Vehicle Speed Control Problems of Toyota Camry Hybrid - part 2

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.

See all problems of the 2009 Toyota Camry Hybrid 🔎.

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.

See all problems of the 2007 Toyota Camry Hybrid 🔎.

First incident: temperature was extremely cold overnight. Parking brake light came on when I started car and remained on throughout my 10-minute trip. Brakes worked fine for 10 minutes though stop signs and red lights. I didn't drive over 35 mph the entire trip. When I arrived at work, I tapped the brakes to turn into the driveway. "check vsc system" message appeared, parking brake light remained on, abs light came on, exclamation point light came on, one other warning light came on. I thought car had stalled because my brakes didn't seem to work so I coasted past the driveway. I stepped on the accelerator and noticed the car was still on so I slowly drove to the next driveway. I turned off the car, restarted it, and all the warning lights came back on. I slowly drove back to work and noticed the brakes worked albeit not very well. When I stopped the car in the parking lot, all the warning lights disappeared. Second incident: temperature was extremely cold overnight. Parking brake light came on when I started car and remained on throughout my 10-minute trip. Brakes worked fine for 10 minutes through stop signs and red lights. I didn't drive over 45 mph the entire trip. I came to a red light and tapped the brakes. "check vsc system" message appeared, parking brake light remained on, abs light came on, exclamation point light came on, one other warning light came on. Although the brakes worked in reduced capacity, I stopped in time but I was driving 25 mph. I was near a Toyota dealer so I slowly made my way there with all the warning lights illuminated and reduced brake capacity. All the warning lights disappeared shortly after I stopped the car in the dealer's maintenance shop. Dealer could find no history of either incident in the computer log.

I was driving down the highway when I felt a noticeable difference in the steering and breaking of my car. At the same time a lot of the dashboard lights came on including: brake, abs, vsc warning, check engine, tpms. After I felt this change, it was very hard to brake. It took me longer to stop and I had to use more physical force to do so. This was extremely scary considering how fast I was going and the fact that I had my child in the car with me. I took my car straight to a mechanic who cleared the code.

See all problems of the 2008 Toyota Camry Hybrid 🔎.

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 cruising about 35 mph the following panel lights came brakes, abs, error message- vsc (vehicle stability control). A whirring sound emanated from the engine compartment which intensified when I depressed brake pedal. The brakes weakly responded to pedal pressure. I was able to drive slowly to a parking lot where I had it towed to the dealership. I note that the brake reservoir was full and detected no leaking fluids. I had no warning of this failure. The car has been serviced regularly by the dealership.

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.

Accelerated to pass car on interstate. Car lunged forward full throttle. Tapped on accelerator to disengage, no response. Braking did not slow car. Put car into neutral, turned on hazard lights. Went another 2-3 miles until car slowed enough to pull over, off road. Turned car off, waited a minute and stated car, it was full throttle. Waited another minute or two, started car with same result. Third time I started vehicle, it reacted in normal fashion. Drove to next exit and called Toyota dealer. Vehicle towed to dealership; given a loaner. 5 days later notified to pick up vehicle. Informed by dealer "the floor mat ticking caused the pedal to stick". Same floor mats have been in vehicle since date of purchase 5 years ago.

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.

The contact owns a 2008 Toyota Camry Hybrid. The contact stated while driving approximately 5 mph, the vehicle accelerated forward causing the vehicle to crash into the wall in his garage. The vehicle did not stall. The failure occurred twice within one week. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer for diagnostic testing. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and advised to take vehicle to the dealer. The approximate failure mileage was 28,000.

Brake warning light came on, then warning to check vsc system, 2 other warning lights and abs light came on, braking became difficult with resistance when applying brake, pulsing and lurching forward when foot on brake stopped at stoplight. This is happening intermittently.

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.

'check vsc system' along with brake light warning, abs warning, and pretty much every other warning light possible came on my 2007 Camry Hybrid around June of 2012. I hear pulsating under the hood constantly & when I turn on my car while in park with my foot on brake my car will begin to roll backwards by itself, I attempt to pump the breaks but it never works. I have to wait about 5-10 sec like there is a delay with my brake system when I first turn on my car. Once the brakes finally kick in my car will either jolt in very drastic way like I slammed on my brakes even though my foot has been on the brakes the whole time or it will throttle back on its own like I'm pushing on the gas. I will never park on a hill in fear of my car just taking off on its own with no brakes to stop it. I have to literally turn on my car and wait for my breaks to kick in before I can reverse. It is very scary! it has happened to me once as well when I was driving and I coming to a stop, my brakes just went out and kicked back in on its own. I brought my car to a Toyota dealership to have them check it out. They brought back a quote of $5,900! instead of trying one thing at a time they just wanted to replace everything at once. My car was right at the 5 year warranty mark but because I bought my car in guam they couldn't tell if my car was still under warranty and I would have to pay out of pocket. 2007 only 45000 miles with a 6 thousand dollar repair! that is insane let alone it is a hybrid feature & a safety issue! to me this should be covered under warranty no matter what! look online you can see hundreds of people complaining about this exact issue! people have even made websites for it! I'm very disappointed in Toyota. I'm stuck with this car that I cant afford to fix! so I drive every day in what seems to me like a death trap! it's just not right.

While driving at safe speeds, sudden loss of power-brake assist. Vehicle could be stopped but required extra brake pedal force and distance. "check brakes" and "vsc" warning lights illuminated. This occurred a couple of times so vehicle was taken to local Toyota dealership. They could not replicate the problem but determined that most likely problem was the hybrid brake regenerating system and replaced the "brake stroke sensor". Note that our camry is a 2009 model--I recently read about this problem occurring in 2007 and 2008 model years.

The check vsc system display came on with all the brake lights. Basically the dash board lights up and with every warning light. A message on your display says "check vsc system". When you look it up in your manual it says - call Toyota dealer right away. I was quoted an abs accumulator replacement at the cost of $3k. The car was under 6 year 75,000 extended warranty so every service and check was performed. When I reported flaky brake behavior (pulsing at a standstill and with the pulsating noises - it's like you are braking when you are idling) @ 78k Toyota said nothing was wrong with my brakes. If a diagnostic code isn't appearing they can't really tell you have an issue. The car was just out of extended warranty. First thing I did was call the dealer service department. I was told it might just be the sensors and I could still drive it. I didn't listen to them and I'm glad - something just seemed very wrong with that advice - after all the brakes just seemed to be pulsing all the time and the car didn't brake the same way. Pressing on the brake was very difficult - the brakes were basically operating manually with no power assist. There was no way I could ever stop quickly with brakes in this condition. I was also leaking brake fluid. We spoke to Toyota in California and reported the problem. Toyota said they wouldn't cover the part. The dealer said others had come in with the same problem so they knew it existed. We had a long discussion with the dealer manager. The real problem is at that time - the replacement part was the same part we had - so we had no choice but to take the same part with the same known problem.

My '07 Camry Hybrid(ch) has started to experience brake failure while driving. The first documented incident: 03/09/12. W/o warning, the ch will shut down and the "check vsc" light appears on the dash. All of the dash lights light up as well. When this happened, there were no brakes, no warning, etc. When I put the car in "park", turned off the vehicle and restarted it, I was able to resume driving. I took it to dealer to have the car diagnosed. The diagnosis: nothing wrong with the car, brakes, etc(inv. #227594). Over the past 9 months, it has occurred a few more times, usually when the vehicle is pulling out of the garage. When it happens,I turn off the vehicle, restart and go on. On 10/30/12 while my wife was driving 35mph, the car shut down, the "check vsc" light came on and the brakes completely failed. She caught a left turn signal and coasted into a parking lot. Obviously this was horrifying for her and our kids. I called aaa and had the car towed to Toyota. My service advisor(sa) told me they have begun to see this happening a lot and he predicted the abs brake actuator (ba) failed. I told him about the incident in March, which he acknowledged knowing of. 2 hours later he called to confirm that it was the ba. We spoke about it being a defective part, he agreed and would call and speak to Toyota national(TN)to see if they could help out with the $2200 repair. The next day he told me that TN wouldn't help, and neither would the dealership. My online research discovered many ch have had this problem. I discussed with the sa that if the part is defective and they are seeing more and more of this, what guarantee is there a new ba wouldn't react the same way. He couldn't guarantee that it wouldn't. I declined to have the repair done, aaa towed vehicle to my home. The sa seemed certain that a recall was coming. The car is garaged, I have the repair est/document.

I was driving to work on the highway when all of the sudden my car started to slow down, I pushed on the accelerator and got nothing, the dash board lights came on and the car completely stalled. The computer screen said to "check hybrid system and check vsc system". I sat for awhile and tried to restart the car, it did start but it would move, and then it displayed on the computer, " put car in p" and again the message read check hybrid system and vsc system. The tow truck driver got into my vehicle to put it on the roll back and he noticed that the computer was saying the same thing to him, so I know I wasn't going crazy. The car was then towed to the dealership where I purchased it and they call me to tell me that the car is running fine and that there is no problem!!! I am furious, I bought this car because of Toyota's reputation, reliability and safety. I do not feel safe in the car!!!.

The contact owns a 2007 Toyota camry hv. While driving 2 mph, the contact heard a loud roaring sound and the vehicle accelerated. The vehicle stopped when it crashed into a tree. There were no injuries. The vehicle had not been repaired. The contact stated that the manufacturer would inspect the vehicle January 17, 2011. The contact stated both recalls 09v388000 and 10v017000 (vehicle speed control: accelerator pedal) were performed in 2010. The failure mileage was approximately 54,000.

Having parked the car overnight in the garage, got in car with passenger and attempted to back out of garage. Car lunged forward, then correcting itself and started backward. This has happened on several occasions both in the garage and in parking lots. Mentioned problem to friend with same car and he said he hadn't noticed a problem but came to work several months later and said it had happened to him while his wife was a passenger.

The contact owns a 2007 Toyota Camry Hybrid. The contact was braking from 25 mph and approaching a stop sign when the vehicle abnormally accelerated. The contact engaged the brakes with more extreme force yet the vehicle continued to accelerate and crashed into another vehicle. There were no injuries. A police report was available. The vehicle sustained damages to the driver side of her vehicle. The vehicle was repaired. The failure mileage was 38,147 and the current mileage was 38,247. Updated 01/13/lj updated 01/27/11.