Two problems related to automatic emergency braking have been reported for the 2006 Toyota Highlander. The most recently reported issues are listed below. Please also check out the statistics and reliability analysis of the 2006 Toyota Highlander based on all problems reported for the 2006 Highlander.
The dashboard on my Highlander hybrid 2006 (awd) had all its check lights on suddenly. I was not driving then. The car was in my parking lot for a few hours before which it had no signs on. The warning message said: vehicle stability control (vsc). I took it to my nearest Toyota service center for diagnosing the issue. They reported that the abs systems have started to fail. Specifically, the abs actuator is losing pressure and should be replaced. They quoted a price of $2700 approx. Which includes about $2000 for parts. Turns out that this same part had been replaced in 2016 during a recall - but they cannot attend to this again without charging the customer. What I was never told about was that a whirring sound - which has always been an issue with this car - was always from the abs actuator. The same service center has checked and diagnosed this car multiple times - so I am surprised that they did not find the abs actuator noise a problem on earlier occasions. I have been reading about this on this forum and Toyotanation and this seems to be a consistent issue with the older Toyota hybrid Highlanders and other hybrids as well - with the same diagnosis and approximately the same price quoted by the service centers. I have not currently fixed this issue since I cannot afford this price. It also seems that I will be paying for manufacturer's or service center's negligence since this actuator seemed to be faulty all along and I was not warned about this.
My abs, vsc, (I), and emergency brake dash lights are on continuously. It is very hard to stop the car as it feels like the brake isn't engaging. When it does engage you are jerked forward.