2018 Toyota Highlander: brake failure

Filed Jul 5, 2023 · Brakes · MN

While traveling down the Rocky Mountains, we experienced a gradual loss of braking. It took extreme pressure on the brake pedal to slow the vehicle. At this point there were no warning lights. Later down the road, the same thing occured again and a BRAKE warning light illuminated. Traffic was light and the incline was slight which prevented an almost certain accident. We limped the vehicle to the dealer. The diagnosis was a Brake Booster failure. This is a 5 year old vehicle with only 57,000 miles! I have never had a booster failure on any vehicle in my life. This booster should be designed to last the life of the vehicle since it is part of such a critical safety system on this vehicle. The failed component was kept by the dealer.

Filed Sep 13, 2022 · Brakes · 27,000 miles · SC

The contact owns a 2018 Toyota Highlander. The contact stated that while his wife was driving at an undisclosed speed, the brake pedal was depressed and she experienced a spongy brake pedal. The brake warning light was illuminated and the Power Failure to Brake System message was displayed. Additionally, the vehicle made an abnormal sound while the brake pedal was depressed. The brakes failed to stop the vehicle immediately which nearly caused a collision. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the brake master cylinder needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The contact related the failure to the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 18V211000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic) however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The failure mileage was approximately 27,000.

Filed Jul 8, 2022 · Brakes, Driver assistance · VA

I am having an issue with my brake assist in my 2018 Toyota Highlander. This car was purchased new and has had regular service/ maintenance with the dealership since purchased. 1st incident was minor in nature. My brake was gently applied and the ABS feature turned on and brake system engaged without any need. 2nd incident brake was applied and at the halfway point the brake stopped working. It felt like it locked. I could not stop my car as I was approaching another car. Car stopped at the last possible moment before impact. The situation was extremely dangerous for myself, my kids and the other driver. Later on during my drive I gently applied my brake and the brake would not release to it original position until a few seconds later. This time the brake light came on. Once the car came to a stop, I shifted my gear to park and the brake light disappeared. The car was then sent to a service station for analysis. Service Station advised that there was a hissing sound coming from the front of my engine when the brake was applied. They recommended that I send vehicle back to dealership as they concluded that the car has a brake assist issue. The car was towed to the Toyota dealership where they mentioned that there was a recall for this exact issue however, my specific VIN is not included. I travel everyday with my kids and this is a real safety issue that needs to be addressed. No car should be on the road with faulty breaking systems. This can cause unnecessary loss of life. These vehicles should be included in this recall, especially mine. I filed a case with Toyota and am waiting to hear back from them. Please help make the roadways safe. Consumer stated diagnosis was completed and relayed that there was a brake booster failure. The brake master cylinder and brake booster system will need to be replaced.

Filed Jan 26, 2022 · Brakes · 32,000 miles · HI

The contact owns a 2018 Toyota Highlander. The contact stated that while his wife was driving at various speeds, the brakes failed to operate as needed. The contact stated that “Pull Over Immediately/Vehicle Unsafe to Drive” was displayed on the instrument panel. The contact stated that his wife had to pump the brake pedal for the brakes to operate as needed. His wife took the vehicle to an independent mechanic who inspected the vehicle but found no defects with the braking system. Upon investigation, the contact discovered the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 18V211000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic) which he linked to the failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed him that there were no recalls on the vehicle. The vehicle had yet to be repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 32,000.

Filed Oct 22, 2021 · Brakes · NY

I bought this 2018 Toyota Highlander xle brand new from the dealer on 2018.My first brakes and rotors were changed by toyota dealer on march 2020 at 24000 miles and then the second time again brakes and rotors were changed december 2020 at 39000. Both time it was Toyota OEM parts. Now at 63000 these ae weare out i bought different company breaks and brembo rotors akebonno brakes. Each time it was more than $800 job. It looks like toyota is making very cheap break pads and rotors and for consumers are not getting what they say about their brakes and rotors. Which ia supposed to be 30000 miles. I am requesting someone to tale a look at this matter and save the consumers to spend less. Thank you

Filed Sep 18, 2021 · Brakes, Driver assistance · VA · crash · 2 injuries

Where the incident happened? The incident happened at the following google coordinates (39.21707240377137, -77.6491829535095) on an unpaved, but well-maintained road. When this incident took place? 09/11/2021 – around 10.30am Who is travelling with you? I was travelling with my wife (Vijaya) and Pet Dog (Leo). Both my wife and I have the seat belts on. How are the driving conditions? A bright and sunny morning with clear visibility, minimal wind and no rain. The road is totally dry. In a way perfect driving condition. How the incident happened? A white truck came in the opposite direction and since the road is narrow I pulled my highlander to the right, where there is some loose gravel on the side of the road. When I pulled to the side I am almost at a standstill and after the truck had passed started moving the car towards the middle of the road. At this moment the Highlander suddenly started swiveling to the left, and the traction became very wobbly and when tried to apply brakes, brake did not work at all. In stead the car started going out of control on the left side and is about to crash into 2 large trees on the side of the car. At that time without having any control over the brakes, I tried to steer towards right and the car turned sharp towards right, crossed road and fell into a 15 feet ditch on the right side of the car. What is the Car behavior witnessed? Total loss of Breaks, self-acceleration, and unpredictable steering control. The whole incident might’ve happened in about 10-15 seconds. Neither the auto-braking nor the collision control has triggered. Not sure what triggered this behavior of the car. It appeared as if the car tried to auto-correct the traction and something malfunctioned.

Filed Aug 16, 2019 · Brakes · 14,100 miles · OH

While driving the brake assist vacuum pump fails to provide adequate vacuum for the power brake vacuum assist. Resulting is a loss of braking power. A brake light illuminates intermitantly on the dash panel and possibly an audio warning and error message. Plus no error codes are stored in memory for future diagnosis. This happens whether on a rural road, city street or highway. A previous recall was issued for the 2018 toyota highlander for this same issue but not for this specific highlander.