general problems of the 2007 Toyota Camry Hybrid - part 1

My car will not let me accelerate past 40mph. Once I do pass 40mph my check engine light and check hybrid system light comes on and the car shuts down right after. This is all when driving the vehicle. The first time happened on the highway when I went 65 and it cut straight out.

On my 2007 Camry Hybrid, as I was reversing, the brakes all of a sudden engaged, braking so hard it felt like I hit something. Soon after, the brake light, traction control and abs lights turned on, and check vsc system displayed. Vsc warning lights and display message intermittently turn off and turn back on arbitrarily.

I was driving on the road at a speed of 35 miles per hour and all of a sudden the "check vsc system" light turned on my dashboard and the brake of the car became loose. When I try to slow the car down by applying the brake, it wouldn't let me do so. I was approaching the traffic light and I had to press the brake too hard so that the car can stop. Finally, I was able to stop it by applying the emergency brake.

On my 2007 Camry Hybrid, as I was backing up, the brakes went soft to the floor, and then all of a sudden engaged. It braked so hard, it felt like a hit something. A few days later, the brake light, traction control and abs lights turned on, and check vsc system displayed.

As I was traveling on i75 north of atlanta, I needed to slow for traffic congestion. I applied the brakes, but they didn't seem to work. Several lights on the dash came on including the check hybrid engine, the check vsc system, and the abs lights. The power brakes were off and it became difficult to stop. Then the vehicle's engine stopped completely requiring me to maneuver out of heavy traffic to the shoulder of the road. I turned on my hazard lights, but was almost hit by several vehicles as I got to the shoulder.

I was driving on a city street and got a check vsc system on the console and when a mechanic checked the problem, he gave the code - c1391 - abnormal leak in accuator, my brake lights are on, abs lights are on, red triangle light is on.

The abs light and check vsc light and brake light went on. When I tried to apply brakes to stop, I realized that the brakes completely failed. The car was skidding and keep going and I pumped the brakes and still the car was moving forward. I came close to hitting another car and luckily stopped couple of inches from the other car. It keeps happening often and I am worried to drive this car as it is. It works fine and suddenly goes to this brake failing mode. Especially happen more often if it rains and making it more dangerous.

While my car was in motion, my vsc system check light was on and almost simultaneously the check hybrid system light was on along with the check engine light. The car did not let me accelerate above 30mph. N and I could feel the friction while accelerating. I had to call roadside assistance to have my car towed.

While driving on city street, check vsc system warning appeared along with check engine/stability/antilock brake warning lights. Vehicle did not lose braking completely but did not feel normal and was brought to side of road. After restart was lights cleared and has behaved normally so far. Brought to dealer next day, unable to find problem.

Driving at 40 mph, check vsc system, brake, traction , warning lights came on simultaneously, vehicle experienced immediate loss of brakes and power steering. Needed to use emergency braking and down shift to bring car to complete stop. Was on suburban area paved road and was going straight.

I was getting off of the highway. I started to decelerate and I lost a majority of my brake power. All of the lights on my dash came on, and my display said check vsc system. I pulled onto the shoulder was slamming on my brake since I had very little brake power at this point. I turned off my car and turned it back on several times. The lights stayed illuminated. I was 1/2 a mile from work at this point. I drove with my hazard lights on and took it slow to work. When I got to work and pulled into the parking lot, the lights went off.

I was driving from work on the freeway when all of a sudden all my lights on my dashboard popped up, I lost traction control, and the notification panel started beeping check hybrid system and check vsc system. A few days later the vsc went away and then came back so I took it to a dealer ship where they spent 5 hours looking over my car and couldn't tell me what was wrong other then a monitoring system is bad or the battery is bad and quoted me for the system it would be $1700 and the battery around $4000.

Vehicle serviced 3/10/10 under Toyota 90l recall campaign. Dealership stated all systems functional upon completion. On 5/21/14, in safe road conditions and parking lot speeds <10 mph, driver applied brakes to vehicle in order to pull into parking spot. During braking, vehicle did not slow or stop, but accelerated at a high rate of speed, striking a parking berm and 3 other vehicles. Police report made; driver not cited but was advised to contact Toyota re brake failure and acceleration. Toyota was contacted; inspection was made by bosch engineering. Toyota contends the incident is not a result of any manufacturing defect. Toyota provided a technical report containing engineering data without layman's explanation or proof of its contention. Toyota was found by the doj to have misled consumers and the govt regarding severity and "resolution: of this issue. On 8/21/14 and 8/22/14 driver was contacted by Toyota with a second and separate recall notice #e0u, affecting the vehicle's brake reservoirs, in which clogging and/or low fluid levels "could cause additional warning lamps[. . . ]to illuminate and front brake assist could be temporarily lost. " the warning lamp in question did illuminate during the 5/21 incident. Legal counsel for driver has advised an independent review of the bosch report and inspection of the brake reservoir; however, the vehicle was totaled and sold at auction by the insurance company's salvage agent. I have initiated an independent review of the bosch report at my own expense. In light of Toyota's misleading conduct regarding recall campaign 90l and the subsequent recall #e0u, driver contends that Toyota is at fault for the events of 5/21/14.

While traveling on the interstate, about 80% of my brakes gave out and I lost stability. My abs indicator and the message "check vsc system" came on. As I came to a stop, my brakes jerked a bit and I came to a sudden and aggressive stop. I turned the car off and restarted it, and everything drove fine. This same thing happened sporadically about 20 times over the next couple of months, but now my abs light and check vsc indicator are on at all times. My brakes are diminished most of the time down to 50%, and every now and again, my car will come to a really hard stop as I brake. I had a Toyota dealer look at it, and I was told my actuator was out and would need to be replaced at a cost of $3,000. That is just for the part, not including labor. I only paid $15,000 for the car. On top of that, they aren't even using the 2007 model actuators, they are using a later model, which tells me they know something is wrong with the 2007.

While driving to work on 1/27/14 my brake, abs, check vsc and red warning lights turned on. It was almost impossible to brake. I had to pull off and turn the vehicle off and hope the issue would resolve it. After a few times it finally did. I have taken it to the dealer in the past and it was diagnosed as my abs actuator having a leak and it was replaced. There still appears to be an issue. Additionally when braking at any point in time, there is a stutter when under 5 mph, which I was told was due to this same issue which still hasn't been resolved.

I was driving on street that had several potholes in both lanes. Lanes were blocked by barrels because of the roadwork being done. There were too many potholes to Dodge and none seemed significantly bigger than the rest. Since I was unable to swerve, because of traffic going the other way in the lane beside me, I hit a series of potholes. After the last one, which seemed a little bigger than the others, I heard a beep and the display read, "check vsc," which I know from the last time this happened means "vehicle stability control. " the parking brake light seemed to come on at that time. I could not get the car to roll any but instead had to hit the accelerator to move at all. The brake was not as powerful, so I had to be sure to brake in plenty of time. The steering seemed more restricted also, and there was a high-pitched buzzing that continued all the time unless the car was off with all doors shut. I live close by, so I was able to get my car back home but did not think it was safe to drive it to the dealership. I had aaa tow it a few days later. They told me at the dealership that a part of the anti-lock brake system would have to be replaced. They later found that one of the lines involved in keeping the engine cool was leaking and the water pump had to be replaced.

The check vsc light came on in December. The dealer could not find anything wrong. The warning light came on again on 1/21/14. The dealer said that the brake accumulator was defective and could result in a failure of the abs. It was replaced at a cost of more than $3000. I am a careful driver and have never had the abs engage on this car, so something is not right when such a key (and expensive) part fails. This should be recalled.

While driving to work on Friday 1/10/14 my brake, abs, check vsc and red warning lights turned on. I took it to the dealer and it was diagnosed as my abs actuator having a leak and needing to be replaced for almost $3500. This is ridiculous if this many people are having the same issue regarding the same part on the same exact vehicle. This is not what I expected when I purchased a Toyota and this may be my last.

While driving to work on 1/10 the brake, abs, check vsc system and red warning light came on. When taken to the dealer it was diagnosed as my abs actuator pump leaking and bleeding and needing to be replaced. Not only is this an expensive repair but my power braking was gone. This is dangerous when you drive on a major highway everyday and night at speeds of 60+. This is disappointing for Toyota and disappointing that it has not been recalled yet. Apparently someone needs to be injured badly in order for it to be a problem.

Was driving about 40 mph when all of a sudden the "check vsc system" lit up as well as the brake, and multiple others lights came on. My first instinct was to hit the brakes, which went all the way to the floor. I had to cross over 3 lanes of traffic in order to try to get to a side road. This has happened several times since then. The first incident, I called performance Toyota in memphis, tenn. I slowly drove it there. They drove it for 20 miles, charged me $126. 00, and told me nothing was wrong, and that I must have hit a bump causing the 3 of the tires to spin. I don't recall hitting any bumps. They checked my brakes, which were replaced less than a year ago, and said they were in great shape and I was safe taking it on the road. Told them I was suppose to go out of town the next day. The second time it happened, @ 1 week later, my husband was driving it. I called performance Toyota to report it and was told to bring it in when all the lights are lit up. I am too scared to drive this car!.

While driving at a low rate of speed the brake light on my dashboard came on and a warning 'check vsc' along with other lights on my dashboard all came on and the brakes no longer worked as usual. I had to apply considerable pressure to the brake pedal and was able to coast on to a side street. The lights on my dashboard all went off and the car then functioned as normal. I drove to the store I was going to went in for about 15 minutes then returned to my vehicle. As I was backing out of my parking spot the same issue as stated above happened again. I drove the car straight to price leblanc Toyota, my dealership. Without turning the ignition off I handed the car over to the service department. They were unable to find a code from the car that would tell them what the issue was. They kept the car for 3 days and were unable to recreate the problem.

Driving car through town when abs, red triangle. Vsc lights lite up dashboard. Lost steering and braking ability. Coasted to stop in local shopping center parking lot. Thank god I was there and not on interstate or highway. Took to dealer and they told me braking actuator failed and repair would be $3200. Not covered by 10 year/100k hybrid warranty although braking system specific for hybrids. Choices are: trade in car to dealer and let them fix it, drive it around until I kill someone or myself(not happening) or play the lottery tonight and maybe I can fix car tomorrow (also not happening) or swipe the plastic and end up paying over 4k for the repair. . . . . . Very disappointing for a Toyota to cost this much in repairs with so little mileage. Will never buy another Toyota.

While driving on crowed road (rt7 fairfax va) abs, brake, check engine and other warning lights came on. Car was very difficult to drive and stop. Almost went into a crash while trying to stop. The next day lights went off. Then came on 2 days later. This was the 4th incident the dealer could not replicate the incident. . I understand looking at your web site Toyota has a defective part which they refuse to recall? I understand it is a faulty actuator? when will a recall be issued? this is a dangerous situation.

While driving during rush hour traffic, the car's brake light came on and then 5-10 seconds later a "check vsc" messaged displayed on the message screen along with several warning lights (abs, traction control, and main warning). The brakes became very soft (like a car with no power brakes) but would slow the vehicle down. I slowed down and gave myself plenty of braking distance to get it home. After 10 minutes, the warning message and lights disappeared and the brakes returned to normal operations. This appeared to be a temporary glitch. Since this first appeared, the problem has occurred 3 times while driving. The local Toyota dealership determined that the abs actuator was failing and quoted me $3,100 to repair it. Another symptom of this failure is a constant on/off buzzing noise coming from the abs actuator and a "chirping" noise when your foot is on the brake petal during a stop. The situation also appears to get worse when the temperature drops. I don't drive the vehicle anymore. There is no recall or service bulletin documenting this problem. The replacement part is the original design costing $2,750 and will fail again. I also contacted Toyota about this problem and told them it was a major safety hazard. They offered some financial assistance but the repair is still going to be expensive. On this website and other internet forums, this problem is a common complaint for this vehicle. I believe the NHTSA needs to investigate this problem before a major accident or fatality occurs. I find this problem to be unacceptable for a Toyota especially with only 70,500 miles on it.

I was driving care and warning light came on to check the vsc system. Per Toyota service error code c1391 represented core vsc abs brake control module failure. Full unit includes abs accentuator pump assembly and computer control. This case was reported Toyota motor sales, USA, inc. Your case is filed at our headquarters office under [xxx] and file #[xxx] searching the internet, multiple incidents of this were found. Toyota has reportedly reconfigured this assembly since it has been failing, so the part to replace the current one is different than the one originally placed. . Read more...

Driving about 25 mph and I was going to slow down to park on the curb and car had trouble stopping, the vsc system warning light went on and then the engine just died. Had car checked out in December at Toyota of redlands and said it was the brake actuator and cost to fix was going to be around $2800. 00, I declined and they understood it was expensive.

Brakes fail. . . The pedal brake is put so hard to push when coming a light to vsc check system. . . Im so angry to Toyota . . . But I still love my car . . . I no use my car because is not secure for my family.

I started my car one morning, and several warning lights came (emergency) brake light, red warning light, yellow warning light, traction control light and abs light. This warning came and went intermittently for some time, and now seems to be a permanent problem. The brakes feel jagged while pressing lightly, almost like the brake pads are gone, and the rotors are uneven. A dealership in oklahoma identified the problem to be with the "accumulator" for the abs system. This part and the labor to put it in will run me nearly $3000, a sum far too many car owners cannot afford, including myself. Toyota has insisted that because my the part is out of 3yr/36000 mile warranty, they will not help in the cost of this repair. Meanwhile, Toyota has changed the original oem part, a tacit acceptance that the original is flawed, and needed to be re-engineered. I cannot believe the amount of people who have reported the same exact problem online with no recourse but to pay a phenomenal sum to have a part replaced that is known to have a dangerous defect.

While I was driving my check vsc light came on as well as many other brake lights on the instrument panel. I felt as though I had less control of the car at the time and my brakes would not work until I pressed them with severe force. After the first incident the lights would come on and off sporadically, each time we would lose the effectiveness of the brakes. In November the light came on as we were driving at speeds of about 65mph and has stayed on since. We have replaced the computer as well as the brake reservoir with no results. Our car has been in and out of the Toyota dealership and they cannot seem to fix the problem.

I have a 2007 Toyota Camry Hybrid that started showing "check vsc system" on the multifunction display in early October of 2013. By the end of that moth it became a permanent item on the display. The computer indicates a c1391 error. After testing the actuator assembly was deemed defective. I have discontinued driving this vehicle after an incident in rainy weather while the "check vsc system" was displayed on the multifunction display. I was on the interstate traveling approximately 60 mph in light rain. Traffic started slowing ahead so I tried to apply the brakes, but they did not respond immediately. After an approximately 2 second delay they did respond, but it was abruptly and caused the car to start skidding. Without immediate and substantial driver input the vehicle would have been in an out-of-control situation. The car has remained parked since that incident for fear it is too dangerous to drive without functioning brakes. The operation of the brakes on this vehicle in an abs failure mode is dangerous and potentially deadly. I have driven plenty of vehicles that were not equipped with abs, and none of those vehicle ever exhibited the dangerous behaviors this vehicle exhibits with a failed component. Since the brakes on a vehicle are relied upon in emergency situations all components in that system should be designed to fail in a safe manner leaving a vehicle that is still safe to drive. Further Toyota is aware that select years of this vehicle have a manufacturing defect or faulty design since the actuator was redesigned a couple years after this vehicle was first introduced into the market. I ask that the NHTSA investigate the safety of this vehicle model and year to determine the safety of these vehicles during an abs/vsc component failure.

Brake alert lights appeared on dash on night of 9/5/14 upon starting the vehicle. Read codes in owner's manual, and drove few blocks to home at slow speed (15 mph). On Saturday morning, 9/6/14, the incident occurred again when I was driving at about 25-30 miles per hour. Not only did the alert lights appear, but the brakes "bled" through to the floor, and it felt as if the car accelerated. Brakes worked only after pumping the brake pedal. I had the vehicle towed to service center. After diagnostics and driving for 90 miles over 4 days, the incident could not be replicated, nor did any codes appear on the computer. Vehicle was released after paying diagnostic fees. The incident occurred again on 10/2/brake lights appeared on dash, the car felt it was accelerating, and the brakes failed temporarily. My foot bled through, I pumped the pedal before brakes began to work. The vehicle was towed to dealership. Again, diagnostics did not reveal codes nor was the incident able to be replicated. Dealership replaced the brake fluid reservoir according to Toyota corporate directions. Found info online that NHTSA cited 59 complaints of brake failure for 2007-08 Camry Hybrids. Reported these incidents to Toyota corporate, who assigned a case no. Have not heard from corporate case mgr. Yet, but expect to by Monday, 10/06/14. Corporate said they do not offer a loaner vehicle while this is being addressed, but to ask dealership. Dealership said they could not provide a loaner vehicle.

While driving and stopping, all the engine lights and "check vsc" came on and it appeared that my brakes failed. It was as if my car shut completely off; however, it was still on and I had manual brakes that I had to push very hard to use. This is intermittent and has occurred about 6 times in total. It has been serviced 3 times regarding this incident, one of which they just let me go and said they couldn't figure it out. The last time they determined they "think" it is the brake actuator. After doing my own research on line, it appears there are many others who have had this same issue. It appears the part has been faulty for some time and I was unaware of it. It has been making noises for several years that I thought were normal; but I guess they were not. I believe mine has taken so long to finally fail because most of the life of the car has been driven on the freeway with little breaking. While my car is out of warranty, I do not feel I should have to pay for a part that 1) shouldn't be failing at this juncture and 2) has apparently been in the process of failing while my car was in warranty. It's like a heart attack. . . You don't know you have a problem until the failure occurs. I've almost crashed into people and I've read other accounts where they have. I believe Toyota should recall these parts! note I've also received service faithfully during the life of the car.

My 2007 Toyota Camry Hybrid began to consistently make noises as I depressed the brake pedal (with the vehicle in the stopped position) for a few months before the vsc system failed. Luckily, the failure occurred as I was backing out of the driveway and was able to stop. I had the vehicle towed to the dealer and proceeded to pay $2200 to have the abs actuator replaced. I have another 2007 Toyota Camry Hybrid with just over 60,000 miles and it is beginning to make the same brake noise as the other vehicle. The dealer has said it is not a problem. I can only hope that when the brakes go out again I will not be traveling at a high rate of speed, or negotiating the mountain roads I use to commute daily. I heard yesterday on the news that this problem is being investigated. I hope they recall this vehicle soon and have this repaired before anyone is killed or injured.

Vsc system, check engine, and emergency brake lights come on at the same time the brakes stopped working properly. I was braking and the brake peddle pushed back at me, releasing the brakes. When I continued to depress the brakes, the usual resistance and braking power was gone. I had to press down as hard as I could to get the car to stop. This is intermittent and tends to happen when the car is cold. Dealership could not discover a problem as the computer did not record an error. Internet research indicated other Toyota hybrid owners experienced the same problem and determined the cause was the stroke sensor. When I returned the vehicle to a different dealership, they insisted I change the tires. The problem continues to occur. Updated 07/30/lj updated 8/22/13.

On August 10, 2012, I was driving my Toyota Camry Hybrid 2007 on the freeway at 55 mph and it started slow down. I pulled over to the emergency lane and the engine shut down. The dashboard indicated to check "vsc hybrid system. " sandag towed me off the highway for safety. Next, I had the car towed to chula vista Toyota. The service department said that it was under warranty and would be repaired at no cost. A few days later, the service department stated that the inverter needs to be replaced and would cost more than $6000 dollars. I purchased the car less than six months ago, but was denied warranty coverage under the used certified vehicle warranty. The warranty states that the car is covered for 12 months / 12,000 miles from the date of purchase.