2003 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER Complaints

TL* THE CONTACT OWNED A 2003 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED, THE VEHICLE ACCELERATED RAPIDLY WITHOUT WARNING CAUSING A CRASH. THE CONTACT SUSTAINED INJURIES TO HER LEFT FOOT. MEDICAL ATTENTION WAS REQUIRED. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED AND DEEMED DESTROYED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 51,082.

WAS PULLING INTO A PARKING SPACE IN A STRIP MALL, ABOUT 10 FEET BEFORE THE PARKING BLOCK THE CAR SUDDENLY ACCELERATED. I WAS ABLE TO TURN THE WHEEL HARD TO THE LEFT AND HIT THE BRAKES TO AVOID THE BUILDING. I DID HIT THE AWNING SUPPORTS AND CAUSED THE AWNING TO SAG. WAS ABLE TO FINALLY STOP THE CAR AND GOT OUT SAFELY. THE CAR LATER WAS TOTALED BY THE INSURANCE COMPANY.

THE ENGINE OVERHEATED SUDDENLY, BLOWING HOT AIR FROM THE AC AND THE TEMPERATURE GAUGE WENT UP. WE MANAGED TO GET HOME AND GET TO THE TOYOTA DEALERSHIP THE NEXT DAY. THE DEALERSHIP MECHANIC TOLD US THE ENGINE BOLTS STRIPPED DUE TO THE BLOCK BEING SOFT, AND THAT HE HAD SEEN THIS PROBLEM BEFORE. THE ISSUE OF THE SOFT BLOCK WAS CONFIRMED IN A SUBSEQUENT SEARCH OF THE INTERNET. APPARENTLY TOYOTA IS AWARE OF THIS FLAW, BUT THERE IS NO WARRANTY REMEDY. THE 2003 INLINE 4-CYLINDER ENGINE IS THE MODEL WITH THE BOLT STRIPPING PROBLEM. NEITHER THE DEALERSHIP NOR ANOTHER JAPANESE AUTO REPAIR PLACE WOULD CONSIDER TRYING TO REPLACE THE BOLTS. THEY SAID THAT BECAUSE OF THE SOFT METAL IN THE BLOCK, A NEW SET OF LARGER BORED BOLTS WOULD BE UNLIKELY TO HOLD. THE COST TO PUT IN ANOTHER ENGINE IS APPROXIMATELY THE VALUE OF THE CAR, IF THERE WERE USED ENGINES AVAILABLE. A NEW ENGINE WOULD BE IN THE $15K RANGE, MUCH MORE THAN THE CAR IS WORTH. WE WILL LIKELY SELL THE CAR FOR SCRAP. WHEN WE BOUGHT THE CAR, WE FELT WE COULD REASONABLY EXPECT A 250K MILEAGE LIFE. THE ENGINE FAILED AT 128K. JUST HALF OF ITS USEFUL LIFE.

MY SUV AFTER A HEAVY RAIN WAS FLOODED. (FLOOR, BOTH FRONT AND BACK). I TOOK THE CAR IN TO SEVERAL MECHANICS . ALL AGREED THAT IT COULD BE A CLOGGED AC LINE,CLOGGED VENT IN HOOD, DOOR SEALS. ALL WAS CHECKED AND FOUND NO PROBLEMS. THE A CRACK STARTED IN MY WINDSHIELD. NOT RELATING THE TWO PROBLEMS I TOOK THE CAR IN AGAIN TO A MECHANIC. HE FOUND RUST POPPING OUT FROM THE ROOF WHERE THE WINDSHIELD HAD BEEN FORCED OUTWARD BY RUST, CAUSING IT TO CRACK. THE LEAK WAS THEN DISCOVERED, AND CAUSED BY THE ROOF RACKS. ALLOWING WATER TO RUN INSIDE ROOF AND DOOR TRACK INTO THE CAR. I HAVE HERD OF OTHER PEOPLE HAVING THE SAME PROBLEMS WITH ROOF RACKS. THIS PROBLEM SHOULD BE ADDRESSED, AS IT CAN CAUSE A NUMBER OF MORE SERIOUS PROBLEMS.

IN VERY COLD MAINE TEMPERATURES, AFTER THE VEHICLE HAS SET UNUSED ALL NIGHT, THE AIRBAG WARNING LIGHT COMES ON IN THE MORNING WHEN THE VEHICLE IS STARTED. THIS ALSO HAPPENS IN VERY WARM TEMPERATURES AFTER VEHICLE HAS SET UNUSED ALL NIGHT. AFTER THE VEHICLE HAS RUN A SHORT WHILE AND WARMED UP OR COOLED DOWN, THE AIRBAG SIGNAL WARNING GOES OFF.

NEEDED TO HAVE A TOTAL ENGINE REBUILD DUE TO FAULTY HEAD BOLTS THAT STRIPPED AND ALLOWED COOLANT TO ENTER THE ENGINE AND BURN. LUCKY-I GUESS-THAT I ACTED QUICKLY SO AS TO AVERT CATALYTIC CONVERTER ISSUES OR SENSORS GETTING DAMAGED BY BURNING COOLANT. I ALSO AVOIDED THE TOTAL LOSS OF ANTIFREEZE AND THE RESULTING DAMAGE &/OR INCONVENIENCE THAT THOUSANDS OF OTHERS HAD. STILL, A HUGE INCONVENIENCE AND HUGE $5425.82 COST DUE TO MANUFACTURER'S DEFECT: WEAK METAL THAT COULDN'T WITHSTAND THE TORQUE/PULL ON THEM... PERHAPS THE THREADING PLAYED A PART. I ONLY KNOW THAT 1000S UPON 1000S OF PEOPLE SUFFERED THE SAME ISSUE FROM TOYOTA ON THIS ENGINE IN SEVERAL YEARS/MODELS. THERE SHOULD BE A RECALL. THERE SHOULD BE COMPENSATION. *TR

CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WENT ON THE MORNING OF FEBRUARY 23, 2015. WHITE SMOKE EMERGED FROM VEHICLE AS I WAS DRIVING. THEN, THE VEHICLE STARTED OVERHEATING. MECHANIC INDICATES HEAD GASKETS WERE BLOWN AND SHORT BLOCK SCREWS STRIPPED AND BENT, LEAKING COOLANT ON MY 4 CYLINDER 2003 HIGHLANDER. HE REPAIRED THE SAME MAKE, MODEL AND YEAR THE PRIOR YEAR WITH THE SAME ISSUE. $69,000 FOR A NEW ENGINE. $44,00 FOR A REBUILT ONE. I HAVE NEVER HAD ANY MECHANICAL ISSUES WITH THIS CAR SINCE I PURCHASED IT TWO YEARS OLD IN 2005. ALTHOUGH, I HAVE KEPT UP WITH THE SERVICING, THIS TYPE OF SUDDEN MALFUNCTION IS A SHOCKER. *TR

DRIVER SIDE REAR BRAKES WILL NOT ILLUMINATE AFTER YOU DEPRESS YOUR BRAKES. REPLACED BULB AND SOCKET THAT HOUSES BULB AND WILL NOT WORK. CHECK ONLINE FOR SIMILAR ISSUES AND READ REPORTS OF 2002-2006 HIGHLANDERS HAVING EITHER LEFT OR RIGHT SIDE REAR NOT WORKING. *TR

DRIVER SIDE REAR BRAKE LIGHTS WILL NOT ILLUMINATE EVEN WHEN YOU DEPRESS YOUR BRAKES EVEN AFTER YOU REPLACE BULB AND LIGHT SOCKET. RIGHT SIDE REAR IS OK. I HAVE LOOKED ONLINE AND IT APPEARS OTHER 2003-2006 HIGHLANDERS ARE HAVING SIMILAR ISSUES. SOME ON RIGHT SIDE AND OTHERS ON LEFT LIKE MYSELF. *TR

I PURCHASED MY VEHICLE IN 2003 IN CALIFORNIA. IN 2005 I MOVED TO NORTH PORT, FLORIDA. I HAVE SEEN ON THE MEDIA THAT IF I LIVE IN A HUMID AREA, MY AIR BAGS ARE UNSAFE. I WENT TO WWW.SAFERCAR.GOV AND ENTERED MY VIN# I WAS TOLD MY CAR HAS "NO RECALLS". *TR