NHTSA Complaint #10334184 — 2007 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER HYBRID

RE. TOYOTA 2007 HIGHLANDER HYBRID BRAKING FAILURE RESULTING IN A HIGH SPEED COLLISION. I WAS INVOLVED IN AN ACCIDENT THAT OCCURRED ON THRUWAY 87 IN THE STATE OF NY WHICH WAS LARGELY THE RESULT OF THE BRAKES ON MY HIGHLANDER HYBRID NOT FUNCTIONING PROPERLY. WHAT HAPPENED: I WAS HEADING NORTHBOUND TRAVELING 65 MPH WITH TRAFFIC ON THE THRUWAY A LITTLE MORE TOWARDS THE HEAVY SIDE BUT TRAFFIC WAS MOVING SMOOTHLY. APPARENTLY, SEVERAL VEHICLES A HEAD OF ME, A GOAT RAN ONTO THE THRUWAY AND A TRACTOR TRAILER LOCKED HIS BRAKES UP AND CAME TO A STOP. THERE WERE PROBABLY THREE VEHICLES BETWEEN THE TRUCK AND MYSELF AND FIRST TWO VEHICLES QUICKLY MOVED INTO THE LEFT LANE WITH THE LAST VEHICLE PRACTICALLY SWERVING INTO A SPACE THAT HARDLY FIT HIS VEHICLE AT THE LAST MOMENT. THIS QUICK MOVEMENT ALERTED ME TO BE ON GUARD AND I MOVED MY FOOT OVER TO THE BRAKE PEDAL. THE TRUCK DIDN'T HAVE BRAKE LIGHTS OR FLASHERS ON NOR HAD THERE BEEN ANY BRAKE LIGHTS VISIBLE TO ME TO INDICATE SLOW MOVING TRAFFIC AHEAD SO I WAS STILL TRAVELING AT 65 MPH BEFORE REALIZING AFTER A SHORT DELAY THAT THE TRUCK WAS AT A STAND STILL. I QUICKLY DECIDED THAT THE LEFT LANE WAS FULL SO I COULDN'T SWERVE LEFT, THE RIGHT LANE HAD A GUARD RAIL THERE BUT LOOKED LIKE THERE MIGHT BE ENOUGH ROOM TO SQUEEZE BY ON THE SHOULDER ALBEIT WITH A HIGH RISK OF FLIPPING, SO I CHOSE TO BRAKE AND SQUARE UP ON THE TRUCK'S BUMPER. I WAS ABOUT 90 TO 100 YARDS OUT WHEN I STARTED BRAKING. I FELT THE ANTI-LOCK BRAKES PULSING HARD AND THE VEHICLE WAS SHUDDERING HARD. AFTER ABOUT 5 TO 10 PULSES, THE BRAKES STOPPED WORKING AND THE VEHICLE COASTED BUT DOING THIS AT 50 MPH+ AND THIS GOES ON FOR 40 YARDS OR SO UNTIL RIGHT BEFORE IMPACT. I FELT THE ANTI-LOCK BRAKES START KICKING IN AGAIN BUT IT WAS TOO LATE. I HIT THE REAR OF THE TRACTOR TRAILER AT AROUND 50 MPH AND STOPPED DEAD. I HAD CALLED MY TOYOTA DEALERSHIP SEVERAL TIMES OF THE BRAKING PROBLEM (I.E., INCONSISTENT OPERATION ON ROUGH SURFACE) AND ALSO I LOGGED IT ON DOT'S WEBSITE BEFORE THE ACCIDENT. UPDATED IVOQ 09/15/10 *TR