| Issue ID | 777486 |
| Internal NHTSA # | 10320164 |
| Manufacurer | TOYOTA MOTOR CORPORATION |
| Brand | TOYOTA |
| Model | HIGHLANDER |
| Model Year | 2008 |
| File date | 13/10/08 |
| Component | VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL |
| Product type code | VEHICLE |
| Description of the problem | Noted recently on mycarstats. Com six complaints registered with nhtsa regarding 2008 highlander brake problems and five complaints registered with nhtsa regarding 2008 highland electric problems that involve brakes and electronic controls. I am submitting the following experiences with my 2008 highlander because they mirror many of the complaints. The brakes on my highlander have been an issue from the first weeks of ownership. I have taken the car to a local toyota dealership and complained about the brakes. The dealership did adjust the emergency brake which they indicated was out of adjustment but have stated that the brakes are working normally. My specific complaint is brake response. There is roughly an inch of pedal travel before the brakes begin to respond. If one must make a hard emergency stop the vsc control will engage. On one occasion, while driving in town a car ran through a traffic light in front of me. I hit the brakes hard - the vsc light came on - and the car slowly stopped. There was no accident but it was extremely close. I have found that if i routinely press on the brake pedal until the vsc light comes on that the pedal travel is reduced. I took the highlander to aaa auto diagnostics and they confirmed the pedal/vsc. Aaa was unable to read the highlander computer because they did not have the proprietary toyota computer interface. The local toyota dealer has stated that the depressed pedal and vsc light response is normal. I also noted complaints of sudden acceleration when putting the car into gear. I have never experienced a surge to the degree mentioned in the complaints referenced above, however, while putting the car into drive with my foot on the brake i have had the car surge forward. I now always have the emergency brake on while putting the vehicle into drive. The date listed below is that of my first complaint to the local toyota dealer. |
| Vehicle Mileage at Failure | 10245 |
| Number of Occurences | 1 |
| Source of the issue | NHTSA WEB SITE |
| City and State | SANTA CLARA, CA |
| VIN pattern | JTEDS41A282XXXXXX |
| Was vehicle invloved in a crash? | N |
| Was vehicle involved in a fire? | N |
| Was incedent reported to police? | N |
| Was medical attention required? | |
| Was part original equipment? | |
| No. of injured persons | |
| No. of fatalities | |
| Date of purchase | 07/08/26 |
| Was original owner? | N |
| Anti-lock brakes | N |
| Cruise control | N |
| Number of cylinders | |
| Drive train type | |
| Transmission type | |
| Vehicle speed | 45 |
| DoT tire identifier | |
| Tire size | |
| Location of tire code | |
| Type of tire failure code | |
| Was defective tire repaired? | |
| Date of manufacture | |
| Type of child seat code | |
| Type of restraint | |
| Dealer's name | |
| Dealer's telephone number | |
| Dealer's city | |
| Dealer's state code | |
| Dealer's ZIP code |