2018 Toyota Camry Hybrid

BRAKES PERIODICALLY GRAB SEVERELY WHEN FIRST DRIVING THE CAR. USUAL OCCURRENCE IS WHEN FIRST BACKING FROM GARAGE OR PARKING SPACE AND TRYING TO EASE THE BRAKE PEDAL. BRAKES GRAB AND PREVENT SLOWING THE CAR SMOOTHLY. AFTER DRIVING FOR A DOZEN OR SO YARDS, PROBLEM DOESN'T REOCCUR--UNTIL IS AGAIN PARKED FOR SOME TIME. THIS PROBLEM DOESN'T SEEM TO BE RELATED TO OUTSIDE TEMPERATURE/HUMIDITY BUT HAS EXISTED OVER THE PAST YEAR SINCE CAR WAS NEW. NOW HAS 5000 MILES. RETURNED TO DEALER TWICE BUT ALL TESTS REPORTED OK AND "COULD NOT DUPLICATE" PROBLEM.

THE BRAKES ARE VERY GRABBY AT LOW SPEED (SUCH AS MANEUVERING IN A PARKING SPACE ON A SLIGHT INCLINE). THE BRAKES SUDDENLY BECOME MORE EFFECTIVE (WITH THE SAME PEDAL PRESSURE) AT CITY-STREET SPEEDS AS WELL AS HIGHWAY SPEEDS. THIS HAS OCCASIONALLY CAUSED THE ABS TO ENGAGE, WITH THE CAR LOSING TRACTION BRIEFLY IN A STRAIGHT LINE ON A DRY ROAD WHEN THE BRAKES SUDDENLY BECOME MORE EFFECTIVE. THIS IS A CONTINUING PROBLEM SINCE HE VEHICLE WAS PURCHASED IN OCTOBER 2017, WHICH THE DEALER HAS REFUSED TO ACKNOWLEDGE TWICE, SAYING THIS IS A NEW REGENERATIVE BRAKING SYSTEM (SPECIFICALLY DIFFERENT FROM THE PRIUS, WHICH I CITED AS NOT HAVING THIS PROBLEM).

SINCE THE CAR WAS DELIVERED FROM THE DEALER, THE BRAKES HAVE CONTINUED TO SEVERELY GRAB AT LOW SPEEDS AS IF A CHILD IS JAMMING DOWN ON THE BRAKE PEDDLE. IT IS NEARLY IMPOSSIBLE TO EASE THE CAR INTO A PARKING SPACE WITHOUT THE BRAKES BUCKING SEVERAL TIMES. BACKING UP CAUSES THE SAME BUCKING PROBLEM. THE BUCKING IS SOMEWHAT INTERMITTENT AND THE SLOWER ONE IS MOVING THE WORSE IT SEEMS TO BE. THE CAR HAS 8500 MILES AND THE PROBLEM CONTINUES.

BRAKES ARE VERY 'GRABBY'. AT SLOW SPEEDS IN TRAFFIC (<5MPH) WHEN YOU APPLY YOUR FOOT TO THE BREAK YOU COME TO AN IMMEDIATE STOP (SIMILAR TO SLAMMING ON THE BRAKE). AT HIGH SPEEDS ON THE HIGHWAY (>60MPH) WHEN YOU APPLY THE BREAK THE CAR WILL ALSO SLOW DOWN AS IF YOU ARE PUSHING DOWN HARD ON THE BREAK PEDAL. DRIVING IN THE SNOW / ICE THIS WINTER WAS DANGEROUS AS THE BREAKS LOCKED UP ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS RESULTING IN SKIDDING/SLIDING. THERE IS NO MIDDLE GROUND, LIGHTLY APPLYING THE BREAKS, OR 'SLOW BREAKING'. YOU LIGHTLY APPLY THE BREAK AND THE CAR IS SLOWING DOWN IMMEDIATELY AS IF YOUR TRYING TO AVOID A COLLISION.

VEHICLE WAS TRAVELING IN TRAFFIC ON I-526 IN CHARLESTON COUNTY, SC. THE TRUCK IN FRONT OF ME PUT ON BREAKS DUE TO A TRUCK MERGING IN FRONT OF HIS VEHICLE. THE BRAKING SYSTEM IN MY CAR, BRAKED, THEN THE CAR LUNGED FORWARD AS BRAKES WERE APPLIED. IN ADDITION A VERY LOUD NOISE OCCURRED INSIDE THE VEHICLE WHICH WAS VERY STARTLING. MY VEHICLE ENDED UP UNDER THE TRUCK IN FRONT OF ME. THE FACT THAT THE VEHICLE LUNGED FORWARD AFTER THE AUTOMATIC BRAKING SYSTEM CAME ON AND THE LOUD ALARM IN THE INTERIOR WAS NOT WHAT HAD HAPPENED WITH THE SYSTEM BEFORE. ONE TIME BEFORE THE BRAKING SYSTEM APPLIED ITSELF AND THE DASHBOARD LIGHT CAME ON AND I SEEM TO RECALL THERE WAS A BEEP OR SOME SOUND THAT WAS VERY BRIEF.

WHILE BRAKING AT VERY LOW SPEEDS, THE BRAKES ON THE CAR 'LOCK UP' AT THE SLIGHTEST APPLICATION OF PRESSURE ON THE BRAKE PEDAL. THIS MAKES IT IMPOSSIBLE TO MANEUVER IN TIGHT SPACES (LIKE GARAGE OR PARKING SPACE) WITHOUT NECK-JERKING SUDDEN STOP AND GO DRIVING. THE PROBLEM OCCURS INTERMITTENTLY, AND MOST OFTEN AFTER CAR HAS BEEN PARKED FOR SEVERAL HOURS. THE PROBLEM HAS OCCURRED IN WARM, HUMID FLORIDA, COLD, WINTRY MISSOURI, AND ON VIRTUALLY EVERY TYPE OF ROAD SURFACE AND EVERY TYPE OF WEATHER.