CarComplaints.com Notes: 2008 is the first year of the 2nd generation Highlander, & it may be a model year to avoid as Toyota most likely worked out some production quality issues with the new model.
The 2009 Highlander is the has far fewer complaints.
10.0
really awful
Crashes / Fires:
2 / 5
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
82,051 miles
About These NHTSA Complaints:
This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.
So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.
This vehicle has had ongoing issues with the O2 sensors not working, I have researched online for years and have read that there are several online forums of 2008 Highlander owners complaining of the same issue. The problem that I (we all) face with this, is that it constantly fails, never being able to know if there is an actual issue becuase of the faulty sensors or wiring causing the sensors to go out. I am always frightened that something is wrong with the car and spent hundreds and continue to spend having my car checked. I am a single mom who lost my job at the beginning of the pandemic, I have two school aged kids. Having them in a car that I can not be sure we are safe in, is scary. The cost to replace the sensors as there are 3 that have been a constant pain of not working correctly is insane! It is going to be in upwards of $600 to repair! I absolutely can't afford that, being an unemployed single mother of two. Even when I was employed, living paycheck to paycheck to have to pay out almost a thousand dollars when from what I've read from others that replacing will still result in it failing again. So I have to drive around in a car that has all the sensor lights on, something really bad could happen to the car and since all the sensor lights remain on, I'll never know if something is wrong with the car- something bad could happen to me and my children while we are driving in the car. How can someone replace the sensors only for them to keep going out. This is a serious problem, I've dealt with this for years, only today did I learn that I could report this after receiving a recall letter from Toyota today regarding the paint on my car.
ABS system failure for the second time after repair, cost $3400 to replace after causing complete loss of brakes. 4 years after incident same exact ABS warning and VCS system failure with message to immediately take vehicle to dealership. There is a class action lawsuit on other hybrid models but Toyota inspected and said it would cost another $3500 to fix because there is no recall on the part.
2008 Highlander hybrid limited check engine light came on and showed code P0A1B - drive motor 'a' control module, the code was cleared manually and the check engine light went off, the next day the light came back on after driving about 3 miles then parked. The next day the light went off on its own as we took it to the Toyota dealership and has not been back on since driving it there and back, the dealership said they drove around a little and the light never came on, we brought it home and have driven about 7 miles without the light coming on. According to the local Toyota dealership and corporate Toyota there are no recalls for our VIN but it is showing all signs of the inverter assembly recall that affected 235,000 vehicles in the recall. Toyota quoted the repair at $9000+ and even though it has the symptoms of the recalled vehicles they will not fix it because it is not on the recall list and there is nothing they can do. The repair cost is more than the value of the car.
Highlander hybrid 2008 we were driving on a country back road. In Idaho, we had just stopped at a stop sign and went to drive forward after going around 100-200 meters and the car lurched forward while I was driving and then the screen with all the warnings began going off. All of them saying pull over tot the side of the road and that all the systems were failing. All the warnings said things to take the car to dealer. We pulled over to the side of the road and then tried to get the car to move forward by putting it in drive and you could hear the car trying to do something but nothing happened. The car did turn on but that was it.
Driving down the road when the traction sensor came on. Followed by a warning of check hybrid system and vcs system. And car shut completely off in the middle of traffic.
- Hudson, FL, USA
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I sent a letter to Toyota motor sales usa after being refused service at a local dealer to resolve a safety issue, with no reply. While pressing brake when starting I got a couple of error messages that said to contact a Toyota dealer. I did some very detailed research into this problem and what others had encountered. I found the errors would only show when the 12 volt battery was getting low on charge. The brake booster pump is one of the suspect items draining the battery because it continues to run long after the vehicle is parked. Since I don't have the tools to check the current draw on this or if it is even supposed to run long after the vehicle is shut off, I wanted my Toyota dealer to check this. There is a " customer support program notification - zkc" related to this for the brake actuator assembly and brake booster pump assembly. I specifically requested that they check out the electrical component of the brake booster pump even if not covered by warranty. I also told them about the errors only occurring on a low 12 volt battery charge. Their diagnosis showed an error code of poaa6 and only the warning lights and error message in the car display. They not only decided this was not covered by warranty but also ignored my specific request to test the brake system at my expense. No attempt at checking brakes or 12 volt charging system. I was told they would have to open the inverter to check that with the known outcome that this inverter is not repairable but would have to be replaced at a cost of $10,000.. new 12V battery installed. Computers can malfunction if not given the design operating voltage! I have trouble believing that there is a "hybrid battery voltage system isolation fault" due to the fact that the on board computer does not report this message when operating on a fully charged 12 volt system - in other words operating under normal conditions.
At Toyota, we are dedicated to providing vehicles of outstanding quality and value. As part of our continual efforts to ensure customer satisfaction, Toyota would like to advise you of a voluntary customer support program that has been initiated for your vehicle. Toyota has received reports regarding certain internal malfunctions of the brake actuator assembly in certain 2008-2010 model year Highlander hybrid vehicles. In these reports, customers have noted various brake system related warning lamps are illuminated. This customer support program provides coverage as it applies to the brake actuator assembly and brake booster pump assembly. The specific condition covered by this program is for certain internal malfunctions of the brake actuator assembly. If the condition is verified, the vehicle will be repaired with new brake actuator assembly and brake booster pump assembly under the terms of this customer support program. If the following warning lamps are illuminated, the vehicle may be experiencing a concern with the brake actuator assembly and brake booster pump assembly that is covered by this customer support program. The part is back ordered and they don't know when they will be available. I just picked the vehicle for the dealership and they will notify me when it's available. I'm still driving the vehicle. This has been going on since I first filed 7 months ago. It's funny has the part is available to purchase, but it's on back order for my vehicle. This is not right. Looks like I'm going to have to wait again. Thanks for your assistance in this matter.
The contact owns a 2008 Toyota Highlander. The contact stated that the front driver side window would sometimes not function properly and there was a burning odor when utilized. There were no warning indicators illuminated before the failure. The vehicle was taken to steve landers Toyota (10825 colonel glenn rd, little rock, ar 72204) where it was diagnosed that the power window master switch failed and was not covered under warranty. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact referenced NHTSA campaign number: 15V689000 (visibility), but the VIN was not included in the recall. The manufacturer was not notified. The failure mileage was 50,000.
At 5:00 pm on May 16, 2017 I drove home from work (15 minutes of in-town driving) everything was fine. I parked in the garage and went inside to prepare to leave with my family for my son's senior honors night. At 5;45 pm we got into the car and immediately my mom and my husband said, "what's burning?". it smelled like paper burning. Before leaving the house, my husband popped the hood to make sure there wasn't a wire or something else burning under the hood of the car. We dove 10 minutes to town to eat. We stayed in restaurant 30 minutes. When we returned to my car, my mother got in the passenger's front seat and and my husband in back and we all smelled a strong smell of something burning. I looked at my mom before starting the car and saw the black, burnt headrest. It appears there was an actual flame at some point. Everyone got out of the car, we removed the headrest, but the back left side of the passengers seat was still very hot to the touch. My husband drove the vehicle to the fire station nearby, since the Toyota dealer was already closed. The firefighters unplugged the wires from the seat. The seat cooled back down.
Car automatically locked my young child in the car. I used the fob to unlock the car. Then I opened the back door to put my child in his carseat and placed my keys on the driver seat to have access to both my hands for the tasks. Once my child was strapped in I shut the back right door to go get in the driver front door. As soon as I shut the back door I heard a beep and all the doors locked down, locking my child inside with the keys. As it was a hot day in my town, I immediately called the police, who had to come and jammed the the door so I could get out my son. We have since changed the keys in the fob and on 9/25/2016 while seated in the car it again locked itself before I was able to put the keys in the ignition
The contact owns a 2008 Toyota Highlander. After the contact placed the 7 month old child in the back seat with the smart key inside the vehicle, all the doors erroneously locked. The child became trapped inside the vehicle. The window had to be broken in order to unlock the doors. The contact indicated that the smart key safety feature did not prevent the doors from becoming locked while the smart key was inside the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who was unable to diagnose the cause of the failure. The manufacturer was notified. The failure mileage was 113,000.
The contact owns a 2008 Toyota Highlander. While stopping the vehicle after pressing the keyless push start system, the vehicle continued to travel down a hill which resulted in a crash. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. A police report was not filed and no injuries were sustained. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 160,000. The VIN was not available.
The contact owned a 2008 Toyota Highlander. The contact stated that while driving at an unknown speed, smoke appeared under the dashboard. The fire department was able to extinguish the fire. The contact did not disclose if a police report and a fire report were filed. The vehicle was destroyed. The cause of the fire was unknown. The failure mileage was 84,000.
The spiral cable in the steering wheel has caused the airbag light to come on, which means the airbags will not operate in the event of a crash. Also the horn and cruise control will not operate. These items are all associated with the spiral cable. Toyota customer service said they know of the spiral cable problem but do not have a fix for it now.
The contact owns a 2008 Toyota Highlander. The contact stated after turning on the air conditioner, it emitted hot air through the vents and would continue to do so once the air conditioner was turned off. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and did not offer a remedy. The dealer diagnosed that a computer chip needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and current mileage were 63,000.
We were starting off to go on vacation when warning lights came on the dashboard and information panel with hybrid system warnings and brake warnings then the car completely stopped in the middle of the road and steering was lost. We were able to get off to the side enough to prevent causing an accident however we were on a busy street. Had it towed to the local Toyota dealer and the diagnosis was a failed coil. They replaced all 3 coils saying that it would be prudent as the engine was already apart (I agree). They also said that this is a relatively common occurrence with some of the Highlander hybrids. I have the part and it looks like the top of the coil became over heated and blew out the top plastic compound. I consider myself very lucky that this did not happen while on a highway on a rainy day where the vehicle abruptly stopping would certainly have caused me to be in an accident. This is certainly a flaw that Toyota should address for safety reasons and it makes me hesitant to want to purchase another Toyota product again.
The contact owns a 2008 Toyota Highlander. The contact stated the electrical system failed to work. When the vehicle was turned on none of the electrical components would work. The failure occurred intermittently over a period of six years. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic; however, the diagnoses was not available. The manufacturer was notified of the defect. The approximate failure mileage was 19,000. Updated 8/12/14 updated 8/28/2017
The driver's side back door has stopped locking/unlocking with the key fob as well as the electrical lock. The beep doesn't occur when I use the fob to lock the doors because the door isn't locking, but does beep when unlocking the vehicle although the back door still remains locked. I did have the recall on the window lock switch completed, so not sure if that is factoring in with the problem or not..
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- San Antonio, TX, USA