2003 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER Complaints

2003 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER WITH 110,000 MILES STARTED TO OVERHEAT AND LOSE COOLANT. TOOK IT TO DEALERSHIP AND LEARNED THAT THE CYLINDER HEAD BOLTS HAD COME LOOSE DUE TO THE HOLES IN THE BLOCK BEING STRIPPED. TOYOTA ESTIMATED $3000 TO TAKE THE BLOCK OUT TO A MACHINIST TO BORE NEW HOLES, BUT IF THAT DIDN'T WORK IT WOULD COST $6000 TO REPLACE THE BLOCK. I THEN TOOK THE CAR TO A PRIVATE MECHANIC WHO SAID IT WOULD COST $9600 TO TAKE OUT THE BLOCK AND SEND TO MACHINIST OR BUY A RE-MANUFACTURED ENGINE FOR $8200. THE PRIVATE MECHANIC STATED THIS PROBLEM IS DUE TO FAULTY MANUFACTURING OF THE ENGINE AND ALSO STATED THAT HE SEES THIS PROBLEM ALL THE TIME IN THESE TYPES OF VEHICLES. ON THE INTERNET I HAVE FOUND CONSUMERS SHARING THE SAME STORIES ABOUT SIMILAR VEHICLES BY TOYOTA WITH SIMILAR ENGINES THAT HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM; SOME ONLY LASTING 70,000 MILES. I PUT IN A CALL WITH TOYOTA HEADQUARTERS AND THEY GAVE ME A REFERENCE NUMBER IN CASE ANY RECALLS SHOULD ARISE. TOYOTA SAID THAT THERE WAS NOTHING THEY COULD DO OUT OF "GOOD FAITH" SINCE IT IS PASSED THE WARRANTY MILEAGE AND SINCE I DID NOT DO ALL MY SERVICING AT TOYOTA. I CHANGED THE OIL EVERY 3,000 MILES AND TOOK VERY GOOD CARE OF THIS VEHICLE AS IT WAS MY FIRST PURCHASE OF A NEW VEHICLE AND I THOUGHT IT WOULD LAST ME A LONG TIME. *TR

THE COOLANT KEPT LEAKING ON MY HIGHLANDER 2003 4 CYLINDER FOR LAST FEW MONTHS. THE TEMPERATURE GAUGE ONE DAY SHOWED HEATING OF ENGINE. TOOK IT TO TOYOTA , THEY SAID IT IS BLOWN HEAD GASKET. DEMANDED $3500. *TR

2003 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER 2.4L 4-CYLINDER ENGINE, 108,000 MILES, DEVELOPED COOLANT LEAK ON THE BACK SIDE OF THE TOP OF THE ENGINE, ADJACENT TO AN INSULATOR PAD AT THE BACK OF THE ENGINE BLOCK. THE BACK 3 HEAD BOLTS WERE STRIPPED, ALLOWING COOLANT TO ALSO LEAK INTO THE ENGINE. THE TOYOTA DEALER SAYS THAT THE SHORT BLOCK OR ENTIRE ENGINE MUST BE REPLACED, WITH NO OTHER OPTION. THE HEAD HAD NEVER BEEN OFF SINCE ORIGINAL FACTORY MANUFACTURE/ASSEMBLY. BASED ON THE FREQUENCY OF IDENTICAL ENGINE FAILURES, FAULTY ASSEMBLY AND/OR DESIGN ASSURES EVENTUAL FAILURE OF THE ENGINE. *TR

2003 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER HAS HEAD BOLTS STRIPPED FROM BLOCK, CAUSING FLUID TO SLOWLY LEAK FROM ENGINE AND OVERHEAT. FIRST SYMPTOM IS AC BLOWS HOT AIR. MOST FOLKS WHO EXPERIENCE THIS BURN UP THE ENGINE, BUT I WAS FORTUNATE AND WAS ABLE TO HAVE IT REPAIRED AT A COST OF $2750.00 !!!!! THIS IS A CLEAR DEFECT, HEAD BOLTS DO NOT SIMPLY GET STRIPPED FROM A BLOCK. *TR

VSC (VEHICLE STABILITY CONTROL, INCLUDING ABS) & CHECK ENGINE LIGHTS HAVE BEEN TURNING ON INTERMITTENTLY ALMOST FROM THE START OF OUR OWNERSHIP OF THIS 2003 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER V6 AWD LIMITED AND AFTER COSTLY REPAIRS AT THE DEALER THEY ARE STILL ON CONTINUOUSLY. LAST TIME (MAY-JUNE 2010) DEALER REPLACED FRONT BRAKE PADS & ROTORS; REAR AXLES AND SPEED SENSORS AND NOW WANTS TO REPLACE ADDITIONAL COMPONENTS THAT DO NOT APPEAR CONNECTED. FIRST TIME CAR WAS SERVICED UNDER WARRANTY AT DEALER AND THAT TOO DID NOT LAST FOR LONG. TOYOTA CAR SATISFACTION CENTER HAS NOT BEEN HELPFULL. CASE # [XXX]. FORD HAS ISSUED A RECALL FOR SIMILAR ISSUE RECENTLY: 10S13 FOR REAR AXLE BREAKAGE IN THE SNOW BELT! TOYOTA REFUSES TO ACKNOWLEDGE ISSUE AND INTERNET HAS MANY DISCUSSIONS ON TOPIC. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

TL-* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER. WHILE TRAVELING 55 MPH, THE CONTACT NOTICED THAT THE TEMPERATURE GAUGE WAS INDICATING THAT THE VEHICLE WAS RUNNING HOT. AFTER EXAMINING THE VEHICLE, THE CONTACT DISCOVERED COOLANT LEAKING FROM THE REAR OF THE CYLINDER BLOCK. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A LOCAL MECHANIC WHERE Z TAPS WERE INSTALLED INSIDE OF THE ENGINE. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 155,000.

2003 4 CYLINDER TOYOTA HIGHLANDER. COOLANT LEAK AND SUBSEQUENT NEED FOR A NEW REPLACEMENT ENGINE DUE TO THE DEFECT OF 3 REAR ENGINE SHORT BLOCK SCREWS/THREADS. HAD LESS THAN 85K MILES ON VEHICLE, WHEN FOUND A COOLANT LEAK UNDERNEATH ENGINE BLOCK OF VEHICLE IN GARAGE AFTER HAVING NO ISSUES PRIOR WITH ENGINE, RADIATOR OR ANY ASSOCIATED ACCESSORIES TO THE COOLANT SYSTEM/ENGINE SYSTEM OF VEHICLE. TOOK TO A TOYOTA DEALER PRIOR TO ANY OVERHEATING OR VEHICLE OPERATION FAILURES OR RADIATOR FAILURE. TOYOTA DEALER PULLED ENGINE MANIFOLD AND COVER OFF TO INVESTIGATE AND FOUND THAT WHEN THEY PULLED THE THREE SCREWS THAT CONNECT THE ENGINE COVER THAT COVER THE HEADS/CYLINDERS, THE THREADS ASSOCIATED WITH THE SCREWS CAME WITH THEM. THE ONLY FIX PER DEALERSHIP DETERMINED TO BE A BRAND NEW SHORT ENGINE BLOCK AND ACCESSORY REPLACEMENT FOR $6,470. DATE ON THIS IS AUGUST/2010. HAVE ALL PAST SERVICE HISTORY OIL CHANGES/TRANSMISSION CHANGES, RADIATOR CHANGES, WATER PUMP SERVICE, ETC FROM 0 MILES TO CURRENT. TOLD THAT THE SCREWS WERE NEVER SPRAYED AND SEALED CORRECTLY, THUS CORRODED INTO THE THREADS AND CAUSED FAILURE WITH BOTH ITEMS. VERY UNHAPPY THAT AN ENGINE IS GOING TO BE PAID FOR AND REPLACED BY CONSUMER ON AN OBVIOUS MANUFACTURER ERROR. MORE AND MORE OF THESE SPECIFIC ISSUES WILL ARISE WITH TIME ON THESE 4 CYLINDER EARLY 2000 TOYOTA HIGHLANDERS. THEY WILL NEED TO RELIEVE THE CONSUMER OF A FULL PAYMENT OF A NEW ENGINE OR BURDEN THEMSELVES ON LOSING EVEN MORE LOYAL TOYOTA CONSUMERS. ----TOYOTA ONLY CONSUMER SINCE 1994.....TILL NOW!!!! *TR

SUNDAY 8/1/10 THE DRIVERS' SIDE VISOR IN OUR 2003 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER WAS FINE. MONDAY 8/2/10 WHEN ATTEMPTING TO POSITION THE VISOR IT WOULD FLOP DOWN AND HANG IN A VERTICAL POSITION OBSTRUCTING THE DRIVERS VIEW OF THE ROAD, YOU COULD NOT BEND IT BACK AGAINST THE WINDSHIELD. IT BLOCKS THE DRIVER'S VIEW MAKING IT UNUSABLE AND UNSAFE. I WENT TO THE TOYOTA DEALER TO HAVE IT REPAIRED. THE DEALER CLAIMED THAT IT COULD NOT BE REPAIRED AND THAT A REPLACEMENT WOULD COST OVER $700 DOLLARS. THE ATTACHMENT IS WHERE THE PROBLEM IS. THEY CLAIMED THEY COULDN'T FIX IT. THIS IS A CLEAR SAFETY ISSUE AND I FEEL THAT TOYOTA SHOULD BE RESPONSIBLE FOR ITS REPAIR. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER. WHILE ATTEMPTING A RIGHT TURN AT APPROXIMATELY 5 MPH, THE VEHICLE ABNORMALLY ACCELERATED AND CRASHED INTO ANOTHER VEHICLE. THERE WERE NO INJURIES. A POLICE REPORT WAS AVAILABLE. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER WHERE THEY WERE UNABLE TO DIAGNOSE THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 95,000.

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER. WHILE DRIVING 50 MPH, THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL BECAME STUCK TO THE FLOORBOARD IN THE OPEN THROTTLE POSITION. THE VEHICLE PROCEEDED TO ACCELERATE WITHOUT DRIVER INTENT. THE CONTACT WAS ABLE TO STOP THE VEHICLE BY TURNING IT OFF. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 86,000.