2008 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER Complaints

ENGINE BEGAN REVVING UPON ACCELERATION FROM A STOP LIGHT. ENGINE WARNING LIGHT CAME ON INDICATING LOW OIL PRESSURE. PULLED INTO AUTO REPAIR SHOP WHO FOUND DIPSTICK WAS DRY. POURED OIL INTO ENGINE ONLY TO SEE IT LEAKING OUT FROM BELOW PASSENGER SIDE. CAR WAS THEN TOWED TO LOCAL TOYOTA DEALER. DEALER REPLACED OIL COOLER HOSE 15767-31010 WHICH HAD FAILED WITH 15767-31020 (ALL METAL ASSEMBLY). REPLACED OIL AND RESTARTED ENGINE. ENGINE IS MAKING TAPPING SOUND AND DEALER RECOMMENDS FULL REPLACEMENT. DEPENDING ON OPTION, COST IS BETWEEN $7500 FOR A USED TOYOTA ENGINE TO $8300 FOR JARCO ENGINE (WHICH I BELIEVE IS REBUILT). THIS OCCURRED IN SOUTH CAROLINA WHILE WE WERE VACATIONING FROM MARYLAND. THANKFULLY, WE WERE NOT ON THE HIGHWAY WHEN THIS OCCURRED. WILL HAVE TO LEAVE VEHICLE HERE FOR REPAIR AND FLY BACK TO DRIVE IT HOME LATER. BTW, THE SINGLE PIPE OIL HOSE WAS REPLACED IN MAY 2010 UNDER THE SSC 90K RECALL AT 33K MILES. THAT IS NOT THE PART THAT FAILED. THIS IS THE DUAL MANIFOLD RUBBER HOSE THAT TOYOTA HAS NOW REPLACED WITH AN ALL METALLIC ASSEMBLY. AS FAR AS I KNOW, THIS PART WAS NEVER RECALLED, BUT THERE IS A TSB 02011-11 AVAILABLE. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT AFTER PARKING THE VEHICLE, HE NOTICED A LARGE AMOUNT OF OIL IN THE DRIVEWAY. THE CONTACT CHECKED THE OIL LEVEL AND IT SHOWED THAT THERE WAS NO OIL IN THE VEHICLE. HE THEN ADDED OIL AND FOUND A STEADY STREAM LEAK FROM A RUBBER HOSE. THE CONTACT PURCHASED AN AFTER MARKET METAL HOSE AND REPLACED THE DEFECTIVE HOSE. HE THEN DRAINED THE OIL AND FOUND THAT THERE WERE METAL SHAVINGS IN THE OIL, WHICH HE ASSUMED CAME FROM THE BEARINGS. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE HAD NOT BEEN REPAIRED. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 64,000.

THE AIRBAG LIGHT CAME ON APPROXIMATELY IN APRIL 2013. THE LIGHT STAYS ON ALL THE TIME. I BROUGHT IT TO ELK GROVE TOYOTA. THE INSPECTED THE LIGHT FOR $120. THIS WAS FOR INSPECTION ONLY. THEY SAID THE CAR NEEDS A AIRBAG SPIRAL CABLE. THEY ESTIMATED $460 TOTAL TO REPLACE THIS WIRE. THE CAR HAS NOT BEEN IN AN ACCIDENT. THE LIGHT CAME ON AT 65000-67000 MILES. WILL TOYOTA RECALL THIS PART OR REIMBURSE CUSTOMERS. THERE IS ANOTHER 2008 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER AIRBAG RECALL BUT IT DID NOT APPLY TO MY CAR. I LOOKED UP MY VIN. FOR THIS RECALL. *TR

AIR BAG LIGHT ILLUMINATED, AND CONTINUED TO STAY ON OVER SEVERAL DAYS. TOOK THE CAR TO THE DEALER, AND THE SPIRAL CABLE WAS DETERMINED TO BE MALFUNCTIONING. COST OF REPAIR WAS ABOUT $500. *TR

WHILE DRIVING, THE AIR BAG LIGHT CAME ON AND STAYED ON. AFTER TAKING IT TO A TOYOTA DEALER, IT WAS DIAGNOSED AS A SPIRAL CABLE ASSEMBLY MALFUNCTION. THIS ISSUE HAS BEEN THE SUBJECT OF RECALL FOR 2008 TACOMAS, CAMRYS AND VENZAS, BUT NOT THE HIGHLANDER. IT IS A $450 EXPENSE. IT SEEMS TO ME IF TOYOTA HAS RECALLED THE PART ON OTHER MODELS IN THE SAME YEAR, IT SHOULD CONSIDER RECALLING IT FOR THE HIGHLANDER. LOOKING AT THE RECENT COMPLAINTS FILED ON THIS WEBSITE, I SEE THAT I AM NOT THE ONLY ONE TO EXPERIENCE THIS ISSUE. *TR

THE AIRBAG LIGHT CAME ON. I TOOK IT INTO A DEALER, AND WAS TOLD THE SPIRAL CABLE NEEDED TO BE REPLACED (AT A COST OF $419 PARTS AND LABOR) AND THAT IT IS NOT COVERED UNDER ANY RECALLS. UPON RESEARCH, I LEARNED THAT THERE IS A RECALL FOR TACOMAS, CAMRYS, AND VENZAS FOR THIS EXACT SAME PROBLEM WITH THE SPIRAL CABLE. FURTHER, I FOUND NUMEROUS CLAIMS OF THE SAME PROBLEM FOR THE 2008 HIGHLANDER. I CONTACTED THE TOYOTA CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE CENTER, AND THEY CONFIRMED THAT THERE IS NO RECALL AND THAT I WOULD NEED TO RETAIN ANY DOCUMENTATION FOR REIMBURSEMENT UNDER ANY FUTURE RECALLS FOR THIS ISSUE. OBVIOUSLY I NEED TO HAVE THE SPIRAL CABLE REPLACED, BECAUSE I WAS TOLD BY THE TOYOTA DEALER THAT THE ENTIRE AIRBAG SYSTEM IS INOPERABLE. MY HOPE IS THAT THERE WILL BE A RECALL FOR THE HIGHLANDER, AND THAT IT IS ALREADY BEING CONSIDERED. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER HYBRID. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE IN REVERSE, THE VEHICLE STALLED WITH THE ILLUMINATION OF THE CHECK HYBRID AND CHECK BRAKE SYSTEM WARNING LIGHTS. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN THE TO THE DEALER FOR DIAGNOSIS WHERE IT WAS ADVISED TO THE CONTACT THAT THE POWER INVERTER NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 2,860. KMJ *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 20 MPH, THE AIR BAG WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED INTERMEDIATELY. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR DIAGNOSIS WHERE IT WAS ADVISED THAT THE SPIRAL CABLE NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED AND THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 116,000. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER. THE CONTACT WAS DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 55 MPH WHEN THE AIR BAG WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED CONTINUOUSLY. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC AND AN AUTHORIZED DEALER, WHO BOTH STATED THAT THE AIR BAG SPIRAL CABLE WOULD NEED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE PROBLEM. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 67,000.

HIGHLANDER HYBRID LOST COMPLETE POWER WHILE TRAVELING ON HIGHWAY AT 65MPH. VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO DEALER AND DIAGNOSED AS FAILURE OF THE POWER INVERTER. ESTIMATED COST TO REPAIR QUOTED AS $9,140. *TR