Service Brakes Problems of Toyota Highlander - part 2

Sudden acceleration when applying the brakes. This has happened several times.

See all problems of the 2022 Toyota Highlander 🔎.

Car is lunging forward while braking. I just had to put a new abs module and pump on the vehicle which was very expensive. Since I know there was a recall but I was not notified. Is there a way to get Toyota to pay for the new pump and module ?.

See all problems of the 2006 Toyota Highlander 🔎.

I own a Toyota Highlander 2018 le. I have been servicing it regularly at authorized Toyota delaership service centers. I have around 28000 miles on it. While trying to start the car this morning, the car wouldn't start, the brake feels hard and won't depress, and the dashboard displays the message" braking power low stop in a safe place see owner's manual".

See all problems of the 2018 Toyota Highlander 🔎.

Brake actuator failure. Have to manually brake, stopping distance significantly increased. 3,145$ to replace at Toyota dealership.

See all problems of the 2008 Toyota Highlander 🔎.

My husband took my car from the carport and parked it in the driveway near the water hose to wash the car. When he finished, it would not start. The message “braking power low” , “stop in a safe place”, “ see owner’s manual”showed up. Of course, we could not find anything in the large owner’s manual concerning that! I checked with my VIN to see if mine was included in the recall regarding this same matter, but it was not, just as all other Toyota Highlander 2018 owners who complained were told!!! we will find out tomorrow and pray it won’t be a lot of money. We have a thanksgiving trip planned to see our grandchildren. Today is Sunday and we planned to leave on Tuesday. I shudder to think what could have happened if it suddenly stopped on interstate 20 with all the holiday traffic. My husband was looking to buy a car after the first of the year and was going to buy a Toyota. After this, he has reconsidered. Toyota needs to see all these complaints and how many were not included in the recall!!! something’s not right!.

2021 Toyota Highlander hybrid - experiences the sensation of brake loss during transitional period when car switches between regenerative brakes and mechanical brakes; most often occurs on a downgrade approaching a stop. During the transition, the car will surge ahead unexpectedly. I would consider this a significant safety issue; causes the driver to misjudge the required stopping distance and it is possible to hit something (or someone) in front of you. There is a TSB-0059-23 against this issue that requires a software update of the brake actuator. The issue is serious enough in my opinion that a recall of all Highlander hybrids is justified and Toyota should cover the cost of the update. The issue is intermittent and has occurred since new.

See all problems of the 2021 Toyota Highlander 🔎.

The contact owned a 2016 Toyota Highlander. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed low speeds on a decline, the brake pedal depressed all the way to the floorboard. As a result, the vehicle rolled downhill into a busy intersection and was struck by another vehicle on the passenger side door. The air bags did not deploy. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to a tow yard and deemed at total lose by the contacts insurance provider. A police report was filed with no injuries reported. The manufacturer was notified of the failure; a case was opened, and the contact was referred to the NHTSA hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 62,000.

See all problems of the 2016 Toyota Highlander 🔎.

We have noticed that when we brake the vehicle, it intermittently lurches forward very fast while you are breaking and trying to stop! this is extremely unsafe! we need to stop and brake and not go forward. It does this unexpectedly with no notice and does not always do it consistently but we have noticed it is getting worse and worse and we are worried we will hit another car in front or even a person because the car will not stop on time. When I looked online, this is a well known issue on Toyota Highlanders, especially hybrids like ours and Toyota has done nothing to fix this dangerous problem. They have even told car owners to drive slower but I can tell you it doesn’t seem to matter if I’m going 25 mph or faster or slower- the car gives no notice and goes faster while you are trying to stop!!!!! please help us Toyota Highlander owners!!!! this car gives us no warning whatsoever. It is not consistent. But when it does this it is very scary!.

In June 2019, Toyota issued a recall for abs malfunction, diagnostic code c1391 - brake actuator and accumulator. New parts were issued by Toyota in 2019 as part of the recall. My vehicle experienced abs malfunction, diagnostic code c1391 in March 2022 and was repaired by Toyota with the new and improved parts issued as part of the recall. As of October 14, 2024, my vehicle is experiencing the same issue again - abs brake malfunction diagnostic code c1391, with the brake system light, master warning light, abs light and abs malfunction warning noted on the screen. The vehicle can be inspected. Toyota has inspected and confirmed it is the same issue again. The new and improved parts from 2019 should not fail within 20,000 miles. Toyota did confirm that they used the new parts issued as part of the recall and cannot explain why they failed faster than the original parts causing dangerous braking issues.

Multiple abs related(abs, traction, brakes) warning lights/messages making driving my Highlander dangerous to me and others. Warning lights appeared 9/30/2024. No symptoms or warning lights appeared prior. Vehicle was then inspected by Toyota of plano. Code 1391indicating an internal leak in the abs. Confirmed by service dept of Toyota of plano, TX indicating the need for replacement of abs module assembly. This as an acknowledged Toyota problem that was with a service bulletin that expired last year. Plano Toyota advised me to ask Toyota brand engagement for help but they declined. Toyota brand engagement declined to extend the prior bulletin or assist in any way. . The Toyota case file is under my name and #241008000770. Any assistance from NHTSA would be appreciated.

See all problems of the 2013 Toyota Highlander 🔎.

When braking the brakes will occasionally “quit”, causing unexpected acceleration. They kick back on if I stomp hard on the brake, causing the occupants to jolt forward. It could easily cause a collision if an unexpected vehicle or pedestrian were in the way, and could cause a rear end collision were I to have someone following close behind and hard brake unexpectedly. This has been reported to the dealership but they have been unable to replicate it. It happens intermittently, primarily when braking on a slight downhill slope. The issue has been since the vehicle was new. No warning lights or alerts activate inside.

While steering to the right to exit a parallel parking spot, the abs sensor cable came into contact with a suspension bolt, snapping the sensor wire. This triggered the check engine light and caused a malfunction in the braking systems.

See all problems of the 2020 Toyota Highlander 🔎.

Out of nowhere, I couldn’t get the car to start. It keeps saying “low braking power”. I had someone checked with code scanner and nothing shows up, and it’s not battery issue neither. The car guy said there’s a very high chance the issue is from the brake booster vacuum pump.

The car surges forward when braking, as if the brakes are momentarily released. It almost caused be to hit the car in front of me. The brakes released in the middle of braking.

See all problems of the 2023 Toyota Highlander 🔎.

Brake booster did not work. We were almost in 2 wrecks due to it taking longer to stop the vehicle. The dealer finally fixed it after I paid over $1500. They didn't care about how this was a known defect in 2018 Toyota Highlanders and took forever to identify and fix. No one has looked at it since just got it back today. Once the brake light went on the dash board I brought it in. I did wait one day when it went off, but once it came back on again I was going to, but then was scared when it didn't come on and then I could barely stop.

The vehicle is a hybrid. While traveling downhill at a speed around 35 mph with light brake pressure, the vehicle feels like it lurches forward a second or so before returning to braking. It has occurred since we purchased the vehicle new in 2021. It has happened multiple times in a variety of scenarios but it occurs most consistently in the downhill scenario described above.

All brake warning indicators lit up. Took it to a mechanic that specializes in hybrids and they diagnosed it as a brake assembly/actuator issue, with a diagnostic code of c1391, with a repair estimate of $4888. Found online that there was a Toyota customer support program 21te03 that addressed this issue, but my vehicle was outside of both the primary and secondary coverage periods. My issue is that if they knew this was a very serious safety defect for older hybrid vehicles, why would they only offer to address it during a very short period of time?? there are many people reporting online that the same thing happened to them (problem arose after coverage period expired). Toyota says they “care about the customers’ ownership experience,” but by neglecting to help those of us experiencing this issue, they are showing the exact opposite. Hope you will help the roughly 74,700 owners potentially impacted by this, by encouraging Toyota to be accountable for the safety of their owners. Thanks.

See all problems of the 2012 Toyota Highlander 🔎.

My vehicle has codes c1253 and c1256. These codes are associated with faulty brake actuators, a well documented issue in Highlanders. Faulty brake actuators can cause problems with braking, which can put my safety and the safety of others at risk.

Degenerative breaking. When breaking sometimes it jolts- seems to lose braking power. This is a safety hazard. It could cause a crash.

Brakes momentarily lost during certain conditions. If going down a hill and applying brake, suddenly loses pressure and vehicle surges forward. Taking a right hand turn, slowing, brake suddenly loses pressure and lunges forward causing vehicle to go into wrong lane. Parking, apply brake, surges forward, end up in the next spot forward. I've had several very close calls, including trying to stop behind a bicycle at a stop sign, came within inches. I've repeatedly been to dealer. Toyota calls it "loss of braking sensation", have issued a TSB for years prior to 23. I have a 23 hybrid, there is no TSB or fix. Dealer is aware of the issue, has techs who have experienced it themselves. Just can't be fixed without Toyota stepping up. Happy to work with Toyota if they want to put sensors or computers on the vehicle. When the vehicle was new it only occurred once/twice a month. Now it is every day. The latest incident was today driving back from the dealer.

As I was returning to my house and about to pull into our garage I was driving very slowly, riding the brake in fact. I was going less than 1 mph but as I first entered the garage my car engine suddenly roared very loudly and sped inside. I pressed as hard as I could on the brakes and the car skidded towards the left and slammed into the garage wall. I firmly believe that the only thing that kept my car from traveling farther was the garage door frame. Between my braking and then turning off the engine, I came to a stop. There were skid marks on the pavement at the garage entrance from the hard braking and both the driver's door and the passenger door on that side were severely damaged. The car was now angled to the left and not pointed straight into the garage as it should have been. At no time did I press on the accelerator.

Loss of brake sensation when slowing down through 20-25mph. Brake pedal takes a sudden plunge and car surges forward, forcing the driver to suddenly have to push hard on the brakes in order to stop. Usually happens under moderate braking, especially when there is a slight downhill grade. Toyota dealer confirms that it happens but says there are no codes and there is nothing they can do. Toyota dealer service advisor has had it happen to him while driving. This happens regularly, as often as 2-3 times per week, and can be reproduced.

Two problems being reported are severe safety issues, and could result in injury, death, and/or property damage. Problem 1: while driving, the brake pedal suddenly went all the way to the floor, and the car would not stop. To avoid hitting the car in front at a stop sign, I had to turn the wheel, resulting in running through the stop sign and onto the grass and shoulder before the car finally stopped. Multiple dashboard warning lights appeared. After stopping, the brakes momentarily returned but failed again within 2-3 minutes. A loud, high-pitched, piercing whistle sound began, indicating a complete loss of brakes. The car had to be towed 200 miles back home. It is not safe to drive the car without functioning brakes. The obd scan codes are: c1256 (accumulator low pressure), c1391 (abnormal leak of accumulator pressure), and c1256 (accumulator low pressure). Problem 2: when starting the car, the brakes are applied first, and then the car is placed in gear. The car involuntarily and immediately jumps forward or backward and continues to move, even though the brakes are being applied. Having the foot on the brakes has no effect on the car moving! the car should not move at all when the brakes are being applied. To stop the movement, I must quickly pump the brakes repeatedly. This occurs every time the car is placed into gear after starting the engine, causing it to jump forward or backward and continue moving despite brake application. Both problems are severe safety issues, and could result in injury, death, or property damage.

We were driving at about 40 mph and approached our turn. When I depressed the brakes, they felt spongy and I had trouble slowing quickly. The yellow triangle illuminated on the dash and a long warning beep sounded. I was able to get safely parked in a parking lot, and my son came and took a look as well. We had the car towed to a shop, who diagnosed the problem, stating that we needed to replace the brake booster pump and actuator assembly. A family member noted that Toyota had issued a recall for vehicles with the same year/make/model for the braking system, so we had it towed to our local Toyota dealership to verify that they had no open recalls on the brakes and complete a full inspection otherwise. They validated that the brake booster pump and actuator assembly needed to be replaced. I am left wondering why my vehicle was not included in Toyota's recall.

There was a customer support program from Toyota for certain Highlander from 2008 to 2010. The deadline was in 2020. The same issue started for me three weeks ago. Local Toyota service center confirmed that it is the same code and issue but quoted me over $3000 to replace the whole thing. Since Toyota admitted that this is a faulty part and had support program to replace the parts, there should not be expiration date on the support program. This issue can only be fixed by Toyota service center since it requires specialized tool and software. Customer should not be forced to pay the excessive fees because Toyota used faulty parts in the beginning.

I reported twice to tustin Toyota that my car seemed to have a strange braking issue. It felt like the car lurched/lunged forward as I was braking. Every time I brought it into service, I verbally mentioned it to the technician checking my vehicle in. I was repeatedly told there was no issue. Turns out there is an active bulletin (t-sb-0059-23) that came out but now my vehicle is out of warranty and they won't fix it unless I pay out of pocket. Why was the dealership not aware. Why is this not a recall for all affected years regardless of warranty? there have been multiple reports online with people have the same issue.

I was in the drive thru at a fast food restaurant and after I placed my order I was about 5 cars from the pay window. As I went forward where there was a curve I stopped and then when the car in front of me moved forward to the pay window I let up on the brake and accelated slowly. When I put my foot on the brake pedal it went to the floor and the car would not stop. I served to the right of the car in front of me ( I did not hit it) and rolled to the parking space to the right. The car hit the curb and bounced up a little and hit the sign and then rolled backwards and I swerved the car so as to not hit the cars in line. I tried to put the car in drive but it wouldn't go. I then put the car into park which stopped the car with a jerk. After a few minutes I turned the car off as the brakes had not come back. I sat in the driveway blocking it. As I sat there I checked the screen for any error messages or warnings and saw none. After about 10 or 15 minutes I tried the pedal again and got pressure. I was able to start the car and pulled it into the parking spot. I then called totota roadside service and had the car towed to my house. Today as instructed by Toyota service they sent a tow truck to my house to tow it to the dealership service department. The service manager checked something and said nothing showed up but would have the tech check everything out.

See all problems of the 2024 Toyota Highlander 🔎.

As your braking coming to a stop, the vehicle surges forward, feels like you lost your brakes and then it stops. If the car in front of you were to stop suddenly, you would hit them from behind. It had been going on for a while, but since it was my wife’s car she said she just stayed way back from the car ahead of her. I came within inches of hitting someone in early June 2025. I took the car to my Toyota dealer June 25, 2025 and they said there was a computer update for the braking system. It took away most of the problem, but it still surged. On August 19, 2025 I took the car back to the dealer where they had another computer update for the brakes. We will see if that works!! I feel it’s a safety issue, we should have been notified. Out of warranty cost me $348. 01.

My car has 18600. 0 miles on it the problem is I started getting a " brakes under powered find a safe place to park" after doing some research, I have been advised to replace the vacuum pump and power booster at cost of aprox. 4 thousand dollars the car is not safe to drive I am disabled so this creates a hard ship for me. This is a major brake component why does it need to be replaced with only 18600. 0 miles on it this is my only from of transportation and yes the mileage is correct.

See all problems of the 2017 Toyota Highlander 🔎.

The vehicle hesitates during right turns, creating a hazardous, potentially dangerous, situation. From research I understand this is a known issue when transitioning between battery and gasoline propulsion. Research indicates this is a known situation, Toyota t-sb-0059-23. However, the TSB expires at the termination of the vehicle 3 years/36 months warranty. As a safety issue, in my opinion this problem should be addressed, regardless of vehicle age or mileage.

When braking, there is a momentary period where it feels like the brakes fail, then function again. When approaching stopped traffic, this could put those vehicle occupants, and our vehicle occupants at risk of an accident. Toyota maintains this is normal for a hybrid, however our 2013 camry hybrid has no such momentary brake failure. Our independent repair shop has been unable to replicate this condition , but they have found no obvious problems with the braking system - they believe it is something computer caused, likely when the hybrid generation brake switches to the hydraulic brake. There are no warning lights displayed. This has been a long standing issue.

When I brake, the SUV feels like it accelerates/surges forward rather than slowing down. I need to apply the brakes hard to then stop the vehicle. I never know when it will happen but it happens very often.

When decelerating from a speed of approximately 25 mph on a downward slope of about 5 degrees, and applying the brakes, a number of things occur: 1) there is a 1-2 second delay in the braking action. 2) when applied the braking action is less than expected for certain brake pedal pressure, which causes the driver to increase the brake pedal pressure 3) when the brake pedal is initially depressed, the speed of the vehicle experiences a slight upward speed bump before the braking action is applied, which is 'light' as described in 2). This behavior is transient. Most of the time, it does not happen. It happens often enough to be of concern.

When I slow down to make a right or left turn I apply pressure to the brake pedal and my vehicle brakes feel like they are "gulping: or not holding, causing my vehicle to lurch forward slightly. This has been happening since I purchsed in July 2022. I replaced my tires last month thinking it was the tires, but the vehicle still lurches forward when braking in a turn. I will put the last time this occurred in your details below.

Subject: urgent safety concern - recurring issues with Toyota Highlander hybrid models dear national highway traffic safety administration, we owned the car since almost new, after repeated attempts with Toyota, like others 300k customers from their own site, I am writing to file a formal complaint regarding persistent safety issues with Toyota Highlander hybrid models, specifically between the years 2004 and 2007. Despite previous reports and numerous attempts to seek assistance from Toyota, the response has been unsatisfactory, with the company deflecting responsibility rather than providing a resolution. **vehicle information:** - make: Toyota - model: Highlander hybrid - year: 2007 - VIN: jtehw21a570043517 **description of the issue:** 1) the primary concerns involve the hybrid a) brake actuators failing/loosing braking power 2) the electrical inverters, which have shown a pattern of failure across many vehicles, including my own. 3) leaky blow back from engine into intake. 4) seat belts are not properly retracting, these failures could compromise the safety of the vehicle but also risk to the driver, passengers, and others on the road. **previous reports:** I have previously reported these issues to Toyota, but the attempts to resolve the matter have been met with deflection of blame. It is imperative to note that these issues are not isolated incidents but are widely reported by other owners of the same model. **impact on safety:** the malfunctioning of critical components such as the braking system has led to near-miss incidents that could have resulted in severe injuries or fatalities. It is unacceptable for such critical safety issues to remain unaddressed. **request for action:** I urge the NHTSA to investigate these reports thoroughly and take appropriate action to hold Toyota and its ceo accountable. The safety of countless drivers and the integrity of our transportation system depend on your prompt attention to this matter.

See all problems of the 2007 Toyota Highlander 🔎.