general problems of the 2009 Toyota Camry Hybrid

I was driving on the interstate (395n into DC) and the car's brakes failed. The car immediately displayed vehicle control system (vcs) failure and a number of other warnings. I was forced to swerve out of traffic and to utilize the emergency brake to stop the car.

The power steering (rack and pinion) are hard to turn in motion or not in motion, Toyota dealer charge us $3000, base on Toyota certified mechanic it can fail anytime and cause accident. According to 2004-2009 Toyota prius had the same problem. Toyota finally make it as recall on the Toyota prius. Replace the rack and pinion or any power steering parts. We do not know why Toyota camry is not consider the same problem as a recall.

My daughter detected burning plastic smell inside the car while driving on a local street, stopped the car and saw black smoke coming out from the side of the window master switch and the bottom of the driver side door. I remembered there was a recall regarding the fire hazard of the master switch and took the car to the dealership on April 15. They informed me that my car was not on the recall list and it will be my responsibility to repair it. I called and open a case (# 150409362) with their customer relationship department while I was waiting at the dealership for regular maintenance, reporting that the problem my car is experiencing proves that the recall coverage was too narrow and it is endangering all the owners that were not covered. The rep. (roy) promised to provide me an answer in 2 business days but the call back never happened. As you are the government watchdog on vehicle safety issue, I am reporting to you the potential life threatening hazard of this particular vehicle model and look forward to your assistance to have this hazard resolved by Toyota of USA.

While driving "check vsc system" warning displayed along with several warning lights. At that time the brakes on the vehicle felt squishy and much less responsive.

The contact owns a 2009 Toyota Camry Hybrid. The contact stated that when the brake pedal was depressed the vehicle vibrated. Additionally, the skid control and brake sensor warning lights illuminated. The contact had to brake with force to bring the vehicle to a stop. The vehicle was taken to the dealer. The technician diagnosed that the stroke sensor detector system needed to be reset. The remedy was implemented several times however, the failure was not corrected. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 45,757 and the current mileage was 51,000.