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 2006 and 2007 but not 2009.
2009 Toyota Highlander Hybrid brakes complaints
Page 2 of 2: complaints 11 to 29 of 29, newest first, as owners wrote them.
I was driving 5 MPH and my brakes completely went out. Luckily, since it was on halloween night with kids everywhere no one was hurt. Abs warning lights came on and warning lights said to pull over and take to mechanic. I had no brakes and coasted home going 2mph. It was my ABS actuator pump.
While driving from orlando to tampa florida my wife had the ABS brake warning light came on and a weird noise coming under the vehicle. She was able to make it home and we took the car to dealer. They said we needed to replace the brake actuator at a cost of more than $3,400! We can't understand why such a small part would cost about a quarter of the value of this vehicle and after doing some research online I found numerous other people that have had the same problem. This issue really needs to be looked into and toyota should issue an immediate recall.
Abs actuator noise when depressing and releasing brakes. May lead to failed ABS system.
Abs light on with warning, brakes performing poorly. The ABS actuator assembly and break pump failed requiring replacement with a cost of over $3764 in repairs. The toyota camry hybrid had millions of recalls for the ABS actuator but the highlander hybrid was currently not on recall. I own a 2000 toyota 4 runner with over 200,000 miles and never had an ABS issue. This car is only 6 years old and shouldn't require this problem so early.
Brake and ABS warning lights came on while travel city speed (35-40mph). No noticeable braking problem but advised car is unsafe to drive. Dealer says there is an internal leak and the brake actuator and booster need to be replaced at a cost of $5,100 (mainly the cost of toyota parts). This is a soccer mom car no rough driving or braking...and no accidents. I called toyota customer experience and they say the parts are out of warranty. How does these two parts account for over 10% of the original value of the car 6 years ago. Shouldn't I expect more from toyota?
Tl* the contact owns a 2009 toyota highlander hybrid. The contact stated that while driving 40 MPH, the ABS warning light illuminated. The contact stated that when the light was illuminated, the stopping distance would increase. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for inspection but they could not determine the cause of failure. The failure mileage was 4,300 updated 01/07/2014 *lj also, the air bag light illuminated. The dealer replaced a sensor
Right front brake "clanks" when brake pedal is pressed fairly hard. Dealer claims this is normal for highlanders and that his entire inventory exhibits the same symptoms. (start last year and continues; comments are from dealer today -- june 3, 2010.)
Tl* the contact owns a 2009 toyota highlander hybrid. While driving at speeds of 15 MPH and applying the brakes on a rough road surface, there was a delay in brake application. The vehicle did come to a stop after momentary hesitation. The dealer had not yet been contacted to report the failures. The failure mileage was 5,600 and the current mileage is 6,858. Updated 05/19/10.
Toyota highlander hybrid 2009 brakes fade for a brief but noticeable moment when braking. Sometimes it is more pronounced than others but is similar to the other complaints I have seen re this same thing on this site. While to some it may feel like a slight acceleration it is more like there is a sudden release of brake pressure and then it comes back.
Toyota hybrids surge when braking. I took the car in twice to the dealer. The dealer told me they were aware of the surge. It occurs when the car is braking and the car goes from gas to charging the battery.
We are having the same issues with our 2009 toyota highlander hybrid as been reported in the toyota prius recall. At time the braking seems to stop for less than a second.
2009 toyota highlander hybrid. I had noticed braking issues and heard about the prius recall. This describes exactly the issue I am experiencing with my brakes. From the toyota prius 2010 recall: "some owners have reported experiencing inconsistent brake feel during slow and steady application of the brakes on rough or slick road surfaces when the anti-lock brake system (ABS) is activated in an effort to maintain tire traction."
Tl*the contact owns a 2009 toyota highlander hybrid. The contact stated that when braking at low speeds, the brake would release on its own at a distance; however, when his speed increased the brakes performed normally. The failure occurred more frequently when he approached a stop sign in colder weather. The dealer told him that the braking system sent power to the battery and the failure was normal. He had not spoken with the manufacturer to-date. The current mileage was 7,773. The failure mileage was approximately 100.
I own a 2009 highlander hybrid and am concerned that I am experiencing the same type of problems with braking that are now being reported for the prius. Sometimes, when braking it feels like the brakes are not engaging and there is a sensation that the car is speeding up. Continued pressure on the brake pedal finally slows the car down. I was recently involved in a minor accident when I was unable to brake quickly enough when approaching a traffic light and hit the car in front. The sensation that the brakes were not engaging was experienced at that time as well as on other occasions. I reported this issue to my toyota dealer just a few weeks ago, and the mechanic who test drove the vehicle, with me in the passenger seat, stated he experienced a similar delay in braking. The brakes were then tested using computerized diagnostics and I was told everything checked out ok but was offered no explanation of why I was having this issue with the brakes. I am sharing this issue with you as I believe my highlander hybrid 2009 may not be consistently trustworthy when the brakes are needed. Please advise.
I own a 2009 toyota highlander hybrid. It has had three instances of unintended low speed acceleration since I purchased it in june 2009. The first time it happened, it was so unexpected and unconventional that I thought it must have been a mistake in my perception. The second time it happened I was more aware because it had happened once before. And the third time even more so. Now I am alert for the event and will try to record it as accurately as possible if it happens again. As best I can describe it, I was slowing down, almost to a stop. It is at the point where you have slowed the car by braking, then take your off the brake or lighten the braking prior to the final braking which brings you to a full stop without a small jolt. I probably was traveling between 5 and 10 miles per hour. I had my foot off the gas and believe probably off the brake as well. All of a sudden the car accelerated. I depressed the brake and the car stopped normally. I have not worked on cars in years, but did extensively when I was a teenager. So I think of my senses as reasonably attentive to the sounds and motions of vehicles which indicate that something is amiss. Hope this helps.
I write to highlight some unusual behavior exhibited by my 2009 hybrid highlanders braking system which I purchased in may 2009. In short, in certain driving conditions, there is a slight delay/pause between depressing the brake pedal and any braking force applied by the braking system. The delay is momentary and I've experienced this to last no more than half second (.5 sec.) at most I've noticed that this occurs mostly in a situation where I have forcefully applied the brake. It has seemed to recur mostly when driving down a decline. It does not occur during situations where I smoothly and evenly apply pressure to the brake pedal. During my 5,000 mile service at the glendora toyota dealerships, I mentioned the behavior (as well as a soft grinding sound during low speed travel) but they could not find anything wrong in their tests. My wife and I have both independently experienced behavior this several times and the problem is still recurrent. I have decided to report this behavior after reading todays ap article by ken thomas and yuri kageyama (us government investigating brakes in 2010 prius) which described similar problems with 2009 toyota prius vehicles. Although the problems my particular vehicle has exhibited have thusfar been slight when compared to those reported in the article, I feel compelled to report the issue and I certainly hope that the problem does not surface during a time the extra braking time is needed. Aside from the above-described behaviors, the vehicle has operated without problems and my family and I are otherwise very satisfied with our purchase and hope we can rely upon this vehicle for many more years. If I can be of any assistance to either the federal safety agency or toyota corporation, please feel free to contact me.
I own a 2009 toyota highlander hybrid, purchased new in aug. 2009. I have experienced a few incidents related to braking that are similar to what's being described by prius owners. On certain road surfaces/conditions, I have felt what I would describe as a pause in the braking system. It's almost like a sliding sensation on ice, even though the vehicle is not sliding. The duration is for probably less than a second in duration, but enough to get the attention of the driver. It has happened only in isolated circumstances, and the majority of the time, the brakes work perfectly. There have been no accidents or mishaps in my experience with this condition. I have not notified toyota, as I am awaiting a possible investigation and potential recall. Perhaps toyota needs to investigate all hybrid's braking systems.
Brakes fade for a brief moment -- perhaps half of a second -- and then come back. Although the brakes are being applied consistently throughout, the sensation is as if the driver were easing off the brake and then coming back on with more pressure.
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