2022 Toyota Highlander Brakes Problems

When I am slowing down and coming to a stop, my car will surge forward. It feels like my brakes stop working for a second and that I pressed the accelerator. It has happened on flat road, hills and turns.

When applying the brakes at speeds less than 40 miles per hour, the car will surge forward at a point during braking process. This happens regularly but not every time brakes are applied. This is an issue as the car surges forward during braking.

Car lunges forward while constant braking. Problem is not consistently repeatable and occurs at various speeds, road conditions, and weather conditions. It seems to be in the transition between regenerative braking and mechanical braking from the hybrid system. The car will coast for a brief moment while braking increasing the stopping distance and time required to come to a complete stop. We've noticed this issue since we bought the car

Sudden acceleration when applying the brakes. This has happened several times

We have noticed that when we brake the vehicle, it intermittently LURCHES FORWARD very fast while you are breaking and trying to stop! This is extremely unsafe! We need to stop and brake and not go forward. It does this unexpectedly with no notice and does not always do it consistently but we have noticed it is getting worse and worse and we are worried we will hit another car in front or even a person because the car will not stop on time. When I looked online, this is a well known issue on Toyota Highlanders, especially hybrids like ours and Toyota has done nothing to fix this dangerous problem. They have even told car owners to drive slower but I can tell you it doesn’t seem to matter if I’m going 25 mph or faster or slower- the car gives no notice and goes FASTER while you are trying to stop!!!!! Please help us Toyota Highlander owners!!!! This car gives us no warning whatsoever. It is not consistent. But when it does this it is VERY scary!

When braking the brakes will occasionally “quit”, causing unexpected acceleration. They kick back on if I stomp hard on the brake, causing the occupants to jolt forward. It could easily cause a collision if an unexpected vehicle or pedestrian were in the way, and could cause a rear end collision were I to have someone following close behind and hard brake unexpectedly. This has been reported to the dealership but they have been unable to replicate it. It happens intermittently, primarily when braking on a slight downhill slope. The issue has been since the vehicle was new. No warning lights or alerts activate inside.

Degenerative breaking. When breaking sometimes it jolts- seems to lose braking power. This is a safety hazard. It could cause a crash.

Loss of brake sensation when slowing down through 20-25mph. Brake pedal takes a sudden plunge and car surges forward, forcing the driver to suddenly have to push hard on the brakes in order to stop. Usually happens under moderate braking, especially when there is a slight downhill grade. Toyota dealer confirms that it happens but says there are no codes and there is nothing they can do. Toyota dealer service advisor has had it happen to him while driving. This happens regularly, as often as 2-3 times per week, and can be reproduced.

I reported twice to Tustin Toyota that my car seemed to have a strange braking issue. It felt like the car lurched/lunged forward as I was braking. Every time I brought it into service, I verbally mentioned it to the technician checking my vehicle in. I was repeatedly told there was no issue. Turns out there is an active bulletin (T-SB-0059-23) that came out but now my vehicle is out of warranty and they won't fix it unless I pay out of pocket. Why was the dealership not aware. Why is this not a recall for all affected years regardless of warranty? There have been multiple reports online with people have the same issue.

When I brake, the SUV feels like it accelerates/surges forward rather than slowing down. I need to apply the brakes hard to then stop the vehicle. I never know when it will happen but it happens very often.

when I slow down to make a right or left turn I apply pressure to the brake pedal and my vehicle brakes feel like they are "gulping: or not holding, causing my vehicle to lurch forward slightly. This has been happening since I purchsed in July 2022. I replaced my tires last month thinking it was the tires, but the vehicle still lurches forward when braking in a turn. I will put the last time this occurred in your details below

On March 16, 2024 this vehicle experienced a complete brake system failure. This is a very serious braking issue and the vehicle has had several braking incidents leading up to the complete failure. Toyota Motor Corp has dismissed the issue each time as there have been no codes or warning lights prior to this incident. We filed a complaint concerning this braking issue on June 12, 2023, Ref#11526496 Since that first report there have been several other incidents where the brake pedal went soft and depressed to the floor as the vehicle accelerated forward. Since the complete system failure occurred on a Saturday, as of this writing, it has not yet been reported to the service department. We filed a complaint with Toyota Motor Corp stating that this is a very serious safety concern that could lead to injury or death and they dismissed it.

Brakes vibrate at highway speeds above 60 mph. Car does stop but steering wheel and seat noticeably shake. Car only 1 year old and started during winter. Seems to be related to TSB-0072-18 but does not cover my vehicle year.

Occasionally when slowing to a stop, the brakes feel like they slip and i begin to speed up suddenly. Pressing hard on the brakes stops the car again. This is a safety issue if for example you were braking for someone in a crosswalk or a car in front of you. The dealer was unable to reproduce the issue. It happens maybe once a week, for the last several months. They examined the brakes and said they are fine. No warning lights.

A few months after the winter of 2022/2023 the car started making noise and shaking while breaking, the car was taken for regular maintenance at the dealer and I was told everything was fine on April/2023, it just got worse over time and the breaks are now failing and not stopping properly due to huge clusters of rust in the rotors. Car was taken again to the Toyota dealership and they said the warranty does not cover the rotors as they are considered wear and tear parts, rotor isn't worn but has increased in thickness in the areas were the clusters of rust are. After speaking to another mechanic I was told it happened because of the low quality steel of the rotors used by Toyota, which do not perform well in a climate where salt and other chemicals are used to treat the roads. The breaking quality has reduced so much the vehicle is taking twice as long to stop putting myself and others at risk.

See attached document for complaint

The brake system on the 2022 Toyota Highlander Hybrid malfunctioned momentarily this weekend (7/8/23 was date of incident) in North Kington, RI. While coming to a gradual stop at a stop light, the brakes momentarily stopped working and felt like the car lunged forward before the auto braking system activated since there was a stopped vehicle in front of us. My foot was on the brake pedal but the brakes just stopped working for a moment. I've read in other toyota forums that this has happened to others with 2022 hybrid highlander models. The same issue happens when applying the brakes going down hill and going over a bump. I'm bringing the vehicle to the toyota dealer this week. No warning lights ahead of the problem.

While driving on the highway at an average speed of 40-60 mph and applying the brakes, I experience a noticeable shaking in the whole car and can also feel the tires shaking. I took my car to the Toyota dealer, and they confirmed that the rotors and brake pads are in good condition. However, I still do not feel safe driving my car at this point.

When I am slowing down to a stop usually when im going down hill the brakes will fail and the car lunges forward. It will fell like I am stepping on air. I have taken ot to the dealership but they have been unable to duplicate the issue so I dont know what else to do. At the begining it was pretty rare but now it is happening more often

While driving in town and coming to a stop sign at a four way intersection I applied the brakes at under 15 to 20mph to stop and my vehicle lurched forward and my brakes were unresponsive. The brake peddle got very spongy for a split second and immediately returned to normal. When I finally stopped my Highlander was half way out into the intersection. This is about the third time it has happened since I got the car in April 14, 2022. Each time it has happened I remember the roadway surface being very rough and full of small potholes or a uneven braking surface.