general problems of the 2009 Toyota Highlander Hybrid

Tl the contact owns a 2009 Toyota Highlander Hybrid. While driving up a hill at 20 mph, the vehicle stalled and the abs, traction control, steering system, and battery warning indicators illuminated. In addition, "stop vehicle in a safe place immediately" appeared on the instrument panel. The contact had to depress the brake pedal with excessive force to stop the vehicle. The contact coasted the vehicle over to the side of the road and had it towed home. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer or an independent mechanic for diagnostic testing. The failure recurred and the vehicle was taken to royal south Toyota (located at 3115 s walnut st, bloomington, in 47401, (812) 331-1100) where it was diagnosed, but no failure code was found. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 124,842.

Once car was sitting in a lot and another time, running on highway. Abs, brake,traction control, vsc lights came on also message display said abs message and brake message. Codes from abs dtc,s are all a c-0371, 1271 through 1278, 1281, 1346, & 1391. Seems to be same issue as the '06-'07 Highlander Hybrids and the '04-'09 prius. There was an extended coverage for the brake actuator on those vehicles. I have been reading many other complaints, same things, with the '09 highlanders. Looks like repairs range from $2500-$5000,which is ridiculous.

Takata recall- when fuiling from the pump, nuzzles keep shuting off itself like the tank is already full. Its been happening recently. At the same time, check break system by deler start appering. It takes 3 to 4 push to start the car after this error message. Sometimes it takes longer and especially it happens in the morning. Took to deler but they did not find a code to check but this is still happening.

The brake system completely went out of order suddenly, during the motion in the street. Although the brake system liquid was renewed in Toyota center just few days ago, few days prior to required scheduled maintenance date. Now the price of the brake system repair is catastrophic. As I am asking for advice, all the other highlander owners complain about the same. This is a big shame for Toyota.

Abs and brake malfunction light comes on. Auto repair shop told me the abs actuator needs to be replaced at a cost of $3,500.

While braking to stop car in a school pick up line, warning lights and messages began flashing. Warning lights stated brake malfunction, abs system etc. Dealer ran diagnostic, stated there is an internal leak of brake actuator, repair costs $5500. Lights were reset and 2 weeks later while driving lights and warnings came back on. Toyota has recall for 2006 and 2007 but not 2009.

Abs actuator noise when depressing and releasing brakes. May lead to failed abs system.

Toyota Highlander Hybrid 2009 brakes fade for a brief but noticeable moment when braking. Sometimes it is more pronounced than others but is similar to the other complaints I have seen re this same thing on this site. While to some it may feel like a slight acceleration it is more like there is a sudden release of brake pressure and then it comes back.

2009 Toyota Highlander Hybrid. I had noticed braking issues and heard about the prius recall. This describes exactly the issue I am experiencing with my brakes. From the Toyota prius 2010 recall: "some owners have reported experiencing inconsistent brake feel during slow and steady application of the brakes on rough or slick road surfaces when the anti-lock brake system (abs) is activated in an effort to maintain tire traction. ".

I write to highlight some unusual behavior exhibited by my 2009 hybrid highlanders braking system which I purchased in may 2009. In short, in certain driving conditions, there is a slight delay/pause between depressing the brake pedal and any braking force applied by the braking system. The delay is momentary and I've experienced this to last no more than half second (. 5 sec. ) at most I've noticed that this occurs mostly in a situation where I have forcefully applied the brake. It has seemed to recur mostly when driving down a decline. It does not occur during situations where I smoothly and evenly apply pressure to the brake pedal. During my 5,000 mile service at the glendora Toyota dealerships, I mentioned the behavior (as well as a soft grinding sound during low speed travel) but they could not find anything wrong in their tests. My wife and I have both independently experienced behavior this several times and the problem is still recurrent. I have decided to report this behavior after reading todays ap article by ken thomas and yuri kageyama (us government investigating brakes in 2010 prius) which described similar problems with 2009 Toyota prius vehicles. Although the problems my particular vehicle has exhibited have thusfar been slight when compared to those reported in the article, I feel compelled to report the issue and I certainly hope that the problem does not surface during a time the extra braking time is needed. Aside from the above-described behaviors, the vehicle has operated without problems and my family and I are otherwise very satisfied with our purchase and hope we can rely upon this vehicle for many more years. If I can be of any assistance to either the NHTSA or Toyota corporation, please feel free to contact me.

The contact owns a 2009 Toyota Highlander Hybrid. While driving at speeds of 15 mph and applying the brakes on a rough road surface, there was a delay in brake application. The vehicle did come to a stop after momentary hesitation. The dealer had not yet been contacted to report the failures. The failure mileage was 5,600 and the current mileage is 6,858. Updated 05/19/10.

Brakes fade for a brief moment -- perhaps half of a second -- and then come back. Although the brakes are being applied consistently throughout, the sensation is as if the driver were easing off the brake and then coming back on with more pressure.

I own a 2009 Toyota Highlander Hybrid, purchased new in Aug. 2009. I have experienced a few incidents related to braking that are similar to what's being described by prius owners. On certain road surfaces/conditions, I have felt what I would describe as a pause in the braking system. It's almost like a sliding sensation on ice, even though the vehicle is not sliding. The duration is for probably less than a second in duration, but enough to get the attention of the driver. It has happened only in isolated circumstances, and the majority of the time, the brakes work perfectly. There have been no accidents or mishaps in my experience with this condition. I have not notified Toyota, as I am awaiting a possible investigation and potential recall. Perhaps Toyota needs to investigate all hybrid's braking systems.

We are having the same issues with our 2009 Toyota Highlander Hybrid as been reported in the Toyota prius recall. At time the braking seems to stop for less than a second.

I own a 2009 Highlander Hybrid and am concerned that I am experiencing the same type of problems with braking that are now being reported for the prius. Sometimes, when braking it feels like the brakes are not engaging and there is a sensation that the car is speeding up. Continued pressure on the brake pedal finally slows the car down. I was recently involved in a minor accident when I was unable to brake quickly enough when approaching a traffic light and hit the car in front. The sensation that the brakes were not engaging was experienced at that time as well as on other occasions. I reported this issue to my Toyota dealer just a few weeks ago, and the mechanic who test drove the vehicle, with me in the passenger seat, stated he experienced a similar delay in braking. The brakes were then tested using computerized diagnostics and I was told everything checked out ok but was offered no explanation of why I was having this issue with the brakes. I am sharing this issue with you as I believe my Highlander Hybrid 2009 may not be consistently trustworthy when the brakes are needed. Please advise.

Right front brake "clanks" when brake pedal is pressed fairly hard. Dealer claims this is normal for highlanders and that his entire inventory exhibits the same symptoms. (start last year and continues; comments are from dealer today -- June 3, 2010. ).

The contact owns a 2009 Toyota Highlander Hybrid. The contact stated that when braking at low speeds, the brake would release on its own at a distance; however, when his speed increased the brakes performed normally. The failure occurred more frequently when he approached a stop sign in colder weather. The dealer told him that the braking system sent power to the battery and the failure was normal. He had not spoken with the manufacturer to-date. The current mileage was 7,773. The failure mileage was approximately 100.

Toyota hybrids surge when braking. I took the car in twice to the dealer. The dealer told me they were aware of the surge. It occurs when the car is braking and the car goes from gas to charging the battery.