2007 Toyota Highlander

WE HAVE A 2007 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER HYBRID LIMITED WITH APPROXIMATELY 150K MILES. IN OCTOBER 2017 WE BEGAN TO EXPERIENCE BREAKING PULSING AND SQUEAKING ISSUES. UPON INSPECTION AT PRECISION TOYOTA OF TUCSON, AZ, IT WAS DETERMINED TO BE THE BREAK ACTUATOR. THE BREAK ACTUATOR FAILURE IS A VERY COMMON PROBLEM FOR TOYOTA VEHICLES BEGINNING AS EARLY AS 2004 AND THIS CAN BE EASILY SEARCHED ONLINE. THIS BREAK FAILURE CAN RESULT IN COMPLETE BREAK FAILURE WHILE DRIVING (AND REPORTS OF THIS OCCURRING ARE EASILY SEARCHED ONLINE). IN 2017, THE BREAK ACTUATOR REPLACEMENT WAS FULLY COVERED BY THE WARRANTY ENHANCEMENT PROGRAM, BUT IT WAS VERBALLY ESTIMATED AT $2200 TO REPAIR AT THAT TIME. AS THE OWNERS OF THIS VEHICLE FOR SINCE 2009, IT WAS ODD THAT WE WERE NEVER NOTIFIED OF THIS RECALL/EXTENDED WARRANTY- BUT JUST 'FORTUNATE' ENOUGH TO HAVE OURS FAIL IN A TIMELY MANNER TO BE FULLY COVERED BY THE EXTENDED WARRANTY. IN NOVEMBER 2020, OUR 2007 TOYOTA HYBRID HIGHLANDER BEGAN DEMONSTRATING THE SAME BREAK ACTUATOR FAILURE 'SYMPTOMS' AS IN OCTOBER 2017 (PULSING BREAKS, REDUCED RESPONSE TO INCREASED BREAK PRESSURE, SQUEAKING NOISE WHEN BREAK DEPRESSED WHILE PARKED OR DRIVING). THIS REPAIR/REPLACEMENT IS NO LONGER COVERED UNDER THE WARRANTY ENHANCEMENT PROGRAM, EVEN THOUGH THE 2008- 2010 MODELS OF OUR VEHICLE HAD AN EXTENSION UNTIL 12/31/2020. THE ESTIMATE FOR THIS SECOND REPAIR IN 3 YEARS IS ~$2500-$2800... FOR A WIDELY-KNOWN AND DANGEROUS BREAK ENGINEERING ERROR THAT TOYOTA IS WELL AWARE OF AND HAS BEEN FOR YEARS.

ABOUT A MONTH AGO, MY WIFE CALLED ME FROM FAR AWAY TELLING ME THAT SHE SUDDENLY HAD BRAKE-RELATED WARMING LIGHTS. I QUICKLY READ UP ON THE ABS SYSTEM FAILURES IN THIS CAR, AND SINCE SHE DID NOT YET HAVE SYMPTOMS, I TOLD HER TO DRIVE BACK CAREFULLY. I THEN REVIEWED MY FILES ON THE CAR AND SAW THAT THEY HAD SENT ME AN EXTENDED WARRANTY NOTICE ABOUT THIS PROBLEM, AND SUGGESTED THAT WE BRING THE CAR IN IF WE HAVE THESE WARNING LIGHTS. BUT WE NEVER HAD THE WARNING LIGHTS PREVIOUSLY, SO I MISSED THE BOAT ON THE EXTENDED WARRANTY. WE DID, HOWEVER, ALMOST FROM THE TIME THE CAR WAS JUST A FEW YEARS OLD, HAVE A LOUD CLUNKING NOISE FROM UNDER THE HOOD ON STARTUP OR SHUTDOWN. ACCORDING TO VARIOUS HIGHLANDER FORUMS, THIS IS A CLASSIC SYMPTOM OF ABS ACTUATOR FAILURE AND IF TOYOTA HAD JUST MENTIONED THIS IN THE THEIR EXTENDED WARRANTY NOTICE, I WOULD HAVE BROUGHT THE CAR IN IMMEDIATELY. I HAD THE SAME SOUND FROM MY 2007 PRIUS; I MENTIONED THE NOISE TO THE TOYOTA SERVICE PEOPLE AND THEY TOLD ME IT WAS THE COOLANT THERMOS BOTTLE AND WAS OF NO CONCERN. TO FIX MY HIGHLANDER, TOYOTA WANTED AROUND THREE THOUSAND DOLLARS; I TOLD THEM THAT WAS NOT REASONABLE SINCE REPLACING IT IS SIMPLE: 2 BOLTS, 1 ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR, 6 BRAKE LINES, AND A BRAKE BLEED. THEY WANTED ABOUT $2000 JUST FOR THE PART. THE TOYOTA SERVICE MANAGER TOLD ME I COULD STILL DRIVE THE CAR SINCE IT IS NOT A SAFETY CONCERN: IF IT FAILS THE ABS SYSTEM WILL STOP WORKING BUT NOT THE BRAKES. BASED ON THE EXPERIENCES OF OTHER HH OWNERS THAT I AM READING ABOUT AT THE NHTSA WEB SITE, HOWEVER, I FIND THIS HARD TO BELIEVE. ALSO, THE BRAKES ARE NOW GRABBING STRANGELY AND PULSATING WHEN THEY DON'T NEED TO BE. THERE SHOULD BE A RECALL SINCE 1.) THE PART SHOULD LAST THE LIFE OF THE CAR, 2. IT IS A SAFETY CONCERN, AND 3. TOYOTA DID NOT GIVE ACCURATE INFORMATION IN THEIR NOTICE TO ALLOW ME TO SPOT THE PROBLEM IN TIME.

ABS ACTUATOR FAILED CAUSING ERRATIC VEHICLE BEHAVIOR AND UNCONTROLLABLE BRAKING. ABS ACTUATOR WAS REPLACED BY TOYOTA IN 2017 AS PART OF AN EXTENDED WARRANTY PROGRAM ON A PART THAT THEY REALIZED WAS DEFECTIVE. IN 2019 WE EXPERIENCED THE SAME ISSUES CAUSING A VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION ON THE FREEWAY AND AGAIN TOOK TO TOYOTA WERE THEY FOUND THAT THE ABS ACTUATOR FAILED AGAIN. THIS PART IS TYPICALLY ONE THAT DOESN'T FAIL OVER THE LIFETIME OF A VEHICLE. THIS PART IS NOW NEEDING TO BE REPLACED FOR THE THIRD TIME. I PRESUME THAT THE ORIGINAL ABS ACTUATOR WAS REPLACED WITH OLD INVENTORY OF THE SAME DEFECTIVE PART WHICH IS WHY IT QUICKLY FAILED AGAIN. TOYOTA WANTS TO CHARGE $3K TO HAVE REPAIRED. THERE ARE A MULTITUDE OF ONLINE COMPLAINTS AND REVIEWS OF CUSTOMERS EXPERIENCING THE SAME DANGEROUS SITUATION IN THE SAME YEAR MAKE/MODEL VEHICLE. I'VE CONTACTED CORPORATE AND THE BEST THEY ARE WILLING TO DO IS PROVIDE A CREDIT FOR $1K OF THE REPAIR. FOR A PART THAT TYPICALLY NEVER FAILS ON A VEHICLE, NO ONE SHOULD BE EXPECTED TO SPEND $3K EVERY COUPLE YEARS CONTINUALLY REPLACING A KNOWN DEFECTIVE PART THAT IS A CRUCIAL SAFETY CONCERN. TOYOTA ADMITTED THERE WAS A SAFETY ISSUE BY INITIALLY DECLARING AN EXTENDED WARRANTY ON THE PART, NOW THAT THE REPLACEMENTS ARE FAILING IN THE EXACT SAME WAY TOYOTA WANTS TO BRUSH THE ISSUE UNDER THE RUG. THIS IS AN URGENT SAFETY CONCERN.

WHILE DRIVING I GOT ERROR CODES CHECK VSC SYSTEM, BRAKES LIGHT. I TOOK IT TO THE DEALERSHIP AND THE CAR NEEDED BRAKE ACTUATOR ASSEMBLY REPLACED, THE COST IS 2900$ . THIS SHOULD BE A RECALL AS THE CAR BECAME UNSAFE TO DRIVE AND THIS IS MY SECOND HYBRID TOYOTA CAR WITH THE SAME PROBLEM WITH HUGE COST OF REPAIR FOR A DEFECTIVE PART INSTALLED BY THE COMPANY

TOYOTA HAD PREVIOUSLY RECALLED THE ABS BRAKE MODULE ON SEVERAL TOYOTA HIGHLANDERS. THE SAME PART THAT THEY RECALLED IN OTHER MODULES HAS NOW FAILED IN MY VEHICLE WHICH HAS LESS THAN 130K MILES ON IT. PER MY MECHANICS INSTRUCTION I HAVE NOT DRIVEN THE VEHICLE IN MONTHS BECAUSE IT'S NOT SAFE. THE BRAKES AREN'T FUNCTIONING PROPERLY AND THE VEHICLE WILL NOT COMPLETELY STOP WHEN THE BRAKE PEDAL IS FULLY ENGAGED. IT KIND OF GRABS, AND SLIPS ALLOWING THE VEHICLE TO ROLL FORWARD OR BACK DEPENDING ON THE GEAR THE TRANSMISSION IS IN. THE ABS MODULE REFURBISHED IS $2500, NOT INCLUDING INSTALLATION.

I HAD A WHEEL BEARING REPLACED IN MY 2007 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER AND AS SOON AS IT WAS FIXED ALL THE WARNING LIGHTS CAME ON IN THE CAR, INCLUDING THE VSC LIGHT, ABS LIGHT, BRAKE LIGHT, AND SEVERAL OTHERS. IT WAS NOT SHOWING ANY CODES WHEN CHECKED SO THEY TURNED THEM OFF. OVER A PERIOD OF ABOUT A YEAR THE LIGHTS CAME ON AND OFF BUT WITH NO AFFECT TO MY BRAKING SYSTEM. I HAD BROUGHT THE CAR INTO TOYOTA (TALLAHASSEE, FL) FOR A RECALL ON THE HYBRID SYSTEM THEY TOLD ME THAT IT WAS READING A CODE FOR THE RECALL AND THAT WAS WHY THE LIGHTS WERE ON AND ONCE THEY FIXED THE RECALL THEY WERE OFF UNTIL THE NEXT DAY FOLLOWING PICKING THE CAR UP AND THEY ALL CAME BACK ON AND NOW THEY ARE SAYING THE ABS CONTROL MODULE WHICH WOULD COST $3000+ TO FIX. THE BRAKES ARE NOT WORKING PROPERLY AT ALL AND SOMETIMES NOT AT ALL. THIS IS EXTREMELY UNSAFE AND SHOULD BE A RECALL! I HAVE HEARD SEVERAL OTHER PEOPLE WITH THE SAME TOYOTA HAVE EXPERIENCED THE SAME ISSUE.

THE BRAKE ACTUATORS MAKE WEIRD SOUND ONLY WHEN YOU HIT THE BRAKES. THE CAR MAY BE IN A TURNED ON OR OFF POSITION. ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS PRESS THE BRAKES AND THERE IS A WEIRD SUCKING AND CHIRPING SOUND COMING FROM THE BRAKE ACTUATOR ASSEMBLY. TALKED TO DEALER AND THEY DID A BRAKE FLUID FLUSH BUT THAT DID NOT HELP. TOYOTA REIMBURSED THE SERVICE CHARGES BUT I THINK THEY DID THAT TO SHUT ME UP. THE BRAKE ACTUATORS CAN FAIL ANYTIME AND I AM WORRIED THAT TOYOTA HAS KNOWN THIS PROBLEM FOR A WHILE NOW AND IS NOT FIXING THEM. THIS IS A SERIOUS ISSUE AND THE FAULTY BRAKE ACTUATOR ASSEMBLY NEEDS TO BE REPLACED BY TOYOTA.