2008 Toyota Highlander

When I started my 2008 Highlander Hybrid on Valentine’s Day and drove 3 car lengths from my drive way, my dash screen notified me with “Check ABS, Check Brake System, and Check VSC System” all with “Have your car checked by a dealer”. I reversed the car and returned to my driveway. My husband called a friend mechanic shop owner who ran the diagnostic report that showed a C1391code. I remembered I received a notification letter regarding this issue and called the dealer. Service agent indicated that without Toyota doing the diagnostic run on my vehicle, they could not give me any quote on the price, but notified me that the letter I received had expired on December 31, 2020 or 10 years or 150,000 miles. My Highlander had this alert screen notification at 144,000 miles. I was told I would be responsible for repair charges. Feeling very frustrated, I called the Toyota corporate number and spoke to a female who then connected me with a supervisor. I explained my experience and the representative explained the notification letter had expired and was unlike a recall, which was indefinite. I emphasized to him that since Toyota knew this was a problem, how could they put an expiration date on the failed Brake Booster Actuator Pump Assembly that they clearly knew was a brake problem. Furthermore, Toyota, which I have been a loyal owner of five vehicles, had only allowed one year + for their accountability to the fixing the brake assembly parts. This meant it was a luck of the draw depending on miles driven for the brake assembly to fail during the little more than a year notification period for Toyota to be responsible for replacing the parts. I find this to be very unfair and unjust. I voiced my opinion to the 800 number a second time, & was told that if the NHTSA had determined it a recall, no expiration date. As a senior citizen who is on a fixed income, I believe Toyota should fix all Brake Booster Actuator Pumps that fail and NHTSA should demand a recall.

The Brake Actuator Assembly and Brake Booster Pump Assembly have failed on my 2008 Toyota Highlander Hybrid. As I understand, this is a common problem for my vehicle and Toyota has agreed to fix it if the mileage is under 150,000 miles (which mine is) AND the time since first use is less than 10 years (which is not the case.) For this safety issue, I think Toyota should be standing behind the safety of their vehicles and fix my brake pump. This is putting my family at risk. This issue has been confirmed by my local independent auto service company. The warning lights came on after the failure (brake, ABS, master warning, traction control).

On November 26, 2021 my 2008 Highlander Hybrid started displaying Check ABS, Check VSC System, Check Brake System and Brake Malfunction, errors on the display screen. I could feel the the grinding noise and brake pedal seemed different than normal. The Brake Malfunction error was displayed with a warning to "Stop the vehicle in a safe place immediately, and contact a dealer". I bought a vehicle diagnosis code reader and it showed C1391 (Abnormal Leak in Accumulator Pressure). I received the same code late last year in 2020 and took my vehicle to dealer. They told me that I was not driving my vehicle due to pandemic and the 12V battery went bad. They removed the errors and I replaced the battery from Walmart. I did not see the error code again until now (after 1 year). I received a Customer Support Program Bulletin letter (POL19-06) from Toyota in 2019 or early 2020 which mentioned C1391 as a verification of problem in vehicle. I showed it to the dealership during my 2020 visit and they said my vehicle is not covered. I believed them since I did not see the error again after replacing the 12V battery. Now I am having the same problem again. The ABS error was displayed on 11/26/2021. I was able to read and reset the ABS error code C1391 on 11/30/2021. The ABS error showed up again on 12/2/2021 while I was driving the car with my family in it. I had to reset it to reach home safely. It ABS error came back ON again before reaching home. I am unable to get it fixed because the extended warranty provided by Toyota for this known safety issue expired on 12/31/2020 and now I am billed for the replacement parts and labor ($4000). Toyota should have opened a recall for this faulty ABS system or should not have an expiry date to this program. After searching the internet I am also surprised that this problem is not only with Highlander Hybrid but though out Toyota and Lexus product lines. I request you to please ask Toyota to open a recall on this life threatening issue.

On January 19, 2021, after driving for about two hours, I suddenly started to hear an unusual knocking noise from the engine. I slowed down, but I was unable to pull over immediately because I was driving on a very dark two lane highway, with no safe shoulder. After the same noise continued for about five to ten minutes, a light began to flash indicating extremely low oil pressure, and warning that the car should stop immediately. At that point, fortunately, I was able to pull over at a gas station, where I discovered that oil was gushing from my engine onto the ground. I checked my oil dipstick and noted that the car had no oil, and was thus inoperable. I was extremely concerned that the engine had been damaged while being driven with little to no oil. In 2014, Toyota issued a notice of a Warranty Enhancement Program – ZE2, related to extending warranty coverage for repairs related to a leaking or seeping engine oil cooler pipe. I never received any owner notification of this issue in 2014. Toyota refused to pay for the repair in 2021, and now in November 2021, the engine has quit due to the damage incurred in January 2021. The engine oil cooler pipe is defective and my family could have been seriously injured or killed by its catastrophic failure.

On September 25, 2021, my husband was driving our 2008 Highlander locally to the store. The low pressure light came on and said pull over immediately. He pulled over and and checked the oil dip stick and our car was totally out of oil. He also notice oil under our car and a line of oil going up the street. The following day, I contacted Toyota Experience Center and was informed their were no service campaigns on my Highlander. I had the car towed to my local mechanic and he verified that the car had no oil and replaced the failed oil cooler hose. My concern is that the oil cooler hose failed, draining all of the oil in minutes. I feel this is a safety issue because of how rapidly it occurred and If we couldn't immediately stop the car our engine could have seized up and made the car stop.

On approx. August 13, 2021, my 2008 Toyota Highlander Hybrid vehicle began making grinding sounds when the brake is fully depressed while the transmission lever is set to "drive". On approx. August 20, 2021, my vehicle started showing 4 error messages on the display: Brake Malfunction, Check ABS, Check VSC System, and Check Brake System. The Brake Malfunction error was displayed with a warning to "Stop the vehicle in a safe place immediately, and contact a dealer". At the same time, these 5 warning lamps became illuminated: Brake System Warning Light and Warning Buzzer (Red), Brake System Warning Light (Yellow), Master Warning Light (Yellow), ABS Warning Light (Yellow), and SLIP Indicator (Yellow). A car repair technician obtained the following error codes from the vehicle in a diagnosis: C1241 (Low or High Power Supply Voltage), C1253 (Pump Motor Relay), and C1391 (Abnormal Leak in Accumulator). I was informed that the VSC (vehicle stability control) safety feature of the vehicle is disabled while the error codes and messages are present. Toyota previously issued a customer support bulletin (No. POL19-06) on June 6, 2019, titled "Customer Support Program ZKC: Certain 2008-2010 Model Year Highlander Hybrid Vehicles Coverage for Brake Actuator Assembly and Brake Booster Pump Assembly". In the bulletin, Toyota acknowledged that its 2008-2010 Highlander Hybrid models had "certain internal malfunctions of the Brake Actuator Assembly". Affected error codes include C1391, C1252, C1256, and C1253. Affected warning lamps consists of all 5 of the warning lamps that were illuminated in my vehicle. Affected parts include 04008-26448 (Actuator Assy, Brake w/ Fluid) and 04008-51148 (Pump Kit, Brake Booster w/ Accumulator). Instead of issuing a recall for this hazardous defect, Toyota opted to offer "Customer Support Program ZKC". The malfunction that manifested my vehicle is not eligible for this program. Toyota should issue a proper recall to address this safety hazard.

MAY 2021 UPDATE: 2008 HIGHLANDER HYBRID 184,XXXMI I OWN A 2008 HIGHLANDER HYBRID IN GREAT SHAPE, MINUS INTERNAL LEAKAGE IN MY BRAKE ACTUATOR ASSEMBLY. MY CAR THREW THE DEATH CODE [C1391] WHICH IS THE INDICATION THAT THIS IS THE ISSUE. THE SCREEN INSIDE THE CAR FLASHED ABS // VSC // CHECK BRAKE SYSTEM. THE CAR WAS PURCHASED NEW FROM A DEALERSHIP AND HAS BEEN IN THE FAMILY EVER SINCE. THE "RECALL" ON THE ACTUATOR IS NOT ACTUALLY A RECALL, IT IS A "WARRANTY EXTENSION."AFTER RECEIVING A QUOTE FOR REPLACEMENT OF $4200CAD, I CONTACTED TOYOTA ABOUT MY ISSUE. MY HIGHLANDER HAS 184,XXXMI AND IS A 2008 SO IT IS BEYOND THE MILAGE OF THE EXTENDED WARRANTY (150,000MI) AND BEYOND THE END DATE OF THE INFINITY MILEAGE REPLACEMENT (NEW WARRANTY ENDED DEC 2020, OF COURSE). I CALLED TOYOTA, MADE A CLAIM, AND 24HRS LATER I CALLED BACK IN AND WAS DIRECTED TO SPEAK WITH THE WARRANTY DEPARTMENT MANAGER. ALTHOUGH MY APPROACH WAS DIRECT, THOROUGH, AND CALM, HE REALLY DIDN'T SEEM TO CARE. HE DEFENDED TOYOTA STATING THAT THEY "ALREADY WERE BEING VERY GRACIOUS BY EXTENDING THE CLAIM TO BEGIN WITH" AND THAT "THERE IS NOTHING WE CAN DO." I FIND THE FACT THAT TOYOTA RECOGNIZES THEY HAVE USED A FAULTY PART IN THEIR HIGHLANDERS, AND DID NOT LIST IT AS A "RECALL" (SO YOU COULD GET IT SWAPPED OUT BEFORE IT CAUSED PROBLEMS) IS RIDICULOUS. I MISSED THE CUT-OFF BY 5MO AND HIS ONLY RECOMMENDATION WAS TO CALL MULTIPLE DEALERSHIPS AND "SHOP AROUND" FOR A CHEAPER PART. ESTIMATED REPAIR COST: $4,200CAD