We had total brake failure two times. The brake pedal went fully to the floorboard and the brakes, never engaged. Both failure's were within 20 minutes of each other. The first event that happened we almost hit the car in front of us. We were fortunate that I could turn the wheel fully to the left and go into the opposing lane, as their was a break in the opposing lane, that allowed us to miss the car in front of us.
The dealership told us that they scoped the Highlander and told us that their was nothing wrong with the brakes. Plus their is no fix or part to replace. The bottom line was there was nothing they could do!.
Note:
If I and my wife would have hit the car in front of us, when the brakes failed to function totally, and after a major accident due to total brake failure. And after the ambulances and police left and the then towed our Highlander to the dealership, then after scoping the computer system, we hear the words that every thing was working properly. Our family would have had to pay some serious consequences, with insurance and law enforcement. I have driven professionally as a over the road driver and as a chauffeur. I am very well versed Including the correct workings of mechanics of semi's and automobiles.
The brake failure was a very emotional experience. It caused us a total loss of confidence in our Toyota Highlander and the Dealership which was not fully upfront with us in the service department.
My wife still has nightmares about the brakes failing and our poor experience with service at the dealership. Even now with a different manufactures vehicle, I still feel and think, will the brakes work, all from out terrible experience with our new Toyota Highlander.
Toyota's customer service hotline is available for all Toyota owners to call, if you have vehicle or dealership issues. They are very good listeners, concerning our brake failure issue and dashboard intermittent actions.
After calling Toyota's Customer Service Hotline countless times, they proved to be very sympathetic and good listeners and that's all. They never did a thing to help us, not even a postcard saying We Wish You Luck With Your NEW HIGHLANDER Problems. The Customer Help line is a total misrepresentation
of receiving any use full help what so ever.
Other that you need a lawyer if you want your money back.
The Lemon law states you must have three failures, before you can apply for help with states lemon law policy. Who wants to have three total brake failures and false dashboard lights showing problems. That's only if your still even alive to apply for the law to help you at all.
Moving on, the Dealership Manager was at least a honest fellow. He listened to our concerns and
offered to buy the Highlander back from us. As their was no way, we could ever drive the Highlander again, after two total brake failures and other faulty electronics in the dash board notification system was very erratic.
The electrical problems that occurred on the instrument panel. This indicated to myself and wife that
something was greatly amiss with the complex computer system, installed in our Highlander..
We were very, very scared to even think of getting into our new Highlander.
With the service department manager
telling us that every thing is functioning properly?.
The Dealership Manager thankfully purchased the Highlander back from us. Being retired our total loss was over $7,000.00 hard earned dollars and the whole experience, beginning with total brake failure, with the brake pedal on the floorboard and I pushing as hard on the pedal as humanly possible and the brakes not responding , has turned out to be a mental nightmare for I and my wife to endure and what followed .
The Toyota Customer Service Help Line that we called. Was sympathetic, but never once helped or offered to help the situation. Toyota Customer Service Agents are trained to listen and be sympathetic with you. But that as far as it will go.
Their sympathy will not save your life. When breaks fail and your going out of control.
Toyota Corporation let us down totally. Sold us a faulty vehicle, endangered our lives. Did nothing to help us.
Only to say The Toyota Company might buy the Highlander back, if we retain a expensive lawyer. All this after endangering our lives and all the mental pain of reliving everything that happened. Plus being retired and losing over $7,000.00 . Very distressing to us every day at what happened and our financial loss.
Final Thought:
We can only hope the who ever purchased this used vehicle, is still alive and not in a nursing home or permanently disabled or have their name beautifully engraved in a elegant piece of marble above them!.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
We had total brake failure two times. The brake pedal went fully to the floorboard and the brakes, never engaged. Both failure's were within 20 minutes of each other. The first event that happened we almost hit the car in front of us. We were fortunate that I could turn the wheel fully to the left and go into the opposing lane, as their was a break in the opposing lane, that allowed us to miss the car in front of us.
The dealership told us that they scoped the Highlander and told us that their was nothing wrong with the brakes. Plus their is no fix or part to replace. The bottom line was there was nothing they could do!. Note: If I and my wife would have hit the car in front of us, when the brakes failed to function totally, and after a major accident due to total brake failure. And after the ambulances and police left and the then towed our Highlander to the dealership, then after scoping the computer system, we hear the words that every thing was working properly. Our family would have had to pay some serious consequences, with insurance and law enforcement. I have driven professionally as a over the road driver and as a chauffeur. I am very well versed Including the correct workings of mechanics of semi's and automobiles.
The brake failure was a very emotional experience. It caused us a total loss of confidence in our Toyota Highlander and the Dealership which was not fully upfront with us in the service department.
My wife still has nightmares about the brakes failing and our poor experience with service at the dealership. Even now with a different manufactures vehicle, I still feel and think, will the brakes work, all from out terrible experience with our new Toyota Highlander.
Toyota's customer service hotline is available for all Toyota owners to call, if you have vehicle or dealership issues. They are very good listeners, concerning our brake failure issue and dashboard intermittent actions.
After calling Toyota's Customer Service Hotline countless times, they proved to be very sympathetic and good listeners and that's all. They never did a thing to help us, not even a postcard saying We Wish You Luck With Your NEW HIGHLANDER Problems. The Customer Help line is a total misrepresentation of receiving any use full help what so ever.
Other that you need a lawyer if you want your money back. The Lemon law states you must have three failures, before you can apply for help with states lemon law policy. Who wants to have three total brake failures and false dashboard lights showing problems. That's only if your still even alive to apply for the law to help you at all.
Moving on, the Dealership Manager was at least a honest fellow. He listened to our concerns and offered to buy the Highlander back from us. As their was no way, we could ever drive the Highlander again, after two total brake failures and other faulty electronics in the dash board notification system was very erratic. The electrical problems that occurred on the instrument panel. This indicated to myself and wife that something was greatly amiss with the complex computer system, installed in our Highlander..
We were very, very scared to even think of getting into our new Highlander. With the service department manager telling us that every thing is functioning properly?.
The Dealership Manager thankfully purchased the Highlander back from us. Being retired our total loss was over $7,000.00 hard earned dollars and the whole experience, beginning with total brake failure, with the brake pedal on the floorboard and I pushing as hard on the pedal as humanly possible and the brakes not responding , has turned out to be a mental nightmare for I and my wife to endure and what followed .
The Toyota Customer Service Help Line that we called. Was sympathetic, but never once helped or offered to help the situation. Toyota Customer Service Agents are trained to listen and be sympathetic with you. But that as far as it will go. Their sympathy will not save your life. When breaks fail and your going out of control.
Toyota Corporation let us down totally. Sold us a faulty vehicle, endangered our lives. Did nothing to help us. Only to say The Toyota Company might buy the Highlander back, if we retain a expensive lawyer. All this after endangering our lives and all the mental pain of reliving everything that happened. Plus being retired and losing over $7,000.00 . Very distressing to us every day at what happened and our financial loss.
Final Thought: We can only hope the who ever purchased this used vehicle, is still alive and not in a nursing home or permanently disabled or have their name beautifully engraved in a elegant piece of marble above them!.
- chief light, Sun City West, AZ, US