Brakes Failed problems of the 2008 Toyota Highlander

On March 26, 2021 when we started the vehicle, there were several indicators and messages that there was a problem with the braking system and that it needed to be serviced by a Toyota dealer immediately. Upon doing some research it became clear that Toyota is fully aware of malfunctions of the brake actuator assembly and brake booster pump on this vehicle and communicated it to owners in a customer support program notification-zkc in 2019. In that voluntary communication, Toyota identified the malfunctions of the brake system components and stated that the cost of repairs was covered through December 31, 2020. However, since this problem did not become apparent until March 26, 2021 Toyota did not fully cover the cost of repairs. It is unclear why this known defect and malfunction have not been treated as a recall. There are numerous cases that have been documented online of brake failure on this vehicle as a result of the malfunctions of the brake actuator and booster pump some with catastrophic consequences. No one at Toyota has been able to explain why repairs are not covered after December 31, 2020 and indicate that it was apparently an arbitrary date. My assumption is that this was a deliberate effort by Toyota to limit their financial exposure with no regard for the safety of drivers and passengers. Hopefully the NHTSA will investigate this issue and require Toyota to notify all owners of this vehicle of the defect and potential danger associated with braking system failure and have Toyota recall the vehicle and make the appropriate repairs. The estimated cost for the repair is $2,700.

While driving approximately 25 mph on a city street, the brake system failed entirely when attempting to stop at a red light. There was no previous warning that the brakes were not functioning. In the moment of failure, the abs warning system alert showed on the dashboard display. Eventually, the brakes began to work again, and I pulled to the side of the street and turned off the vehicle. No warning lights or indicators showed after restarting the vehicle, and the braking system appeared to be somewhat functional again. The mechanic we brought it to was able to replicate the problem in the same conditions, but is as yet unclear on what is causing the failure.

Abs and vsc system warning lights came on suddenly for the first time while I was driving. I parked the car and it would not start. I was stranded and suddenly had a critical brake failure with no prior warning. My vehicle has low mileage at approx. 70,000. This is a dangerous failure which has been covered by warranty in previous models and is still a problem.

No previous braking problems experienced. First heard an airy sound when braking then soft brake pedal and then almost complete brake failure. Dealer found a vacuum leak in brake booster. Repair was replacement of the brake booster.

I received a vsc error code, on a 2008 Toyota Highlander, not the hybrid model, but a limited top of the line model. The vehicle starts to accelerate by itself & then when you slam on the brakes to try to stop it, it fails to stop. In order to avoid slamming into the vehicle in front of me & to the right of me, I chose to turn left hard & run into the concrete divider. This was the 2nd occasion that this type of failure has happened to me. The 1st time was on December 15, 2010 & I also chose to turn left hard & strike the divider instead of rear ending the vehicle in front of or side swiping the vehicle to the right of me. On the 1st occasion, none of the airbags deployed & because of that I ended up striking my head on the either the drivers side glass or some hard object and losing my short term memory. The vehicle & then crossed 3 lanes of traffic, finally off of an exit ramp & came to rest after striking a fence pole. The 2nd time it happened was on August 16, 2010. I also chose to strike the concrete divider as opposed to striking the vehicle in front of me or to the right of me. Then somehow I also crossed 3 lanes of highway & finally coming to rest after striking a light pole. The driver side curtain airbag did deploy this time so I did not lose consciousness nor did I lose my short term memory. It was at that point that I noticed that a 2nd error code also came up stating brake failure.