Dozens of consumers have complained to NHTSA about intermittent brake failure in the 2007 and 2008 Toyota Camry hybrid sedan and have pursued requests of a forced recall by the company. In a majority of the complaints, drivers said they pressed the brake pedal and experienced either a delay in response or had to apply more pressure on the pedal to get the car to slow. Some reported complete brake failures.
“When I tried to apply brakes to stop, I realized that the brake had completely failed” one driver reported in a complaint to NHTSA. “I did a sharp evasive turn and hit the curb hard in [an] attempt not to run over pedestrians in the crossing!” 
One Camry owner was reportedly charged more than $2,600 by a car dealer to replace an actuator in the braking system. Fortunately the charge was covered by an extended warranty, but the driver complained to NHTSA that it should still investigate and require a recall given the extensive number of similar complaints.
The agency said Monday that it would look into the reports of delayed braking and brake failure from owners of the vehicle. This problem could possibly affect up to 30,000 cars and NHTSA has already recorded over 59 complaints, including two reported accidents. Safety regulators say that about 40% of the braking incidents were occurring at speeds of more than 40 mph. NHTSA also said that the pace of people filing complaints has increased, with 55% being filed within the last eight months.
John Hanson, a spokesman for Toyota has spoken publicly about the issue, “We will work with NHTSA to find out if there is a consistency here, this isn’t something that we know for sure yet what the problem is or what the fix will be. That is what this portion of the process is about.”
Federal law requires all auto manufacturers to notify NHTSA within five business days of determining that a safety defect exists or that the vehicle is not in compliance with federal motor vehicle safety standards and to promptly conduct a recall.
For the original story, please visit LA TIMES