I think my 2007 with 68k is experiencing the same thing. I hear the noise much more often than I have in the past, every 15-30 seconds while driving at low speeds around town. I have an extended warranty that is good until August of 2013, but I might be bringing it in to have them check it out before it triggers warning lights. I'd hate to have it go out on a trip.

 

Well crap. This JUST started happening on my 07 a couple of weeks ago. I notice it one day when driving home from work. It was a nice day so I had the windows down and from the time I entered my neighborhood to the time I got to my house (about 1 mile) I heard this noise every few seconds. This is NOT good. As has been stated over and over again, this is not the kind of quality (or lack there of) that I expect from toyota.

 

This started happening to my 2007 Camry Hybrid too recently. The car has only 42K miles and I started hearing the more frequent noise coming off the ABS pump, specially when the car is idle and most recently I hear a different noise when I fully press the brake pedal. I took to my dealer last week and was told I need to replace the "Actuator Assy, BR" part "44050-30300". They quoted me $2,629 but told me the would give me a 25% discount and quoted $560 for labor. I know I can get it online for much less so I'm not even worried about their quote.

This does not affect the brakes function but can eventually fail and the ABS won't work. I do agree this seems like a premature failure not typical of a Toyota and I even read they redesigned this pump in newer models as they knew about the failure so I'm thinking it is at least worth writing Toyota a letter and see what they come back with.

I read in another place recommendations to be buy it used and even DIY install it. I'll weigh my options when it actually fails as I'm not ready to spend $2k to repair it.

 

I have a 07 TCH and get the same every 15 seconds noise starting with when I first open my door. It started after about the second oil change but I remember the dealer saying it was okay. The noise became louder more recently so I took it to the dealer this week out of warranty and they told me that this was a normal sound and nothing was wrong. Well I told them that the unit sprayed some fluid up towards the underside of the hood. I showed them where the stain was from the brakes and when I got my car back the next day they steam cleaned the leaking break fluid and the pretty much the entire engine. I was really confused when they told me the sound was normal. The reason they kept my car overnight was to fix a bad water pump and change fluids.

Toyota needs to recall and fix our problems breaks.

 

My 2007 TCH when rather new would pump up the ABS for 5 to 10 seconds. After 5 years of driving it still happened about the same length of time.

Before I traded my car I dropped by the dealer and had their certified toyota tech to look at my liquids. He added a little brake fluid which was mounted on the firewall. He also added about a inch of pink coolant to the reservoir and just a little to the inverter bottle. I had been keeping a eye on the liquids monthly for all those years. The car only had 38000 miles on it when I traded for the '12 TCH.

 

Sorry to add to a two-year-old post.

I noticed this problem with my 2007 TCH for over a year now and the dealer said that it's normal. However, I was driving to work today, going about 70 mph when an idiot changes lanes right in front of me trying to exit the freeway at the last second. I go to slam my brakes and the Check VSC System goes off. The dash lights up like a Christmas tree and I realize the brakes don't work at all. I go into a panic for a second or two thinking about throwing the car in neutral and hitting the parking brakes, but just like that the dash lights go off and the brakes work again. It's like nothing ever happened and the car drove fine the rest of the way to work.

This is scary. The TCH is usually my wife's commuter but since she has the day after Christmas off and I don't, I decided to save a few bucks in gas and go with the TCH. She's not as mechanically inclined as I am and I don't know what would have happened if she were behind the wheel in a situation like this.


Maybe it's cheaper for Toyota to pay a million or two if somebody dies in a situation like this than to recall all the cars and pay hundred of millions to fix the problem (if there is a fix). Toyota needs to come clean and take care of this problem, not to mention the water pump problem they have also.

 

Wow! That is a harrowing story... You should contact the NHTSA immediately about that!

Here is some more reading that you might be interested in over on TN:

http://www.toyotanation.com/forum/10...ode-c1391.html

 

Too bad about these actuators failing. It would be nice to know updates from some of the users who posted on this thread a few years back if they still have the same situation or something did fail?

 

Hi All,

I've replaced the brake actuator assembly back in 2012 and so far so good (knocking on wood).

Just to clarify the issue:

1) Hearing the pumping/vibrating sound when you first open the driver car door is normal. This is the actuator putting pressure on the brake system. Opening any passenger door will not activate it.

Hearing it again after pressing the brakes is also normal, as it replaces the pressure on the system.

It is normal to NOT hear the sound when you first open the driver car door shortly after you just closed it (as the pressure on the lines are still within the targeted pressure).

It is also normal to NOT hear the sound during light braking, as the pressure on the lines is still within the threshold.

If you are unsure what the sound is, get in your vehicle, start it up and wait for the engine to turn off (I know, I know, waste of gas, but it's for experience sake ) When it's nice and quiet, slowly step on the brake pedal down, perhaps as far as it can go, hold it for a few seconds, then lift it up. You should hear the brake actuator turn on and apply pressure to the line. If you don't hear it, slow step on the brakes again and let go. Eventually it will turn on. It sounds like something vibrating more so then something pumping.

2) What the issue is, after the initial pressurization of the lines (when you open the DRIVER car door), after some (short) amount of time, you hear the brake actuator activate. By short I mean maybe 15-20 seconds or shorter. This happens without stepping on the brakes or doing something that would normally depressurize the lines. With my issue, it noticed it stuck in traffic, crawling along at 10-15mph with the windows down. I heard the sound go on every 15 seconds, with no usage of the brakes. Eventually the "cycle" started to repeat itself every 5 seconds and so I had it replaced.

A few months ago I had gone to Target (before the big credit/debit card debacle) and parked next to another TCH. There were people hanging out in the car and the car was on. I could hear the brake actuator turning on every 5-7 seconds. Their car was parked mind you, so it was exhibiting the problem.

So that's my update. Happy new year to all you guys and gals!

[disclaimer: The information provided above is from my own personal observations. If I used a term incorrectly I apologize. I initially though the brake actuator was a vacuum pump to aid in "power brakes". But after looking through forums and talking with the tech at the dealership, I discovered it puts pressure on the brake lines]

 

Really appreciate this detailed message Chris. Thanks a lot.