I was driving on the freeway, with small child in back, and all of a sudden the imminent danger warning lights came on. They stated stop the car in the nearest safe area and call dealer. I feared back to an acceleration issue in 1985 with an older car and looked for a less crowded area to pull over. I was in traffic and that was not possible. I phoned the nearest dealer, they could not tell me what was going to happen other than I needed to get there or pull over and stop. I was less than 15 miles away so I chose to try and get there since I was able to slow the car with breaks. I arrived at the dealer and sat 3 hours before I had any detail, with my two year old. They could not locate the problem. They escalated the issue up the toyota service levels. Finally, they came back that there was a small (hairline)break fluid leak in the car and that part would need to be replaced. I was just out of warranty at 41,000 miles and I would have to pay the part and labor to install. After 5 hours, they gave me a ride home and did not offer a rental car. The details I received back were very vague and to this day I really don't know what caused the issue but I had to pay for an expensive repair, after many conversations about the issue - toyota agreed to pay for the part $1500 but I was responsible for labor $600. I was told that they may have paid for all the repair (a year ago) but the floor mat issue was costing them so much money they were not paying for labor any longer. I feel a repair that was not common and not caused my driving or lack of proper maintenance. They called it a fluke and that is evidenced by the only place they could find the part was in cincinnati, ohio when I live in ca. It took more than a week for the part to arrive and I was without my car for three weeks as I had no way to get back there. They did not offer up a rental car and my husband was out of town during that time.
2008 Toyota Highlander Hybrid brakes complaints
Page 5 of 5: complaints 101 to 113 of 113, newest first, as owners wrote them.
My toyota highlander hybrid '08 has always had a unnerving braking issue. Often, especially at slower speeds, when I first apply the brakes, instead of braking, the car actually jumps forward. I have asked the toyota service (where I get my oil changed) about this and they say it's just the way the hybrid brake system works. While I haven't gotten in an accident because of this delayed brake response (knock on wood), it really does not seem like an appropriate way for brakes to work. Do the prius hybrids and the highlander hybrids share the same braking software?
Shortly after commencing braking, brakes briefly seem to "let go" or slip. The sensation is of the car lurching forward, almost accelerating. Then braking resumes. Please note that this is not a one-time incident; I notice it every time I drive at slow or moderate speeds, and then need to brake--most recently, today. 2008 model highlander hybrid was purchased in march 2009; we have owned it for 11 months.
Since there has been so much talk about the toyota hybrids I thought I would file a quick complaint that may need to be investigated. Just like on the ford fusion hybrids and some of the toyota hybrids under recall, my 2008 highlander hybrid has a bit of a funny brake feeling when going from regenerative braking to mechanical braking. I can duplicate the problem easily and it occurs several times daily. I've learned to live with it, but the first time it happened it startled me. Long story short, when travelling down hill and applying the brakes, the first braking is the regenerative braking. When it changes over to mechanical braking the vehicle sort of lurches forward and requires more pressure on the brake pedal to continue slowing down at the same rate. Again, this is something that I've learned to expect and I always leave plenty of room between me and any car in front.
2008 toyota highlander hybrid - experiencing brake problems. When applying the brakes, it takes a second before the brakes catch. The problems is exactly what is reported with the toyota prius models and likely the same software problem. However, toyota has not acknowledged this and is a major safety issue.
I own a 2008 toyota highlander hybrid. Sometimes when I apply the brakes, the car feels as though it is actually accelerating and not decelerating. This "gap" in decelerating does not last a long time, but is disconcerting and my normal reaction is to hit the brakes harder. My daughter has also experienced this. The toyota dealer has denied that there is any problem with the brakes. This has occurred regularly since I purchased the car in april 2008.
Highlander 2008 braking gap.
I have a 2008 toyota highlander hybrid. Ever since it was new, it has inconsistent braking at slow speeds, around 25 MPH and slower. When braking at slow speeds, hitting a small bump or pothole will shut down the regen brakes, the brakes momentarily release, and then will reapply with the hydraulic brakes activated, but will require much greater pedal pressure to get the same braking force.
I have a 2008 toyota highlander hybrid. Ever since it was new, it has inconsistent braking at slow speeds, like 20 MPH and slower. When braking at slow speeds, if I hit even a small bump or pothole, the brakes momentarily release, and then will re-apply but will require much greater pedal pressure to get the same braking force. I had the dealer look at it but said nothing was wrong.
Toyota highlander hybrid 2008... Brakes feel like they are not catching, especially if going over a bump. Happens frequently since first got the car new, one year ago. No accident.
My 2008 toyota hybrid highlander has on numerous occcasions lost braking power when going over a bump in the road. I first noticed this several months ago.
Tl*the contact owns a 2008 toyota highlander hybrid. On approximately four occasions while driving various speeds including approximately 25 MPH with the brake pedal engaged the vehicle failed to stop within a reasonable time. The failure occurred on icy weather conditions. She also stated that intermittently the vehicle would surge when she tapped the brake pedal. She took the vehicle to the dealer who did not inspect the vehicle. She has not called the manufacturer. The vehicle has not been repaired at the time of the complaint. The current mileage was approximately 45,000. The failure mileage was approximately 15,000.
My wife was driving the highlander in the first week we had the car. She was driving in slow moving rush hour traffic in cambridge ma at less than 15 MPH. When a car in front of her stooped quickly, she hit the brakes which initially stopped, but on their own released for a fraction of a second and then re-engaged. This caused her to hit the back of another car. Initially we reported this to toyota and were told that it had to with the hybrid braking system. This type of brake release has occurred at least on a weekly basis and but is not consistent. We have both learned how to drive the car more conservatively because of the problem with the brake. Today the car was brought into the dealership where this behavior was confirmed by toyota after driving our car, and we were told that this problem may be related to the braking problem described in the prius as well. A low battery was changed, in hope of helping.
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