2016 Toyota Highlander Brakes Problems

The contact owned a 2016 Toyota Highlander. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed low speeds on a decline, the brake pedal depressed all the way to the floorboard. As a result, the vehicle rolled downhill into a busy intersection and was struck by another vehicle on the passenger side door. The air bags did not deploy. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to a tow yard and deemed at total lose by the contacts insurance provider. A police report was filed with no injuries reported. The manufacturer was notified of the failure; a case was opened, and the contact was referred to the NHTSA hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 62,000.

NHTSA ID

11628348

Incident

Nov 11, 2024

I have had problems with the brakes since I bought the vehicle new in 2016. I have the brakes checked every year and when I had problems but they never found the problem why the brakes do not work. The worse accident was on November 19, 2022 when my wife was using the car. She was in the car alone. She went to brake and the brakes did not engage, she slammed on the brakes 4 times and the car did not even slow down and she rear-ended the car in front of her. The air bags did not engage and she was injured. The brakes do not always work, I have gone through stop signs and red lights but the dealership says there is no problem.

NHTSA ID

11540443

Incident

Nov 19, 2022

brakes did not work in January 13, 2023 when backing out of driveway. Have had numerous dealership look at it multiple times in last 4 years.

NHTSA ID

11526729

Incident

Jan 13, 1954

2 years ago I pulled my car, that was backed into the driveway out to turn it around to face in to the garage. As I pulled forward going very slowly I pressed on the brakes and the rubber pad on the pedal came off and caused my foot to come off of the pedal. I hit my wife's car and caused some slight damage to my car and to hers. I contacted Toyota and they had my car inspected and gave me a report that the brakes worked fine. I have not replaced the rubber pad, because I am afraid the cover will come off again in a similar matter. I explained this to Toyota but they closed the case of my complaint. I believe this is a danger that can cause an accident.

NHTSA ID

11469658

Incident

Aug 10, 2019

I'VE HAD TWO SERIOUS INCIDENTS INVOLVING THE CAR'S AUTO BRAKING SYSTEM WE BOUGHT AS PART OF A SAFETY PACKAGE. BOTH WERE IDENTICAL. EACH TIME I WAS DRIVING ON A MAJOR HIGHWAY AND THE CAR DETECTED A POTENTIAL SIDE IMPACT CRASH. BOTH TIMES, I SAW THE HAZARD IN TIME AND GIVEN THE CLOSE PROXIMITY OF TRAFFIC BEHIND BE AND THE HIGH RATE OF TRAFFIC FLOW SPEED I DETERMINED MY BEST CHANCE AT AVOIDING THE CRASH WAS TO ACCELERATE PAST THE SIDE IMPACT HAZARD. THE CAR DISAGREED AND SLAMMED ON THE BRAKES. THIS CAUSED ME TO ALMOST LOSE CONTROL OF THE CAR BECAUSE MY SPEED BOTH TIMES WAS >70 MPH. AND IT WOULD HAVE CAUSED A SERIOUS MULTI-CAR COLLISION FROM BEHIND. THE FIRST TIME IT OCCURRED I WENT STRAIGHT TO A TOYOTA DEALER AND ASKED HOW TO 'TURN OFF' THE SYSTEM. THEY SAID THEY CAN'T WITHOUT DISMANTLING EVERY ASPECT OF THE CAR'S SAFETY FEATURES. AFTER WATCHING ANOTHER TOYOTA GO THROUGH WHAT I BELIEVE WAS A SIMILAR INCIDENT WHILE DRIVING THROUGH A TUNNEL RECENTLY, I AGAIN VISITED A TOYOTA. THEY SEEMED INTERESTED IN THE COMPLAINT BUT HAD NO IDEAS FOR ME AS TO WHAT TO DO ABOUT IT. SAID THEY'D RECEIVED NO OTHER COMPLAINTS, WHICH I FIND DIFFICULT TO BELIEVE.

NHTSA ID

11277025

Incident

Aug 15, 2019

Mileage

65,000 mi

BRAKES DID NOT WORK AND CAR WENT THROUGH A 4 WAY STOP SIGN. DATES WENT OUT: SEPTEMBER 2019, OCTOBER 2019. BRAKES FAILED ON A NORMAL DAY DRIVING UNDER 30 MPH IN RESIDENTIAL AREA.

NHTSA ID

11257590

Incident

Sep 22, 2019

Mileage

6,700 mi

AT LOW SPEEDS SUCH AS SLOWING FOR A STOP SIGN VEHICLE RANDOMLY BRAKES BY ITSELF WITH SUDDEN STOPPING OF VEHICLE. OCCUPANTS AND ITEMS IN VEHICLE ARE THROWN FORWARD. NORMAL BRAKE PRESSURE APPLIED. HAS HAPPENED TO BOTH MYSELF AND MY WIFE WHILE DRIVING. VEHICLE HAS BEEN TO SHOP MULTIPLE TIMES INCLUDING 1 REPLACEMENT OF 12V BATTERY AS A SOLUTION, HOWEVER VEHICLE CONTINUES TO HAVE ISSUES. LISTED DATE IS APPROXIMATE OF ORIGINAL OCCURRENCE. SOME INSTANCES CAPTURED ON DASH-CAM VIDEO.

NHTSA ID

11244727

Incident

Nov 17, 2017

Mileage

20,000 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2016 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 40 MPH, THE CONTACT HEARD METAL RUBBING ON THE FRONT BRAKES. THE FRONT BRAKE PADS, ROTORS, AND CALIPERS WERE REPAIRED BY ORLAND TOYOTA (8505 W 159TH ST, TINLEY PARK, IL 60487), BUT THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO ELMHURST TOYOTA (440 W LAKE ST, ELMHURST, IL 60126) WHERE IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THE BRAKE PADS WERE FINE; HOWEVER, THE ROTORS WERE NOT. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURES. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 77,000.

NHTSA ID

11243730

Incident

Aug 13, 2019

Mileage

77,000 mi

WHEN I AM ON REGULAR SPEED AND PUSH THE BREAK PADDLE THEN STARING IS SHACKING AND IT'S HAVE JUST 10000 MILES ON IT

NHTSA ID

11218216

Incident

Mar 1, 2019

Mileage

9,000 mi

STARTED COMPLAINING ABOUT BRAKES AT 10,000 MILES. THE DEALER TURNED REAR ROTORS AT 28,000 AND INSTALLED NEW PADS. NOW AT 37,000, THE FRONT ROTORS ARE WARPED ALSO. CANNOT BE TURNED DOWN.NO COVERAGE FROM THE DEALER. DEFECTIVE ROTORS ARE MY COMPLAINT. TOYOTA FORUMS COMPLAIN ABOUT THESES ROTORS ALL THE TIME.THE VEHICLE SHUTTERS AS BRAKES ARE APPLIED.

NHTSA ID

11209288

Incident

May 22, 2019

Mileage

37,000 mi

BRAKES HAVE A SLIGHT VIBRATION WHEN TRAVELING AT HIGH SPEEDS IN THE CITY AND SOMEONE IS STOPPED ON THE FREEWAY. MY LIGHTS HAVE DIMMED DRAMATICALLY SINCE I FIRST PURCHASED NEW. THE PASSENGER SIDE DAYTIME RUNNING LIGHT IS FULL OF MOISTURE. MOST IMPORTANTLY, THE TEMPERATURE SENSOR AND/OR AC FAN/MOTOR IS HALFWAY FUNCTIONING AT 38K! BY THIS, I MEAN THAT THE AC IN THE FRONT OF THE CAR KICKS ON AND OFF IN THE MIDDLE OF COOLING AND IT BLOWS 50% OF WHAT IT DID WHEN I BOUGHT THE CAR. CONVENIENT TOYOTA?

NHTSA ID

11151645

Incident

Sep 26, 2018

Mileage

35,000 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2016 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER. WHILE DRIVING 50 MPH, THE BRAKES MALFUNCTIONED WHEN THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER (PRIORITY TOYOTA SPRINGFIELD, 7601 LOISDALE RD, SPRINGFIELD, VA 22150, (703) 269-1400) TO BE DIAGNOSED, BUT NO FAILURE WAS FOUND. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 30,000.

NHTSA ID

11142329

Incident

Oct 23, 2018

Mileage

30,000 mi

WHILE PARKING IN A PUBLIC PARKING LOT, AT IDLE SPEED, THE BRAKES DID NOT STOP FORWARD PROGRESS. CAR STRUCK THE CURBING, CLIMBED ONTO THE DIVIDER, CROSSED THE DIVIDER AND BUMPED A PARKED CAR ON THE OTHER SIDE. WHILE THE CAR WAS IN MOTION, I PUMPED THE BRAKES, AND PUSHED THE GEAR SHIFT LEVER INTO THE PARK POSITION. AFTER VEHICLE STOPPED, I REVERSED CAREFULLY, WHEN THE VEHICLE CAME OFF THE DIVIDER, I SET THE FOOT BRAKE. AFTER TURNING OFF THE ENGINE, I OPENED THE HOOD AND MY SON AND I CHECKED THE BRAKE FLUID IN THE MASTER CYLINDER. IT WAS FULL. RESTARTED THE VEHICLE, PRESSED THE BRAKE PEDAL AND HAD MY SON CHECK THE DISTANCE OF THE PEDAL TO THE FLOOR OF THE VEHICLE. IT WAS ALMOST ON THE FLOOR. I CALLED AAA AND HAD THE VEHICLE TOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP. HAVE CONTACTED TOYOTA AND FILED A CLAIM WITH TOYOTA.

NHTSA ID

11124494

Incident

Sep 3, 2018

Mileage

28,000 mi

DRIVING DOWNHILL OR AT SPEEDS OVER 70 MPH, THE BRAKES WERE NOT EFFECTIVE TO STOP THE VEHICLE SAFELY. THE VEHICLE VIBRATES AND WAS DIFFICULT TO MANEUVER WITH CONFIDENCE. THE VEHICLE HAD DONE ONLY 25,000 MILES AND UNDER MANUFACTURER'S WARRANTY. THE DEALER SIMPLY MACHINED THE ROTORS AND PUT THEM BACK. HOPING IT WILL FIX THE PROBLEM AND NOT DUE TO DEFECTIVE ROTORS. SHOULDN'T TOYOTA LOOK INTO THIS MORE AND PERHAPS SUGGEST REPLACING THE ROTORS INSTEAD OF INSTALLING THE SAME ROTORS?

NHTSA ID

11121106

Incident

Jul 30, 2018

Mileage

25,000 mi

WHEN THE CAR IS FULLY LOADED, THE PARKING BRAKE FAILS TO KEEP THE CAR FROM MOVING WHEN ON A HILL.

NHTSA ID

11072443

Incident

Feb 1, 2018

Mileage

20,000 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2016 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 20 MPH, THE BRAKES MALFUNCTIONED AND THE CONTACT'S VEHICLE REAR ENDED ANOTHER VEHICLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE FAILED TO STOP WHEN THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED. THE CONTACT'S VEHICLE SUSTAINED SIGNIFICANT FRONT END DAMAGE, BUT THE AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. THE FRONT PASSENGER SUSTAINED CHEST INJURIES THAT DID NOT REQUIRE MEDICAL ATTENTION. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED FROM THE SCENE. THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE LOCAL DEALER (KENNY KENT TOYOTA IN EVANSVILLE, IN) WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 6,600.

NHTSA ID

11030387

Incident

Sep 27, 2017

Mileage

6,600 mi

I WAS IN A PARKING LOT TRYING TO PARK MY CAR I PUT MY FOOT ON THE BREAK TO STOP THE CAR AND PUT INTO REVERSE AND THE CAR ACCELERATED INSTEAD OF STOPPING. THE HARDER I PUSHED THE BREAKS THE FASTER IT ACCELERATED AND HIT THE CAR PARKED IN FRONT OF ME.

NHTSA ID

11003560

Incident

Jun 26, 2017

Mileage

15,000 mi

MY WIFE WAS DRIVING WITH OUR TWO DAUGHTERS (AGES 12 AND 14). IT HAD JUST STARTED TO SNOW AND MY WIFE SAID THE ROAD WAS SLIPPERY SHE PUT THE CAR INTO LOW GEAR AND TRAVELED SLOWLY. SHE WAS RIGHT AROUND THE CORNER FROM OUR HOUSE WHEN SHE COULD NO LONGER CONTROL THE VEHICLE. SHE HIT A TREE, A FENCE, AND THEN TWO MORE TREES, TRAVELING MORE THAN 600 FEET. EVEN THOUGH SHE WAS TRAVELING DOWNHILL SHE SAID THE BRAKES DID NOT ENGAGE THE ABS AND THEN TOWARD THE END OF THE CRASH, BEFORE HITTING THE THIRD TREE THE CAR ACCELERATED ON ITS OWN. UPON HITTING THE THIRD TREE ALL AIR BAGS DEPLOYED AND FIRE, POLICE, AND AMBULANCE ARRIVED AT THE SCENE AND TOOK THEM ALL TO THE HOSPITAL. THEY HAD X-RAYS AND THERE WERE NO BROKEN BONES. OUR YOUNGER DAUGHTER WAS VERY TRAUMATIZED AND EVERYONE HAD BRUISES AND SMALL CUTS FROM SEAT BELTS BUT ALL WERE GENERALLY OKAY. THE STRANGE THING ABOUT THIS ACCIDENT IS HOW FAR THE CAR TRAVELED DESPITE MY WIFE'S EFFORTS TO STOP THE CAR. SHE HAD ALREADY PLACED THE CAR IN LOW GEAR YET THE BRAKES DID NOT WORK AND SHE SAYS THE CAR INCREASED SPEED (NOT JUST DUE TO THE SLOPE DOWNWARD). OUR FAMILY HAS LIVED IN THIS AREA FOR YEARS AND DRIVEN THROUGH COUNTLESS SNOW STORMS. THIS WAS NOT EVEN A STORM BUT JUST SOME LIGHT SNOW. IT WAS SLIPPERY ACCORDING TO MY WIFE BUT THE FACT THAT SHE COULD NOT STOP THE VEHICLE OVER SUCH A LONG DISTANCE DOES NOT MAKE SENSE AND SHE FEELS THAT THE CAR FAILED IN MULTIPLE WAYS. PLEASE SEE ATTACHED CRASH REPORT. THANK YOU. UPDATED 03/07/17*LJ *CN

NHTSA ID

10949888

Incident

Jan 31, 2017

Mileage

28,000 mi

RECALL VEHICLE SOLD TO ME AS NEW CAR WIHOUT REMEDY. MANUFACTURER RECALL ISSUED NHTSA #16V775 RECALL #G03 SAFETY (NONCOMPLIANCE) RECALL G03 - REMEDY NOTICE, CERTAIN 2016 MODEL YEAR HIGHLANDER, BRAKE FLUID RESERVOIR SENSOR CONNECTOR

NHTSA ID

10945504

Incident

Jan 16, 2016