Is my 2008 Highlander safe to drive if it has lost power and died?

Maintenance/Repairs
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1

Hi,

I’m driving a 2008 Highlander, but this question applies to almost any car, I think. On a couple of occasions the Highlander has lost power, and I’ve lost braking and steering ability. Each time this happened I was going at slow speeds and was able to stop without a nasty problem then restart the car. But what if this happens and I really need to brake? Three related questions: (a) Are power brakes going to help me stop the Highlander even when it has lost power? (b) If not, will the parking/emergency brake be useful? © If the answers to (a) and (b) are “No”, what should I do? Of course, I’d love to know why Highlander lost power, but my Toyota dealer was not able to replicate the problem, even after driving the SUV 100+ miles (the two occasions it happened to me were separated by about 5000 miles of driving).

Thanks for your thoughts!

-Dave McArthur

2

(a) Yes. Your power steering will go out immediately, but your power brakes should be good for one or two solid stops with no power-and one is all you need. Even if you lost power braking, you can still stop-just stomp down really hard on the pedal.
(b) Sort of, but you’re better off focusing on the main brake.

As far as why you’re losing power, I’ll leave that to the more talented forum members. They’ll probably need more information than you’re providing though.

3

I think your battery is toast, have it checked. Power brakes may work 1 or 2 times. Parking brake will always work, Always look for your way out if all else fails, be it shoulder or exit ramp