VSC light, ABS, and little to no brakes!!!!! - Toyota Nation Forum : Toyota Car and Truck Forums

minecamry · 01-05-2011, 09:44 PM

Two days after Christmas I was in a parking lot and all of the sudden, I put my foot on the brake to stop and the car flashed VSC light came on and my brakes were not working. I turned the car off and then back on and put the car into neutral and had my son push me into a stall. I turned the car off and back on and the same light was illuminated as well as ABS, Brake Warning and that triangular warning sign. My husband came down to pick me up 1/2 hr later and of course, the car worked fine. He thought I did something until it happened two more times for me and once for him. Each time the warnings came up and the brakes were not working very well (hit them to the floor and the car finally decides to brake.) We took it into the Toyota Dealer Service and on the way the light were up but after he turned it off the light did not come back on. They told us that because the codes are not coming on and they see nothing wrong when they look at it there is nothing they can do. BTW, it had been raining around the time that this was going on and is no longer raining? We have not hydroplaned or made any sudden movements...2 out of 4 times it happened I was going slow in a parking lot. Anyone have any ideas on what to do now? They are going to send us home with the car and I am scared to death that we are going to put our lives or someone else in danger. Please help!

minecamry · 02-01-2011, 12:06 AM

okay, so they sent us home as noted above and now this past Friday, the light came back on while backing out of my driveway. We went straight to the Toyota Dealer and of course the VSC light and ABS light that was illuminated went off! My husband was quite upset and started for home and the light came back on! We went back to the dealer and it was after service hours so we had a the sales manager take a look. There did not have any equipment to check for codes but at least this time someone at Toyota saw there was a problem and actually drove the car noticing that the brakes were very weak. The car has been there all day but of course, they have not had any problems since then. I have read of other posts similar problems with VSC light and replacing the modulator but not with a camry hybrid. Please give me some feedback as we are having to share a car between us because they will not pay for a rental car (we had one for two days last time the car was in the shop).

razol · 02-18-2011, 11:16 AM

I have encountered a similar problem, and the response from the dealer was that there are no codes in the diagnostic system. They sent me home driving a car with unpredictable braking. I am afraid to put my family in the car now. I have stopped driving the car and I am now seeking alternate remedies.

rosannems · 05-09-2012, 05:24 PM

I had the exact problem this week: I was driving on my block (thank God I was going slowly!) and tried to brake at the stop sign...only to have the brakes fail and the VSC light come on. I had the car towed the next day to Toyota Berkeley, because the brakes still weren't working and the VSC and brake light were still on...but of course the service folks "couldn't see any problem" and say the vehicle is working fine, so I might as well take it home. No codes in the memory, and worse, an implication that I was making this stuff up. (Customer service guy said, "The VSC lights come on all the time -- that's no big deal." No brakes on my car are evidently no problem for him.)

I have called the Toyota customer care number (800-331-4331) as suggested elsewhere to get a case number and to record this problem with corporate. I just went back to Toyota Berkeley to get them to take another look at the car based on the number of similar problems I found reported online with various Toyotas. I doubt anything will be done, but I suspect more people than a few have actually had this problem. This will be my last Toyota -- with all the problems in recent years, they are no longer a safe bet.

jcoop · 05-09-2012, 08:45 PM

This to me, is a grave problem. It is, to say the least, is a safety issue that Toyota must address before it causes somebody to get hurt or worse, get into a really bad accident. Toyota should address this reight away and could result in a factory recall.

Please keep us updated on what came of the customer care report with Toyota corporate?

Oz_TCH · 05-09-2012, 09:15 PM

What is VSC ?

So you're saying you had no brakes ?

Could you not take pic with cell phone while this light is on ?

lncshib · 05-09-2012, 09:17 PM

Take a picture of the VSC light when this happens, majority of us have camera-phones. You could make toyota liable for damages if the dealer didn't take any action upon showing the proof of the malfunction.
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HH2O · 05-10-2012, 05:42 AM

rosannems - What year is your TCH?

ewew5087 · 05-10-2012, 10:40 AM

I got almost a similar problem with my 2010 TCH and dealer replaced “Stroke Sensor” to fix my car.

rosannems · 05-10-2012, 12:00 PM

Thanks, Ewew5087, for lead on Stroke Sensor -- I will let the dealership know that might be something to check. Calling Toyota Customer Care and getting a case number helped get the action going. The dealership is now doing extensive testing of my car and checking with Toyota's worldwide databases to see if they can come up with a solution. They had a master technician drive the car yesterday and this morning, but of course it didn't present any problems. Ugh. But hopefully, they will turn up something and I will keep you posted.