2007 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER HYBRID Complaints

The contact owns a 2007 Toyota Highlander Hybrid. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed with a drained battery. The dealer determined that the battery needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed with an ABS actuator malfunction, and the ABS actuator was replaced. The failure recurred and the ABS actuator was replaced a second time. The contact stated that the brake pedal needed to be depressed multiple times for the brakes to respond as needed. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer where it was diagnosed with ABS actuator malfunction for the third time. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 96,153.

The contact owns a 2007 Toyota Highlander Hybrid. The contact’s son stated while driving approximately 70 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power and stalled. The contact stated that several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the contact’s residence. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer to be diagnosed. The manufacturer was informed of the failure and informed the contact that the VIN was not under recall. The failure mileage was approximately 196,000.

I REPLACED MY BRAKES AFTER SEVERAL WARNING LIGHTS AND CODES KEPT POPPING UP ON MY DASH. HAD THE ROTORS TURNED. BUT WHEN I RETURNED TO DRIVING MY CAR AFTER I THOUGHT IT WAS FIXED THE BRAKES WOULD ALL OF A SUDDEN JUST GO OUT THE HYDRAULIC PART WOULD GO COMPLETELY TO THE FLOOR. THE CAR WOULD MAKE A HIGH PITCHED NOISE AND THEN NO BRAKES. TOOK IT TO TOYOTA IN CLINTON TN. SAID MY ABS BRAKE ACTUATOR WAS FAILING. WOULD COST ME 2200 DOLLARS TO FIX. THIS CERTAIN PART ON YOUR CAR IS SUPPOSED TO LAST YOU A LIFETIME. I DONT HAVE MONEY LIKE THAT NOW IT WAS TAKE ME A LIFETIME TO SAVE UP FOR THE REPAIRS. VERY SCARY. THIS WOULD HAPPEN TO ME RANDOMLY AS I WAS DRIVING NO MATTER WHERE OR HOW FAR THE TRIP I WAS TAKING. DIDN'T KNOW IF I WAS GOING TO BE ABLE TO MAKE IT HOME SOMETIMES. YOU JUST NEVER KNEW WHEN. SOMETIMES IT WOULD BE FINE AND OTHERS IT WOULD BE ABSOLUTELY SCARY.

VSC LIGHT CAME ON AND THE CAR WOULD NOT DRIVE. TOWED TO TOYOTA AND HAD IT DIAGNOSED. THE POA80, P3020 HV BATTERY INOPERATIVE/SHORTED. THE VEHICLE WAS IN MOTION ON THE HIGHWAY WHEN IT HAPPENED.

THE ABS BRAKE MODULATOR BEGAN EXHIBITING VERY LOUD AND CONTINUOUS PUMPING/PRIMING SOUNDS FOR SEVERAL WEEKS. DURING THIS TIME PERIOD UPON HARD BRAKING THE BRAKE SYSTEM WOULD FAIL TO RESPOND IMMEDIATELY - THERE WAS A DELAY BETWEEN THE INSTANT THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED, AND WHEN THE BRAKES WERE ACTUALLY ENGAGED TO SLOW THE VEHICLE. TODAY, ALL THE INSTRUMENT WARNING LIGHTS ILLUMINATED, INCLUDING: MASTER WARNING LIGHT, BRAKE WARNING LIGHT, ELECTRONICALLY CONTROLLED BRAKE WARNING, ANTI-LOCK BRAKE SYSTEM, AND SLIP INDICATOR. ALL THIS INDICATES A FAILURE OF THE ABS BRAKE MODULAR COMPONENT. TOYOTA MOTOR SALES, USA, INC. PUBLISHED WARRANTY ENHANCEMENT PROGRAM - ZG1 TO ADDRESS THIS ISSUE. THE WARRANTY IS ONLY VALID FOR UP TO 10 YEARS OR 150,000 MILES AND HAS RECENTLY EXPIRED FOR MY VEHICLE. TOYOTA MOTORS, KNOWING THIS COMPONENT IS PRONE TO FAILURE AND COULD HAVE CATASTROPHIC CONSEQUENCES, SHOULD TAKE A MORE PROACTIVE APPROACH TO ENSURE THE SAFE OPERATION OF ALL AFFECTED MODELS. AT PRESENT THERE IS NO WARRANTY COVERAGE, AND TOYOTA WILL NOT REPAIR THE FAULTY BRAKE SYSTEM. I AM LEFT WITH AN INOPERABLE VEHICLE WITH AN UNSAFE BRAKING SYSTEM, UNLESS I BEAR THE FULL COST OF REPLACEMENT MYSELF.

THIS COMPLAINT IS IN REGARDS TO THE TOYOTA WARRANTY ENCHANCEMENT PROGRAM ZG1. THIS WARRANTY WAS APPLICABLE FOR 10 YEARS AFTER FIRST USE OR 150,000 MILES WHICHEVER COMES FIRST. IN ORDER TO GET THE ABS ACTUATOR REPLACED A SET OF SYMPTOMS WAS REQUIRED. I OWN A 2007 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER HYBRID FWD WITH 128,000 MILES. LAST WEEK THE ABS ACTUATOR STARTED MAKING THESE LOUD NOISES AND THE ABS, BRAKE, CHECK VSC, AND MASTER WARNING LIGHT ALL CAME ON. THE BRAKING FUNCTION HAS DEFINITELY CHANGED AND NOW DOES A SUDDEN JOLT FORWARD WHEN THE CAR IS TURNED ON WHILE ALSO HEARING THE ABS ACTUATOR MAKING UNUSUAL NOISES. IT TURNS OUT THAT THE ABS ACTUATOR HAS AN INTERNAL MALFUNCTION. TOYOTA HAS TOLD ME THAT BECAUSE IT HAS BEEN 10 YEARS(EVEN THOUGH MY MILEAGE IS LESS THAN 150K), MY VEHICLE WOULD NOT BE COVERED. TOYOTA HAS ALSO STATED THAT THIS ISSUE IS A SAFETY HAZARD. I DO NOT UNDERSTAND WHY THIS ISSUE IS NOT LISTED AS A RECALL AS IT IS RELATED TO THE BRAKING SYSTEM MAKING THIS ISSUE A SAFETY HAZARD. INSTEAD I AM STUCK WITH MANY OTHERS HAVING TO PAY $3000 TO GET THE PART REPLACED EVEN THOUGH MY SPECIFIC VEHICLE IS AFFECTED BY THIS ABS ACTUATOR ISSUE. I USE THIS VEHICLE AS MY MAIN TRANSPORTATION FOR MY FAMILY. IF ANYONE CAN HELP ME OR EXPLAIN WHY THIS IS NOT A RECALL PLEASE CONTACT ME AT [XXX]. I AM LEFT WITH AN UNUSABLE VEHICLE BECAUSE MY ABS ACTUATOR DECIDED TO MALFUNCTION ON THE 11TH YEAR AFTER FIRST USE EVEN THOUGH IT ONLY HAS 128,000 MILES. IT SEEMS TO ME THAT THIS SHOULD BE A SAFETY RECALL BECAUSE OF THE CONSEQUENCES OF A MALFUNCTIONING ABS ACTUATOR. I AM REPORTING THE SUDDEN FAILING OF BRAKES AND MORE IMPORTANTLY, THE SUDDEN FORWARD JOLT THE CAR MAKES WHEN THE CAR ENGINE STARTS. I BELIEVE THAT THE ISSUES I AM EXPERIENCING IS DIRECTLY CORRELATED TO THE MALFUNCTIONING ABS ACTUATOR. AGAIN, PLEASE FEEL FREE TO CONTACT ME AT [XXX] REGARDING MY COMPLAINT. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR *TT

THE VSDC WARNING CAME ON WITH CODE C1391, WHICH MEANS THE ABS PUMP ACCUMULATOR ASSEMBLY HAS GONE BAD, WHICH COSTS THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS TO FIX. WHEN I CONTACTED TOYOTA, THEY SAID THEY EXTENDED THE WARRANTY ON THIS AND THAT EXTENSION RAN OUT A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO. HOWEVER, THIS MAKES NO SENSE TO EXTEND A WARRANTY ON A PART YOU HAVE ADMITTED IS BAD AND A SAFETY HAZARD, AS THE BRAKES WILL FAIL AFTER THIS FAULTY PART REMAINS IN THE DYSFUNCTIONAL STATE. IT APPEARS TO ME THAT TOYOTA, WAS TRYING TO APPEASE AS FEW AS PEOPLE AS POSSIBLE BY EXTENDING A WARRANTY ON SOMETHING AS DANGEROUS AS THIS. THEY REFUSE TO FIX THE PROBLEM, EVEN THOUGH IT WILL CAUSE DEATH TO MANY. THE MECHANIC SAID THIS HAS HAPPENED TO MANY TOYOTA HIGHLANDERS, PER HIS INFORMATION TOO. *JS *JS

A SOUND OF SQUEAKING/PUMPING AIR OCCURS SOMETIMES WHEN I DEPRESS THE BRAKES. THIS SOMETIMES CONTINUES TO HAPPEN EVEN WITH THE CAR IS STOPPED COMPLETELY. IF THE BRAKE IS DEPRESSED LESS, THE SOUND OCCURS LESS FREQUENTLY. I HAD IT INSPECTED BY AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC AND A DEALERSHIP MECHANIC AND WAS TOLD THE ABS ASSEMBLY HAS A LEAK AND NEEDS TO BE COMPLETELY REPLACED FOR A FEE OF ROUGHLY $2,300. THIS FIRST OCCURRED WITH MILEAGE AROUND 152,000.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2007 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER HYBRID. WHILE DRIVING VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE VEHICLE STALLED AND "VEHICLE STABILITY CONTROL" AND "HYBRID SYSTEM" DISPLAYED ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO HUDSON TOYOTA (599 NJ-440, JERSEY CITY, NEW JERSEY) WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE INVERTER WAS FAULTY. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 119,000.

WHEN BRAKING AT ANY SPEED, THE BRAKE PEDAL VIBRATES AND MAKES A "CHIRPING" SOUND. AFTER RESEARCHING I'VE DISCOVERED IT'S A BRAKE ACTUATOR ISSUE. TOYOTA DID EXTEND THE WARRANTY BRIEFLY, BUT NO RECALL WAS ISSUED. MY TOYOTA CERTIFIED MECHANIC SAID BRAKE FAILURE COULD DEFINITELY OCCUR WHEN THE ACTUATOR FAILS COMPLETELY. WHEN BRAKING OVER BUMPS, THE BRAKES SEEM TO GIVE OUT BRIEFLY AS WELL WHICH IS QUITE STARTLING. THE REPLACEMENT PART IS $1800 PLUS LABOR, WHICH IS RIDICULOUS CONSIDERING THIS IS DEFINITELY A SAFETY ISSUE.