10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
9 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
4 / 0
Average Mileage:
7,752 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2018 Toyota Highlander brakes problems

brakes problem

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2018 Toyota Highlander Owner Comments (Page 1 of 3)

problem #48

Sep 022024

Highlander

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Out of nowhere, I couldn-??t get the car to start. It keeps saying -??Low Braking Power-??. I had someone checked with Code Scanner and nothing shows up, and it-??s not battery issue neither. The car guy said there-??s a very high chance the issue is from the brake booster vacuum pump.

- Kansas City, MO, USA

problem #47

Aug 192024

Highlander

  • miles
Brake Booster did not work. We were almost in 2 wrecks due to it taking longer to stop the vehicle. The dealer finally fixed it after I paid over $1500. They didn't care about how this was a known defect in 2018 Toyota Highlanders and took forever to identify and fix. No one has looked at it since just got it back today. Once the brake light went on the dash board I brought it in. I did wait one day when it went off, but once it came back on again I was going to, but then was scared when it didn't come on and then I could barely stop.

- Olathe, KS, USA

problem #46

Aug 152024

Highlander

  • miles
My vehicle has codes C1253 and C1256. These codes are associated with faulty brake actuators, a well documented issue in Highlanders. Faulty brake actuators can cause problems with braking, which can put my safety and the safety of others at risk.

- Portland, OR, USA

problem #45

Jul 252024

Highlander

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

As I was returning to my house and about to pull into our garage I was driving very slowly, riding the brake in fact. I was going less than 1 mph but as I first entered the garage my car engine suddenly roared very loudly and sped inside. I pressed as hard as I could on the brakes and the car skidded towards the left and slammed into the garage wall. I firmly believe that the only thing that kept my car from traveling farther was the garage door frame. Between my braking and then turning off the engine, I came to a stop. There were skid marks on the pavement at the garage entrance from the hard braking and both the driver's door and the passenger door on that side were severely damaged. The car was now angled to the left and not pointed straight into the garage as it should have been. At no time did I press on the accelerator.

- Colfax, CA, USA

problem #44

Oct 102023

Highlander

  • miles
10/10 Tapped pedal into Drive: Toyota Highlander 2018 Car sped off at 50mph with my foot on brake for 3 minutes Holding brake down and down-shifting did nothing Vehicle stopped when it hit a pole destroying passenger-side fender and bumper Airbag did not deploy Unintended acceleration/sticky pedal as reported early this century when Toyota recalled 80,000 vehicles. On 11/17/2023 an ER or Black Box four hour test/investigation was performed and I was told I would have results 12/28. Zero! When I telephone to report I was supposed to have EDR test results in 30 days, the operator (not the unreachable quality control personnel) tells me, "Well review of your crash results could take longer than 30 days." need to have a safe car to drive to work but this one has a potentially deadly defect. I have completed the inspection of your vehicle. Inspection report from Bosch to Toyota below: Please find three files attached to this email: 1) EDR FAQ_2.0.PDF "Frequently Asked Questions" related to the information in the Event Data Recorder (the Air Bag Control unit's digital memory). 2) [XXX]_ACM.PDF The Event Data from your vehicle in PDF form, this file will open on your computer. 3) [XXX]_ACM.CDRx This file contains the same information as Item #2, but it is a special format that will not display on your computer. It is sent to you so you will have the raw data for the #2 file above. I am not trained to interpret this data for you. The engineers will interpret this data and respond to you with their findings within 30 business days. 3 Attachments -?? Scanned by Gmail INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

- Huntington Beach,, CA, USA

problem #43

Dec 292023

Highlander

  • miles
Driving down the street when an alarm went off stating "braking power low" and to "stop immediately". vehicle to be towed and taken to local car dealership. Over the phone, the dealership claims no braking element has been recalled for my particular vehicle, however other Highlanders from the same year model were recalled for braking issues (vacuum pump.) have been having issues with the "start/stop system malfunction" alarm going off as well for several months, but dealership states it will not affect the drivability of the vehicle.

- Tyler, TX, USA

problem #42

Dec 022023

Highlander

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

I-??ve always had issues with my breaks since I purchased my car. Today when I tried to turn on my car I received a message stating breaking power low. I did not have that issue last night nor had I seen it before. My car will not start

- Oceanside , CA, USA

problem #41

Oct 102023

Highlander 6-cyl

  • miles
My relatives remembered the 2002-2011 recall of 80,000 Toyotas, 90 deaths due to unintended acceleration and said that seems exactly what happened to me last month. NEAR FATAL COLLISION DUE TO STICKY PEDAL 2018 Toyota Highlander 10/10 Slowly backed out of parking space in large, empty commercial lot: sunny day, 3pm ?'? Tapped pedal into Drive ?'? Car sped off at 50+mph with my foot off pedal ?'? Sped around lot for approximately 3minutes ?'? Holding brake down and down-shifting did nothing except cause sheer terror with my uncontrollable vehicle ?'? Hit pole and vehicle came to a stop after near-complete destruction of passenger-side bumper ?'? No injury except sheer mental terror ?'? No witnesses DO NOT Blame the victim. Dealer says all-weather floormat could never have been or be involved.

- Huntington Beach,, CA, USA

problem #40

Aug 012023

Highlander

  • miles
This Toyota Highlander XLE 2018 was bought new in 2018. Lately in 8/23 started seeing on the dash a "BRAKE" light that comes on and off while driving. 2 weeks later, starting seeing a warning sign saying "Braking Power Low" and a message underneath saying"STOP in safe place". Took it to Toyota dealer twice so far and they could not duplicate the issue ( maybe they did not drive it for enough time). They said also that no error history was retrieved, even though I had shown them video and pictures of the errors when happened. This warning signs has been happening intermittently after driving ~7-10 miles or 10-20 minutes on the road. I have searched on line and found some similar issues and even a recalls for the same issue on some 2018 models of Toyota, Lexus, and Highlander. They said some cars were recalled but not all. I serched for recall on my Highlander and found none. Here some search sites: [XXX] [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

- Austin, TX, USA

problem #39

Jun 222023

Highlander

  • miles
While traveling down the Rocky Mountains, we experienced a gradual loss of braking. It took extreme pressure on the brake pedal to slow the vehicle. At this point there were no warning lights. Later down the road, the same thing occured again and a BRAKE warning light illuminated. Traffic was light and the incline was slight which prevented an almost certain accident. We limped the vehicle to the dealer. The diagnosis was a Brake Booster failure. This is a 5 year old vehicle with only 57,000 miles! I have never had a booster failure on any vehicle in my life. This booster should be designed to last the life of the vehicle since it is part of such a critical safety system on this vehicle. The failed component was kept by the dealer.

- Owatonna, MN, USA

problem #38

Jun 192023

Highlander

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

2018 Toyota Highlander braking power low warning light came on twice. Mechanic determined it is the brake vacuum booster pump which can cause the brakes to fail to stop the vehicle. This was a recall on some of the 2018 manufactured Highlanders but not all. Many are now failing like mine. I have had it replaced luckily before a major accident and serious injury. Toyota knows of issues but will not recall without NJTSA direction EVEN THOUGH CRASHES MAY HAPPEN.

- Westfield , NJ, USA

problem #37

May 242023

Highlander

  • miles
I was driving about to merge onto the highway and a warning low brake power light started beeping and appeared on the dashboard.

- Louisville, KY, USA

problem #36

May 042023

Highlander

  • miles
Braking to stop at a traffic light then all of the sudden the car stalls with Braking Power Low message. The car won't even start for me to pull aside to a safe place. This is the second time this happened within 2 years so I decided to put a complaint in.

- Houston, TX, USA

problem #35

Apr 152022

Highlander 6-cyl

  • 76,000 miles
About6 months ago I started getting the messege "Breaking power low" when i try to start my vehicle. So I took it to Star Toyota Service paid $175 to diagnose the problem. The found DTC 1241 and told me to change the qhole skid control unit. Eventhough on the paper it said skid control ecu battery. So I took it to another dealer named Penn Toyota and they found the same code but they said the voltage is coming low because I may leave my ignition on before I start my vehicle. That sounds funny because I do not do this and on top if i do this my battery would be dead. As of right now I spoke with toyota and since my extended warrenty has finished so they offered my 25% coupon if i fixe the problem. Now I do not know what is the problem and which dealer to trust. The reason I am reporting to "nhtsa" is because if I die because of this problem with my car which is still undiagnosed so at least they can find out the same reason so there will be no more death after me. Again the messege comes on the crean is " Breaking power low. Stop in a safe place "

- Hicksville, NY, USA

problem #34

Aug 182022

Highlander

  • miles
Vehicle will not start. "brake pressure low" message appears on instrument panel. The truck will be sent to the dealer. Brakes worked fine previously and brake fluid is at maximum level.

- Newfoundland, NJ, USA

problem #33

Jul 062022

Highlander 4WD 6-cyl

  • miles
I am having an issue with my brake assist in my 2018 Toyota Highlander. This car was purchased new and has had regular service/ maintenance with the dealership since purchased. 1st incident was minor in nature. My brake was gently applied and the ABS feature turned on and brake system engaged without any need. 2nd incident brake was applied and at the halfway point the brake stopped working. It felt like it locked. I could not stop my car as I was approaching another car. Car stopped at the last possible moment before impact. The situation was extremely dangerous for myself, my kids and the other driver. Later on during my drive I gently applied my brake and the brake would not release to it original position until a few seconds later. This time the brake light came on. Once the car came to a stop, I shifted my gear to park and the brake light disappeared. The car was then sent to a service station for analysis. Service Station advised that there was a hissing sound coming from the front of my engine when the brake was applied. They recommended that I send vehicle back to dealership as they concluded that the car has a brake assist issue. The car was towed to the Toyota dealership where they mentioned that there was a recall for this exact issue however, my specific VIN is not included. I travel everyday with my kids and this is a real safety issue that needs to be addressed. No car should be on the road with faulty breaking systems. This can cause unnecessary loss of life. These vehicles should be included in this recall, especially mine. I filed a case with Toyota and am waiting to hear back from them. Please help make the roadways safe. Consumer stated diagnosis was completed and relayed that there was a brake booster failure. The brake master cylinder and brake booster system will need to be replaced.

- Burke, VA, USA

problem #32

Jun 032022

Highlander

  • miles
Low brake fluid pull over immediately warning -???,vehicle engine shut off would not restart was on highway going 55 mph.Had to get vehicle towed. There was a recall on brake booster but my Vin was not included same model year 2018

- Blackwood , NJ, USA

problem #31

Jun 022022

Highlander

  • miles
The car Low Pressure Break pop up and lock the break because of "Low Pressure Vacuum pump" unable to Break crashing into the curve when back up. after stop the car the car wouldn't start up again.

- Hurst, TX, USA

problem #30

May 052022

Highlander

  • miles
Approaching a stop light brakes didn-??t work. The automatic system activated and the car stopped right before I rear-ended the car in front of me. I took it to a Toyota dealership and they diagnosed a faulty brake booster pump with a price of $2500 to replace. I see this isn-??t a unique problem for the 2018 Highlander but after talking with Toyota they denied any coverage since my vehicle has 48,000 miles and is out of warranty.

- Fort Worth, TX, USA

problem #29

Apr 242022

Highlander

  • miles
Car wouldnt start in garage, it shows error in the dash "Braking Power Low, STOP in a safe place". It looks like several people are having same issue around same time outside of warranty, and on cars not in the original recall.

- Cypress, TX, USA

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