2008 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER HYBRID Complaints

AT 61.614 MILES NOV.9 2013, DIAGNOSED CODE C1391, ABNORMAL LEAK IN ACCUMULATOR. VERIFIED BY DEALER WHERE IT WAS BOUGHT. ABS MODULE DIAGNOSED WITH INTERNAL DAMAGES. ACTUATOR ASSY, BR, PART NUM. 44050-48320 WAS REPLACED UNDER EXTENDED WARRANTY, FOR $3,102.71 PLUS BRAKE FLUID, FOR $3,118.25 AFTER THE SYSTEM WAS BLED ALSO (SEE INVOICE OF THAT DATE). PROBLEM RETURNED INVOLVING SAME PART 44050-48320, PLUS PART NUM. 47070-48020 PUMP ASSY, BRAKE DEFECTIVE AT 84,687 MILES, JUST 23,073 MILES LATER, LAST DECEMBER 17, 2015; WAS TAKEN TO ANOTHER DEALER, BRAULIO AGOSTO TOYOTA IN RIO PIEDRAS, PUERTO RICO AS REPRINT SHOWS, FROM DEC.17 2015 (REPRINT DATE WAS DEC.31 2015). ALSO INCLUDED PHOTOS SHOWING EXACT MILEAGE OF 84,687 MILES, EASY TO VERIFY WITH REPRINT, AND WARNING MESSAGES DISPLAYED INSIDE THE VEHICLE, SAME MESSAGES APPEARED LAST NOV. 9 2013. VEHICLE HAS EXCELLENT MAINTENANCE AT 2 DIFFERENT DEALERS; I AM INCLUDING RELATED INVOICES: JUNE 7 2013 AT 55,586 MILES:1ST REAR BRAKE PADS REPLACEMENT, TURNING OF ROTORS PERFORMED, 1ST PROBLEM ON NOV. 9 2013 JUST 5 MONTHS 2 DAYS LATER; PDF INVOICE DEC.19 2014 AT 72,436 MILES, WHEN FRONT BRAKE PADS WERE REPLACED AT OUR REQUEST, DUE TO EXCESSIVE BRAKE PEDAL TRAVEL; OCT/15/15 AT 82,379 MILES LEFT CALIPER BASE WAS REPLACED, PART 4722-48140; 47717-48150 PLATE PAD SUPPORT AT 83.025 MILES ON OCT/29/15. PARTS PRICES FOR SAME 2ND REPAIR INCLUDED, LOCAL COMPLAINT, INSPECTION, RESULT AND PHOTOS. UNSAFE CONDITION EVIDENT SINCE DEC.17 2015: INVERTED BRAKE PEDAL PRESSURE WHEN APPLYING THE BRAKES, NOT SHOWN WHILE DRIVING AT SPEED YET, BUT UNSAFE TO DRIVE NORMALLY BECAUSE THERE IS NO GUARANTEE IT WILL NOT HAPPEN AT SPEED. LOCAL CONSUMER DEPARTMENT (DACO) HAS THE CASE FOR ADMINISTRATIVE JUDGE EVALUATION AFTER CONFIRMING THE PROBLEM TODAY, FEB 23 2016 AT 3RD DEALER WITH US REPRESENTED BY PABLO E. ROSADO, MY BROTHER.SEE ALL DOCUMENTS, SOME IN SPANISH.

I WAS STATIONARY AND PARKED IN A DRIVEWAY ON AN UPHILL SLOPE, BUT WHEN I STARTED MY 2008 HIGHLANDER HYBRID, IT ROLLED BACKWARDS TOWARDS THE CITY STREET EVEN THOUGH MY FOOT WAS STILL PRESSED FIRMLY ON THE BRAKE PEDAL AND I KEPT PRESSING AS FAR AS IT WOULD GO. WHEN I EVENTUALLY LIFTED MY FOOT OFF THE BRAKE PEDAL AND PRESSED IT AGAIN, THE CAR SLOWED AND STOPPED JUST AS IT ENTERED THE STREET. THE DASHBOARD WARNING CONSOLE INDICATED 'BRAKE SYSTEM FAILURE', 'CHECK VSC' AND 'CHECK ABS'. I MADE AN APPOINTMENT TO GET MY CAR CHECKED. THIS ROLLING PROBLEM HAPPENED TWO MORE TIMES BEFORE THE APPOINTMENT. THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT OF MY TOYOTA DEALER TOLD ME THAT MY BRAKE ACTUATOR AND BRAKE BOOSTER PUMP REQUIRED REPLACEMENT. THIS COST ME $3742 FOR THE BRAKE ACTUATOR ASSEMBLY AND $2010 FOR THE BRAKE BOOSTER PUMP ASSEMBLY.

SRS WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED AFTER STARTING VEHICLE AND WON'T GO OUT. TRIED RESETTING TO NO AVAIL. HAVE SEEN MANY COMPLAINTS FROM OTHER OWNERS WITH THE SAME PROBLEM.INDICATIONS ARE THAT IT IS A SPIRAL CABLE AND THE PART IS NOT AVAILABLE. TOYOTA NEEDS TO ISSUE A RECALL TO REPAIR THIS PROBLEM. WE NEED THE HELP OF THE NHTSA .

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER HYBRID. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 45 MPH, THE VEHICLE STALLED AND THE SLIP, BRAKE, AND MASTER WARNING LIGHTS ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE RESTARTED AFTER TWENTY FIVE MINUTES. THE FAILURE RECURRED ON THE INITIAL START UP ON TWO SEPARATE OCCASIONS. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER, BUT THEY COULD NOT DIAGNOSE THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE. THE MECHANIC WAS UNABLE TO DUPLICATE OR LOCATE THE FAILURE. RECENTLY, THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER FOR A SECOND DIAGNOSTIC. THE VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED IN NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 13V396000 (HYBRID PROPULSION SYSTEM). THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 90,000.

WHILE DRIVING ABS, VSC AND CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ILLUMINATED, I CONTINUED DRIVING (WAS 10 MILES FROM HOME ON FWY). FIVE MINUTES LATER I ENCOUNTERED TRAFFIC, TRAVELING AT 40-50 MPH I TOOK FOOT OFF GAS AND BEGAN TO APPLY BRAKES. BRAKES IMMEDIATELY SEIZED AND THE CAR STARTED TO SKID. I RELEASED THE BRAKES, THEN TRIED AGAIN, SAME RESULT. I PULLED TO SIDE OF FWY AND STOPPED. I DROVE SURFACE STREETS USING THE PARKING BRAKE WHEN I NEEDED TO STOP, UNTIL I GOT TO MY HOUSE. THAT EVENING AND THE NEXT MORNING I CHECKED TOE CARS OPERATION, IT DIDN'T MATTER IF I WAS TRAVELING IN FWD OR REVERSE, THE BRAKES IMMEDIATELY GRABBED AT THE SLIGHTEST APPLICATION OF THE PEDAL. I TOOK THE CAR TO A REPAIR SHOP, HE WITNESSED THE SAME CIRCUMSTANCE AND DID A COMPUTER DIAGNOSIS, WHICH INDICATED A NEW BRAKE ACTUATOR UNIT WAS NEEDED ($3000). MY PRIMARY CONCERN (AND MY MECHANIC'S) WAS THAT THERE WAS NO FAIL SAFE, IF THE UNIT MALFUNCTIONED I WOULD EXPECT THE ABS SYSTEM NOT TO WORK, NOT TO MAKE THE BRAKING SYSTEM COMPLETELY INOPERABLE. I NARROWLY AVOIDED BEING REAR-ENDED WHEN THEY MALFUNCTIONED ON THE FWY. I REPORTED THE PROBLEM TO TOYOTA MOTOR AS WELL (CASE #1511120583)

AFTER THE VEHICLE IS DRIVEN TO A STOP AND TURNED OFF WHILE STILL IN DRIVE, REVERSE OR NEUTAL, THERE IS NO AUDIBLE OR VISUAL WARNING THAT THE CAR IS NOT IN SAFELY IN PARK. WHEN YOU TAKE YOUR FOOT OFF THE BRAKE PEDAL, THE CAR WILL ROLL AWAY IF IT'S ON AN INCLINE.

I PURCHASED A NEW 2008 HIGHLANDER HYBRID. THOUGH I HAD NO PROBLEMS, IN NOVEMBER 2013, THE INVERTER WAS RECALLED AT 79,000 MILES, AND REPLACED. WE HAD NO PROBLEMS WITH THE CAR FOR THE NEXT 22 MONTHS. ON SEPTEMBER 6, 2015, THE CAR STALLED AND COULD NOT BE RESTARTED. WE HAD THE CAR TOWED 55 MILES TO THE DEALERSHIP. INVESTIGATION OF THE CAR OVER 2 DAYS WAS UNSUCCESSFUL IN DISCOVERING THE CAUSE. ON SEPTEMBER 9, I ASKED IF IT WAS THE INVERTER. I WAS TOLD IT WAS NOT. THE SERVICE MANAGER HAD CONTACTED TOYOTA, WHO RECOMMENDED TAKING APART THE HYBRID SYSTEM TO LOOK FOR A SHORTED WIRE. ON THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, I WAS TOLD THAT THEY FOUND A WIRE, WOULD BUT THE SYSTEM BACK TOGETHER, AND WOULD TAKE IT FOR A TEST DRIVE. ON FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, THE CAR STALLED AND DIED ON THE THIRD TEST DRIVE. AT THIS TIME, I WAS INFORMED IT WAS THE INVERTER. THE SERVICE MANAGER AGREED WITH ME IN FEELING THAT SINCE TOYOTA HAD TAKEN OUT AN INVERTER THAT WAS SEEMINGLY WORKING FINE, AND REPLACED WITH ONE THAT FAILED IN LESS THAN 2 YEARS, THAT TOYOTA WOULD TAKE CARE OF ME. ON TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, I WAS INFORMED THAT THE COST FOR THE PART WAS $8800, AND THAT THE REGIONAL SERVICE/PARTS MANAGER, OFFERED TO PAY HALF OF THE COST FOR REPLACEMENT. I WAS NOT HAPPY WITH THIS OFFER, AS IT STILL LEFT ME WITH A BILL OF SEVERAL THOUSAND DOLLARS FOR A PART THAT FAILED IN LESS THAN 2 YEARS AFTER THE RECALL. AT THIS TIME, I HAVE NOT ACCEPTED THE OFFER. I WAS TOLD TO CALL CUSTOMER SERVICE. I WAS INFORMED THAT BECAUSE THE REGIONAL MANAGER HAD MADE ME AN OFFER, THERE WAS NOTHING ELSE SHE COULD DO. MY FRUSTRATION IS THAT TOYOTA RECALLED MY VEHICLE FOR THE INVERTER. AND I BELIEVE A BAD INVERTER WAS PUT IT THE CAR INSTEAD. THIS CURRENT INVERTER, THAT TOYOTA TOLD ME TO PUT IN THE CAR, LASTED APPROXIMATELY 29,000 MILES AND 22 MONTHS. THIS SEEMS LIKE A FAR CRY FROM THE EXPECTED LIFE OF AN INVERTER.

WHILE TRYING TO GET BACK ON THE FREEWAY, THE INDICATOR LIGHTS FOR THE ABS SYSTEM, THE VSB SYSTEM, THE 4WD SYSTEM AND ANTI-SKID SYSTEM CAME ON AND THE VEHICLE LOST ALL DRIVE POWER. IT DEFAULTED TO FAILSAFE/LIMP MODE EVEN THOUGH THE ENGINE WAS STILL RUNNING. THE CAR WILL START AND MOVE BUT WITHIN 60 SECONDS REVERTS TO FAIL SAFE MODE.

WE WERE DRIVING AND THE VSC SYSTEM LIGHT, BRAKE MALFUNCTION LIGHT, AND CHECK ABS SYSTEM LIGHTS CAME ON AND NOW WE NEED TO REPAIR A $2000 PART IN OUR VEHICLE THAT MANY OTHERS HAVE HAD DANGEROUS FAILURE TO STOP INCIDENTS AND OTHER PROBLEMS WITH. TOYOTA NEEDS A RECALL IN THESE ABS ACCUMULATOR AND PUMP PARTS.

ABS ACTUATOR FAILED AND HAD TO BE REPLACED. FOR THE HIGHLANDER HYBRID, THIS IS A $3000 PART. THE HIGHLANDER IS BUILT ON THE CAMRY PLATFORM. TOYOTA HAS ISSUED A WARRANTY ENHANCEMENT PROGRAM ( ZE1 ) FOR THE ABS ACTUATOR ON THE CAMRY HYBRID YEARS 2007-2011. TOYOTA MOTOR USA REFUSES TO REIMBURSE ANYTHING FOR THE SAME PART ON THE HIGHLANDER HYBRID, BUILT ON THE SAME PLATFORM AS THE CAMRY HYBRID. CONSUMER REPORTS, WRITING ABOUT THE CAMRY HYBRID ABS ACTUATOR, HAS SAID THAT THIS SHOULD BE A RECALL, NOT A WARRANTY ENHANCEMENT.