2007 Toyota Highlander

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.

I PURCHASED A USED 2007 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER HYBRID LESS THAN 2 YEARS AGO AND BECAUSE I WAS NOT THE ORIGINAL OWNER, I DID NOT RECEIVE AND RECALL NOTICES OR EXTENDED WARRANTY COVERAGE NOTICES. NOW MY BRAKES ARE FAILING AND IT HAS TO DO WITH THE BRAKE ACTUATOR ASSEMBLY THAT TOYOTA OFFERED TO REPAIR FREE UNDER THEIR "ENHANCEMENT" PROGRAM. I WAS UNAWARE OF THIS BECAUSE I AM NOT THE ORIGINAL OWNER AND NOW THE ENHANCEMENT PROGRAM HAS EXPIRED. AVERAGE COST OF THIS REPAIR IS $2,500-$3,000 AND I DO NOT HAVE THAT TYPE OF MONEY AND YET I NEED MY CAR DAILY TO WORK. AT SOME POINT THE BRAKES, AS CURRENTLY INDICATED ON THE DASHBOARD AND FROM THE SOUND THEY ARE MAKING, ARE GOING TO FAIL, RESULTING IN AN ACCIDENT. THEIR ENHANCEMENT PROGRAM WAS GOOD FOR 10 YEARS OR 150,000 MILES, WHICHEVER CAME FIRST SO I AM PAST THE 10 YEAR PERIOD. WHY DO THEY PUT LIMITS ON LIFE AND DEATH SAFETY ISSUES WITH THEIR CARS ? I NEED THE NHTSA'S HELP. THANK YOU.

THE BRAKE ACTUATOR FOR THE ABS SYSTEM FAILED AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THIS WAS AND IS A KNOWN POTENTIAL PROBLEM BY THE TOYOTA COMPANY AS A RESULT OF MANY TOYOTA OWNERS REPLACING THEIR VEHICLE ACTUATORS DUE TO FAILURE BUT NO RECALLS HAVE BEEN ACTIVATED AND AVAILABLE FOR MY VEHICLE AS OF THIS CURRENT DATE. I FORTUNATELY DID NOT GET INTO AN ACCIDENT AS A RESULT BUT STOP USE OF THE VEHICLE AND HAD IT REPAIRED IMMEDIATELY BY A TOYOTA DEALERSHIP AT MY OWN EXPENSE. THIS WAS A VERY COSTLY EXPENSE I INCURRED BOTH IN THE ACTUATOR PART AND THE LABOR TO REPLACE IT. THE ACTUATOR AFFECTED THE BRAKE SYSTEM OF MY VEHICLE AND IS A MAJOR SAFETY ISSUE.

IN 2015 I WAS TOLD BY THE TOYOTA DEALER THAT MY ABS PUMP AND ACCUMULATOR NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THAT WAS DONE AND I IMMEDIATELY STARTING HAVING PROBLEMS WITH THE BRAKES. TWO THINGS: (1) PER THE SERVICE REP, THIS REPLACEMENT NEEDED TO BE DONE DUE TO A PUMPING SOUND BEING EMITTED FROM THE ABS PUMP AFTER THE SUV WAS TURNED OFF. THE EXACT SAME NOISE STARTED UP WITHIN A FEW DAYS OF THE REPLACEMENT. I TOOK IT BACK TO THE DEALER AND POINTED THE NOISE OUT AND WAS TOLD THAT THAT NOISE WAS "NORMAL" (SIC) (2) IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE NEW ABS SYSTEM WAS INSTALLED, A SERIOUS DEFECT IN THE BRAKES APPEARED: AS I PULLED TO A STOP THE CAR WOULD SPEED UP OR SUDDENLY MOVE FORWARD AS IF I HAD STOPPED BRAKING. I WOULD HAVE TO READJUST MY BRAKING INSTANTLY TO KEEP FROM HAVING AN ACCIDENT. THIS HAS BEEN SCARY FOR YEARS. FOR YEARS BECAUSE EACH TIME I HAD THE CAR SERVICED AND BROUGHT THIS UP TO TOYOTA AND TEST DRIVES WERE PERFORMED, I WAS ALWAYS TOLD THAT THEY DIDN'T EXPERIENCE IT OR DIDN'T SEE IT OR SOME SUCH. TWICE THEY DID OTHER BRAKE WORK WHICH DID NOTHING TO SOLVE THE PROBLEM. LASTLY, I WAS RECENTLY DRIVING ON HIGHWAY US 19 AND ALL THE ABS AND BRAKE WARNINGS CAME ON AND A LOUD SCREECH STARTED AND CONTINUED -- ABSOLUTELY EAR SPLITTING. I PUT MY FOOT ON THE BRAKES AND THE PEDAL WENT WAY DOWN AND WITH EFFORT I WAS ABLE TO GET THE CFAR TO SLOW DOWN. THE POWER ASSIST HAD DISAPPEARED ALONG WITH THE ABS. THE MESSAGE IN THE READOUT STATES SOMETHING LIKE "VCS PROBLEM" OR ERROR -- I DON'T REMEMBER SITTING HERE WRITING THIS, BUT IT IS A VCS PROBLEM. I CALLED TOYOTA AND WAS TOLD THAT 6 MONTHS AFTER MY ABS SYSTEM WAS OVERHAULED, A SERVICE BULLETIN WAS ISSUED STATING THAT THE OLDER (MINE) ABS PUMPS HAVE CRACKS OR A CRACK IN THEM. I BELIEVE ANY AUTO WITH AN ABS SYSTEM WITH A CRACK IN THE PUMP BODY SHOULD BE RECALLED AND THOSE ABS SYSTEMS REPLACED AT THE COST OF THE TOYOTA.

I BOUGHT FOUR GOODYEAR ASSURANCE TRIPLE TREAD TIRES ON JAN. 29, 2013. AFTER ABOUT A YEAR I STARTED HAVING PROBLEMS WITH MAINTAINING AIR PRESSURE IN THE TIRES. I TOOK THE VEHICLE BACK TO WHERE I BOUGHT THE TIRES AND THEY WOULD DO MAINTENANCE SUCH AS REMOUNTING OR REPLACING VALVE STEMS. I STILL WOULD HAVE AIR PRESSURE ISSUES. ON DEC. 9, 2016 WHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY I NOTICED A THUMPING NOISE. IT GOT PROGRESSIVELY LOUDER AND MADE THE VEHICLE SWAY. I PULLED TO THE EMERGENCY BERM AND SAW THAT I HAD A FLAT TIRE. I TOOK THE TIRE BACK TO CONRAD'S TIRE EXPRESS & TOTAL CARE WHICH WHERE I BOUGHT THE TIRES FROM. THE SERVICE TECHNICIAN PUT AIR IN THE TIRE AND SAID THAT THERE WERE BROKEN BELTS IN THE SIDE WALL. HE LAID THE BLAME TO A ROAD HAZARD PROBLEM AND LAID THE BLAME OF LOSING AIR TO DEFECTIVE TOYOTA RIMS, EVEN THOUGH WITH THE ORIGINAL TIRES ON THE VEHICLE I NEVER EXPERIENCED A PROBLEM OF LOSING AIR FROM THE TIRES. MY OPINION IS THAT THE TIRES MUST BE DEFECTIVE SINCE THEY CAN NOT MAINTAIN AIR PRESSURE. THIS IS A REAL CONCERN SINCE THE POSSIBILITY OF SOMEONE BEING INJURED OR KILLED BECAUSE OF A TIRE BLOW OUT. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2007 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE RIMS ON THE VEHICLE WERE VERY RUSTY. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER, BUT THE DETAILS OF THE DIAGNOSIS COULD NOT BE PROVIDED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 136,210. THE CONSUMER REQUESTED A STATUS UPDATE. UPDATED 10/04/2017*JS