← NHTSA complaints

2008 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER HYBRID — SERVICE BRAKES, ELECTRIC

crash · 757693 · 2010-02-04

Vehicle

Make
TOYOTA
Model
HIGHLANDER HYBRID
Year
2008
Manufacturer
Toyota Motor Corporation
Component
SERVICE BRAKES, ELECTRIC
Miles at failure
200
Speed
10 mph

Severity

Deaths
0
Injured
0
Fire
No
Crash
Yes
Police report
No
Medical attention
No
Vehicle towed
No

Narrative

MY WIFE WAS DRIVING THE HIGHLANDER IN THE FIRST WEEK WE HAD THE CAR. SHE WAS DRIVING IN SLOW MOVING RUSH HOUR TRAFFIC IN CAMBRIDGE MA AT LESS THAN 15 MPH. WHEN A CAR IN FRONT OF HER STOOPED QUICKLY, SHE HIT THE BRAKES WHICH INITIALLY STOPPED, BUT ON THEIR OWN RELEASED FOR A FRACTION OF A SECOND AND THEN RE-ENGAGED. THIS CAUSED HER TO HIT THE BACK OF ANOTHER CAR. INITIALLY WE REPORTED THIS TO TOYOTA AND WERE TOLD THAT IT HAD TO WITH THE HYBRID BRAKING SYSTEM. THIS TYPE OF BRAKE RELEASE HAS OCCURRED AT LEAST ON A WEEKLY BASIS AND BUT IS NOT CONSISTENT. WE HAVE BOTH LEARNED HOW TO DRIVE THE CAR MORE CONSERVATIVELY BECAUSE OF THE PROBLEM WITH THE BRAKE. TODAY THE CAR WAS BROUGHT INTO THE DEALERSHIP WHERE THIS BEHAVIOR WAS CONFIRMED BY TOYOTA AFTER DRIVING OUR CAR, AND WE WERE TOLD THAT THIS PROBLEM MAY BE RELATED TO THE BRAKING PROBLEM DESCRIBED IN THE PRIUS AS WELL. A LOW BATTERY WAS CHANGED, IN HOPE OF HELPING. *TR

Source

Authoritative
NHTSA ODI Flat-File Downloads
ODI Number
10305329
Machine
JSON-LD · Markdown