2008 Toyota Highlander Hybrid: brake failure

Filed Mar 4, 2019 · Brakes, Driver assistance · 78,000 miles · UT

Vsc, ABS, traction control error light. My mechanic identified this as a failer accumulator (ABS module), he said there is a tsb from toyota. I know there was a recall on this issue on this vehicle through year 2007. Concerned about possibility of total brake failure.

Filed Feb 19, 2019 · Brakes · 148,000 miles · TX

The brake malfunction light came on while driving. Toyota says its the brake actuator assembly and it will cost me $4700 to replace the part. They recalled toyota highlander 06-07, prius 04-09 and lexus with the same problem. The result can be total brake failure. Since toyota knows this is an issue with the defective parts , all autos with that part needs to be recalled/repaired with toyota's assistance.

Filed Nov 21, 2018 · Brakes · 215,000 miles · AR

My 2008 highlander ABS is failed and that put our family and others in danger because of the ABS is not working properly. The lights keep staying on, doesn't matter what you do, reset it or not. The brakes stopped working, the siren inside the vehicle making buzzy noise when opening the door or attempting to start the vehicle. I've done a lot of research online regarding to the toyota hybrid models and found many disappointed customer reviews, they all point to the ABS platform design flaws by toyota just like the ABS on camry hybrids & other hybrid models that have been recalled. I took my vehicle to a local toyota dealer as suggest by toyota representative, the same toyota dealership where I bought my two camrys from; paid $125 to have them checked out. My highlander ABS and the results tuned out to be both ABS actuator (47070-48010) and ABS pump (44510-48080) are failed and the costs to have both fix is $9000 while the vehicle is only worth between $6000 (now $0) which is more than half of the vehicle's value, for just a few small defective parts made by toyota. I do believe that the cost is ridiculously high and because of the manufacture design flaws & not from end users fault. I've called toyota twice to bring it to their attention but I got disappointing results instead. We, toyota highlander hybrid owners need to unite and contact toyota and or smart attorneys to connect all the dots and sue toyota for the above problems. Our life and others is in danger due to toyota's defective parts.

Filed Sep 24, 2018 · Brakes · 119,000 miles · HI

The ABS actuator is leaking fluid and needs to be replaced. Luckily, I noticed a noise from the slipping ABS while idling at traffic lights, and brought it in for service before a warning light came on, or my brakes failed. Though many online accounts of this same fluid leak issue on this vehicle make, model, and year, describe dangerous brake failures. The repair cost is over $4,000 at the toyota dealership. According to a cars.com article from july 1, 2016, there has been a free replacement service bulletin for the brake actuators on toyota prius 2004-2009, and highlander hybrid 2006-2007. The 2008 highlander hybrid has the same issue, with at least 75 identical complaints on www.carcomplaints.com. This important safety issue needs to be addressed by toyota: please include the 2008 toyota highlander hybrid to the service bulliten to replace the brake actuator assembly, free of charge at a toyota dealership.

Filed Sep 6, 2018 · Brakes · 125,000 miles · FL

My 2008 highlander ABS is failed and that put our family and others in danger because of the ABS is not working properly. The lights keep staying on, doesn't matter what you do, reset it or not. The brakes stopped working, the siren inside the vehicle making buzzy noise when opening the door or attempting to start the vehicle. I've done a lot of research online regarding to the toyota hybrid models and found many disappointed customer reviews, they all point to the ABS platform design flaws by toyota just like the ABS on camry hybrids & other hybrid models that have been recalled. I took my vehicle to a local toyota dealer as suggest by toyota representative, the same toyota dealership where I bought my two camrys from; paid $125 to have them checked out. My highlander ABS and the results tuned out to be both ABS actuator (47070-48010) and ABS pump (44510-48080) are failed and the costs to have both fix is $9000 while the vehicle is only worth between $6000 (now $0) which is more than half of the vehicle's value, for just a few small defective parts made by toyota. I do believe that the cost is ridiculously high and because of the manufacture design flaws & not from end users fault. I've called toyota twice to bring it to their attention but I got disappointing results instead. We, toyota highlander hybrid owners need to unite and contact toyota and or smart attorneys to connect all the dots and sue toyota for the above problems. Our life and others is in danger due to toyota's defective parts.

Filed Aug 20, 2018 · Brakes · 166,000 miles · AL

Abs brake system failure driving down the highway leaving the car 100% with no brakes as driving down the highway in heavy traffic nearly causing a major accident and potential risk of life. Car regularly maintained and well cared for. Dealer calling for $5,200 repair with no alternative. Parts required are ABS modulator p/n 44050-48320 @ $2,700 and ABS pump assembly p/n 47070-48020 @ $1,010 plus approximatdely $1,200 in labor. Had this system fixed over a year ago with the correct parts and the system has failed once again, parts are now out of warranty. Car is unsafe to drive using oem parts.

Filed May 16, 2018 · Brakes · 115,000 miles · NC

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.

Filed Feb 16, 2018 · Electrical, Wheels · 162,000 miles · FL

While driving 40 MPH, my dashboard lit up with 'brake brake malfunction', 'ABS chevk ABS', and 'check vsc system'. All dash lights lit up also. Drove to the repair shop and had codes run. No codes were present. This is related to the c1391 code that has a recall on 06&07 highlanders, and 08 camy's. The front right of the engine is making a clicking sound every 20 seconds from the brake stabilizer. Just prior to this for the last 2 weeks, the vehicle has had difficulty obtaining a 'ready' light. Battery has been pulled and bench tested, and all connections were checked. It would appear that in the last two months many 08 owners are presenting with this problem, with a range of proposed repair expense from $3,300 to $6,500. Seeing as this is a known problem with the 08 camry', resulting in brake failure in both camry's and highlander, this ought to be a recall for both vehicles.

Filed Jan 17, 2018 · Brakes · 108,000 miles · CA

Tl* the contact owns a 2008 toyota highlander hybrid. While driving approximately 35 MPH, the brakes failed to operate when the brake pedal was depressed. There were no warning indicators illuminated. The contact managed to drive the vehicle to her residence. A month later, while driving approximately 30 MPH, the check vehicle system and the brake malfunction indicators illuminated. The vehicle was pulled over to the side of the road. The contact called puente hills toyota at 626‑964‑7100 (located at 17070 gate ave, hacienda heights, ca 91745) and was informed to tow the vehicle to the shop. The contact decided to take the vehicle to toyota of whittier (14577 e. Whittier blvd, whittier, ca 90605) where it was diagnosed that a new brake system was needed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 108,000.

Filed Jan 8, 2018 · Brakes, Driver assistance · 137,000 miles · TX

Brakes stopped working with lights coming on requesting to take it to dealership. Dealership says it is the ABS actuator which is malfunctioning and requesting me to replace it at 3500$. Toyota has been making this part defective and has been recalling this for similar model years. 2007 has a recall. 2008 camry hybrid has a recall. They should just recall this part across the board.

Filed Oct 14, 2017 · Brakes · 100,400 miles · TX

Brake malfunction on 2008 highlander hybrid with 100,495 miles: I had the following warnings appear on the electronic screen - 'ABS system malfunction - park car in a safe place and call the dealer', 'vsc system failure', ' brake system warning'. A loud alarm came on suddenly when I was driving the vehicle, and is now constant when the ignition 'on' button is pressed, (I.e. When car is moving or in park). I need to use very high foot pressure to make the brakes work at all and this situation could easily have caused an accident if I needed to stop suddenly. I read the many similar brake related complaints on the federal safety agency and toyota blog pages. The local toyota dealer is charging $2,435 [20-25% of net worth of vehicle] to replace the brake booster pump assembly which they indicate is only the first step in debugging the ABS/brake/vsc messages are due to. The replacement part costs $1,200 (with overnight shipping) but the dealer is charging $1,781. Even after this part is replaced, fixing the issue may require additional parts/work. I am very disappointed with toyota us customer service who indicated that they cannot help to cover any part of this repair at all, even though brake failure is life safety issue. Given the brake warranty extension by toyota for 2007-2011 camry and for 2006, 2007 highlander hybrid and given that the 2008 model year highlander is built on the camry platform, I am requesting that the federal safety agency strongly urge toyota to issue a brake warranty extension for 2008 model year highlander hybrid.

Filed Jun 19, 2017 · Brakes · 110,000 miles · AZ

While operating at highway speeds, we had the abrupt onset of a high-pitched, constant sound. When attempting to decelerate to exit the highway, we found that the brakes were no longer functioning and had to apply the parking/emergency brake to get off of the highway without causing an accident. We were towed to a toyota dealership who reported failure of the ABS actuator assembly and the brake pump resulting in complete loss of brake function. Repair quoted at ~$3000. This is a repeat failure of these parts in this vehicle, which the dealer does not believe is due to the first replacement parts being faulty.