This vehicle was purchased new. Early in our ownership we ( my wife and I ) occasionally notice that the brakes momentarily release when they are applied for just a second causing us to increase braking which results in the brakes working again. This usually happens when slowing to make a turn at slow speeds. It doesn-??t happen all the time but has persisted throughout the four years we have owned the car. We have continued to document this issue with the dealers service department in hopes a service bulletin would be issued with a fix. They have driven the car and done computer diagnostic checks to no avail. Just wonder if anyone else has had this issue and whether anything can be done to fix it ?

- Winterville, NC, USA

On numerous occasions when applying the brakes on my vehicle there is a very noticeable "surge" when the vehicle slows to a near stop. It feels like there is a momentary loss of braking before the brakes re-engage. I have had the vehicle since new and it seems like the problem has become more noticeable over time. I have lost some confidence in the safety performance of the vehicle due to this dangerous issue.

- Greer, SC, USA

The contact owns a 2020 Toyota Highlander. The contact stated that while the vehicle was idling or parked, the engine would suddenly seize. The failure occurred intermittently. The check engine warning light illuminated with a message that the brakes were enabled. The contact restarted the vehicle several times before the vehicle operated as needed. The vehicle had been taken to the dealer 3 times however, the dealer was unable to diagnose the vehicle. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and opened a case. The approximate failure mileage was 45,600.

- Buena Park, CA, USA

On more than 50 occasions while coming to a stop or slowing down I have experienced a surge forward while applying the brakes. It has happened at stop signs, stop lights, going downhill. I cannot duplicate on demand. Several times it has surged me past a stop sign/stop light while I still had my foot on the brake. Also, when the surge happens, I have to push harder on the brake pedal to stop the vehicle. I took it to the dealership on 9/2023 and was told it was not a problem that could be replicated and it has happened several times since then.

- Richmond, VA, USA

Was following a truck that was pulling a utility trailer. We had just stopped and started moving again when when he suddenly stopped. I had just sped up maybe going 10 to 15 mph when I applied my brake, the brakes did not engage until after I hit the trailer in front of me and jammed it into truck it was being pulled by.I had front end damage and radiator damage and the car was not drivable. I had noticed previous to this that at times at low speeds the brakes would not engage and would need to be double tapped to get them to engage. Could go weeks without it happening or could happen multiple times in a day. No consistency to the issue.

- North Prairie, WI, USA

On several occasions while coming to a stop or slowing down I have experienced a surge forward while applying the brakes. It has happened at stop signs, stop lights, going downhill. I cannot duplicate on demand. Several times it has surged me past a stop sign while I still had my foot on the brake. Also, when the surge happens, I have to push harder on the brake pedal to stop the vehicle. I have had the hub replaced as well as the wheel censer and I still have the problem. I took it to the dealership on 8/15/22 and it has happened several times since then.

- Pierre, SD, USA

Random loss of braking feeling and jolting forward when stopping due to regenerative braking letting off. Happened randomly since purchase. Happens around 20mph mark

- Rising Sun, MD, USA

it does occasionally when coming to a complete stop sign to seems to jolt forward. I have taken it to the local Toyota dealer as a safety concern and was told after they analyized the computer data couldn-??t find any problem. Yet it seems to keep happening

- Bristow, VA, USA

UNKNOWN. Brakes have temporary failure midway through braking. The pedal feels like it drops and the car ceases to brake. You press down hard quickly, and it takes a second for the car to then brake again. Naturally the car jerks, at time throwing people forward and locking seatbelts. This happens most frequently going downhill, and happens at a variety of different speeds. Dealership says there is no issue. It happens multiple times a week, if not multiple times a day. While I typically drive with adequate space for this failure, I cannot control other drivers. I almost rear ended a person who cut in front of me from the right lane when the braking failure occurred.

- Bellevue , NE, USA

My car frequently accelerates suddenly when I am actively braking. I will begin braking, start to slow down, then the car will accelerate, jolt forward, then start braking again. This puts me at risk for having an accident at stop lights and any time I should be braking. I have an appointment to take it to the dealer. It does not happen every time I am braking and it is not easily reproducible, however it has started happening more often. I have no warnings. An independent auto shop has looked at it and they believe there is a problem when my car is switching from regenerative to hydraulic braking.

- Georgetown, TX, USA

When I am using the brakes an a medium rate the vehicle will loose its brakes for a second causing a loss of control on the vehicle. This happens randomly and caused us to almost go off a culvert of a driveway once. It has scared us many times to thinking we were going to hit the car in front of us. It makes my wife sick every time it happens. Smart motors and regional techs from Toyota have looked into this issue and determined this to be a -??feeling-?? and not a safety hazard. This is not the case and needs to be fixed before someone gets hurt. Lane Keeping assist is unusable. When it is turned on it fights with the driver. It will swerve back in forth in its lane and sometimes so bad it feels like the car would roll if it was not turned off and got worse. Every once in a while it will try to take an exit on the highway by itself. Date of incident in questionnaire is approx to the last time it happened. It has happened too many times to count. Vehicle mileage is when we first started really having issues with the brakes. Lane assist is an always thing.

- Belleville, WI, USA

We purchased the highlander a few days ago from a Toyota dealership. There are currently no recalls that have not been addressed and the car seemed to be in great condition. Driving the last few days there have been times that the brakes just don't function properly. I went online to see if this was an issue that had been reported. I found this description below and it is exactly my experience as well. This site has the other complaints that match my experience. Feeling like you don't have brakes for a few seconds is going to lead to accidents. I have a 2005 Highlander and I am sad I spent so much money and would feel safer driving my old car. It has not been confirmed by a dealer, or inspected, and there are no lights on the vehicle. I don't know where to go for an honest assessment. https://m.carcomplaints.com/Toyota/Highlander/2020/brakes/service_brakes.shtml I have experienced brake issues, on any slight decline where the braking system will let up as if the braking is not working for a moment, and also, a jerk forward once stopped. This will lead to an accident and potentially, a pedestrian getting hurt if not addressed. I took it to the dealer and they stated they could not replicate the issue, therefore, did not run diagnostics on the vehicle and will do nothing else for me. I have great concern this will lead to an accident and after 30 years of driving, I'm having to constantly think of leaving enough room between myself and other cars to avoid an accident, and adequate room for a brake malfunction. I have another 2020 hybrid Toyota that does not have this issue. So, it is not an issue with all hybrids. - Berkley, MI, USA

- Columbia, SC, USA

On several occasions the brakes will get very weak and you have to apply normal than normal pressure. There-??s a second where it feels like the brakes have failed. All occasions have been on dry flat roads. This last occasion I was turning into a grocery store driveway and in the turn the brakes failed and I had to press hard and turn harder or I would have ran into the car leaving the driveway. It-??s not the hybrid system. I-??ve owned prior Toyota hybrid and the brakes don-??t give out like this. Sometimes it-??s less that 5MPh but it-??s also done it at 10-15mph. Both times the batteries are not fully charged so there isn-??t any reason why the regenerative breaking should be suddenly shutting off causing the breaks to feel soft.

- Palo Alto, CA, USA

ECU system failure. Dealer ship is stating ECU system was damage from soda or coffee which is not accurate found a recall on this vehicles with the same issue our vehicle is having.

- San Francisco , CA, USA

I have experienced brake issues, on any slight decline where the braking system will let up as if the braking is not working for a moment, and also, a jerk forward once stopped. This will lead to an accident and potentially, a pedestrian getting hurt if not addressed. I took it to the dealer and they stated they could not replicate the issue, therefore, did not run diagnostics on the vehicle and will do nothing else for me. I have great concern this will lead to an accident and after 30 years of driving, I'm having to constantly think of leaving enough room between myself and other cars to avoid an accident, and adequate room for a brake malfunction. I have another 2020 hybrid Toyota that does not have this issue. So, it is not an issue with all hybrids.

- Berkley, MI, USA

Several times while applying the brake, particularly when braking slowly and often either downhill or turning a corner, there seems to be a gap in the braking. It feels like I have let my foot of the brake, but I have not. It is very brief. I have taken this to the dealer and they indicated they were able to replicate it and tried to fix it, but the problem has continued. For the approximate date asked about below, it has probably happened at least 50 times and it's happened with our two household drivers.

- Springfield, MO, USA

When going downhill and applying the brakes slightly. You keep your foot constant on the brake pedal. Braking some. The car would suddenly release the brakes for a second or two at speed about 35-40 mph. Then it catches up the brakes again. This looks really dangerous when you drive. I don't like this at all. It happens regularly to me. Maybe once a week or so. I started noticing it a while ago.

- Foothill Ranch, CA, USA

The contact owns a 2020 Toyota Highlander. The contact stated that upon the depression of the brake pedal, the vehicle would intermittently surge forward without warning. The contact stated that he would shift the vehicle into neutral to stop the vehicle from surging. The contact also stated that the blind spot monitor's unavailable warning message would intermittently appear on the instrument panel. The contact had taken the vehicle to Bayside Toyota and Waldorf Toyota and each dealer was unable to duplicate or diagnose the cause of the failure. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 21,000.

- Pomfret, MD, USA

I have a 2020 Highlander hybrid. When I brake my stopping pauses a half second to a second then brakes normally. I am afraid that I can get into an accident due to this happening at the wrong time or if I loan my car to another driver that is not aware of the problem. I took it to the dealer and couldn't reproduce the fault with their computer connected. Though this has been happening about every other day or so. there were no warnings prior, it just happens randomly! Please go to the attached Toyotanation.com link to see other people having the same issues with their Highlander Hybrids. https://www.toyotanation.com/threads/2021-highlander-hybrid-platinum-not-braking-properly.1694783/

- Phenix City , AL, USA

My Toyota Highlander is a hybrid and there is an ongoing problem with the brakes under certain conditions. When you are slowing the vehicle down, with your foot on the the brakes, there is a point under 10 miles an hour, where the brakes appear to let go and you must quickly exert dramatically more pressure on the brakes to stop the car. Fortunately it has not resulted in an accident because my wife and I are aware of the potential danger. The danger is, this occurs when you are stopping at a stop sign or crosswalk, pulling into a parking space, or around pedestrians, even pulling into our garage. I have own previous Toyota Hybrids and this vehicle behaves very differently. In my opinion the route of the problem may be the regenerative braking. As you step on the brakes the regenerative braking supplies most of the braking power and then at a slower speed the regenerative braking abruptly dis engages. It seem there should be a way to smooth the erratic behavior of the brakes. I have filed my concerns with the Toyota customer experience center in November of 2020 under my name and file number #2011280027. The car is available anytime to demonstrate the problem, there are no open recalls for this VIN#, and I have been told there are no service bulletins for this problem. The problem has occurred the whole time I have owned the vehicle.

- Raleigh, NC, USA