NHTSA Complaint #10604630 — 2007 TOYOTA CAMRY HYBRID

WHILE DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY, THE BRAKE FAILURE LIGHT CAME UP AND THE BRAKES BECAME INEFFECTIVE. AS I WAS DRIVING, THE BRAKES WENT SOFT TO THE FLOOR, AND THEN ALL OF A SUDDEN ENGAGED. IT BRAKE SO HARD, IT FELT LIKE A HIT SOMETHING. A FEW DAYS LATER, THE BRAKE LIGHT, TRACTION/STABILITY CONTROL (VSC) AND ABS LIGHTS TURNED ON, AND CHECK VSC SYSTEM DISPLAYED. I TOOK IT TO TOYOTA DEALER AND THEY DIAGNOSED THE PROBLEM AS ABS ACTUATOR FAILURE AND MALFUNCTIONING OF THE REAR BRAKES. I CONTACTED TOYOTA ABOUT THE FAILURE AND THEY CLAIMED THAT MY SITUATION WAS ONE OF A KIND AND THERE WAS NOT PATTERN OF SIMILAR FAILURES FOR THIS MODEL. AFTER PROLONGED ARGUMENTS WITH TOYOTA AND THE DEALERSHIP, I COULD NOT GET THEM TO ADDRESS THE PROBLEM UNDER THE 100,000 MILES WARRANTY FOR THE HYBRID COMPONENTS OF THE CAR. I HAD TO PAY OVER $3,000 TO GET THE CAR REPAIRED. TODAY, I FOUND OUT (THROUGH CONSUMER REPORTS FORUMS) THAT THERE ARE OTHER OWNERS OF THIS CAR THAT HAVE FACED EXACTLY THE SAME PROBLEM, INDICATING THAT THIS IS NOT AN ISOLATED PROBLEM AND NEEDS TO BE INVESTIGATED BY NHTSA BEFORE SOMEONE IS SERIOUSLY INJURED OR LOSES LIFE. *TR