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 $4000 to have fixed, we paid for the repair out of pocket, which was a financial hit for us. Contacted toyota today about reimbursement for repair cost, said they dont have it recalled or a campaign for the issue, I stated this website with the complaints and other sites, was basically told until a recall is on the issue, wouldnt be refunded.
2008 Toyota Highlander Hybrid driver assistance complaints
Page 2 of 2: complaints 11 to 25 of 25, newest first, as owners wrote them.
Abs, vsc lights came on while on a bridge on at highway at 70 MPH; pulled over safely to check function; brakes still worked, ABS did not; took to a dealer next day; dealer advised the ABS accumulator was defective and other error codes (over power) indicated a leak in the ABS network. Dealer advised parts alone would exceed 4800 usd not including labor.
Brakes stopped working with lights coming on requesting to take it to dealership. Dealership says it is the ABS actuator which is malfunctioning and requesting me to replace it at 3500$. 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.
Abs system malfunction,stationary,went online found numerous accounts
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 toyota highlander hybrid. While reversing at 5 MPH, the vsc, check traction control, ABS, and brake malfunction warning indicators illuminated. The contact was still able to drive to drive to his destination, but the indicators remained illuminated. The local dealer was not contacted or made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 147,200. ...updated 10/23/17 *bf updated 10/26/2017
Car seemingly running fine. Vsc light, ABS light and brake malfunctiom light come on out of nowhere. Told to tow to dealership. $3450 to replace ABS actuator. Same part has been recalled in other years and models but not 2008 highlander hybrid. This repair is 1/10 the cost of the original purchase price of the new car. Car has 116,000 miles on it.
I was driving straight on a city street at 40 MPH when the vehicle stability control and check brake system warnings alerted, as well as the cabin alarm. At that time I pulled into a gas station and realized the brakes had gone soft and were not functioning properly. I turned off and restarted the car; the problem persisted. I cautiously drove a half mile to my house and connected my vehicle to a diagnostic tool. The codes indicated c1252-7 (brake booster pump motor), c1256-7 (low pressure accumulator), and c1345-7 (linear solenoid valve offset learning undone). The combination of codes points to the brake actuator and pump needing to be replaced. The brake pads, speed sensors, wheel bearings, and relays are all good. After much online research I discovered that brake actuator/pump failure is a common complaint on this vehicle and costs thousands to repair. 2006-2007 brake actuators are already recalled, as well as 07-11 camry hybrid and prius which use the same platform. I contacted a local toyota dealership who offered no help. The part itself is $1800+ without factoring in labor. I am also troubled by the safety factor this malfunction presents, especially we're it to occur at a higher speed.
Brake malfunction warning stop the vehicle and contact a dealer, check brake system, check vsc (vehicle stability system)
My 2008 toyota highlander hybrid was just deemed totaled by the car dealership (newburgh toyota) and my insurance company (liberty mutual), because of excessive rodent damage. It turns out that the rodents were attracted to the wiring because toyoyta uses eco-friendly soy-based coating on their wires which attract rodents!! Rodents chewed wires, the wiring harness, plugged drainage holes with their bedding thus causing water damage, and ruined the hybrid batteries. The damage was estimated at more than $12,000, which of course toyota would not cover under warranty. The vehicle would not start unless the battery was unhooked to "clear" the computer system. When it started the error messages/warning lights on dash were lit up everywhere, indicating it was unsafe to drive. It was taken to the dealership where a service tech stripped the interior and discovered rodents nests, droppings, water, and lots of damage. Photos attached. Parts alone for the repair were more than $10,000, and that did not take into account additional diagnostics or labor costs. As you can imagine, this has been a giant headache!
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.
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.
On june 15th, 2016 while over 200 miles from home on a family trip with my pregnant wife and 2 year old son in the car driving down a 2 lane highway with a semi truck behind us at approximately 45 MPH constant speed our 2008 highlander hybrid brakes locked up, a warning tone sounded, several lights lit up on the dash including brakes, ABS, vsc, (((!))), and /!\, and the car stopped completely in the highway with the engine still running. The lcd displayed several alternating messages about the brakes, ABS, and vsc and also about needing to have the vehicle checked by a dealer. As our car was about to be smashed by a semi truck I pressed the gas pedal to the floor. The brakes were completely locked up, but fortunately the car inched forward at less than 5 MPH with wide open/full throttle to pull off of the road before the semi truck could hit us from behind. The situation was terrifying. I have taken the vehicle to a dealer. They do not know the reason for the issue. They want $500 to trouble shoot and generate a repair estimate. It sounds like the ABS actuators are commonly $3,000. I have noted many similar problems on the federal safety agency website for the 2008 highlander hybrid and other toyota hybrid vehicles in which the brakes, ABS, and vsc lights illuminate and braking issues occur.
At 61.614 miles nov.9 2013, diagnosed code c1391, abnormal leak in accumulator. Verified by dealer where it was bought. Abs module diagnosed with internal damages. Actuator assy, br, part num. 44050-48320 was replaced under extended warranty, for $3,102.71 plus brake fluid, for $3,118.25 after the system was bled also (see invoice of that date). Problem returned involving same part 44050-48320, plus part num. 47070-48020 pump assy, brake defective at 84,687 miles, just 23,073 miles later, last december 17, 2015; was taken to another dealer, braulio agosto toyota in rio piedras, puerto rico as reprint shows, from dec.17 2015 (reprint date was dec.31 2015). Also included photos showing exact mileage of 84,687 miles, easy to verify with reprint, and warning messages displayed inside the vehicle, same messages appeared last nov. 9 2013. Vehicle has excellent maintenance at 2 different dealers; I am including related invoices: june 7 2013 at 55,586 miles:1st rear brake pads replacement, turning of rotors performed, 1st problem on nov. 9 2013 just 5 months 2 days later; pdf invoice dec.19 2014 at 72,436 miles, when front brake pads were replaced at our request, due to excessive brake pedal travel; oct/15/15 at 82,379 miles left caliper base was replaced, part 4722-48140; 47717-48150 plate pad support at 83.025 miles on oct/29/15. Parts prices for same 2nd repair included, local complaint, inspection, result and photos. Unsafe condition evident since dec.17 2015: inverted brake pedal pressure when applying the brakes, not shown while driving at speed yet, but unsafe to drive normally because there is no guarantee it will not happen at speed. Local consumer department (daco) has the case for administrative judge evaluation after confirming the problem today, feb 23 2016 at 3rd dealer with us represented by pablo e. Rosado, my brother.see all documents, some in spanish.
While driving ABS, vsc and check engine light illuminated, I continued driving (was 10 miles from home on fwy). Five minutes later I encountered traffic, traveling at 40-50 MPH I took foot off gas and began to apply brakes. Brakes immediately seized and the car started to skid. I released the brakes, then tried again, same result. I pulled to side of fwy and stopped. I drove surface streets using the parking brake when I needed to stop, until I got to my house. That evening and the next morning I checked toe cars operation, it didn't matter if I was traveling in fwd or reverse, the brakes immediately grabbed at the slightest application of the pedal. I took the car to a repair shop, he witnessed the same circumstance and did a computer diagnosis, which indicated a new brake actuator unit was needed ($3000). My primary concern (and my mechanic's) was that there was no fail safe, if the unit malfunctioned I would expect the ABS system not to work, not to make the braking system completely inoperable. I narrowly avoided being rear-ended when they malfunctioned on the fwy. I reported the problem to toyota motor as well (case #1511120583)
Incident date: 6-6-15. Started vehicle and dash warning lights came on for ABS, vsc and brakes. Also the word, "brake" in red came on. Toyota dealer diagnosed a code 1391 (abnormal leak detected in accumulator) and tested brake system and found ABS actuator/pump internal failure/leak. Dealer replaced ABS actuator, part #44050-48320, and ABS pump assembly, part #47070-48020. Original estimate to repair was $5,388. After complaining to toyota's national customer care, the bill was reduced to $1,556.
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