2015 Toyota Highlander Brakes Problems

I have noticed speed issues or high idling with this vehicle for a while. I committed a rear end collision with a vehicle on July 4, 2025, at approximately 2pm. My car rear ended his truck while it was stopped behind another vehicle. My vehicle sustained total damage to the front end. I was ticketed for not reducing speed to prevent a accident. The only warning light was that it need maintenance, which comes on prior to an oil change. My safety was put at risk because the car is idled too fast for the type of driving I do, which is small town and rural road driving. Due to the speed of this vehicle during normal driving, it's difficult to stop quickly to avoid an accident. If it was rainy and slippery, the situation could have been much worse.

NHTSA ID

11671284

Incident

Jul 4, 2025

The following error message appears:“Both accelerator and brake pads are depressed”. This is not actually being done.The vehicle will then brake suddenly on its own, and the driver must accelerate then brake quickly to disengage the automatic brake.This creates a highly dangerous traffic situation. It has occurred at high speeds on the expressway and makes merging into traffic especially risky.Vehicle has been inspected on 4 occasions by Toyota dealerships and they have failed to diagnose or repair the problem, simply stating that the problem "needs to go to corporate" and taking no further action. Issue has been reported to Toyota Nat'l Service Center and am now awaiting resolution with the regional service engineer.

NHTSA ID

11421324

Incident

Oct 31, 2018

BACK STOP LIGHT GET RAIN WATER! PASSENGER SIDE FRONT BREAK ALWAYS WEARING OUT BEFORE OTHERS BREAKS ! TRUNK DOOR AUTOMATIC BROKEN! 3 ROW SIT UNDER NEED GET RUSHED! SEAT BELT MOUNTED ON THE FLOOR IF YOU PUT MATS PULL YOU BACK ALL TIME ! AC WENT U TURN ON NOT WORKING RIGHT AWAY TAKE 5-10 MIN TO COOL DOWN !

NHTSA ID

11407432

Incident

Jan 20, 2018

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2015 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE APPROACHING A PARKING SPOT, WHEN THE VEHICLE ACCELERATED INDEPENDENTLY AND RAN OVER A PARKING SIGN. THE CONTACT STATED SHE WAS DEPRESSING ON THE BRAKE PEDAL BUT FAILED TO STOP THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT STATED NO WARNING LIGHT WAS ILLUMINATED. THE CONTACT WAS ABLE TO CONTINUE TO DRIVE THE VEHICLE TO HER DESTINATION. NO POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO LOCAL DEALER DOWNEAST TOYOTA (652 WILSON ST, BREWER, ME 04412: (866) 620-9023) AND WERE IT'S STILL BEING SERVICED. THE VEHICLE HAD NOT BEEN DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED AS OF YET. THE MANUFACTURER HAD BEEN INFORMED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 72,000.

NHTSA ID

11388992

Incident

Nov 20, 2020

Mileage

72,000 mi

TOUCH SCREENS AUDIO SYSTEM IS NOT WORKING FOR THE PASS TWO YEARS

NHTSA ID

11186021

Incident

Mar 15, 2017

Mileage

170,365 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2015 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER. WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED, THE CONTACT NOTICED THAT THE REAR SIDE MARKERS AND HEADLIGHTS RETAINED WATER. IN ADDITION, WHEN PARKING AND RELEASING THE BRAKE PEDAL, A LOUD UNKNOWN NOISE OCCURRED FROM THE REAR OF THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO NORTHRIDGE TOYOTA (LOCATED AT 19550 NORDHOFF ST, NORTHRIDGE, CA 91324, (833) 650-5833) WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THERE WAS MOISTURE IN THE HEADLIGHTS. THE DEALER RECOMMENDED REPLACING THE HEADLIGHTS DUE TO FAULTY SEALS. THE FAILURE WAS NOT COVERED BY A WARRANTY AND THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURES. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 45,665.

NHTSA ID

11171716

Incident

Nov 14, 2018

Mileage

45,665 mi

WHEN THE CAR HAD 20K MILES THE BRAKES WOULD SHAKE WHEN GOING DOWN HILL, TOOK IT IN BUT THEY FOUND NOTHING WRONG. I HAVE SINCE HAD THE ROTARS TURNED BRAKES REPLACED AND WHEN BRAKING THE BRAKES SHAKE REALLY BAD ITS SCARY. I HAVE ALSO HAD TOO MANY ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS WITH THE DOOR LOCKS ONE GOES OUT THEN NEXT WEEK ANOTHER, THE OUTLETS HAVE NEVER WORKED AND NOW THE STEREO IS GOING TO BE REPLACED BECAUSE IT BLACKS OUT AND RESTARTS CONSTANTLY.

NHTSA ID

11075232

Incident

May 2, 2016

Mileage

20,000 mi

ON 10/30/16 I TOOK MY 2015 HIGHLANDER TO A LOCAL TOYOTA DEALER FOR WARPED ROTORS. THEY AGREED THE ROTORS WERE WARPED AND SINCE IT WAS AT 35,000 MILES THEY REPLACED ALL 4 ROTORS UNDER WARRANTY PLUS 2 NEW BRAKE PADS WHICH I HAD TO PAY FOR. I NOTICED THE SAME ISSUE IN LATE MAY OF 2017 AND CALLED TO ASK ABOUT THIS. THEY SAID "WE DON'T WARRANTY WARRANTY WORK" AND SUGGESTED I CALLED TOYOTA HEADQUARTERS. ON JUNE 21, 2017 I CALLED TOYOTA AND FILED A COMPLAINT. I WAS TOLD TO TAKE THE CAR TO A DIFFERENT LOCAL DEALER, CLOSER TO MY HOME, AND THEY WOULD INSPECT THE ROTORS FOR A CHARGE. ON JULY 11, 2017 I DID THIS AND THE SERVICE REP TOLD ME SHE NOTICED THAT THE ROTORS WERE "BLUE" AND SHE NOTED THAT THEY SHOULD BE CHANGED. THE SERVICE MANAGER CALLED TOYOTA HEADQUARTERS WITH THIS INFO BUT THEY REFUSED TO COVER THIS, STATING THAT THIS WAS NORMAL WEAR AND TEAR. LATER THAT DAY I HEARD FROM THE TOYOTA HQ REP WHO REPEATED THAT TOYOTA COULD NOT COVER THIS. ON 8/7/2017 I FILED A COMPLAINT WITH VERMONT ATTORNEY GENERAL'S OFFICE. AS OF 10/10/17 THIS COMPLAINT IS STILL NOT RESOLVED AS THEY WON'T COVER THE REPAIR. THE CAR IS NOW AT 63,000. THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE. NOTE: ACCORDING TO TOYOTA NATION WEBSITE MANY OTHERS HAVE HAD THESE SAME ISSUES. BELOW IS THE RESPONSE FROM THE DEALER ON AUGUST 24, 2017. I DISCUSSED THIS SITUATION WITH OUR ASSISTANT SERVICE MANAGER. SHE DID CONTACT TOYOTA TO ASK THEM TO COVER THIS REPAIR AND THEY DECLINED. THEIR REASONING FOR THIS IS THAT THE CONDITION OF THE BRAKE ROTORS, I.E. THEY ARE BLUE, INDICATES A HEAT EVENT. THIS USUALLY RESULTS FROM HEAVY BRAKING, BRAKING WHILE GOING DOWNHILL OFTEN OR SOMETIMES IF THE BRAKES GOT HOT AND THEN WENT THROUGH COOL WATER. IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO ADDRESS THIS WITH TOYOTA FURTHER, I ENCOURAGE YOU TO REACH OUT TO THE TOYOTA CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE CENTER AT 800-331-4331 OR VIA EMAIL USING THIS FORM. . .

NHTSA ID

11033450

Incident

Oct 10, 2017

Mileage

35,000 mi

WE WERE DRIVING DURING HEAVY RAINS AT FREEWAY SPEEDS. TRAFFIC WAS SLOWED AHEAD. THE SYSTEM SIGNALS AN ALARM THAT TRAFFIC AHEAD IS SLOWING, A VERY NICE FEATURE. HOWEVER, WHILE THE ALARM WAS GOING OFF, I DEPRESSED THE BRAKE PEDAL WITH ZERO RESPONSE, LIKELY DUE TO THE ABS NOT WANTING ME TO SLIDE ON THE WET ROADS. HOWEVER AS I GOT CLOSER AND CLOSER TO THE SLOWED TRAFFIC AHEAD, I NEEDED TO PRESS THE BRAKE HARDER AND HARDER. THE BRAKES SIMPLY STOPPED DECELERATING THE HIGHLANDER AND WE SMASHED INTO THE BACK OF A SMALLER VEHICLE. WHILE I APPRECIATE ABS AND THE DESIRE TO PREVENT SLIDING, I MUST BE ABLE TO STOP MY VEHICLE. I HAVE READ COUNTLESS COMPLAINTS ABOUT THIS OCCURRING, YET I DO NOT SEE A RESOLUTION.

NHTSA ID

10924550

Incident

Nov 5, 2016

Mileage

9,500 mi

HAD A PROBLEM WITH A 13 MO. OLD HIGHLANDER(STILL UNDER WARRANTY). WAS BACKING INTO MY GARAGE WHEN THE BRAKE PEDAL SUDDENLY BROKE(RUBBER PIECE FELL OFF). IT CAUSED MY FOOT TO SLIP OFF THE BRAKE AND CONSEQUENTLY BACKED INTO A REFRIGERATOR WE HAD IN THE GARAGE. IT RUINED THE REFRIGERATOR AND DAMAGED THE BACK OF THE HIGHLANDER($1000+) WORTH OF DAMAGE. FILED A CLAIM WITH TOYOTA(CORPORATE) AND COOPERATED FULLY WITH THEIR INVESTIGATION. AFTER 4 MOS. OF GETTING NOTHING BUT A RUN AROUND FROM TOYOTA FINALLY GOT THEIR ANSWER TO THE PROBLEM. THEY SAID THE VEHICLE WAS FINE(WHY THEN DID THE BRAKE PEDAL FALL APART?) AND THAT THEY DIDN'T CARE AT ALL ABOUT MY PROBLEM. THEY ALSO DIDN'T ANSWER WHY THE BRAKE PEDAL FELL APART IF 'ALL WAS FINE' AS THEY ASSERTED. KIND OF LIKE WHAT TOYOTA DID 6 OR 7 YEARS AGO WHEN THE ACCELERATOR PROBLEM FIRST SHOWED UP. BACK THEN THEIR FIRST REACTION WAS TO BLAME TH VICTIMS(OWNERS) FOR CAUSING THE PROBLEM!! I SUGGEST TO OTHERS TO NOT BUY A TOYOTA. AS MY PROBLEM SHOWS, IF AN UNUSUAL PROBLEM HAPPENS THEY WILL NOT STAND BEHIND THEIR VEHICLE OR DESIGN!!

NHTSA ID

10920473

Incident

Jan 10, 2016

Mileage

8,000 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2015 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER. WHILE DRIVING AT 5 MPH, THE BRAKES FAILED WITHOUT WARNING. AS A RESULT, THE CONTACT CRASHED INTO THE REAR END OF ANOTHER VEHICLE. THE AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. A POLICE REPORT WAS NOT FILED. THERE WERE UNKNOWN INJURIES SUSTAINED THAT REQUIRED MEDICAL ATTENTION. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO BE DIAGNOSED, BUT THE DEALER COULD NOT DUPLICATE THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 10,500. THE VIN WAS UNAVAILABLE.

NHTSA ID

10874007

Incident

Jun 12, 2016

Mileage

10,500 mi

DRIVING FORWARD INTO PARKING SPACE. JUST ABOUT STOPPED. PRESSED BREAK. CAR LURCHED FORWARD AT HIGHT SPEED SUDDENLY, CAUSING CAR TO JUMP CURB AT TOP OF PARKING SPOT AND CAREEN DOWN HILL (ONTO SIDE WALK). CAR OUT OF CONTROL FOR ABOUT 2 SECONDS. WAS ABLE TO BREAK IN HILL, WHICH PREVENTED ME FROM HITTING CAR PARKED PERPENDICULAR ON STREET BELOW. BOTTOM OF CAR SCRAPED CURB WHEN CAR JUMP CURB AND LURCHED FORWARD. BOTTOM FRONT BUMPER SCRAPED. THERE WAS AN ICY PATCH AT TOP OF PARKING SPACE. IT SEEMS LIKE WHEN WHEELS ROLLED ON TOP OF ICY PATCH, THE CAR LURCHED FORWARD. CAR MIGHT HAVE ACCIDENTALLY BEEN ON CRUISE CONTROL AT THE TIME.

NHTSA ID

10837168

Incident

Jan 30, 2016

Mileage

850 mi

WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS BEING DRIVEN, THE POWER CUT OUT AND A MESSAGE APPEARED ON THE DASH STATING THAT THE BRAKE AND ACCELERATOR WERE BEING DEPRESSED SIMULTANEOUSLY -- BUT THEY WERE NOT. THIS HAPPENED THREE TIMES IN A ROW. WE HAD THE VEHICLE TOWARD TO THE TOYOTA DEALER WHERE PURCHASED. THEY COULD NOT FIGURE OUT WHAT WAS WRONG AND ATTRIBUTED THE PROBLEM TO "DRIVER ERROR." THE DEALER'S MECHANIC PRODUCED A REPORT INDICATING THAT SIMILAR MALFUNCTIONS HAD OCCURRED IN THE PRIOR TWO MONTHS WITH NO NOTICE TO THE DRIVER. TOYOTA COULD PROVIDE NO EXPLANATION FOR THIS. TOYOTA CLAIMS THAT NOTHING IS WRONG AND REFUSES TO REPAIR OR REPLACE THE VEHICLE.

NHTSA ID

10787272

Incident

Sep 20, 2015

Mileage

9,000 mi

POPPING SOUND COMING FROM RIGHT FRONT SIDE WHEN BREAKING TO A STOP AT ALL SPEEDS. THE PROBLEM WAS FIRST NOTICED AT AROUND 2500 MILES AND THE CAR WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER AT AROUND 2900 MILES. DEALER INSPECTED IT AND COULDN'T FIND WHAT THE PROBLEM WAS. THEN AS INSTRUCTED BY TOYOTA REPLACED THE RIGHT FRONT STRUT ASSEMBLY BUT THAT DIDN'T FIX THE PROBLEM. THE CAR WAS RETURNED TO ME AND I WAS TOLD THERE WERE NO SAFETY CONCERNS AND THAT TOYOTA WAS SENDING ONE OF THEIR TECHS TO TROUBLESHOOT, BUT THAT MAY TAKE A COUPLE OF WEEKS. IN THE MEAN TIME THE PROBLEM SEEMS TO BE GETTING WORSE.

NHTSA ID

10774161

Incident

Aug 4, 2015

Mileage

2,500 mi

CLUNKING NOISE FROM REAR END OF VEHICLE WHEN BRAKING, DEALER WAS AUTHORIZED TO CHANGE REAR AWAY BARS AND SHOCKS, NO FIX, NOW TOYOTA CORP., SAYS THIS IS NORMAL CHARACTERISTIC OF VEHICLE ? I DON'T FEEL SAFE DRIVING VEHICLE WITH NOISE, AND AS BRAKES FEEL SOFT ALSO.

NHTSA ID

10746188

Incident

May 1, 2015

Mileage

3,500 mi