Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (service brakes, ABS, rotors and pads, parking brake).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2004 Toyota Highlander owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
While parallel parking and slowly backing into the parking space, my vehicle suddenly accelerated backward crashing into the vehicle parked behind me. My vehicle continued accelerating backward into the other vehicle and pushed it back even though I was applying the brakes as hard as I could. I then put my vehicle into drive while applying the brakes, and it immediately lunged forward crashing into the vehicle in front of me. While continuing to accelerate forward, with the brakes applied, my vehicle pushed that vehicle into the vehicle in front of it. I then turned off the ignition and my vehicle stopped moving. All four vehicles sustained damage. There were no occupants in the other parked vehicles. Repairs to my vehicle totaled $4,076, plus $1,444 for a rental car. I also received a summons for careless driving. …
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 Toyota Highlander limited. The contact was driving 45 MPH when the vehicle abnormally began to veer off the road. The contact applied the brakes and the vehicle then suddenly spun around and crashed into a ravine. The vehicle rolled over twice. The contact sustained injuries to the neck and back and was admitted to the hospital for two days. A police report was available. The vehicle was destroyed. The vehicle was towed by the contacts insurance company. The contact stated that prior to the crash, an unknown warning light was illuminated and the vehicle was taken to the dealer. The dealer made repairs to the vehicle and the light was no longer illuminated. Neither the dealer nor the manufacturer was notified of the failure and crash. The failure mileage was 73,000. Updated 01/14/11
I was pulling into a parking space in a parking lot, going less than 5 miles per hour. As I turned into the spot, the car lurched ahead, so quickly, that slamming on the brakes still caused me to slide a bit. I ended up hitting a car parked in the spot in front of me, and causing $1400 worth of damage (to my front bumper and the other cars rear bumper). I had a friend in the car with me who vouched for this. I have never had an accident before, and was completely baffled by what happened. After googling this, I see that this car has had several similar incidents, and I am now worried about the safety of my car. I am unsure how to proceed, as I have read that mechanics seem unable to duplicate the event that occurs where it seems to accelerate rapidly. Very embarrassing- I have never had a car accident before!
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 Toyota Highlander. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle and pressing to brake pedal, the pedal failed to return to the idle position. The vehicle stability control message displayed on the instrument panel and the vehicle failed to exceed 40 MPH. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic who was unable to determine the cause of the failure. The vehicle was then driven to the local dealer groove Toyota located at 5460 s broadway, englewood, co 80113 however, the cause of the failure was not yet determined. The manufacturer was not yet contacted. The failure mileage was 126,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 Toyota Highlander. While driving various speeds, while depressing the brake pedal, the pedal traveled to the floor. The traction control, check engine, vsc, and brake indicators illuminated. The vehicle was serviced per NHTSA campaign number: 10V499000 (service brakes), but the remedy failed to repair the vehicle. The contact observed brake fluid leaking from the vehicle. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 157,489.
On November 14, 2011, I was parking my Toyota Highlander in a very familiar parking space and suddenly my car took on a life of its own and accelerated, veered left, jumped low sidewalk car barrier, jumped curb, and hit a decorative pole; brakes could not stop car. It went from gently entering a parking spot which I have often used to full throttle speed. The car did not accelerate straight forward it veered to left.
When the consumer applied the brakes, the pedal went to the floor. This resulted in the consumer's vehicle rear-ending another vehicle. The consumer had the vehicle towed to the dealership for inspection. It was determined that the brake pivot bracket had bent, causing the brakes to fail.
No events LED up to the failure. Wife drove car, brake warning comes up on dashboard, she pulled over. Wife called me on cell. I thought it w the parking brake. I told her to manipulate to clear the warning to no avail. Then I told her to open the hood to look at the brake cylinder. The brake cylinder had disconnected from its holder. A single pin holds it in place. This pin apparently broke causing the cylinder to fall over and release the brake fluid. The cylinder was layng over on its side dangling by two wires. My wife was about 80 miles from home visiting her parents. She thought she could drive home so it could be repaired by our dealer, dayton Toyota in dayton, nj. I told her not to drive given that there was no brake fluid. If she had driven her stopping distances would have been a lot longer. We contacted aaa then a local Toyota dealer - star Toyota of bayside, ny. …
The steering sensor on the anti-skid system shorted out causing the anti-lock brakes to engage while the car was in motion. This caused a very dangerous situation. Car had to be pulled of to the side of the road in a heavy traffic environment. Car could not be driven without the anti-lock brakes engaging. Car was towed to the Toyota dealership. I asked the dealer to disconnect the anti-skid system, because this system was more dangerous than the problem it was trying to address. The dealer said that was not possible and if the steering sensor was not replaced, the car would not be drivable. If a sensor in a control system fails, it should not cause a dangerous driving situation. If a sensor fails, the brakes should not engage, the system should just become inoperable. The logic in their control system is faulty and the computer should be re-programmed to eliminate the problem. …
The car's vsc (vehicle skid control) system activated on a dry straight road. The brakes went on and reduced the speed to about 5mph, making the car undrivable. Glad this didn't happen in traffic. The car was turned off, and restarted, and I could get it to about 10mph, and then it would apply the brakes quickly and reduced power no-matter what the throttle position was, and the car was limited to about 5mph. Once this happened the car has not been able to be driven, unless the fuses for the anti-lock brakes are removed. I did this just to get it to the dealer... It had buzzers and warning lights going off. The dealer looked at it and thought that it was the anti-lock brake & vsc "ECU", which was going to cost $2,400, but there could be extra sensors that needed to be replaced too. This seemed very excessive so I didn't have the work done. Now the car is sitting. …
Related recalls
Service brakes, hydraulic › Foundation components › Master cylinder
Toyota is recalling certain model year 2005-2006 avalon, model year 2004-2006 highlander, model year 2004-2006 Lexus rx, and model year 2006 Lexus gs and is vehicles. Brake fluid containing polymers is used that acts as lubricants for certain brake system components.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the seal with a newly designed one. This service will be performed free of charge. The safety recall began on November 15, 2010.
Brake complaints in other Highlander years
Frequently asked questions
How common are brake problems on the 2004 Toyota Highlander?
NHTSA has 24 complaints about the brakes of the 2004 Toyota Highlander, 8% of the model year's 286 complaints. The component named most often is antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip (4 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2004 Toyota Highlander brake problems?
Yes — NHTSA recall 10V-499 (master cylinder, Oct 21, 2010). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
At what mileage do 2004 Toyota Highlander brake problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 74,000 miles, and 23% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 5 crashes, 0 fires and 1 injury to brakes problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.