2008 Toyota Highlander: adaptive cruise control problems

Filed Nov 12, 2020 · Acceleration, Brakes · MO

The brakes feel like the pulsate wgen you start to press on them. Then while engaging the brakes it will feel likes its grabbing then it releaes and the pedal feels like it has no pressure in it. The cruise control stopped working, all the lights are on for the brake system, and now it has a long high pitch beep when turning the car on or applying pressure to the break pedal.

Filed Oct 15, 2016 · Acceleration · 125,000 miles · MA

Re: the federal safety agency recall 14v168000, aka sc-e0m141007, (10/07/14) 'a number of vehicles including the toyota highlander 2008-2010, where the steering column assembly contains electrical connections to the driver's airbag module housed in a spiral cable assembly, which includes a flexible flat cable (ffc). Due to the shape and location of the ffc's retainer, the ffc could become damaged when the steering wheel is turned. Consequence: if the ffc is damaged, connectivity to the driver's air bag module could be lost and the air bag deactivated. 2 yrs ago our '08 highlander sport the cruise control started acting erratically, not engaging/not turn/off using the column mounted stalk. Our warranty had expired, & time passed, & the cc became unreliable, on a few occasions was unsafe when it did not 'cancel' pulling back on the stalk. I'm handy so I pulled off the steering wheel and took apart the clock spring, discovered that the spiral cable was coated in a waxy dirty looking buildup & there were abrasions on the flat wire tape, exposing the copper beneath, which cracked. This to me is the same thing that happened to the wire tape for the vehicles in the airbag recall mentioned above, only the damage on mine happened to the cc wiring portion and not the airbag portion (or the HVAC controls or horn wiring). I feel our vehicle should have been included in this campaign and that our clock spring should be replaced as well. Please refer to the 2 photos I attached. The one showing the wear spot, if you download it and zoom in, shows the exposed copper and crack in it. The other photo shows the loop in the flat electrical tape where the wear spot happened as well as the dirty waxy buildup on the tape. This same wear could creep down to the airbag module wires in this flat tape and make the airbag system shut down, causing more unsafe conditions for my wife and I. My VIN should be added

Filed Apr 29, 2016 · Acceleration · 140,000 miles · MA

For about 6 months or longer, the cruise control on this car has been operating erratically, when it wants to it seems. The problem always seemed to be that I couldn't turn the system on. Now, however, when I am sometimes able to turn it on, and set the speed, the problem becomes that the stalk on the lower right side of the steering wheel will lose it's connection and the movements of the stalk become inactive. This is very surprising if you're planning to slow down, speed up or more importantly hit the cancel button. The only thing to do is hit the brakes. This is very distracting and potentially dangerous.

Filed Sep 26, 2014 · Acceleration, Airbags · 85,000 miles · KY

The spiral cable in the steering wheel has caused the airbag light to come on, which means the airbags will not operate in the event of a crash. Also the horn and cruise control will not operate. These items are all associated with the spiral cable. Toyota customer service said they know of the spiral cable problem but do not have a fix for it now.

Filed Apr 7, 2010 · Acceleration · 25,000 miles · IL

Tl*the contact owns a 2008 toyota highlander. While the contact was driving up an incline approximately 60 MPH with the cruise control in activation the speed rate increased to 85 MPH or higher. When the brakes were applied, the vehicle came to a complete stop; however, the identical failure occurred three weeks after the first failure. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer for inspection. The technician was unable diagnose the failure. The failure mileage was 25,000. The current mileage was 38,000.

Filed Feb 8, 2010 · Electrical, Fuel system · 3,000 miles · VT

Driving my new 2008 toyota highlander leased dec. 2008. On 4-5 separate occasions while driving with the cruise control on I accelerated and the vehicle immediately went to full race. Pedal was not stuck. Could not turn off the cruise control. Shifting into neutral caused uncontrolled maximum rpms. Turning the key off and back on numerous times did not fix the problem. Eventually after about 20-30 seconds the problem resolved, engine slowed with no sign there had ever been a problem. This has not happened again since spring 2009 but that spring the 4-5 episodes happened within a few weeks.