NHTSA Complaint #10761936 — 2006 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER HYBRID

WHILE DRIVING HOME FROM WORK IN NORMAL FREE-FLOWING TRAFFIC CONDITIONS ON THE FREEWAY, SEVERAL LIGHTS CAME ON THE DASH INDICATING BRAKE ISSUES INCLUDING VSC, ABS, SKID, PARKING BRAKE LIGHT. CONTINUED TO CAUTIOUSLY DRIVE HOME, BRAKES SEEMED OK. HAD OUR NON-DEALER MECHANIC LOOK AT THE BRAKES ALL WERE FINE AND HAD RECENTLY BEEN REPLACED. HE COULD NOT FIND A BRAKE ISSUE. TOOK TO THE LOCAL TOYOTA DEALER AND ONE CODE CAME UP C1391 "ABNORMAL LEAK IN ACCUMULATOR" AND WAS TOLD I NEEDED A NEW BRAKE ACTUATOR AT THE COST OF $3273.00. DIAGNOSTIC COST $138.00. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON DIAGNOSTIC PAPERWORK FROM DEALER SAYS, "CHECK FOR DTC'S FOUND C1391, CHECK FOR FLUID LEAKS, COULD NOT FIND LEAKS, CHECK ACCUMULATOR PRESSURE VOLTAGE (3.5 V), DEPRESSED PEDAL 4-5 TIMES ACCUMULATOR PRESSURE DROPS BELOW 3.0 V, RECOMMEND REPLACE BRAKE/ABS ACTUATOR". OTHER NOTES, SOME PART OF HYBRID SYSTEM SEEMS TO BE CYCLING EVERY FEW MINUTES. OVER THE YEARS, WHEN BRAKING, THERE HAVE BEEN TIMES WHERE THEY "JUMP" OR DON'T GRAB DURING BRAKE PRESSURE AND AFTER READING HAVE FOUND THIS COMPLAINT WITH OTHER OWNERS. I SEE THAT THE CAMRY AND THE LEXUS HAVE BOTH HAD THIS PART RECALLED/REPLACED BY TOYOTA AND WONDERING WHY, WHEN THIS IS LIKELY THE SAME HYBRID SYSTEM AND COMPONENT, THAT TOYOTA WILL NOT STEP UP TO THE PLATE AND OFFER THIS REPLACEMENT PART FOR OWNERS FOR FREE OR AT A DISCOUNT? THE OTHER VEHICLES HAVE HAD ACCIDENTS AS A RESULT OF THIS PART AND TOYOTA SHOULD STEP UP TO THE PLATE ON THE HIGHLANDER HYBRID.