2008 Toyota Camry electronic stability control (esc) problems

“Brake actuator failure is too common in this vehicle. Needs to be an open warranty without limitation. This is a safety issue Toyota should be handling. On June 25, 2014, Toyota initiated a Warranty Enhancement Program (ZE1) to extend warranty coverage for the brake actuator assembly and skid control ECU/brake pedal stroke sensor in certain MY 2007 to 2011 Toyota Camry hybrid vehicles. Toyota's program covers repairs related to two conditions: internal malfunctions of the Brake Actuator assembly; and overly sensitive monitoring logic for the Brake Pedal Stroke Sensor. Melting dash is ridiculous as well. I can only imagine what kind of cancer I will be getting from inhaling the noxious fumes from the melting dash.”

“WHILE ON THE WAY BACK FROM A SHORT TRIP TO CALIFORNIA FROM ARIZONA, OUR "SERVICE ENGINE" WARNING LIGHT BECAME DISPLAYED ON OUR DASH ALONG WITH "CHECK VSC SYSTEM." THE BRAKING BECAME SOMEWHAT ERRATIC AND THE VEHICLE SEEMED TO "WANDER" MORE WITHIN THE LANE ON THE HIGHWAY CASING US TO REDUCE OUR SPEED. WHEN ARRIVING HOME WE MADE AN APPOINTMENT TO HAVE OUR VEHICLE SERVICED AND IT WAS FOUND TO HAVE A FAULTY ANTI LOCK BRAKE ACTUATOR THAT HAD TO BE REPLACED AT A COST OF $2900.00. I AM REPORTING THIS BECAUSE OF THE ARTICLE I FOUND DURING MY INVESTIGATION OF THIS ISSUE STATING "FEDS INVESTIGATE BRAKING PROBLEMS IN TOYOTA CAMRY HYBRID" (HTTPS://WWW.CONSUMERAFFAIRS.COM/NEWS/FEDS-INVESTIGATE-BRAKING-PROBLEMS-IN-TOYOTA-CAMRY-HYBRID-012814.HTML), ALONG WITH A MULTITUDE OF OTHER COMPLAINTS FOUND ON THE WEB PERTAINING TO THIS SAME ISSUE.”

“WHEN DRIVING THE CAR, THE CHECK VSC SYSTEM, ABS ICON AND SOMETIMES THE BATTERY ICON APPEARED ON SCREEN. SHORTLY AFTER IT STARTS TO AFFECT THE ENTIRE CAR WHERE IT STARTS LOSING POWER IN THE CABIN AS WELL AS EXTERIOR OF THE CAR. THE VEHICLE ALSO EXPERIENCE COUPLE OF BAD SHAKES FOLLOWED BY SPEED DECREASING, ODOMETER GOING HAYWIRE WHERE YOU ARE SPEEDING OR GIVING GAS BUT THE ODOMETER IS AT 0. FINALLY THE CAR COMES TO A STOP. IT ACTS TOTALLY WEIRD. IF YOU ARE TURN OFF THE CAR TO TURN IT ON AGAIN, THE CAR DOES NOT TURN ON. THERE IS NO IGNITION CLICKING AS WELL. WHEN THIS OCCURRED THE FIRST TIME, THE CLICKING OF STARTING THE ENGINE COULD BE HEARD. THE SECOND TIME, IT WAS AS THE CAR HAS COMPLETELY DIED ALTHOUGH BATTERY STILL HAS POWER SINCE THE DASHBOARD LIGHTS DO TURN ON. BOTH OF THE TIME THE ACCIDENT WAS AVOIDED. THE FIRST TIME THE VEHICLE WAS LUCKILY PULLED INTO A SIDE STREET AND NOT ON MAIN ROAD. THE SECOND TIME IT WAS CLOSE ENOUGH BUT WAS ABLE TO PULL ON TO THE SIDE STREET AND TO A PARKING SPACE. IN THE FIRST ATTEMPT, THE BATTERY WAS JUMPED AND TOOK OFF THE CABLE IN COUPLE OF MINUTES AND FINDING THE CAR DEAD. THIS WAS THOUGHT THAT THE BATTERY WAS BAD. SECOND TIME,…”

“BRAKE LIGHT CAME ON, THEN SUDDEN POWER BRAKING SYSTEM FAILURE WHILE DRIVING ON A TWO LANE BUSY ROAD AT A CURVE, THERE WAS A DING SOUND, THEN SIMULTANEOUSLY, A VSC WARNING MESSAGE AND MULTIPLE WARNING LIGHTS ILLUMINATED. ONLY MANUAL BRAKING ALLOWED STOPPAGE OF VEHICLE. EXTREMELY DANGEROUS SITUATION THAT COULD HAVE HAD TRAGIC RESULTS .”

“FOR SEVERAL MONTHS, THE CRUISE CONTROL HAD ONLY BEEN WORKING INTERMITTENTLY AND MY BRAKES SEEMED ROUGH. THE NIGHT BEFORE I BROUGHT MY CAR IN, ALL THE LIGHTS ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL CAME ON. ON AUG 1, 2017, I GOT A DIAGNOSTIC AND IT WAS THE ABS ACTUATOR, BUT I WAS TOLD I ALSO NEEDED A BRAKE JOB AND AN ALIGNMENT SO I WENT AHEAD WITH THAT $1,000 JOB. THEY COULD NOT DIAGNOSE THE CRUISE CONTROL SINCE IT WAS "FUNCTIONING" AT THE TIME. I HAD ALREADY REPLACED THE ABS SYSTEM IN 2013 AND WAS TOLD THAT I MAY APPLY FOR A REIMBURSEMENT FOR THAT $3,600 JOB, BUT I AM NOW OUT OF THE EXTENDED WARRANTY/SERVICE CAMPAIGN SO I COULD NOT GET REIMBURSED FOR THE CURRENT ABS FAILURE REPLACEMENT. AFTER MY BRAKE JOB AND ALIGNMENT, THE ROUGHNESS DID NOT SEEM TO IMPROVE AND THE CRUISE CONTROL CONTINUED TO MALFUNCTION. FOOLISHLY, I RATIONALIZED THAT THE BRAKES NEEDED TO BE WORN IN, BUT SOON MY CAR STARTED WITH A HIGH PITCHED NOISE AS I GOT IN AND OUT OF THE VEHICLE. THE BRAKES ALSO SEEMED TO "SLIP" SOMETIMES WHEN INITIALLY STARTING THE CAR. (FOOT ON BRAKE, START CAR, PUT INTO DRIVE, AND CAR WOULD START TO ROLL UNTIL I TOOK MY FOOT OFF THE BRAKE THEN REAPPLIED IT.) I WENT BACK TO TOYOTA…”

“IN JULY 2016 I BEGAN TO NOTICE MY CAR WAS STRUGGLING TO MAINTAIN IT'S POWER. WHEN I DROVE THE CAR AND STEPPED ON THE GAS IN WASN'T GETTING MUCH POWER. WHEN IN TRAFFIC OR STOPPED AT A TRAFFIC LIGHT IT WOULD STALL WHEN TRYING TO DRIVE OFF AND THEN THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WOULD COME ON. I BROUGHT MY CAR TO TOYOTA SERVICE CENTER AND THEY WORKED ON MY CAR FOR SEVERAL DAYS. THEY WERE ABLE TO GET THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT OF AND REMEDY THE PROBLEM BUT COULD NOT DETERMINE THE CAUSE. IN DECEMBER 2016 I STARTED TO EXPERIENCE THE SAME PROBLEM. I WAS LOSING POWER AND THE CAR WOULD STALL WHEN AT A COMPLETE STOP, IT WAS RIGHT AFTER THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. I BROUGHT MY CAR BACK TO TOYOTA FOR SERVICING AND THEY HAD A DIFFICULT TIME DETERMINING THE CAUSE BUT CAME TO A CONCLUSION THAT IT WAS A SENSOR CODE. I FOLLOWED THEIR ADVICE FOR SERVICING AND PAID FOR THE THE SENSOR CODE TO BE REPLACED. NOW WE'RE HERE IN MARCH 2017 AND I'M HAVING THE SAME PROBLEM. THE SAME PATTERN WHERE THE CAR STRUGGLES TO GAIN POWER AND WHEN I DRIVE TO TO STOP IN TRAFFIC THE CAR BEGINS TO STALL. IT IS RIGHT AFTER THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT COMES ON. I RETURNED TO TOYOTA FOR THE PROBLEM BUT HEY COULD NOT…”