2008 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER HYBRID Complaints

MY TOYOTA HIGHLANDER HYBRID '08 HAS ALWAYS HAD A UNNERVING BRAKING ISSUE. OFTEN, ESPECIALLY AT SLOWER SPEEDS, WHEN I FIRST APPLY THE BRAKES, INSTEAD OF BRAKING, THE CAR ACTUALLY JUMPS FORWARD. I HAVE ASKED THE TOYOTA SERVICE (WHERE I GET MY OIL CHANGED) ABOUT THIS AND THEY SAY IT'S JUST THE WAY THE HYBRID BRAKE SYSTEM WORKS. WHILE I HAVEN'T GOTTEN IN AN ACCIDENT BECAUSE OF THIS DELAYED BRAKE RESPONSE (KNOCK ON WOOD), IT REALLY DOES NOT SEEM LIKE AN APPROPRIATE WAY FOR BRAKES TO WORK. DO THE PRIUS HYBRIDS AND THE HIGHLANDER HYBRIDS SHARE THE SAME BRAKING SOFTWARE? *TR

SHORTLY AFTER COMMENCING BRAKING, BRAKES BRIEFLY SEEM TO "LET GO" OR SLIP. THE SENSATION IS OF THE CAR LURCHING FORWARD, ALMOST ACCELERATING. THEN BRAKING RESUMES. PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS IS NOT A ONE-TIME INCIDENT; I NOTICE IT EVERY TIME I DRIVE AT SLOW OR MODERATE SPEEDS, AND THEN NEED TO BRAKE--MOST RECENTLY, TODAY. 2008 MODEL HIGHLANDER HYBRID WAS PURCHASED IN MARCH 2009; WE HAVE OWNED IT FOR 11 MONTHS. *TR

SINCE THERE HAS BEEN SO MUCH TALK ABOUT THE TOYOTA HYBRIDS I THOUGHT I WOULD FILE A QUICK COMPLAINT THAT MAY NEED TO BE INVESTIGATED. JUST LIKE ON THE FORD FUSION HYBRIDS AND SOME OF THE TOYOTA HYBRIDS UNDER RECALL, MY 2008 HIGHLANDER HYBRID HAS A BIT OF A FUNNY BRAKE FEELING WHEN GOING FROM REGENERATIVE BRAKING TO MECHANICAL BRAKING. I CAN DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM EASILY AND IT OCCURS SEVERAL TIMES DAILY. I'VE LEARNED TO LIVE WITH IT, BUT THE FIRST TIME IT HAPPENED IT STARTLED ME. LONG STORY SHORT, WHEN TRAVELLING DOWN HILL AND APPLYING THE BRAKES, THE FIRST BRAKING IS THE REGENERATIVE BRAKING. WHEN IT CHANGES OVER TO MECHANICAL BRAKING THE VEHICLE SORT OF LURCHES FORWARD AND REQUIRES MORE PRESSURE ON THE BRAKE PEDAL TO CONTINUE SLOWING DOWN AT THE SAME RATE. AGAIN, THIS IS SOMETHING THAT I'VE LEARNED TO EXPECT AND I ALWAYS LEAVE PLENTY OF ROOM BETWEEN ME AND ANY CAR IN FRONT.

2008 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER HYBRID - EXPERIENCING BRAKE PROBLEMS. WHEN APPLYING THE BRAKES, IT TAKES A SECOND BEFORE THE BRAKES CATCH. THE PROBLEMS IS EXACTLY WHAT IS REPORTED WITH THE TOYOTA PRIUS MODELS AND LIKELY THE SAME SOFTWARE PROBLEM. HOWEVER, TOYOTA HAS NOT ACKNOWLEDGED THIS AND IS A MAJOR SAFETY ISSUE. *TR

I OWN A 2008 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER HYBRID. SOMETIMES WHEN I APPLY THE BRAKES, THE CAR FEELS AS THOUGH IT IS ACTUALLY ACCELERATING AND NOT DECELERATING. THIS "GAP" IN DECELERATING DOES NOT LAST A LONG TIME, BUT IS DISCONCERTING AND MY NORMAL REACTION IS TO HIT THE BRAKES HARDER. MY DAUGHTER HAS ALSO EXPERIENCED THIS. THE TOYOTA DEALER HAS DENIED THAT THERE IS ANY PROBLEM WITH THE BRAKES. THIS HAS OCCURRED REGULARLY SINCE I PURCHASED THE CAR IN APRIL 2008. *TR

I OWN A 2008 TOYOTA HYBRID HIGHLANDER.I HAVE EXPERIENCED A "LAG" BEFORE THE BRAKES KICK IN AND IT SEEMS LIKE THE CAR IS ACCELERATING AS I AM BRAKING. IT IFEELS AS IF WHEN IT HAPPENS I AM HITTING THE BRAKE AND GAS PEDAL AT THE SAME TIME. IT IS SOMEWHAT FRIGHTENING. IT HAS HAPPENED AT LEAST 5 TIMES SINCE I HAVE OWNED THE CAR. I BELIEVE IT IS THE SAME ISSUE AS THE PREIUS. IT FEELS LIKE A BRIEF SURGE. PLEASE INVESTIGATE AS TOYOTA IS NOT RECALLING THE HYBRID HIGHLANDER. I BELIEVE IT IS THE SAME TECHNOLOGY AND ISSUE THE PREIUS IS EXPERIENCING

I HAVE A 2008 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER HYBRID. EVER SINCE IT WAS NEW, IT HAS INCONSISTENT BRAKING AT SLOW SPEEDS, AROUND 25 MPH AND SLOWER. WHEN BRAKING AT SLOW SPEEDS, HITTING A SMALL BUMP OR POTHOLE WILL SHUT DOWN THE REGEN BRAKES, THE BRAKES MOMENTARILY RELEASE, AND THEN WILL REAPPLY WITH THE HYDRAULIC BRAKES ACTIVATED, BUT WILL REQUIRE MUCH GREATER PEDAL PRESSURE TO GET THE SAME BRAKING FORCE. *TR

I HAVE A 2008 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER HYBRID. EVER SINCE IT WAS NEW, IT HAS INCONSISTENT BRAKING AT SLOW SPEEDS, LIKE 20 MPH AND SLOWER. WHEN BRAKING AT SLOW SPEEDS, IF I HIT EVEN A SMALL BUMP OR POTHOLE, THE BRAKES MOMENTARILY RELEASE, AND THEN WILL RE-APPLY BUT WILL REQUIRE MUCH GREATER PEDAL PRESSURE TO GET THE SAME BRAKING FORCE. I HAD THE DEALER LOOK AT IT BUT SAID NOTHING WAS WRONG. *JB

TOYOTA HIGHLANDER HYBRID 2008... BRAKES FEEL LIKE THEY ARE NOT CATCHING, ESPECIALLY IF GOING OVER A BUMP. HAPPENS FREQUENTLY SINCE FIRST GOT THE CAR NEW, ONE YEAR AGO. NO ACCIDENT. *JB

MY 2008 TOYOTA HYBRID HIGHLANDER HAS ON NUMEROUS OCCCASIONS LOST BRAKING POWER WHEN GOING OVER A BUMP IN THE ROAD. I FIRST NOTICED THIS SEVERAL MONTHS AGO. *TR