2008 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER HYBRID Complaints

WE PURCHASED A 2008 HIGHLANDER HYBRID IN 2016. THE CAR WAS PRACTICALLY MAINTENANCE FREE UNTIL LAST WEEK. ALL SERVICE EXCEPT OIL CHANGES HAVE BEEN DONE BY THE LOCAL TOYOTA DEALER. MY WIFE WAS PULLING OUT OF THE DRIVEWAY WHEN THE ABS/VSC LIGHTS CAME ON AND THE CONSOLE SAID TO PULL OVER. A CODE SCAN SAID IT WAS C1391, INTERNAL ACC PRESSURE LEAK. TOOK IT TO THE DEALER. THEY SAID IT NEEDED A NEW BRAKE ACCUMULATOR AND A NEW BRAKE BOOSTER FOR A TOTAL OF OVER $5000! RESEARCHING THE ISSUE, I FOUND IT IS A FAIRLY COMMON ISSUE FOR THESE CARS. WHEN I CALLED TOYOTA TO ASK IF THE COST OF THIS REPAIR, EQUAL TO 1/3 THE COST OF THE VEHICLE, COULD BE MITIGATED, I EVENTUALLY GOT A WOMAN WHO TOLD ME THAT SINCE I DIDN'T TAKE THE CAR IN TO THE DEALER FOR NEARLY A YEAR IN 2015, I WAS NOT A LOYAL TOYOTA CUSTOMER AND THEY HAVE CHOSEN NOT TO HELP ME. REALLY!!?? THE CAR DIDN'T NEED ANY SERVICE DURING THAT TIME! I OWN 5 OTHER CARS INCLUDING A COUPLE OF BMWS AND I HAVE NEVER HAD A REPAIR THIS EXPENSIVE AND HAVE NEVER BEEN ADMONISHED BY AN AUTOMOBILE COMPANY REPRESENTATIVE FOR NOT GETTING A CAR SERVICED WHEN IT DIDN'T NEED IT. THIS WAS OUR FIRST TOYOTA AND WILL BE OUT LAST.

3 WEEKS AFTER WE PURCHASED OUR 2008 HIGHLANDER HYBRID WITH ONLY 115,000 MILES ON IT, THE WHOLE DASHBOARD LIT UP WITH WARNING LIGHTS. THE LIGHTS INDICATED THAT THE ABS HAD MALFUNCTIONED. IT SAID TO PULL OVER AND GET IT CHECKED BY THE TOYOTA DEALERSHIP IMMEDIATELY. WE TOOK IT TO THE DEALERSHIP AND WERE TOLD THAT THERE WAS AN ABNORMAL LEAK IN THE ACCUMULATOR AND THAT IT WILL COST $4693.46 TO REPAIR. THIS IS AFTER WE HAD JUST PURCHASED THE VEHICLE FOR $15,000. WE ARE A FAMILY WITH 6 KIDS AND OBVIOUSLY DO NOT HAVE THAT KIND OF MONEY. WE CONTINUED DRIVING THE HIGHLANDER UNTIL IT BECAME COMPLETELY UNSAFE. THE BRAKES STOPPED WORKING WHILE I WAS DRIVING IT ONE DAY WITH MY KIDS. THE BRAKES WOULD GO ALL THE WAY TO THE FLOOR AND BARELY EVEN STOPPED ME. I MANAGED TO MAKE IT HOME WITHOUT BEING IN A WRECK, BUT WE FEEL THAT IT IS TOTALLY UNSAFE TO DRIVE. IT IS THE ONLY VEHICLE THAT WE HAVE TO TRANSPORT ALL OF OUR FAMILY, AND WE AREN'T SURE WHAT TO DO. MY HUSBAND HAS RESEARCHED AND DISCOVERED THAT THE ABS HAS BEEN RECALLED IN THE 2006 AND 2007 TOYOTA HIGHLANDERS. WE HAVE ALSO DISCOVERED THAT THERE ARE NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS SIMILAR TO OURS WITH THE 2008 HIGHLANDER. WE REALLY HOPE THAT YOU CONSIDER THE SAFETY ISSUE THAT IS AT STAKE WITH THE BRAKES GOING OUT IN THESE VEHICLES. THIS PART NEEDS TO BE RECALLED AND THIS ISSUE NEEDS TO BE TAKEN CARE OF TO ENSURE THE SAFETY OF MANY AMERICANS.

A BUNCH OF LIGHTS CAME ON INCLUDING MY ABS AND WARNINGS FLASHED.. I BROUGHT IT TO A TOYOTA DEALERSHIP IN GA AND THEY TRIED TO CHARGE ME LIKE 4000 TO REPLACE IT.. THEY TOLD MY WIFE IF IT WASN'T REPLACED SHE MAY DIE WHEN SHE LEFT THE DEALERSHIP. SHE WAS PRAYING AND COMPLETELY SCARED OUT OF HER MIND. IT'S STILL NOT FIXED.. SHE DRIVE IT WITH ALL THE LIGHTS ON TO COLORADO AND I STILL HAVE NO IDEA HOW I CAN FIX THIS PROBLEM. APPARENTLY I'M NOT THE ONLY ONE.. I LOVE TOYOTA AND REALLY HOPE SOME ONE REACHES OUT SOON.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER HYBRID. WHILE DRIVING 35 MPH, THE BRAKE PEDAL PULSATED. ALSO, THE BRAKE MALFUNCTION, ABS, BSB, CHECK BRAKE SYSTEM, AND EMERGENCY BRAKE WARNING INDICATORS ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO TOYOTA OF CLERMONT (16851 STATE ROAD 50, CLERMONT, FL 34711) WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE BRAKE ACTUATOR NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED AND REFERRED THE CONTACT TO NHTSA. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 141,565.

I WAS ON THE HIGHWAY WHEN MY CAR GAVE A WARNING TO PULL OVER SAFELY DUE TO A BRAKE MALFUNCTION AND TO TAKE TO THE DEALER. THE VSC SYSTEM LIGHT ALSO CAME ON. I SEE TOYOTA RECALLED THIS IN THE 2006 AND 2007 BUT NOT THE 2008 HIGHLANDER HYBRID. THIS IS A $2000.00 FIX FOR THE ACCUMULATOR BRAKE ACTUATOR ASSEMBLY. IF THIS IS SUCH A KNOW PROBLEM WHY IS THERE NO RECALL FOR 2008.

IN AUGUST OF 2017 WE WERE DRIVING OUR 20088 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER HYBRID AND ALL OF SUDDEN THE DISPLAY WARNED OF ABS VSC MALFUNCTION AND TO PULL OVER OR TAKE CAR TO NEAREST DEALER, THE BRAKE PEDALS LOST COMPRESSION OR PRESSURE AND THE BRAKE WAS NOT WORKING HARDLY. TOOK TO THE MECHANIC SHOP THAT HAS BEEN DOING THE REGULAR MAINTENANCE, THEY PERFORMED DIAGNOSTICS AND STATED ABS MODULE NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THEY ADVISE CAR WAS NOT SAFE TO DRIVE. CHECKED THIS WEBSITE AND CARCOMPLAINTS TO SEE MANY OTHER USERS SAME ISSUE, CONTACTED TOYOTA, THEY STATED THEY HAD NO RECALLS, ITS OUT OF WARRANTY, WE WOULD HAVE TO PAY THE $4000 TO HAVE FIXED, WE PAID FOR THE REPAIR OUT OF POCKET, WHICH WAS A FINANCIAL HIT FOR US. CONTACTED TOYOTA TODAY ABOUT REIMBURSEMENT FOR REPAIR COST, SAID THEY DONT HAVE IT RECALLED OR A CAMPAIGN FOR THE ISSUE, I STATED THIS WEBSITE WITH THE COMPLAINTS AND OTHER SITES, WAS BASICALLY TOLD UNTIL A RECALL IS ON THE ISSUE, WOULDNT BE REFUNDED.

WHILE DRIVING UNDER NORMAL CONDITIONS, VEHICLE WARNING LIGHTS FOR ABS BRAKES, PARKING BRAKE, VSC AND BRAKE MALFUNCTION ALL ILLUMINATED WITH MESSAGE TO STOP VEHICLE IMMEDIATELY IN A SAFE LOCATION AND CONTACT DEALER. DEALER DIAGNOSTIC DISCOVERED CODE C1391 "ACCUMULATOR LEAK", WHICH IS AN INTERNAL LEAK AND NOT VISIBLE FROM EXTERNAL INSPECTION - I HAD JUST BROUGHT THE VEHICLE IN TO THE DEALER FOR REGULARLY SCHEDULED MAINTENANCE 3 WEEKS PRIOR. DEALER SERVICE DEPT SAID ABS SYSTEM HAD FAILED AND RECOMMENDED REMOVING AND REPLACING BRAKE ACTUATOR ASSEMBLY AT A COST OF $4,622! AFTER RESEARCHING ONLINE, I LEARNED ABS BRAKING SYSTEM FAILURES ARE A WIDESPREAD AND COMMON PROBLEM FOR THE HIGHLANDER. TOYOTA ISSUED RECALLS FOR 2006, 2007 MODELS FOR ABS BRAKE ACTUATOR, BUT NOT FOR 2008 HIGHLANDER. TOYOTA KNOWS THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE (SERVCO SERVICE DEPT IN HAWAII STATED THEY HAVE SEEN MULTIPLE INSTANCES OF THIS BRAKE ACTUATOR FAILURE). NOTE MY 2008 HIGHLANDER IS UNDER 80K MILES. TOYOTA NEEDS TO DO THE RIGHT THING AND ADD THE 2008 HIGHLANDER MODEL TO THE CURRENT BRAKE ACTUATOR RECALL SO THAT THIS SAFETY CONCERN IS FIXED.

ABS, VSC LIGHTS CAME ON WHILE ON A BRIDGE ON AT HIGHWAY AT 70 MPH; PULLED OVER SAFELY TO CHECK FUNCTION; BRAKES STILL WORKED, ABS DID NOT; TOOK TO A DEALER NEXT DAY; DEALER ADVISED THE ABS ACCUMULATOR WAS DEFECTIVE AND OTHER ERROR CODES (OVER POWER) INDICATED A LEAK IN THE ABS NETWORK. DEALER ADVISED PARTS ALONE WOULD EXCEED 4800 USD NOT INCLUDING LABOR.

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

THE CAR HAS BEEN METICULOUSLY MAINTAINED BY THE DEALERSHIP SINCE IT WAS PURCHASED NEW AND HAS NEVER BEEN USED FOR TOWING. WE WERE DRIVING NORMALLY WHEN WE BEGAN NOTICING A SERIES OF RECURRING HYDRAULIC-LIKE PULSATIONS AND NOISES WHENEVER DEPRESSING THE BRAKE PEDAL EVEN WHEN THE VEHICLE ISN'T MOVING. THE PULSATION SENSATION CAN BE FELT THROUGHOUT THE BRAKE SYSTEM WHEN THE BRAKES ARE APPLIED EVEN WHEN NOT MOVING. THE SERIES OF NOISES ARE COMING DIRECTLY FROM THE ABS SYSTEM/ACTUATOR UNDER THE HOOD WHENEVER THE BRAKE PEDAL IS DEPRESSED. I BELIEVE THIS IS DUE TO AN ABNORMAL LEAK IN THE ACCUMULATOR. THE VEHICLE PREVIOUSLY SHOWED NO SIGNS OF ANY ISSUES WHEN THE TOYOTA SERVICE TECHNICIAN LAST INSPECTED IT. WE HAVE SINCE PAID A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF MONEY TO HAVE THE BRAKES INSPECTED AND FLUID CHANGED, BUT THAT DID ABSOLUTELY NOTHING TO RESOLVE THE ISSUE. AFTER DOING RESEARCH WE ARE CONFIDENT THE ISSUE IS EXACTLY AS HUNDREDS OF OTHER OWNERS HAVE PREVIOUSLY REPORTED TO TOYOTA, BBB, AND NHTSA. TOYOTA HAS SINCE ISSUES RECALLS AND WARRANTY EXTENSIONS FOR THE OTHER TOYOTA HYBRID MODEL THAT UTILIZE THE SAME PLATFORM/SYSTEM BUT JUST NOT FOR THE LATER 2008 HIGHLANDER HYBRID. SOMEONE NEEDS TO STEP UP AND HOLD TOYOTA ACCOUNTABLE FOR THE SAME FAULTY PARTS THEY CONTINUED TO INSTALL IN THEIR OTHER HYBRID VEHICLES THEY SOLD TO CONSUMERS. THE ABS SYSTEM IS CLEARLY NOT FUNCTIONING PROPERLY AS HUNDREDS OF CONSUMERS HAVE PREVIOUSLY NOTED. WHY WOULD TOYOTA COVER THE COST OF REPAIR FOR OTHER HYBRIDS WITH THIS SAME DEFECT BUT NOT OTHERS? THERE NEEDS TO BE A RECALL OR WARRANTY EXTENSION ISSUED FOR THIS MODEL/YEAR AS TOYOTA HAS ISSUED FOR OTHER HYBRID MODELS USING THE SAME PLATFORM. I AM SERIOUSLY CONCERNED AND TROUBLED BY THE SAFETY FACTORS THIS MALFUNCTION PRESENTS ESPECIALLY WHEN TRAVELING AT ANY SPEED. THIS IS CLEARLY A WELL-DOCUMENTED PROBLEM FOR THE 2008 MODELS.