Total brake, system & safety failure

[Steve Douglas]

Hi all. I am hoping someone can help. Yesterday I was in traffic (luckily), travelling circa. 10-15 mph when suddenly the following happened and I nearly hit the car in front! Wondering if this has happened to anyone else? Background - I got the CH-R Dynamic Leather Hybrid new in September 19 and have only done 1500 miles.

Brake pedal became very hard and stuck, I had both feet on the pedal and only managed a slight brake. Stopped in the end, phew!

A warning appeared - "Brake?" and then "depress brake manually" then the screen and car went wild:

"braking power low" then "Pre-collision system failure" then "Lane departure alert malfunction" then "Anti lock brake system malfunction" then "safety failure" then "hybrid failure" then "EPB malfunction" then I started to smell burning.

Called out The AA, he tried to drive it and brake and nearly ended up the garden I was near as he couldn't brake properly. He then said the diagnostic list was really long, and more worringly there was an error saying basically, the system/computer couldn't find/detect a brake pedal! His response was, too dangerous to drive and he had no idea how to deal with all the errors. So he took it to the dealership.

It was really scary. I looked on good old Google and I can see it has happened to people before. So, any thoughts/experiences with this?

Thanks, Steve.

[Starensis]

Wow! You’re lucky you didn’t injure yourself or anyone else!

i would personally take it further. This may be a decal on something as serious as this. Talk to Toyota relations team and if you get no joy, escalate to dept of transport.

Tell Toyota you are not driving the car until THEY have test driven it for at least 250 miles. Ask for a replacement in meantime.

Hope you sort it out. 

[Steve Douglas]

Tell me about it! It is currently with the Toyota dealer. They didn't look at it Saturday. The AA gave me a replacement car but only for 48-hours, so has to go back tomorrow @ 11.30am. Spoke with the dealer yesterday and they were "unsure" if they would be providing a car, got the Manager contacting me in the morning. 

Must admit I feel really uncomfortable about getting the car back when they have "fixed" it. Do you think I should contact the Toyota relations team before the dealer comes back to me?

Thanks @Starensis

[rafletcher]

Sounds like one for Twitter and the national and local press. 

[FROSTYBALLS]

As regards service, the service departments at a lot of dealers (not just Toyota) are only open half day on Saturdays, and if they already had customer appointments booked, they may not have had the capacity to look at the car that day.

Before escalating the issue on social media, etc, contact Toyota Customer Services - https://www.toyota.co.uk/contact-us/

 

[Steve Douglas]

I have raised a case with Toyota Customer Relations today after reading previous comments. Yep, agree most are half-day Saturday. I'll now wait to hear from the dealer tomorrow. Worrying though safety wise but the fact it's 5 months old and only done 1,500 miles. Thanks all.

[Starensis]

The least you should expect is a replacement whilst yours is being investigated! 
 

I would certainly prime customer relations with regards to major safety aspects and your expectation. 

[Pippalump]

Steve that is a horrible place to find your self. I am glad you are ok and was able to avoid an accident.  It is seriously scary to lose all brakes.

Its happened to me twice now, both were Toyota's but both were old, one had done 170k  (the dealer saw me coming with that one lol) the other round 90 k,  so ordinary ware and tare really and not 5 months old!!  

I understand fully re you not sure about trusting to drive it.....

Given its so new can you ask it to be replaced with a new one?

I hope they have the decency to give you a curtsy car!!  Given your ones mileage/age its the least they can do!

I can't begin to say how I would feel.  To get a new car and have it do this must be so, well for me I would feel both sad and angry..... 

I would really ask if they can just replace it unless they 100% explain why it happened and 100% repair it.... My green one was repaired after being lifted home to a garage for brake failure  the day I bought it....  It was a while before I learned to trust her

I hope so much you can get this sorted 

[Steve Douglas]

Firstly, Toyota Jemca Reading and Toyota UK Customer Relations have been really good, keeping me up to date. 

So, a major part was replaced yesterday (can't remember what it was called) which did not resolve the issue. Funny enough Toyota engineering team contacted Jemca after receiving the AA report on the faults to see what had been done and the status. Between them it was agreed they now need to replace the "Booster Brake" (costs £2,500). This they are waiting for which will take a few weeks. Once they have fitted it they are hoping this fixes the issues, then they'll thoroughly test is. 

Toyota UK are supplying me with a replacement CH-R until everything is fixed and working. I have put in writing my concerns with getting the car back, I am nervous about the thought of driving. They've assured me I will not get the car back until they are 100% happy it is safe. 

I'll wait to see what happens, and will update you. Thanks also for all your comments.

Wish me luck!

Steve 

[Starensis]

Any updates on this Steve?

[mrfixer]

Seems this is the same problem, and recall last year in Australia....

https://www.caradvice.com.au/778538/toyota-my19-hybrid-brake-recall/

 

[jewels.p]

Hi, This happened to me this morning while driving to work. Toyota Assist have now just towed it away to the Dealer. It was very Scary! Have you had any further problems with this? Thanks. Julie

[Roy124]

Julie, I see your car might be in the same model range as in that Australian link. I wonder if there was a recall in UK and if there was, was your's recalled? 

[Nicole P]

This also happened to me last night. The car lost control and all the lights went up and all the functions stopped working as I was driving around a steep uphill bend in the rain at night. There was a strong burning smell. The car was jolting so bad that the back end bumper thing popped off. (I did not hit anything so I have no idea how this even happened).

I had just had the car Battery replaced the day before, after it died for no reason. The car has also had issues with acceleration while going up hill and jolting. I do not trust this car (2017 Koba AWD CH-R) Ill be happy for them to take it away. It was TERRIFYING. If it had happened a few metres in front I would have driven off a cliff or into someones house. I pulled over in hysterics and could smell a strong burning smell. I often drive to the snow so if that had happened on icy roads I would be worse off or dead. 

I took the car to my local dealer - crying. They gave me a hire corolla to use while they look into it. I do not want the car back & I'm considering hiring a lawyer.

[TonyHSD]

On 8/10/2022 at 5:36 AM, Nicole P said:

This also happened to me last night. The car lost control and all the lights went up and all the functions stopped working as I was driving around a steep uphill bend in the rain at night. There was a strong burning smell. The car was jolting so bad that the back end bumper thing popped off. (I did not hit anything so I have no idea how this even happened).

I had just had the car battery replaced the day before, after it died for no reason. The car has also had issues with acceleration while going up hill and jolting. I do not trust this car (2017 Koba AWD CH-R) Ill be happy for them to take it away. It was TERRIFYING. If it had happened a few metres in front I would have driven off a cliff or into someones house. I pulled over in hysterics and could smell a strong burning smell. I often drive to the snow so if that had happened on icy roads I would be worse off or dead. 

I took the car to my local dealer - crying. They gave me a hire corolla to use while they look into it. I do not want the car back & I'm considering hiring a lawyer.

Lol, that sounds like an experience. Can you please update on what dealer says about the fault and how do they fix it for you? 
Thank you. 

[forkingabout]

IIRC a 2017 Koba AWD C-HR is an Australian vehicle equipped with the 1.2 turbo 4 cylinder petrol engine so it should have an electric vacuum brake booster pump under the bonnet to provide the vacuum required for the brake servo to operate. 

[forkingabout]

Looking more in to the design of this engine it seems the brake vacuum booster pump is actually driven by the exhaust camshaft.

I'm surprised Toyota just didn't borrow a tried & tested electric vacuum pump from one of there hybrid products.

[TonyHSD]

14 minutes ago, forkingabout said:

Looking more in to the design of this engine it seems the brake vacuum booster pump is actually driven by the exhaust camshaft.

I'm surprised Toyota just didn't borrow a tried & tested electric vacuum pump from one of there hybrid products.

Recently discovered that fiat 500 from 2020 has an electric brake booster pump similar to Toyota hybrids. I notice on my neighbours car when she opened the drivers door exact same sound as my Auris hybrid., her car is petrol manual , not sure if they are offered as mild or any other sort of hybrid technology, but definitely has electric booster, 👍

[Cyker]

I think the 500 does have a mild hybrid version available!

That would make sense, since if it was just a normal petrol engine they wouldn't need the vacuum pump...

[FROSTYBALLS]

Fiat do mild hybrid and EV versions of the 500, and a mild hybrid Panda.