ABS, AND VSC AND ALSO ABOUT NEEDING TO HAVE THE VEHICLE CHECKED BY A DEALER. AS OUR CAR WAS ABOUT TO BE SMASHED BY A SEMI TRUCK I PRESSED THE GAS PEDAL TO THE FLOOR. THE BRAKES WERE COMPLETELY LOCKED UP, BUT FORTUNATELY THE CAR INCHED FORWARD AT LESS THAN 5 MPH WITH WIDE OPEN/FULL THROTTLE TO PULL OFF OF THE ROAD BEFORE THE SEMI TRUCK COULD HIT US FROM BEHIND. THE SITUATION WAS TERRIFYING. I HAVE TAKEN THE VEHICLE TO A DEALER. THEY DO NOT KNOW THE REASON FOR THE ISSUE. THEY WANT $500 TO TROUBLE SHOOT AND GENERATE A REPAIR ESTIMATE. IT SOUNDS LIKE THE ABS ACTUATORS ARE COMMONLY $3,000. I HAVE NOTED MANY SIMILAR PROBLEMS ON THE NHTSA WEBSITE FOR THE 2008 HIGHLANDER HYBRID AND OTHER TOYOTA HYBRID VEHICLES IN WHICH THE BRAKES, ABS, AND VSC LIGHTS ILLUMINATE AND BRAKING ISSUES OCCUR.

CAR DOME LIGHT WAS LEFT ON AND BATTERY DIED. BATTERY WAS 3 YEARS OLD SO I REPLACED WITH NEW BATTERY AND CAR STARTED AND DROVE SHORT DISTANCE. COUPLE OF DAYS LATER I ATTEMPTED TO START CAR BUT IT WOULD NOT START. CHECKED BATTERY AND IT WAS GOOD. WHILE ATTEMPTING TO START CAR, I GET MESSAGES ABOUT CONTACTING DEALER FOR THE PROBLEM ALONG WITH BRAKE WARNING ETC.

AS I WAS DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY A WARNING ALARM CAME ON AND ON THE DISPLAY SCREEN 3 MESSAGES FLASHED. THE FIRST MESSAGE SAID, "BREAK MALFUNCTION - PLEASE PULL OVER SAFELY AND CONTACT YOUR SERVICE DEALER IMMEDIATELY". THE SECOND MESSAGE SAID, "CHECK VSC" AND THIRD SAID, "CHECK ABS". ON TOP OF THAT ALL OF THE WARNING DEVICE LIGHTS CAME ON THE DASHBOARD. THIS WAS ALARMING AND DISCONCERTING. I HAD TO DRIVE ABOUT 10 MORE MILES BEFORE I COULD PULL OVER AND STOP SAFELY. THE WARNING SIGNS HAVE NOT GONE AWAY AND I WILL HAVE TO TAKE IT TO THE TOYOTA SERVICE CENTER. I HAVE NOTICED MULTIPLE OTHER COMPLAINTS REGARDING THE SAME ISSUE. SEEMS TO HAPPEN OFTEN WITH THE 2008 MODEL.

FAILED ABS ACTUATOR SYSTEM. BRAKES DO NOT WORK. THEY "GRAB" AND OR DO NOT WORK WHEN YOU NEED THEM. HAVE TO PUMP MANY TIMES TO STOP VEHICLE.