2013 Toyota Highlander Brakes Problems

Your ABS, traction control, and brake warning lights all came on at once on 9/30/2024, making it unsafe to drive. A Toyota dealership diagnosed an internal leak in the ABS module using error code 1391 and confirmed the ABS module assembly needs to be replaced. Toyota acknowledges this is a known issue covered by an expired service bulletin, but declined to help with repair costs or extend coverage.

Your ABS brake warning lights are all illuminated, indicating a brake system malfunction. Toyota has a voluntary customer support program that covers the cost of replacement parts if your vehicle is registered in the USA, but parts are not available for vehicles outside the US. The repair typically involves replacing the brake actuator and brake booster.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNED A 2013 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING INTO A PARKING SPACE, THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED HOWEVER, THE BRAKES FAILED TO ENGAGE. DUE TO THE FAILURE, THE VEHICLE WENT OVER THE PARKING SPACE, TRAVELING DOWN A HILL ABOUT 40 FEET DOWN LANDING ON THE FRONT GRILLE OF THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT NO AIR BAGS DEPLOYED. THE CONTACT STATED NO WARNING LIGHT WAS ILLUMINATED. NO POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN UNKNOWN TOYOTA DEALERSHIP WHERE THEY WERE UNABLE TO DUPLICATE THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS DEEMED A TOTAL LOSS BY THE DEALERSHIP. THE MANUFACTURER HAD BEEN INFORMED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 73,000.

ABS SYSTEM ISSUE. WHEN APPLYING BRAKES THE ABS MAKES VERY LOUD NOISES LIKE KNOCKING VERY LOUD. LOCAL MECHANIC FOUND THAT THE ROUND DRUM ATTACHED TO THE ABS WAS VERY HOT. VEHICLE HAD BEEN DRIVEN TO MECHANIC AND WAS STATIONARY WHEN HE CHECKED IT. BRAKE FLUID LEVEL GOOD. ABS WILL KEEP RUNNING AFTER VEHICLE IS TURNED OFF. TRYING TO KEEP CORRECT PRESSURE IN SYSTEM, I WAS TOLD. CHECKED FOR RECALL, BUT NO RECALL ON THIS VIN

I AM THE ONE AND ONLY,'ORIGINAL NEW CAR OWNER'. AT 25K MILES I NEEDED TO REPLACE BRAKE PADS AS WELL AS ROTORS. REAR PADS WERE LESS THAN HALF WORN, HOWEVER BOTH REAR ROTOR HAD 0.8 CM, PERIPHERAL CIRCULAR UNUSED RUSTY RINGS ON BOTH SURFACES.BOTH, LEFT + RIGHT WHEELS. I KNOW I AM REPEATING TO DOUBLE EMPHASIS MY ANXIETY FOR A CAR MY DAUGHTER USES. I SUSPECT BOTH REAR CALIPERS (BRAKE-CYLINDERS) RECEIVE LESS THAN ADEQUATE PRESSURES + PADS ARE TOUCHING ONLY HALF OF EXPECTED ROTOR AREA. IMMEDIATE & THOROUGH INSPECTION OF MY VEHICLE IS REQUESTED.

I HAVE A 2013 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER AND RECENTLY WHILE DRIVING TOWARD A STOP SIGN, I WENT TO SLOW MY VEHICLE TO STOP AND MY BRAKE PEDAL WAS STUCK. ALSO, THE BRAKE PEDAL SEEMED TO BE IN A HIGHER THAN NORMAL POSITION BECAUSE I REMEMBER HAVING TO RAISE MY LEG TO REACH THE HEIGHT OF THE PEDAL. NO MATTER HOW HARD I PRESSED I COULDN'T GET THE BRAKE PEDAL TO THE FLOOR AND I WAS UNABLE TO STOP THE CAR. I WAS FORCED TO GO THROUGH THE STOP SIGN AND INTO WHAT IS OFTEN A VERY BUSY STREET IN MY CITY. THANK GOD NO CARS WERE COMING DURING THE TIME OF MY INCIDENT. AFTER THAT THE BRAKE PEDAL WENT BACK TO PERFORMING NORMALLY AND I GOT THE CAR BACK HOME. LATER I HAD MY VEHICLE FLATBED TO A VERY GOOD GARAGE. MECHANICS DISASSEMBLED THE ENTIRE BRAKE SYSTEM AND DROVE MY VEHICLE BUT, THEY DIDN'T FIND A PROBLEM. ROAD CONDITIONS THAT DAY WERE DRY OTHER THAN A SMALL ICE PATCH I HAD TO GO OVER PRIOR TO THE STOP SIGN. IT HAD SNOWED DAYS BEFORE SO THE ROADS WERE PLOWED AND VERY CLEAN EXCEPT THIS SMALL ICE PATCH REMAINED. BUT, BECAUSE IT WAS ON THE ROAD MY SPEED WAS MUCH SLOWER THAN NORMAL. MONTHS PRIOR TO THIS INCIDENT I HAD A DIFFERENT A ISSUE WITH THESE BRAKES AND BOUGHT IT TO THE DEALER AND THEY DIDN'T FIND ANYTHING AND TOLD ME MY EXPERIENCE WAS NORMAL. UNCOMFORTABLE WITH THEIR ANSWER A MONTH LATER I HAD THE BRAKES CHECKED AT A DIFFERENT AUTO SHOP AND AGAIN THE MECHANIC FOUND NOTHING. HOWEVER, THIS LATEST INCIDENT WAS THE MOST SERIOUS ONE. I'M NOT CONVINCED IT'S NOTHING AND HAVE READ ABOUT OTHER HIGHLANDER OWNERS WHO HAD SIMILAR BRAKE ISSUES WITH THEIR VEHICLE. HOWEVER, I CAN'T SEEM TO FIND ANY FORMAL INVESTIGATIONS OR RECALLS RELATED TO ANY BRAKE ISSUES REGARDING TOYOTA HIGHLANDERS. EVEN SO I FELT I HAD TO SHARE MY STORY NOT JUST TO GET TO THE BOTTOM OF MY SITUATION BUT, TO ALSO ALERT OTHERS OF A SAFETY ISSUE THAT I AM EXPERIENCING WITH MY HIGHLANDER.

WHILE DRIVING UPHILL, THE BRAKES MALFUNCTIONED AND BRAKES (AND THE GAS) WOULDN'T WORK. MY CAR SLID BACKWARDS DOWN THE HILL INTO A STREET WITH AN ONCOMING CAR. BRAKE FUNCTION DID NOT RETURN THE ENTIRE SLIDE DOWN THE HILL (APPROX. 65 FEET), AND THE SCREEN ON THE DASHBOARD SAID "BRAKE MALFUNCTION, CONTACT DEALER IMMEDIATELY" IT WAS TOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP OVER A WEEK AGO WITH NO RESOLUTION TO DATE FROM TOYOTA.

I PULLED INTO MY PARKING SPOT ART HOME. I PRESSED THE BRAKES BUT THE CAR DID NOT STOP, IT ACTUALLY ACCELERATED SLIGHTLY. I KNOW I PRESSED THE BRAKE AND NOT THE GAS BECAUSE I LOOKED DOWN AND SAW THE BRAKE FULLY DEPRESSED AND MY LEG WAS FULLY EXTENDED. ALSO IF I WOULD HAVE ACCIDENTALLY HIT THE ACCELERATOR, IT WOULD HAVE BEEN MUCH WORSE. *TR

ON SEPTEMBER 12 2014 MY WIFE WAS PULLING INTO A PARKING SPACE AT HER DOCTOR'S OFFICE. THE SPACE INCLUDE A STOP CURB AND IT FACED A FOUR LANE STREET. AS SHE PULLED INTO THE SPACE, SHE BRAKED TO AVOID CONTACTING THE CURB AND WAS ABOUT TO SHIFT INTO PARK WHEN THE CAR SUDDENLY ACCELERATED. THE CAR JUMPED THE PARKING CURB AND THEN ANOTHER CURB AND ENTERED A GRASSY AREA (APPROXIMATELY 10 FT WIDE. THE CAR CONTINUED TO ACCELERATE AND JUMPED ANOTHER CURB AND LANDED IN A 4 LANE STREET. SHE CONTINUED TO APPLY THE BRAKES WHILE THE CAR CONTINUED TO ACCELERATE ACROSS THE STREET. SHE WAS HEADED TOWARD ANOTHER CURB AND GRASSY AREA AND A DOWNHILL SLOPE FOLLOWED BY A MEINEKE REPAIR BUSINESS. NOT WANTING TO GO DOWN THE HILL AND INTO THE BUILDING, SHE TURNED THE CAR TO THE RIGHT BUT NOT IN TIME TO AVOID ENTERING THE SECOND GRASSY AREA. SHE WAS NOW TRAVELING PARALLEL TO THE MEINEKE BUILDING AND SIDE SWIPED TWO SMALL TREES, AND WAS HEADED TOWARD A VERY BUSY RUSH HOUR STREET. TO AVOID ACCELERATING INTO THIS STREET, SHE DECIDED TO TRY SHIFTING THE CAR INTO NEUTRAL. SHE LOOKED DOWN TO FIND THE NEUTRAL GEAR, AND JUST AS SHE LOOKED UP, SHE CRASHED HEAD-ON INTO ANOTHER TREE. THE AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY BUT THE SEAT BELTS SAVED HER. THE CAR WAS SIGNIFICANTLY DAMAGED TO THE DRIVERS SIDE FRONT WHERE SHE HIT THE TREE AND TO THE SIDE OF THE CAR WHERE SHE SIDE SWIPED THE TWO TREES. THE MEINEKE EMPLOYEES CALLED 911 AND A DETECTIVE TOOK HER TO HER DOCTOR'S OFFICE FOR TREATMENT. SHE INJURED HER RIBS AND BACK AND CONTINUES TO RECEIVE TREATMENT. I'M CONVINCED THIS IS A SOFTWARE PROBLEM AND I AM ATTEMPTING TO RESOLVE THIS WITH TOYOTA BUT HOLD OUT LITTLE HOPE. IT NEEDS TO BE FIXED BEFORE THERE ARE ADDITIONAL INJURIES OR LOSS OF LIFE. MY WIFE COULD HAVE DIED IF THE CAR HAD MADE IT TO THE VERY BUSY STREET.

I BOUGHT A NEW 2013 HIGHLANDER DECEMBER 28, 2013 FROM TOM WOOD TOYOTA DEALERSHIP. WHEN I WAS DRIVING HOME DECEMBER 28-31, 2013 CLICK, CLICK, SQUEAKING NOISE, BRAKES SLIPPING, DRAGGING, VIBRATING AND A TREMENDOUS PULSATING AGAINST MY FOOT WHEN I STOP. WHEN I TRIED TO STOP THE HIGHLANDER THE VEHICLE JUMPED FORWARD. JANUARY 2, 2014 A BURNT ODOR COMING THROUGH THE HEATER VENTS, RATTLING IN THE RIGHT FRONT DOOR, GUSH SOUND COMING FROM THE BRAKES, THERE IS ALSO ANOTHER SOUND COMING FROM THE BRAKES THAT I CAN NOT IDENTIFY. I AM WONDERING IF A FIRE IS TRYING TO START, BECAUSE OF THE BURNT ODOR. *TR

I STARTED MY VEHICLE, IN MY GARAGE, TO WARM IT UP FOR ITS FIRST SCHEDULED MAINTENANCE AT THE DEALERSHIP. THE PARKING BRAKE WAS ENGAGED FROM MY LAST USE OF THE VEHICLE THE NIGHT PRIOR (I ALWAYS APPLY THE PARKING BRAKE BEFORE EXITING MY CAR). AS MY HIGHLANDER WARMED UP, I BEGAN REMOVING A FEW PERSONAL ITEMS SO THAT THEY WOULD BE OUT OF THE VEHICLE DURING MY SERVICE AT THE DEALERSHIP. I PLACED MY PERSONAL ITEMS AT THE END OF MY GARAGE, ADJACENT TO THE FRONT-END OF THE VEHICLE. AS I TURNED FOR MY 3RD TRIP BACK TO GET THE LAST OF MY PERSONAL ITEMS OUT, I SEE MY HIGHLANDER STARTING TO ROLL BACKWARDS. I WAS AT THE FRONT-END OF MY VEHICLE WHEN IT STARTED MOVING IN REVERSE. I WAS UNABLE TO SAFELY ENTER THE VEHICLE WHILE IT WAS IN REVERSE MOTION. MY VEHICLE BACKED UP OVER A CURB AND MADE IMPACT WITH BUSHES AND A BUILDING STRUCTURE. I QUESTION IF FAULTY CONSTRUCTION OF THE PARKING BRAKE ALLOWED IT TO DISENGAGE AND INDEPENDENTLY INITIATE MOVEMENT IN REVERSE. *LN *TR

MY WIFE WAS MANEUVERING THE SUV INTO SMALL AREA PARKING LOT ONTO A CORNER SPACE, ON THE FIRST FORWARD AND BACK MOTION TO MANEUVER THE BRAKE WAS OK, THEN ON THE SECOND MANEUVER THE BRAKE DIDN'T WORK AND THE TIRE WENT OVER THE CONCRETE PARKING BLOCK THEN HITTING THE STRUCTURE OF THE DOCTORS OFFICE. EARLY ON IN THE DAY I WENT TO THE TOYOTA DEALERSHIP TO PURCHASE A HITCH AND WHEN ABOUT TO LEAVE THE PARKING BRAKE DIDN'T RELEASE COMPLETELY, TOLD SERVICE GUY AND SAID TO GET A CLIP AND HE ALSO COMMENTED THAT THE DEALERSHIP WHERE I BOUGHT MIGHT INSTALL WIRING ON THE LEFT PANEL PUSHING THE PLASTIC PANEL WHICH BLOCK THE RELEASE OF THE PARKING BRAKE. ORDERED THE CLIP TO HOLD THE PLASTIC. BY THE WAY THE TRUCK WAS PURCHASE IN JANUARY 2013 AT A TOYOTA DEALERSHIP IN SACRAMENTO. *TR