NHTSA Investigation PE14001

Brake Actuator malfunction

On June 25, 2014, Toyota initiated a Warranty Enhancement Program (ZE1) to extend warranty coverage for the brake actuator assembly and skid control ECU/brake pedal stroke sensor in certain MY 2007 to 2011 Toyota Camry hybrid vehicles. Toyota's program covers repairs related to two conditions:internal malfunctions of the Brake Actuator assembly; and overly sensitive monitoring logic for the Brake Pedal Stroke Sensor.Primary coverage provides warranty enhancement until November 30, 2015, with no mileage limitation.After the primary coverage period ends, secondary coverage is provided for 10 years or 150,000 miles from the date of first use, whichever occurs first.In addition, on July 10, 2014, Toyota initiated Limited Service Campaign E0U to replace the Brake Reservoir Tank in MY 2007 through 2011 Toyota Camry hybrid vehicles.The LSC will be available until June 30, 2017, and will only be available at an authorized Toyota dealer.ODI's analysis of failure data determined that the majority of records were related to the Brake Actuator condition, which appeared to be the causal component in 734 complaints/field reports and 864 warranty claims.The Brake Pedal Stroke Sensor (80 reports/189 claims) and Brake Reservoir Tank (91 reports/44 claims) conditions were identified in far fewer records.Analysis of the failure data indicate that each condition provides warning prior to any reduction in power assisted braking, with less than 10 percent of all reports and claims involving diagnostic codes or complaint narratives indicating increased braking effort or reduced brake effectiveness.In addition, most of the incidents in which reduced braking assist appears to have occurred involved operation in a reduced assist mode and not a sudden, complete loss of power assisted braking.ODI assessed reduced assist mode in a subjective driving evaluation which indicated that the brake system provided normal and harddeceleration capability with reasonable increases in pedal effort.Less than one percent of reports and claims analyzed by ODI included evidence indicating a complete loss of power assisted braking occurred and this mode requires operation for a significant period of time with multiple audible and visual warnings.Repair expense was cited in many of the complaints reviewed by ODI, especially those related to the Brake Actuator, which had repair costs exceeding $3,000 according to some complaints.High repair cost appears to have been a factor in the only crash identified by ODI for the fault conditions identified by Toyota, which involved a Brake Actuator failure that was diagnosed but the owner declined repair approximately eight months prior to the reported crash incident.This preliminary evaluation is closed.The closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding that a safety-related defect does not exist.For additional information regarding this investigation, including analysis of the Brake Actuator, Brake Pedal Stroke Sensor, and Brake Reservoir Tank fault conditions and failure experience, see Attachment A to this closing resume.

An investigation is a separate record from a recall and from a manufacturer communication. A manufacturer campaign to repair a safety defect or a failure to meet a federal safety standard.