2022 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER Service Brakes Problems

When I am slowing down and coming to a stop, my car will surge forward. It feels like my brakes stop working for a second and that I pressed the accelerator. It has happened on flat road, hills and turns.

I reported twice to Tustin Toyota that my car seemed to have a strange braking issue. It felt like the car lurched/lunged forward as I was braking. Every time I brought it into service, I verbally mentioned it to the technician checking my vehicle in. I was repeatedly told there was no issue. Turns out there is an active bulletin (T-SB-0059-23) that came out but now my vehicle is out of warranty and they won't fix it unless I pay out of pocket. Why was the dealership not aware. Why is this not a recall for all affected years regardless of warranty? There have been multiple reports online with people have the same issue.

While driving my 2022 Toyota Highlander (VIN: [XXX] , 29,427 miles), I have experienced multiple recurring safety defects that Toyota has been unable or unwilling to repair under warranty. •Front collision sensors frequently trigger without any object present, creating a risk of unexpected emergency braking at freeway speeds. •Transmission hesitates and surges unpredictably, sometimes propelling the vehicle into traffic. •In heavy rain, my windshield wipers activated on their own and multiple system failure warnings appeared (including ABS failure), nearly causing a crash. •Persistent startability issue when fuel is below half a tank. •Seatbelt malfunction caused a passenger to strike their head. •Seat heater failure, seat separation, persistent coolant odor, and nonfunctional factory wireless charger since purchase. These defects are intermittent but recurring, and their unpredictability increases the danger. Toyota and the dealer have failed to duplicate the issues during short test drives, but they continue to occur during normal operation. This vehicle remains under factory and extended warranty, yet repairs have been denied. I believe these defects pose a serious risk to myself, my passengers, and others on the road. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

When applying the brakes at speeds less than 40 miles per hour, the car will surge forward at a point during braking process. This happens regularly but not every time brakes are applied. This is an issue as the car surges forward during braking.

Car lunges forward while constant braking. Problem is not consistently repeatable and occurs at various speeds, road conditions, and weather conditions. It seems to be in the transition between regenerative braking and mechanical braking from the hybrid system. The car will coast for a brief moment while braking increasing the stopping distance and time required to come to a complete stop. We've noticed this issue since we bought the car

Sudden acceleration when applying the brakes. This has happened several times

We have noticed that when we brake the vehicle, it intermittently LURCHES FORWARD very fast while you are breaking and trying to stop! This is extremely unsafe! We need to stop and brake and not go forward. It does this unexpectedly with no notice and does not always do it consistently but we have noticed it is getting worse and worse and we are worried we will hit another car in front or even a person because the car will not stop on time. When I looked online, this is a well known issue on Toyota Highlanders, especially hybrids like ours and Toyota has done nothing to fix this dangerous problem. They have even told car owners to drive slower but I can tell you it doesn’t seem to matter if I’m going 25 mph or faster or slower- the car gives no notice and goes FASTER while you are trying to stop!!!!! Please help us Toyota Highlander owners!!!! This car gives us no warning whatsoever. It is not consistent. But when it does this it is VERY scary!

When braking the brakes will occasionally “quit”, causing unexpected acceleration. They kick back on if I stomp hard on the brake, causing the occupants to jolt forward. It could easily cause a collision if an unexpected vehicle or pedestrian were in the way, and could cause a rear end collision were I to have someone following close behind and hard brake unexpectedly. This has been reported to the dealership but they have been unable to replicate it. It happens intermittently, primarily when braking on a slight downhill slope. The issue has been since the vehicle was new. No warning lights or alerts activate inside.

Degenerative breaking. When breaking sometimes it jolts- seems to lose braking power. This is a safety hazard. It could cause a crash.

Loss of brake sensation when slowing down through 20-25mph. Brake pedal takes a sudden plunge and car surges forward, forcing the driver to suddenly have to push hard on the brakes in order to stop. Usually happens under moderate braking, especially when there is a slight downhill grade. Toyota dealer confirms that it happens but says there are no codes and there is nothing they can do. Toyota dealer service advisor has had it happen to him while driving. This happens regularly, as often as 2-3 times per week, and can be reproduced.

When I brake, the SUV feels like it accelerates/surges forward rather than slowing down. I need to apply the brakes hard to then stop the vehicle. I never know when it will happen but it happens very often.

when I slow down to make a right or left turn I apply pressure to the brake pedal and my vehicle brakes feel like they are "gulping: or not holding, causing my vehicle to lurch forward slightly. This has been happening since I purchsed in July 2022. I replaced my tires last month thinking it was the tires, but the vehicle still lurches forward when braking in a turn. I will put the last time this occurred in your details below

See attached document for complaint

On March 16, 2024 this vehicle experienced a complete brake system failure. This is a very serious braking issue and the vehicle has had several braking incidents leading up to the complete failure. Toyota Motor Corp has dismissed the issue each time as there have been no codes or warning lights prior to this incident. We filed a complaint concerning this braking issue on June 12, 2023, Ref#11526496 Since that first report there have been several other incidents where the brake pedal went soft and depressed to the floor as the vehicle accelerated forward. Since the complete system failure occurred on a Saturday, as of this writing, it has not yet been reported to the service department. We filed a complaint with Toyota Motor Corp stating that this is a very serious safety concern that could lead to injury or death and they dismissed it.

Brakes vibrate at highway speeds above 60 mph. Car does stop but steering wheel and seat noticeably shake. Car only 1 year old and started during winter. Seems to be related to TSB-0072-18 but does not cover my vehicle year.

Occasionally when slowing to a stop, the brakes feel like they slip and i begin to speed up suddenly. Pressing hard on the brakes stops the car again. This is a safety issue if for example you were braking for someone in a crosswalk or a car in front of you. The dealer was unable to reproduce the issue. It happens maybe once a week, for the last several months. They examined the brakes and said they are fine. No warning lights.

Unexpected brake failure; While driving at a slow 20 to 30 mph speed lightly braking anticipating a stop at a stop sign my car will unexpectedly surge and jolt the car forward while I'm applying maximum brake force to the peddle. I took it to the local Toyota dealer they checked it out and couldn't find or replicate the problem. I was told that possibly my driving habits or I may have my foot on the brake while still on the accelerator?? When this happens there are NO warning indicators or audible sounds either lit on the instrument panel prior to or after the event. This event on this day propelled my car approximately 6 ft past the crosswalk into the intersection of a four way stop.

A few months after the winter of 2022/2023 the car started making noise and shaking while breaking, the car was taken for regular maintenance at the dealer and I was told everything was fine on April/2023, it just got worse over time and the breaks are now failing and not stopping properly due to huge clusters of rust in the rotors. Car was taken again to the Toyota dealership and they said the warranty does not cover the rotors as they are considered wear and tear parts, rotor isn't worn but has increased in thickness in the areas were the clusters of rust are. After speaking to another mechanic I was told it happened because of the low quality steel of the rotors used by Toyota, which do not perform well in a climate where salt and other chemicals are used to treat the roads. The breaking quality has reduced so much the vehicle is taking twice as long to stop putting myself and others at risk.

The brake system on the 2022 Toyota Highlander Hybrid malfunctioned momentarily this weekend (7/8/23 was date of incident) in North Kington, RI. While coming to a gradual stop at a stop light, the brakes momentarily stopped working and felt like the car lunged forward before the auto braking system activated since there was a stopped vehicle in front of us. My foot was on the brake pedal but the brakes just stopped working for a moment. I've read in other toyota forums that this has happened to others with 2022 hybrid highlander models. The same issue happens when applying the brakes going down hill and going over a bump. I'm bringing the vehicle to the toyota dealer this week. No warning lights ahead of the problem.

While driving on the highway at an average speed of 40-60 mph and applying the brakes, I experience a noticeable shaking in the whole car and can also feel the tires shaking. I took my car to the Toyota dealer, and they confirmed that the rotors and brake pads are in good condition. However, I still do not feel safe driving my car at this point.

On June 26 2023 the vehicle didn't stop automatically when another car was in view in the intersection, the automatic breaking system didn't work and the air bags didn't deploy,

When I am slowing down to a stop usually when im going down hill the brakes will fail and the car lunges forward. It will fell like I am stepping on air. I have taken ot to the dealership but they have been unable to duplicate the issue so I dont know what else to do. At the begining it was pretty rare but now it is happening more often

While driving in town and coming to a stop sign at a four way intersection I applied the brakes at under 15 to 20mph to stop and my vehicle lurched forward and my brakes were unresponsive. The brake peddle got very spongy for a split second and immediately returned to normal. When I finally stopped my Highlander was half way out into the intersection. This is about the third time it has happened since I got the car in April 14, 2022. Each time it has happened I remember the roadway surface being very rough and full of small potholes or a uneven braking surface.

On multiple occasions the breaks appear to momentarily slip, resulting in the car lunging forward. This tends to happen when slowly decelerating, especially when going down hill. It happens at random, regardless of weather or road conditions. I reported the issue to Toyota two services ago and they stated they were unable to replicate the issue despite driving my car 20 miles. Their best guess was that the ABS system is engaging briefly (Ok. That's an issue. They say there's nothing they can do). Both my husband and I have experienced this issue. It's incredibly unnerving and I'm worried it has potential to cause an accident. I have noticed an increase in occurrence over the past few months. I try to document the date and time of each incident. Additionally, the few times I've needed to brake suddenly (rare because I stay pretty far behind the car in front of me at all times, especially given my concerns) the breaks take a moment to register. When you need to break immediately and press on the breaks firmly to do so, they should respond instantly. That does not happen here. There's a few moments of no response before they finally engage. All in all, the breaks/breaking system on this car really worry me.

According to Toyota, the wire harness needs to be replaced due to damages caused by animals (rodents). My main concern is, this vehicle is not safe to drive. Because if a midsize animal could find its way inside the engine compartment and caused so much damages to a car I drive every day, what would happen if a snake or a rat shows up inside the cabin while driving at 65 or 70 mph. Secondly, what types of materials are used to make these wires and other components in the vehicle? Why are these animals attracted to them in the first place? As much as the news was chocking to me because it was the first time that I have heard of that kind of stuff, when I went online in some Toyota owners forums, that issue is prevalent in Toyotas. Even the rep. from Toyota whom I spoke to earlier stated that her cousin who owns a Toyota had to deal with the same issue. Why nothing has been done to fix the problem?

I only have 8500 miles on my car and when driving in when I hit the brakes it vibrates. I went to the dealership to get the brakes checked and they wanted charge an inspection fee when the car is under 36000 miles which should be bumper to bumper warranty. I decided to my car to my mechanic and he told me it was the rotors. The mechanic told me this has to be a faulty rotors because that is not enough miles for normal wear and tear. I have scheduled an appointment tomorrow 1/17/23 at the Toyota dealership in Ontario, CA for inspection. I have extended warranty with -0- deductible and they wanted to charge me $195 inspection fee. I got really mad and they are supposedly doing an exception.

My mother was killed on 5/27/22 by her brand new 2022 Highlander Platnum with about 2000 miles on it. There wasn’t anyone inside her car at the time of her wrongful death. No person’s car should kill it’s owner in her own driveway at anytime especially when the car was empty. The Police report has not been completed by the local Police department yet. The day before the accident she took her car to her dealership Hansel Toyota Petaluma at 9am where she bought her car only a few weeks earlier bc her front bumper had fallen off on the freeway to ask them to put her bumper back on but Hansel Toyota of Petaluma refused her reasonable request. What they told my parents was to go file a claim with her auto insurance carrier. So they did. The next day my mother was run over and killed by her own car. Why did Hansel Toyota refuse to fix my mother’s front bumper that day? Isn’t that their job? Isn’t that their legal responsibility? Doesn’t the front bumper affect the safety the vehicle? So why did Hansel Toyota of Petaluma refuse service when the car’s warranty was in effect? We feel my mother was wrongly killed by a machine that malfunctioned. Her front bumper was dragging on the ground for a few miles on the freeway when it abruptly fell off and hence exposed a metal part of the car. This unfortunate event should never have happened. Our mother would still be alive today had it not been for other peoples irresponsible behavior. We believe the missing bumper played a role in her death. We also believe her car malfunctioned that led to her wrongful death.

While driving at a constant speed of approximately 45 mph the vehicle suddenly skidded sideways and launched to the right, causing us to nearly hit a guardrail. I dropped speed to 30 mph and this continued to occur at random for the next 10 miles until destination was reached. Road conditions were patchy snow up to fully covered in snow. Other vehicles passed at 50+ mph with no issues. No warning lights/messages or traction control light turned on. Today the same issue occurred while driving 15mph that caused the vehicle to almost run into a parked car. This has occurred at random over the past two days. All instances occurred while driving at a constant speed, no brakes were being applied and while driving in a straight line. This isn’t the first time the vehicle has been driven in these road conditions but first time problem has occurred. This is a safety hazard for my wife and child due to the fact the driver looses control at random and vehicle veers off to the side. Putting them at risk of impacting objects near the road or veering into oncoming traffic, putting other drivers at risk. Car was brought to the Toyota dealer 11/14. They plugged it into their computer and no codes were active. No open recalls either. I went for a drive , was given 5 minutes of their time, with the shop manager and the problem didn’t present itself. They said there was nothing else they could do. There was a recall on the VSC, vehicle stability control, but that was fixed on this vehicle in July 2022. Vehicle acts like a sensor or module isn’t calibrated correctly and causes either/or braking and acceleration to be applied in a manor that will result in a crash. Vehicle is not safe to drive.

1. The engine was on while the 'hold' feature was enabled. I've used this feature numerous times before. This time, the 'hold' feature was on for about 5+ minutes, I heard 3 consecutive beeps out of nowhere followed by the engine restarting on it's own as if the push start button was pressed. At that time, the vehicle lunged forward causing me to brake, missing the vehicle in front of me. This happened while waiting at the school drop off lane. Vehicle also lags during acceleration and stalls especially when getting up to speed on the freeway/highway. 2. My children and I could have rear ended the vehicle in front of us which in turn, could have caused a chain reaction with thr vehicles all in front of us (at least 15+ vehicles before mine). We could have been seriously injured, families / staff walking in and out of the parking lot could have been hurt. Regarding the acceleration lag and stalling, we could potentially be at risk of getting hit waiting for the vehicle to pick up speed. 3. My vehicle is at the dealership currently, waiting to hear back from them as there are other numerous reoccurring issues with this vehicle which the dealership I purchased from failed to fix three times prior. 4. The issues have only been 'looked' by the dealership only. The initial dealership failed to have the Regional Engineer come onsite to investigate. I was told my issues were non concerning. 5. Regarding the vehicle lunging, in that instance, the only warning were the three consecutive beeps, no error lights or errors were observed. Regarding acceleration problems, there are no errors or sounds indicating problems thus far when the issue takes place. I have a list documenting the various issues I have experienced thus far with the first problem starting after owning the vehicle for about 3 months.

When braking, and going down a slight grade, and when there is a slight bump in the road, the brakes seem to cut out for a second or surge. This will only last for a second and then the brakes will engage again. This could cause an accident if the car in front of me stops suddenly. On the lane departure warning, if an on ramp is merging into lanes (truck by passenger lanes on I-5 in Portland), the lane departure gets confused by the merging lane markings and alters the steering. This could cause a crash

The contact owns a 2022 Toyota Highlander. The contact stated while driving 35-40 MPH and attempting to accelerate to enter the highway, the accelerator pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle responded sluggishly. The vehicle emitted abnormal sounds as though the transmission was in neutral. The contact depressed the accelerator pedal all the way to the floorboard and the vehicle responded as intended. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact was able to continue driving. Additionally, the contact stated that while driving 40 MPH, the brake pedal was depressed but hesitated to respond, causing 20 feet stopping distance delay. The contact stated that the failure mainly occurred in wet conditions, snowy conditions while driving approximately 60 MPH. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and test driven. The dealer informed the contact that though the vehicle was sluggish, it was not concerning. However, the failure reoccurred increasingly. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for a second and third time. The dealer test drove the vehicle and informed the contact that they could not duplicate the failure. Additionally, the contact stated that there was a strong burning wire coating smell coming from grill radiator while driving approximately 60 MPH. The contact stated that there was a metallic rotating sound coming from the air conditioning vent while using the heat. The contact stated that the sound persisted after turning off the vehicle. The contact also stated that there was an abnormal sound coming from the rear passenger’s side subframe while reversing. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and a case was opened. The contact was awaiting a call back. The failure mileage was approximately 1,800.

Mileage: 1,800

WHEN PARKED FOR 15 TO 20 MINUTES WITH THE ENGINE RUNNING THEN MOVING FORWARD THE BRAKES DO NOT WORK. ACCORDING TO SAN MARCOS TOYOTA THIS IS NORMAL. SPEED OD VECHILE IS LESS THAN 5 MILES PER HOUR NO BRAKES AND THIS CAUSED A VERY MINOR REAR END COLLUISN. ACCORDING TO SERVICE THE BRAKE BOOSTER SHUTS 0FF.

When coming to a stop, intermittently the brakes feel like they disengage for a moment before kicking back in and lunging me forward. The first time it happened I thought my foot has slipped off the brake pedal. When I happened again, I knew something was wrong and started noting when it happens and the driving conditions. I have taken it in the dealer 4 times now, have opened a ticket with Toyota and have been told since they can’t reproduce the problem there isn’t much they can do to fix it. The service manager did advise that a scan of my car revealed my ABS/skid kicked in at one of the times I noted, but that was it. This malfunction is typically at low speeds and when apply the brake on a curve. There is no reason the abs to kick as as this doesn’t occur when slamming on brakes, but normal braking. No warning lights have been noted on my car and confirmed by the dealership. I believe this could be a problem either causing a rear-ended or possibly a pedestrian crossing in the right conditions. The sensation is very unnerving and since it’s intermittent, I believe something is not right. I have also found an online forum with multiple users reporting the same problem. https://www.toyotanation.com/threads/2021-highlander-hybrid-platinum-not-braking-properly.1694783/page-5#post-14619325