NHTSA Complaint #10790072 — 2008 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER HYBRID

WHILE DRIVING ABS, VSC AND CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ILLUMINATED, I CONTINUED DRIVING (WAS 10 MILES FROM HOME ON FWY). FIVE MINUTES LATER I ENCOUNTERED TRAFFIC, TRAVELING AT 40-50 MPH I TOOK FOOT OFF GAS AND BEGAN TO APPLY BRAKES. BRAKES IMMEDIATELY SEIZED AND THE CAR STARTED TO SKID. I RELEASED THE BRAKES, THEN TRIED AGAIN, SAME RESULT. I PULLED TO SIDE OF FWY AND STOPPED. I DROVE SURFACE STREETS USING THE PARKING BRAKE WHEN I NEEDED TO STOP, UNTIL I GOT TO MY HOUSE. THAT EVENING AND THE NEXT MORNING I CHECKED TOE CARS OPERATION, IT DIDN'T MATTER IF I WAS TRAVELING IN FWD OR REVERSE, THE BRAKES IMMEDIATELY GRABBED AT THE SLIGHTEST APPLICATION OF THE PEDAL. I TOOK THE CAR TO A REPAIR SHOP, HE WITNESSED THE SAME CIRCUMSTANCE AND DID A COMPUTER DIAGNOSIS, WHICH INDICATED A NEW BRAKE ACTUATOR UNIT WAS NEEDED ($3000). MY PRIMARY CONCERN (AND MY MECHANIC'S) WAS THAT THERE WAS NO FAIL SAFE, IF THE UNIT MALFUNCTIONED I WOULD EXPECT THE ABS SYSTEM NOT TO WORK, NOT TO MAKE THE BRAKING SYSTEM COMPLETELY INOPERABLE. I NARROWLY AVOIDED BEING REAR-ENDED WHEN THEY MALFUNCTIONED ON THE FWY. I REPORTED THE PROBLEM TO TOYOTA MOTOR AS WELL (CASE #1511120583)