2008 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER HYBRID Complaints

LIGHTS APPEARED ON DASH "BRAKE MALFUNCTION", "CHECK BRAKE SYSTEM", "CHECK VSC SYSTEM". TOOK MY 2008 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER HYBRID TO MY LOCAL TOYOTA DEALERSHIP. THEY SAID THAT IT WAS THE ABS BRAKE SYSTEM AND IT WOULD COST $6000 TO REPAIR. I HAD THE EXACT SAME PROBLEM IN MY 2007 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER HYBRID. IN THAT CASE, TOYOTA ISSUED A WARRANTY EXTENSION AND THE BRAKES WERE FIXED BY THE LOCAL DEALERSHIP. I HAD NOT YET DECIDED WHAT TO DO ABOUT MY CURRENT BRAKE PROBLEM. I HAD JUST GOTTEN ALL FOUR TIRES REPLACED AS THEY WERE GETTING BALD. I WAS ON A TRIP BACK FROM VA TO SC WITH MY FAMILY ON I-95 SOUTH. IT WAS RAINING. I WAS IN THE LEFT LANE AND THERE WAS HEAVY TRAFFIC. THERE WAS SUDDENLY A LARGE TRAFFIC ACCIDENT AHEAD OF ME AND CARS CAME TO AN ABRUPT STOP IN BOTH LANES. I HIT THE BRAKES AND BEGAN TO SKID. I DO NOT THINK THAT THERE WAS ENOUGH WATER ON THE ROAD THAT I WAS HYDROPLANING...I WAS SIMPLY SKIDDING ON THE WET PAVEMENT. I COULD NOT STOP IN TIME TO KEEP FROM HITTING THE CAR IN FRONT OF ME, SO I STEERED INTO THE EMERGENCY LANE, STILL SKIDDING. ANOTHER CAR SWERVED INTO THE EMERGENCY LANE SO I TURNED THE WHEEL AGAIN TO SKID INTO THE GRASS ON THE LEFT SIDE OF THE HIGHWAY. I WAS NOW SKIDDING SIDEWAYS DOWN A GRASSY EMBANKMENT TOWARDS TREES AT THE BOTTOM OF THE EMBANKMENT. LUCKILY THE CAR FINALLY SKIDDED TO A STOP AND CAME SLOWLY TO REST AGAINST A TREE. THERE WAS BODY DAMAGE TO THE VEHICLE, BUT NOBODY WAS INJURED. I AM SURE THAT THE ABS BRAKES WERE NOT FUNCTIONING AND THIS IS WHY THE CAR LOCKED UP AND SKIDDED SO FAR. IT WAS SKIDDING AS IF WE WERE ON ICE.

I WAS DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY AND THE BRAKE LIGHT AND ABS CAME ON AND STARTED BEEPING. WHEN THE BRAKE IS ENGAGED, IT'S HARD TO STOP AND VERY HARD TO DEPRESS THE PEDAL, INSPECTION FOR THE OPERATION OF THE BRAKING SYSTEM- FAIL. THE MECHANIC STATED WE HAVE TO REPLACE POWER BRAKE BOOSTER AND THE ABS ACTUATOR ASSEMBLY. $6,000

I HAVE A 2008 TOYOTA HIGLANDER HYBRID. DASH WARNINGS APPEARED SUDDENLY: CHECK VSC SYSTEM, CHECK ABS, BRAKE MALFUNCTION. I TOOK THE VEHICLE TO MY LOCAL DEALER AND WAS TOLD THAT THE REPAIR WOULD COST $6000. I PREVIOUSLY OWNED A 2007 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER HYBRID. SAME THING HAPPENED IN THAT VEHICLE. TOYOTA ISSUED A WARRANTY EXTENSION AND THE PROBLEM WAS SOLVED. LOOKS LIKE THE SAME ISSUE IN THE 2008 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER HYBRID.

THE ABS ,VSC ,CHECK ENGINE LIGHT COMING ON WHEN ACCELERATING. STATING TO PARK VEHICLE AND TAKE IT TO THE DEALER.

BRAKE MALFUNCTION WARNING AND ABS WARNING LIGHTS CAME ON UNEXPECTEDLY WHILE DRIVING. UPON INSPECTION AT THE TOYOTA DEALERSHIP, I WAS TOLD THAT THE VEHICLE HAS A MAJOR SYSTEM FAILURE, THE ABS ACTUATOR HAD FAILED AND WOULD NEED TO BE REPLACED AT A COST OF OVER $4000. IT APPEARS THAT, LIKE WITH THE 2006-2007 MODELS FOR WHICH WARRANTY COVERAGE HAS BEEN EXTENDED, THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM. THIS IS AN UNSAFE, SUDDEN FAILURE PUTTING LIVES AT RISK!

BRAKE SYSTEM MALFUNCTION LIGHTS CAME ON, CHECK ABS SYSTEM LIGHTS CAME ON WHILE DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY AND I LOST FUNCTION OF MY ANTILOCK BRAKES WHICH FELT VERY UNSAFE AT HIGH SPEEDS. BROUGHT IT TO THE MECHANIC WHO TOLD ME THE BRAKE ACCUMULATOR WAS LEAKING INTERNALLY AND WILL NOT HOLD PRESSURE AND THE ACTUATOR HAS INTERNAL NITROGEN CONTAMINATION. THEY RECOMMEND I REPLACE BOTH PARTS AND QUOTED ME $5400! THERE WAS A RECALL ON THE 2007 MODE FOR THE SAME ISSUE THAT IS CURRENTLY HAPPENING WITH MY 2008 MODEL. I BELIEVE THERE SHOULD BE A RECALL ON THIS MODEL AS WELL, AS LOSING YOUR BRAKES WHILE DRIVING.

BRAKE ACTUATOR PROBLEM CAUSING NEED TO REPLACE ENTIRE BREAKING SYSTEM. MANY SIMILAR COMPLAINTS BEING REPORTED. SIMILAR RECALL ON 2006 AND 2007 MODELS.

BRAKE MALFUNTION WARNING INDICATOR LIGHTS, ABS ,VSC(SLIIP INDICATORL) LIGHT),EMERGENCY BRAKE LIGHT AND MASTER WARNING LIGHTS ILLUMINATE ON INSTRUMENT PANEL. I,VE BEEN DEALING WITH THIS FOR 2 WEEKS NOW. THE FIRST TIME I TOOK IT IN TO THE DEALERSHIP, THE DIAGONISTIC TEST SHOWED NOTHING, , BUT, POSSIBLY COULD BE LOW VOLTAGE FROM A PERFECTLY GOOD 18MONTHS AND 20 DAY OLD BATTERY BOUGHT FROM THE DEALERSHIP. I HAD A NEW BATTERY PUT IN FOR FEAR OF DOING ANYTHING TO HARM THE HYBRID SYSTEM. MAY I ALSO ADD THAT THE DEALERSHIP OFFERED NO PRORATE ON THE BATTERY. . ABOUT 200 MILES, LESS THAN 4 DAYS , EVERYTHING LIT UP AGAIN. FEARING WHAT I HAD RESEARCHED ON LINE, THEY QUOTED ME A PRICE OF $5129.00 FOR THIS REPAIR OF ABS PUMP/BRAKE ACTUATOR.. REALLY?? WHO HAS THAT KIND OF MONEY FOR A DEFECT THAT SHOULD BE TAKEN CARE OF BY TOYOTA? I ASKED THEM TO RETURN THE BATTERY TAKEN FROM MY CAR A FEW DAYS EARLIER SINCE THAT WASN'T THE PROBLEM . I TOLD THEM I WOULD HAVE TO LOOK AT MY OPTIONS ABOUT THE RIDICULOUS REPAIR. I WAS OFFERED $6000.00 AT THE DEALERSHIP OR POSSIBLY MORE FOR A TRADE IN FOR MY VEHICLE.. NICE, RIGHT?? STILL IN SHOCK,, I PULL ALL THE MAINTENANCE RECORDS OF WHICH THIS VEHICLE WITH 113,400 MILES HAS BEEN METICULOUSLY MAINTAINED.SINCE IT WAS BOUGHT AT THAT DEALERSHIP NOW, I AM WONDERING IF THEY EVEN KNOW HOW TO DO DIAGIONISTIC TESTING SINCE ONE WEEK IT DIDN'T SHOW UP AND A FEW DAYS LATER IT DID! NOW, I RESEARCH MORE AND AND FIND A RECALL 13V396000 OF 09/04/13 FOR THE HYBRID PROPULSION SYSTEM,INVERTER COMPONENT WHICH EXPLICITLY DESCRIBES WHAT HAPPENED TO MY HIGHLANDER. I AM WONDERING IF MY CAR WAS IN THAT GROUP AND IF I WAS. TOYOTA NEEDS TO STEP UP AND MAKE IT RIGHT. I HAVE NO PROBLEM PAYING FOR NORMAL WEAR AND TEAR OF A VEHICLE,....BUT THIS IS CLEARLY A TOYOTA DEFECT!!

THE ABS ACTUATOR FAILED AND TOYOTA HAS A RECALL FOR THIS PART ON 2006&2007 MODELS BUT NOT FOR THE 2008 MODEL. THE REPAIR COST AT A MINIMUM IS $3000 WHICH IS ABSURDLY HIGH. THIS MEANS THAT I DO NOT HAVE ANTI LOCKING BRAKES MAKING IT UNSAFE FOR ME TO DRIVE.

WHILE DRIVING MY VEHICLE ON THE NORTHBOUND I-405 AT ABOUT 4:30 PM ON FRIDAY AFTERNOON, THE VEHICLE'S ELECTRIC ENGINE SHUT-OFF WITH NO WARNING OR EXPLANATION. DASH LIGHTS WERE STILL LIT AND VEHICLE WAS IN MOTION. COULD NOT GET OUT OF TRAFFIC SAFELY EXCEPT WITH REMAINING MOMENTUM FROM THE NO. 3 LANE OF TRAFFIC. ELECTRIC ENGINE WOULD NOT POWER-UP. THERE WERE NO FUEL OR BATTERY PROBLEMS. THE TECHNICIAN'S TEST NARROWED THE PROBLEM TO THE DC INVERTER WHICH WAS PREVIOUSLY A RECALL ISSUE. THIS RECALL DOESN'T APPEAR TO HAVE BEEN RESOLVED, THOUGH THE DEALER CLAIMS IT WAS. THANK YOU.