Right front brake "clanks" when brake pedal is pressed fairly hard. Dealer claims this is normal for highlanders and that his entire inventory exhibits the same symptoms. (start last year and continues; comments are from dealer today -- June 3, 2010.)

- Shavano Park, TX, USA

Toyota Highlander hybrid 2009 brakes fade for a brief but noticeable moment when braking. Sometimes it is more pronounced than others but is similar to the other complaints I have seen re this same thing on this site. While to some it may feel like a slight acceleration it is more like there is a sudden release of brake pressure and then it comes back.

- Saratoga Springs, NY, USA

Toyota hybrids surge when braking. I took the car in twice to the dealer. The dealer told me they were aware of the surge. It occurs when the car is braking and the car goes from gas to charging the battery.

- Farmington Hills, MI, USA

We are having the same issues with our 2009 Toyota Highlander hybrid as been reported in the Toyota prius recall. At time the braking seems to stop for less than a second.

- South Riding, VA, USA

I own a 2009 Highlander hybrid and am concerned that I am experiencing the same type of problems with braking that are now being reported for the prius. Sometimes, when braking it feels like the brakes are not engaging and there is a sensation that the car is speeding up. Continued pressure on the brake pedal finally slows the car down. I was recently involved in a minor accident when I was unable to brake quickly enough when approaching a traffic light and hit the car in front. The sensation that the brakes were not engaging was experienced at that time as well as on other occasions. I reported this issue to my Toyota dealer just a few weeks ago, and the mechanic who test drove the vehicle, with me in the passenger seat, stated he experienced a similar delay in braking. The brakes were then tested using computerized diagnostics and I was told everything checked out ok but was offered no explanation of why I was having this issue with the brakes. I am sharing this issue with you as I believe my Highlander hybrid 2009 may not be consistently trustworthy when the brakes are needed. Please advise.

- Duck, NC, USA

I own a 2009 Toyota Highlander hybrid. It has had three instances of unintended low speed acceleration since I purchased it in June 2009. The first time it happened, it was so unexpected and unconventional that I thought it must have been a mistake in my perception. The second time it happened I was more aware because it had happened once before. And the third time even more so. Now I am alert for the event and will try to record it as accurately as possible if it happens again. As best I can describe it, I was slowing down, almost to a stop. It is at the point where you have slowed the car by braking, then take your off the brake or lighten the braking prior to the final braking which brings you to a full stop without a small jolt. I probably was traveling between 5 and 10 miles per hour. I had my foot off the gas and believe probably off the brake as well. All of a sudden the car accelerated. I depressed the brake and the car stopped normally. I have not worked on cars in years, but did extensively when I was a teenager. So I think of my senses as reasonably attentive to the sounds and motions of vehicles which indicate that something is amiss. Hope this helps.

- Cambridge, MA, USA

Brakes fade for a brief moment -- perhaps half of a second -- and then come back. Although the brakes are being applied consistently throughout, the sensation is as if the driver were easing off the brake and then coming back on with more pressure.

- Charlottesville, VA, USA