2008 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER Complaints

SRS WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED AFTER STARTING VEHICLE AND WON'T GO OUT. TRIED RESETTING TO NO AVAIL. HAVE SEEN MANY COMPLAINTS FROM OTHER OWNERS WITH THE SAME PROBLEM.INDICATIONS ARE THAT IT IS A SPIRAL CABLE AND THE PART IS NOT AVAILABLE. TOYOTA NEEDS TO ISSUE A RECALL TO REPAIR THIS PROBLEM. WE NEED THE HELP OF THE NHTSA .

THE INTERMEDIATE SHAFT IN THE STEERING COLUMN IS MAKING A KNOCKING NOISE WHEN EVER I TURN IT TO THE RIGHT. I COMPLAINED TO THE DEALERSHIP AND THEY SAID THEY COULD NOT FIND ANYTHING WRONG WITH IT. NOW THEY HAVE A TSB FOR IT FOR REPAIRING THE INTERMEDIATE SHAFT. WHILE I'M SPENDING $500, FOR THE REPAIR, THEY SHOULD RECALL THIS PART BECAUSE TOYOTA KNOWS ABOUT IT SINCE 2 YEARS AGO. WHILE DRIVING IT AND MAKING A TURN , IT WILL JUST MAKE A KNOCKING NOISE AND FEELS LIKE THE STEERING WHEEL IS LOOSE.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER HYBRID. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 45 MPH, THE VEHICLE STALLED AND THE SLIP, BRAKE, AND MASTER WARNING LIGHTS ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE RESTARTED AFTER TWENTY FIVE MINUTES. THE FAILURE RECURRED ON THE INITIAL START UP ON TWO SEPARATE OCCASIONS. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER, BUT THEY COULD NOT DIAGNOSE THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE. THE MECHANIC WAS UNABLE TO DUPLICATE OR LOCATE THE FAILURE. RECENTLY, THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER FOR A SECOND DIAGNOSTIC. THE VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED IN NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 13V396000 (HYBRID PROPULSION SYSTEM). THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 90,000.

THE PRIMARY ISSUE OF CONCERN IS REGARDING THE VEHICLES VALVE SPRINGS. AS A RESULT OF THE VALVE SPRING WHICH WAS IN PLACE, THE VEHICLE IN WHICH I DROVE, STALLED MULTIPLE TIMES WHILE IN MOTION ON A HIGHWAY, BEFORE I WAS ABLE TO GET IT CHECKED. IN ORDER TO RECTIFY THIS IT COST OVER $2,000.00 IN REPAIRS. THIS ISSUE IS OF GRAVE CONCERN, AS A FAULTY VALVE SPRING, IF IT WERE TO HAPPEN ON A HIGHWAY, COULD RESULT IN THE DEATH OF A DRIVER, PASSENGERS, AND OTHER VEHICLES. THIS ISSUE IS SIMILAR TO THE 2010 VALVE SPRING ISSUE WHICH AFFECTED LEXUS VEHICLES. IN THAT 2010 ISSUE, TOYOTA ADMITTED FAULT AND RECALLED ISSUES FOR 2006 TO 2008 LEXUS MODELS. GIVEN THAT THE ISSUE HAPPENED TO OTHER BRANDS OWNED BY TOYOTA THE DOT SHOULD SEE WHETHER THE ISSUE IS MORE WIDESPREAD, AND WHETHER MY VEHICLE FALLS UNDER THIS ISSUE AS WELL. *JS

ENGINE OIL COOLING (RUBBER) HOSE BURST WHILE DRIVING AND DUMPED ALL OF MY OIL ... TOYOTA HAS SINCE REPAIRED THIS PART WITH A SERIES OF METAL PIPES, WHICH SUGGESTS TO ME THAT THEY REALIZE THAT THIS IS A DEFECT BUT IT IS NOT ACKNOWLEDGED AS A RECALL

IN MOTION ON CITY STREETS STEERING COLUMN MAKES CLUNK NOISE WHEN TURNING LEFT OR RIGHT, ALSO ON HIGHWAY STEERING COLUMN RATTLES. IT STARTED 6-15-2014 UNTIL PRESENT DAY 12-28-2015.

WHILE DRIVING ABS, VSC AND CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ILLUMINATED, I CONTINUED DRIVING (WAS 10 MILES FROM HOME ON FWY). FIVE MINUTES LATER I ENCOUNTERED TRAFFIC, TRAVELING AT 40-50 MPH I TOOK FOOT OFF GAS AND BEGAN TO APPLY BRAKES. BRAKES IMMEDIATELY SEIZED AND THE CAR STARTED TO SKID. I RELEASED THE BRAKES, THEN TRIED AGAIN, SAME RESULT. I PULLED TO SIDE OF FWY AND STOPPED. I DROVE SURFACE STREETS USING THE PARKING BRAKE WHEN I NEEDED TO STOP, UNTIL I GOT TO MY HOUSE. THAT EVENING AND THE NEXT MORNING I CHECKED TOE CARS OPERATION, IT DIDN'T MATTER IF I WAS TRAVELING IN FWD OR REVERSE, THE BRAKES IMMEDIATELY GRABBED AT THE SLIGHTEST APPLICATION OF THE PEDAL. I TOOK THE CAR TO A REPAIR SHOP, HE WITNESSED THE SAME CIRCUMSTANCE AND DID A COMPUTER DIAGNOSIS, WHICH INDICATED A NEW BRAKE ACTUATOR UNIT WAS NEEDED ($3000). MY PRIMARY CONCERN (AND MY MECHANIC'S) WAS THAT THERE WAS NO FAIL SAFE, IF THE UNIT MALFUNCTIONED I WOULD EXPECT THE ABS SYSTEM NOT TO WORK, NOT TO MAKE THE BRAKING SYSTEM COMPLETELY INOPERABLE. I NARROWLY AVOIDED BEING REAR-ENDED WHEN THEY MALFUNCTIONED ON THE FWY. I REPORTED THE PROBLEM TO TOYOTA MOTOR AS WELL (CASE #1511120583)

AFTER THE VEHICLE IS DRIVEN TO A STOP AND TURNED OFF WHILE STILL IN DRIVE, REVERSE OR NEUTAL, THERE IS NO AUDIBLE OR VISUAL WARNING THAT THE CAR IS NOT IN SAFELY IN PARK. WHEN YOU TAKE YOUR FOOT OFF THE BRAKE PEDAL, THE CAR WILL ROLL AWAY IF IT'S ON AN INCLINE.

I RECENTLY NOTICED A RATTLING SOUND OUT OF THE ENGINE AREA THAT OCCURS INTERMITTENTLY. IT TYPICALLY OCCURS AFTER THE VEHICLE SITS FOR A COUPLE HOURS AFTER IT HAS BEEN DRIVEN UP TO OPERATING TEMPERATURE. THE SOUND HAPPENS FOR LESS THAN 2 SECONDS. THE TOYOTA DEALER IN OUR AREA DIAGNOSED THE ISSUE AS A FAILURE OF THE INTAKE CAM GEAR PER TOYOTA TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN 0094-09. THE SERVICE ADVISOR STATED THAT IF THE ISSUE IS LEFT UNADDRESSED, IT COULD LEAD TO COMPLETE ENGINE FAILURE. HE ALSO STATED THAT THE UPDATED CAM GEAR MADE BY TOYOTA DOES NOT FIT THE EXISTING CAMSHAFT. THIS MEANS THAT ALL 4 CAM GEARS AND TWO CAMSHAFTS WOULD HAVE TO BE REPLACED WHICH DRAMATICALLY INCREASES THE LABOR AND PARTS COSTS. I WAS GIVEN THE FOLLOWING QUOTE FOR THE REPAIR: PART'S $3748.00 LABOR $2137.00 TAX $348.00 TOTAL $6233.00 I TOOK THE VEHICLE TO ANOTHER TOYOTA TO CONFIRM THE DIAGNOSIS AND THEY CONFIRMED THE ISSUE AND QUOTED ME AT A SIMILAR PRICE TO DO THE REPAIR. MESSAGE BOARDS ALL ACROSS THE INTERNET DESCRIBE A SIMILAR PHENOMENON. AFTER DISCUSSING THE MATTER WITH TOYOTA CORPORATE, THEY AGREED TO COVER 50% OF THE PARTS COST, BUT I BELIEVE THIS TO BE UNFAIR BECAUSE THEIR UPDATED PART INTRINSICALLY AND DRAMATICALLY INCREASES THE LABOR AND PARTS COSTS. EVEN THOUGH ONLY ONE CAM GEAR FAILED, THE REPLACEMENT OF ALL 4 CAM GEARS IS NOW NECESSARY.

BRIDGESTONE DEULER H/L 400 TIRES HAD POOR TREAD LIFE AND WERE VERY POOR IN ANY AMOUNT OF SNOW. RAIN ALSO RESULTED IN HYDRO PLANNING.