2003 Toyota Highlander: engine overheating

Filed Oct 22, 2019 · Engine · 140,000 miles · CA

2003 toyota highlander 4 cyl. Service bulliton from them #310436. Head bolts coming undone inside motor causing catastrophic failure of motor. Bolts not holding down mfgr knows about this. Was a manufacturing process that did not work. On carcomplaints.com this is a rampant problem reported. Reads almost like a play book on how the motor overheats and fails, told headgasket, after opening up the motor it is found that the head bolts backed out. Toyota is normally a great car. I still owe money on this car and toyota is basically not taking care of their customers and leaving us out to dry. Please issue a recall on this. Vehicle was driving and quickly overheated. This happened twice in a short distance. Easily can leave one stranded. No steam out the tailpipe and water gushed out side of motor. Dealer left motor apart when I went to pick it up after being dragged about. They promised to fix it at first as they dug into the motor they backed out of their word.

Filed Mar 3, 2018 · Engine · 66,000 miles · NY

Head bolts stripped in engine , 66k miles - coolant loss - all mechanics prefer to swap engine - toyota service shop by me quoted me 5,000 for an engine and 1 year warranty. The car is worth 8,000 tops. Heartbroken by this - will have to find a way to make repairs on my own and hope to drive again.

Filed Aug 2, 2015 · Engine · 128,000 miles · WA

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.

Filed Mar 3, 2015 · Engine · 121,321 miles · CA

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.

Filed Apr 9, 2014 · Engine · 136,829 miles · CA

Cylinder head bolts separated from lower engine block causing a major coolant leak (eng:2az-fe) had to replace engine with a remanufactured engine only to have same problem again forcing me to once again replace engine with a remanufactured engine and theirs 22 complaints on car complaints website for same issue, toyota is refusing responsibility.

Filed Nov 1, 2013 · Engine · 126,621 miles · AZ

My 4 cylinder engine overheated very quick, very high, causing a gasket to blow. Upon repairing the catalytic converter and gasket, the mechanic ran into another issue that I've been reading about happening to others, the threads are stripped where they hold the engine block. Something needs to be done. There are too many people writing about having this issue for it be a rare occurrence for this type of vehicle. The costs are high to fix and toyota needs to help rectify the problem.

Filed Oct 1, 2013 · Engine · 146,000 miles · KY

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 toyota highlander. The contact stated that while driving 50 MPH, the engine overheated. An independent mechanic was contacted and the technician diagnosed that the motor bolts were stripped, causing radiator fluid to leak. As a result, the motor needed to be rebuilt. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and current mileage was 146,000. Updated 11/12/13

Filed Sep 9, 2013 · Engine · 95,000 miles · OR

Head gasket failed, head bolts stripped, coolant leak, A/C blows hot.

Filed May 21, 2013 · Engine · 140,000 miles · KY

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 toyota highlander. The contact stated that while driving 45 MPH, the temperature gauge increased suddenly. The vehicle was towed to a mechanic where the contact was advised that the motor bolt was stripped, causing the radiator to leak fluids and the engine to overheat. The contact was advised that the motor needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure and current mileage was 140,000. Updated 07/10/13*lj updated 07/11/203

Filed May 14, 2013 · Engine · 101,000 miles · FL

I took my 2003 toyota highlander to the garage after I noticed that coolant was leaking from the engine block. It had just gone over 100,000 miles and we bought it new. I was told that a head gasket was blown which was due to a defect since the engine didn't overheat. There weren't any issues other than the fluid leaking. I did some research and found that many other highlander owners have had the same issue (head gasket blown, leaking coolant, and stripped bolts on the block). I called my local toyota dealership and they said there was nothing they could do. This is very frustrating that they are not taking accountability for a manufacturing defect.

Filed Apr 22, 2013 · Engine · NC

My 2003 toyota highlander ( 2.4l 4-cylinder) developed a coolant leak on the back side of the engine. My mechanic informed me it had a blown head gasket and that the back three head bolts are completely stripped,allowing coolant to leak onto the engine. After some research on the computer I find this is a very common problem. What will it take to get toyota to step up and take care of their problem?

Filed Apr 17, 2013 · Engine · 95,000 miles · TX

Driving in town traffic, car overheated for the first time ever having this car. Thought it was probably a thermostat so took to firestone, they called and said I have a blown head gasket! At only 95000 miles. I have babied and had every single regular service done to this vehicle since it was the first new car I ever bought. I thought toyotas were long lasting vehicles. Apparently not. I'm going to have to come up with over $2000 dollars to have it repaired. I've taken the vehicle to the toyota dealership in town that I bought it from and they are going to call me to let me know if they agree with firestone's assessment. I understand that the head bolts are also stripped in this year model. I'm very upset that I couldn't pay what I paid for this SUV (expensive) and have it even make it to 100,000 miles. My american made car went to 130,000 and that's supposed to be the opposite. Toyota needs to pay for my repairs to this vehicle!! I am the only owner and I'm not buying toyota again...I'm very sad.