2006 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER HYBRID Complaints

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

I OWN TWO 2006 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER HYBRIDS. AFTER HEARING ABOUT THE BRAKING RECALL ISSUED RECENTLY FOR THE PRIUS, WE ARE NOW BOTH 100% SURE THAT THE SAME PROBLEM EXISTS IN BOTH OF OUR VEHICLES. THE VEHICLE WILL SUDDENLY LUNGE FORWARD FOR ABOUT A SECOND WHEN BRAKING, ESPECIALLY WHEN THE ROAD SURFACE IS BUMPY. WE HAD PREVIOUSLY WRITTEN IT OFF TO OUR IMAGINATION, BUT THE PROBLEM DEFINITELY EXISTS IN THE 2006 HIGHLANDER HYBRID. WONDERING WHEN THE RECALL WILL BE... *TR

MY 2006 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER HYBRID LOSES ALL POWER ON ICE OR ANY SLIPPERY SURFACE. THIS HAS CAUSED MY CAR TO "DIE" ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS INCLUDING ENTERING AND EXITING HIGHWAYS, DRIVING ON HILLS, DRIVING IN SNOW. I HAVE SLID OFF MY DRIVEWAY WHEN I ENCOUNTERED AN ICY PATCH. I HAD NO CONTROL. UPON ENTERING A FREEWAY VIA AN ICY ENTRANCE RAMP, MY CAR LOST ALL POWER WHILE ENTERING TRAFFIC AND I WAS FORCED TO COAST TO THE SHOULDER IN A VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION. *TR

MY HIGHLANDER HYBRID (2006) WAS ONLY A FEW MONTHS OLD WHEN AN INCIDENT OCCURRED WHERE MY BRAKES FAILED TO STOP THE VEHICLE AS ANTICIPATED IN A NORMAL DISTANCE CAUSING ME TO BUMP THE CAR IN FRONT OF ME (NO INJURIES). I THOUGHT MY FOOT HAD SLIPPED OFF THE BRAKE MOMENTARILY. HOWEVER, I DISCOVERED THIS TO BE AN OCCURRENCE UNDER CERTAIN CONDITIONS - TYPICALLY 25MPH OR LESS AND HITTING A BUMP. I CONTACTED THE DEALER SERVICE DEPARTMENT AND THE MANAGER INDICATED HE WAS AWARE THAT SOME OWNERS WERE EXPERIENCING SIMILAR OCCURRENCES. THE SENSATION IS LIKE THE BRAKING FRICTION SUDDENLY "SLIPS" CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO STOP AT A FURTHER DISTANCE THAN ANTICIPATED. I'VE SENSE FOUND THAT THERE IS A SUDDEN TRANSITION FROM HYBRID REGEN BRAKING TO STANDARD HYDRAULIC BRAKING. SOME HAVE INDICATED THAT IT MIGHT BE RELATED TO THE ABS SYSTEM. WHEN CONTACTED BY A TOYOTA REP ABOUT THE PROBLEM HE SIMPLY INDICATED THAT IT DIDN'T EXIST. THIS WAS NOT TRUE SINCE THE DEALER MECHANIC KNEW OF THE PROBLEM BACK THEN. AND, AS RECENTLY AS LAST WEEK I SPOKE TO A MECHANIC WHO SERVICED MY CAR AT THE TOYOTA DEALER AND HE ACKNOWLEDGED THAT THE PROBLEM IS REPORTED BY OTHER OWNERS. A DISAPPOINTING RESPONSE. NOW WE FIND THAT THE PRIUS HYBRID IS PRODUCING SIMILAR ECCENTRICITIES IN BRAKING. TOYOTA SHOULD HAVE INCLUDED ALL HYBRIDS THAT HAVE THIS PROBLEM IN THEIR RECALL REPAIR. *TR