2009 Toyota Highlander Hybrid problems
Owners have filed 55 complaints with NHTSA about the 2009 Toyota Highlander Hybrid. Brakes is the most reported problem area, at 53% of complaints. After that come engine (9%) and electrical system (5%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 55 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Brakes 53% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 4 and 0
- Injuries and deaths
- 1 and 0
- Typical mileage
- 60,000 miles 49 complaints with mileage
Source: NHTSA owner complaints
Where the complaints are
Share of this model year's complaints by the part of the car involved. One complaint can name more than one part, so the shares can add up to more than 100%.
When problems show up
View the numbers
| Mileage | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 0k to 20k miles | 17 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 2 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 3 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 6 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 5 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 0 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 7 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 4 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 3 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 0 |
| 200k+ miles | 2 |
What the data shows
Among the 49 complaints that report mileage, the typical (median) problem appeared at about 60,000 miles. For brakes specifically, the median reported mileage is about 80,000 miles (25 complaints with mileage).
Safety-related details: 4 complaints mention a crash; 1 injury reported.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 2009 ranks 4th most-complained-about out of 5 model years of the Toyota Highlander Hybrid with enough data (30 complaints in that window). It is also covered by 4 safety recall campaigns.
What owners wrote
A few complaints as filed, shortened and with personal details removed. The first ones are among the most serious reports for this model year; the rest are typical.
The brake system completely went out of order suddenly, during the motion in the street. Although the brake system liquid was renewed in toyota center just few days ago, few days prior to required scheduled maintenance date. Now the price of the brake system repair is catastrophic. As I am asking for advice, all the other highlander owners complain about the same. This is a big shame for toyota
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.
I arrive at a parking lot on flower avenue strip driving slowly into a parking space in front of a clinic, at a very low speed, when the car suddenly accelerated--by the time I hit the brakes attempting to stop, it was in the office of of maternal and child care, unstoppable--fortunately, it was on a sunday afternoon and there were no employees or patients in the reception area of the office...sudden acceleration was the cause of this accident.
Brakes failed shortly after the ABS warning light went off. Dealer diagnosed this as a break actuator assembly failure. It looks like toyota had a warranty enhancement program for vehicle years 2006-2007. However, my 2009 appears to be having exactly the same issue, yet it's not covered by the program. Given the severity of the part failure, it's not clear why this is not a recall... We were lucky that no accident resulted from this failure.
Tl* the contact owns a 2009 toyota highlander hybrid. While driving up a hill at 20 MPH, the vehicle stalled and the ABS, traction control, steering system, and battery warning indicators illuminated. In addition, "stop vehicle in a safe place immediately" appeared on the instrument panel. The contact had to depress the brake pedal with excessive force to stop the vehicle. The contact coasted the vehicle over to the side of the road and had it towed home.