2008 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER HYBRID Complaints

I WAS DRIVING TO AN OFF RAMP WHEN MY 2008 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER HYBRID JUST STOP IN THE MIDDLE OF A VERY BUSY TRAFFIC! IT ALMOST CAUSED A TERRIBLE ACCIDENT. I HAD IT TOWED AND THE TOYOTA DEALERSHIP DIAGNOSED IT AS AN INVERTER CONVERTER PROBLEM AND WILL CAUSE ME $11000 (YES, ELEVEN THOUSAND DOLLARS) TO REPLACE IT. THIS APPEAR TO BE AN ENGINEERING DEFECT FAULT. OF ALL THE WARNING IN PLACE IT SEEMS TO INFORM THE DRIVER, SUCH AS THE ABS LIGHT, LOW GAS GAUGE, LOW AIR, OIL MAINTENANCE WARNING, WHY NOT THE 'INVERTER PROBLEM DETECTED, BRING YOUR CAR TO THE DEALER NOW?'. I FEEL THAT TOYOTA IS BEING IRRESPONSIBLE IN DESIGNING A CAR THAT JUST SIMPLY STOP IN THE MIDDLE OF THE HIGHWAY OR ON ANY STREET WITHOUT WARNING. THIS ERROR IS SUPER DANGEROUS AND CAN CAUSE INNOCENT LIVES AND TOYOTA SHOULD TAKE RESPONSIBILITY IN CORRECTING THE WRONG INSTEAD OF HIDING BEHIND THE SCENE. I DID SOME RESEARCH AND FOUND THAT THERE ARE OTHER SUCH PROBLEM BUT THEIR CUSTOMER SERVICE SAID THAT MY VEHICLE ID NUMBER IS NOT ON THE RECALL LIST. WHO INCLUDE MY VEHICLE ON THE RECALL LIST ANYWAY? CERTAINLY THIS IS A PROBLEM AFTER ALL IT IS AFFECTING VEHICLES 2006 TO 2012? PLEASE HELP.

I HAVE BEEN EXPERIENCING ODD SCREECHING NOISE FROM THE RT FRONT WHILE STOPPED. LAST WEEK SEVERAL WARNING LIGHTS CAME ON TELLING ME TO PULL OVER AND CALL FOR REPAIRS. I WAS SUBSEQUENTLY TOLD BY MY MECHANIC THAT THE BRAKE ACTUATOR ASSEMBLY AND SKID CONTROL ECU UNITS HAVE FAILED. THE COST OF REPAIR ( $3000) IS BEYOND COMPREHENSION FOR A VEHICLE OF THIS VINTAGE, 2008 WITH UNDER 100,000. WHILE THIS WOULD BE COVERED UNDER AN EXTENDED WARRANTY FOR THE NEXT MODEL YEAR IT DOES NOT COVER 2008. I BELIEVE IT SHOULD, BEING THAT SO MANY OWNERS ARE HAVING THIS EXACT , LIFE THREATENING PROBLEM. AT THIS TIME THE BRAKES WORK BUT WHEN APPLIED THEY MAKE A CONSTANT CLICK AND I FEEL RHYTHMIC RELEASE AND CATCHING THROUGH THE BRAKE PEDAL.

BRAKE FAILURE WHILE DRIVING. WARNING LIGHTS DID COME ON AND LOUD ALARM TOO. DEALER SAYS THIS IS PROBLEM WITH DEFECTIVE ABS PUMP AND/OR ACTUATOR. THIS ISSUE HAS LIFE-THREATENING POTENTIAL BECAUSE LOSS OF BRAKES WAS SUDDEN. HAD TO RESORT TO PARKING BRAKE TO STOP VEHICLE. SAME PART WAS DEEMED DEFECTIVE AND REPLACED ON CAMRY HYBRID MODELS BY TOYOTA. SAME WARRANTY EXTENSION SHOULD BE APPLIED TO HIGHLANDER. *TR

CHECK BRAKE SYSTEM WARNINGS; CODE TRACED TO ACCUMULATOR NOT HOLDING PRESSURE (C1391 ABNORMAL LEAK OF ACC PRESS). $2,500+ REPAIR. THIS SAME PART WAS ALREADY COVERED UNDER A WARRANTY EXTENSION FOR THE CAMRY HYBRID AND THEY ARE BUILT ON THE SAME PLATFORM. SHOULD BE COVERED FOR THE HIGHLANDER AS WELL.

WHILE BRAKING TO STOP CAR IN A SCHOOL PICK UP LINE, WARNING LIGHTS AND MESSAGES BEGAN FLASHING. WARNING LIGHTS STATED BRAKE MALFUNCTION, ABS SYSTEM ETC. DEALER RAN DIAGNOSTIC, STATED THERE IS AN INTERNAL LEAK OF BRAKE ACTUATOR, REPAIR COSTS $5500. LIGHTS WERE RESET AND 2 WEEKS LATER WHILE DRIVING LIGHTS AND WARNINGS CAME BACK ON. TOYOTA HAS RECALL FOR 2006AND 2007BUT NOT 2008. *TR

CHECK BRAKE SYSTEMS, CHECK VSC LIGHTS, BRAKE MALFUNCTION ETC LIGHTS HAVE COME ON

DEAR NHTSA, I WAS RECENTLY INFORMED BY MY MECHANIC THAT MY ABS BRAKE ACTUATOR REQUIRES REPLACEMENT. THE COST OF THIS REPAIR IS EXORBITANT...APPROXIMATELY $3,200.00. WHILE THE BRAKES THEMSELVES STILL FUNCTION, AND WILL PASS PENNSYLVANIA STATE INSPECTION, THE VEHICLE APPARENTLY NO LONGER HAS ANTI-LOCK BRAKE CAPABILITIES. MY 17-YEAR OLD DAUGHTER CURRENTLY DRIVES THIS VEHICLE. AS YOU CAN IMAGINE I HAVE GREAT CONCERNS OVER HER SAFETY. UNFORTUNATELY, AT THIS TIME WE CANNOT AFFORD TO MAKE THIS REPAIR. WHAT IS MOST CONCERNING AS A TOYOTA OWNER, IS THEIR LACK OF CONCERN. INTERESTINGLY, IF MY CAR WAS A YEAR OLDER, TOYOTA WOULD COVER THE REPAIR OF THIS DEVICE AS PART OF AN EXPANDED WARRANTY SPEARHEADED THROUGH NHTSA. THIS IS A CONSIDERABLE SAFETY ISSUE AND COULD RESULT IS SERIOUS INJURY TO MY DAUGHTER. PLEASE LOOK INTO TOYOTA'S REFUSAL TO EXPAND THE WARRANTY ON THIS PART. THE LIVES OF THOUSANDS OF TOYOTA HIGHLANDER OWNERS IS POTENTIALLY AT STAKE. THANKS YOU. [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

THE ABS ACTUATOR AND PUMP ON MY 2008 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER HYBRID SPONTANEOUSLY FAILED WHILE DRIVING AT MODERATE SPEEDS ON A CITY STREET. THE ABS INDICATOR LIGHT, BRAKE FAILURE LIGHT, AND VEHICLE STABILITY CONTROL LIGHT ALL CAME ON AT ONCE. THE CAR THEN ABRUPTLY DECELERATED TO IDLE SPEED BEFORE I TURNED OFF THE ROADWAY. THERE WAS NO IMPACT ON THE CAR AND NO SPEED BUMPS/ABNORMALITIES ON THE PAVEMENT. I TOOK THE VEHICLE TO A LOCAL TOYOTA DEALERSHIP WHO STATED THE PROBLEM IS AS LISTED ABOVE, THAT THE ABS ACTUATOR AND PUMP HAD FAILED AND WOULD REQUIRE REPLACEMENT. I HAVE NOT YET PERFORMED THE REPLACEMENT.

ABS LIGHT, VSC LIGHT, AND CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. BRAKES WENT OUT COMPLETELY WHILE DRIVING ON ROAD. LUCKILY IT WAS AT LOW SPEED THROUGH TOWN AND I WAS ABLE TO MAKE IT HOME SAFELY. ALARM SOUNDED AND WOULD NOT TURN OFF. TOWED TO DEALER AND WAS TOLD THAT IT WOULD COST $4300 FOR REPAIR. DEALER WOULD NOT TAKE IT AS TRADE IN EVEN THOUGH THEY SOLD IT TO ME ONLY ABOUT A YEAR PRIOR, LEAVING ME WITH NO OPTION BUT TO PAY FOR THE REPAIR.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER HYBRID. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 40 MPH, THE ENGINE STALLED AND THE INSTRUMENT PANEL WARNING INDICATORS FLASHED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THERE WAS WATER IN THE HYBRID BATTERY COMPARTMENT AND THE COMPARTMENT NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 120,000.