Tl* the contact owns a 2003 toyota highlander. While traveling 55 MPH, the contact noticed that the vehicle had began to overheat. After examining the vehicle, the contact noticed that the radiator was leaking from the bottom of the lower block. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle has not been repaired. The current and failure mileages were 115,000.
2003 Toyota Highlander engine complaints
Page 3 of 4: complaints 41 to 70 of 87, newest first, as owners wrote them.
2003 toyota highlander (4 cyl. Engine) developed a coolant leak. Vehicle was taken to dealership who advised the water pump was leaking. Water pump was replaced at a cost of $600. Vehicle was driven home and immediately found to still have a coolant leak. Dealership was contacted and owner advised to bring the vehicle back. Dealership checked and advised that cylinder head bolts were stripped out and that engine would have to be replaced at a cost of $5400. The engine never lost enough coolant to overheat but the only repair option given by the service manager was to replace the entire engine rather than replacing the head gasket and repairing the stripped out threads to head bolts. Service manager slipped up by saying this is a defect in the engine but when questioned further about the problem he stated he only sees it "once in a blue moon". This seems to be a contradiction to all the other similar complaints for this 4 cylinder engine. Toyota issued a service bulletin march 2, 2011 for the highlander, rav4, camry, and solara which states: there may be damaged cylinder head bolts. The vehicle was taken to a private mechanic who stated he has seen this problem before and knows how to fix it (and will give a 2 year 24000 mile warranty on the repair). Why does a vehicle defect have to kill someone before it prompts a recall. This is obviously a vehicle defect and is still hazardous to consumers if they are sick, elderly, or left stranded on the side of the road. How many people are killed every year when they are stranded on the side of the road and struck by another motorist. (too many!) come on toyota, does it take a lawsuit over someone's death for you to correct the problem?
There are two speeds associated with this. It was on the freeway driving back home when the check engine light came on at about 65 MPH. Later, after exiting the freeway and driving for about 10 minutes, the radiator hose blew off from the pressure, shooting coolant and contents of the radiator back onto the engine (4 cylinder). I was going 40 MPH at the time. The thermostat must not have been working because I wasn't reading any overheating going on, though there obviously was. After getting it diagnosed, apparently the bolts were stripped, the head gasket blew, and the engine got too hot. I am now asked to pay almost $3,000 to rebuild the engine (rethread, etc.). This thing with the head gasket and the bolts failing at relatively low mileage (114,000 in my case) seems to be a recurrent problem with this particular make and model. I had been driving it and keeping it well maintained for about five years with relatively few problems until this happened.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 toyota highlander. The contact stated that the temperature gauge indicated that the engine overheated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the failure was located at the head gasket. In addition, the dealer advised the contact that the engine bolts were stripped. The vehicle was repaired. The dealer replaced the head gasket and the bolts thread. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure and the current mileage was 145,000.
Engine overheated while driving, and vehicle was parked overnight and coolant restored. When taken to local toyota dealer for repair was informed that bolts holding engine block had failed due to threads inside block being stripped, and coolant was leaking from seal in engine block. Aside from hitting a deer once (minor vehicle damage in which the headlight needed to be replaced), this vehicle has not been in an accident. In reading information on web, this issue has been reported by other toyota owners.
The engine on this vehicle required a complete rebuild, at a cost of over $5000 due to oil leaking into the engine and fouling the components. In the months leading up to the complete engine failure, the vehicle stalled repeatedly on both city roads and highways, creating a dangerous situation several times. Whenever the oil was changed, the problem became worse and the vehicle would use up to 4 quarts of oil per week for several weeks. I contacted toyota's corporate office by letter and phone and was told that no defect existed. Toyota is currently recalling earlier models of this vehicle for the same problem. The vehicle was emitting white smoke from the tailpipe for several months before the engine failed. Eventually, it would only sustain a speed of 30 MPH. The vehicle was checked by three mechanics who all found the same problem. This vehicle is used to transport a handicapped person, and was also used to transport children frequently. In order to save the money for the repairs, which I had to make because I am still making payments on the loan for this car, I had to purchase a very old and inexpensive car to get to work. The toyota sat parked for 9 months before it could be fixed. Had I not been able to buy this second car, I would have lost my job. I could not put my daughter's wheelchair in the other car. She is able to walk only for short distances. This created a severe hardship and also contributed to her developing a foot wound and infection of the bone in her foot. This medical issue required 3 surgeries and 5 hospitalizations, plus over 6 months of iv antibiotic therapy. I narrowly avoided several accidents when the car stalled in traffic. If I was not such an experienced driver, it is highly likely that a serious accident would have occurred.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 toyota highlander. The contact stated that the head bolt detached from the engine block while driving 65 MPH. The vehicle began running hot and water was leaking from the back of the engine. The vehicle was taken to a mechanic who inspected the vehicle and advised that the head bolt was stripped from the engine block. The mechanic advised the contact to take the vehicle to the dealer for diagnostic testing. The vehicle was not yet taken to the dealer. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 189,000.
Tl*the contact owns a 2003 toyota highlander. The contact stated that while driving approximately 70 MPH the vehicle started to overheat. She drove onto the emergency lane and waited for the vehicle to cool off. The vehicle was then inspected by a independent mechanic who advised her that the engine bolt was stripped and caused the coolant to leak onto the engine. The mechanic also stated that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and current mileages were approximately 111,400.
I have a 2003 toyota highlander 2.4l that had engine failure due to 3 headbolts on the intake side of the head become loose as other numerous folks have experienced. The engine blew the headgasket and lost compression/power and died. The seems to be a very well known issue by toyota, repair shops, and salvage yards. Seems someone should hold toyota responsible for repair cost - I.e new engine since this is an obvious manufacturing/engineering design flaw. Beware of highlanders, camrys and ravs since they all have this 2.4l engine.
Car temp gage went up past h and there was no heat in car. I stopped as soon as possible at a mall parking lot and called service. Had car towed to garage. Per owner of garage, the head gasket leaked due to bolts stripping in the engine. He then fixed the problem and then upon test drive the tensioner failed and chain jumped causing further repairs to not be cost effective. Through research he informed me that this is a well documented problem with the 2003 highlander engines and that toyota is not backing the problem. I called toyota and since recall has not been issued they stated they cannot help me. I feel the highlander should have lasted more than 8 years as I had kept up with required maintenance.
Tl*the contact owns a 2003 toyota highlander. While driving approximately 55 MPH the check engine, asc, and traction control lights began illuminating on the dashboard. The vehicle began to lose control and the wheels would spin uncontrollably while accelerating. The vehicle was taken to an independent repair shop where they were unable to diagnose the failure because the check engine light was no longer illuminated. The failure recurred and the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer where the contact was told that the oxygen sensors failed. The oxygen sensors were replaced. The failure continued to recur intermittently. After each failure the oxygen sensors were replaced again. The failure mileage was 40,000 and the current mileage was 55,000.
2003 toyota highlander 4.0 heater has gone out in this vehicle and only the A/C now works this happened right after the purchase of this vehicle and the cost to fix this is very high and should be dealt with per toyota since it seems alot of others are also having the problem due to a faulty knob becoming loose and breaking a tiny wire.
Tl*the contact owns a 2003 toyota highlander. The vehicle had a head gasket water leak. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who stated that the head gasket was blown and it would cost $2500 to be repaired. The manufacturer was not notified. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage 126,000.
My 2003 toyota highlander's temp gauge started going toward the h while driving about 30 MPH. I turned the heat on in the car and that made the gauge go back down to normal. I took the car to a toyota dealership where I was told my head gasket was blown and I needed a new engine for about $8000! I took the car to an independent mechanic that told me the engine itself was fine but 3 bolts on the head gasket were stripped. The repair is costing an approximate $2500 to retap the holes and use different bolts. I had done some research and I found out that this is a known problem with the 2003 highlanders and toyota is not doing anything about it (I have the website info and complaints if needed). Many people who have purchased this year/make/model have spent thousands of dollars repairing this defect that toyota knows about but will not take care of. I called toyota national customer service and they gave me this website information to file a complaint (I have a claim number if you need it). I am very upset, actually outraged, that here we are again finding out that toyota has more issues with their vehicles and won't do anything about it. I bought this car because I thought toyotas were reliable. Please do something about this and help all of us who bought the 2003 highlanders recover the money we have spent on repairs to an obvious manufacturer's defective part usage. Thank you!
Tl*the contact owns a 2003 toyota highlander. While driving approximately 65 MPH with the air conditioner on she noticed hot air began to flow from the vents. She also noticed that the temperature gauge malfunctioned. The vehicle was driven onto the emergency lane and shut off while she added coolant to the engine. The vehicle was then taken to an authorized dealer where she was informed that there was an engine leak and some of the bolts were loose. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 109,171. The current mileage was 110,000.
2003 toyota highlander with 110,000 miles started to overheat and lose coolant. Took it to dealership and learned that the cylinder head bolts had come loose due to the holes in the block being stripped. Toyota estimated $3000 to take the block out to a machinist to bore new holes, but if that didn't work it would cost $6000 to replace the block. I then took the car to a private mechanic who said it would cost $9600 to take out the block and send to machinist or buy a re-manufactured engine for $8200. The private mechanic stated this problem is due to faulty manufacturing of the engine and also stated that he sees this problem all the time in these types of vehicles. On the internet I have found consumers sharing the same stories about similar vehicles by toyota with similar engines that have the same problem; some only lasting 70,000 miles. I put in a call with toyota headquarters and they gave me a reference number in case any recalls should arise. Toyota said that there was nothing they could do out of "good faith" since it is passed the warranty mileage and since I did not do all my servicing at toyota. I changed the oil every 3,000 miles and took very good care of this vehicle as it was my first purchase of a new vehicle and I thought it would last me a long time.
The coolant kept leaking on my highlander 2003 4 cylinder for last few months. The temperature gauge one day showed heating of engine. Took it to toyota , they said it is blown head gasket. Demanded $3500.
2003 toyota highlander 2.4l 4-cylinder engine, 108,000 miles, developed coolant leak on the back side of the top of the engine, adjacent to an insulator pad at the back of the engine block. The back 3 head bolts were stripped, allowing coolant to also leak into the engine. The toyota dealer says that the short block or entire engine must be replaced, with no other option. The head had never been off since original factory manufacture/assembly. Based on the frequency of identical engine failures, faulty assembly and/or design assures eventual failure of the engine.
2003 toyota highlander has head bolts stripped from block, causing fluid to slowly leak from engine and overheat. First symptom is AC blows hot air. Most folks who experience this burn up the engine, but I was fortunate and was able to have it repaired at a cost of $2750.00 !!!!! This is a clear defect, head bolts do not simply get stripped from a block.
Vsc (vehicle stability control, including ABS) & check engine lights have been turning on intermittently almost from the start of our ownership of this 2003 toyota highlander v6 awd limited and after costly repairs at the dealer they are still on continuously. Last time (may-june 2010) dealer replaced front brake pads & rotors; rear axles and speed sensors and now wants to replace additional components that do not appear connected. First time car was serviced under warranty at dealer and that too did not last for long. Toyota car satisfaction center has not been helpfull. Case # [xxx]. Ford has issued a recall for similar issue recently: 10s13 for rear axle breakage in the snow belt! Toyota refuses to acknowledge issue and internet has many discussions on topic. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6).
Tl-* the contact owns a 2003 toyota highlander. While traveling 55 MPH, the contact noticed that the temperature gauge was indicating that the vehicle was running hot. After examining the vehicle, the contact discovered coolant leaking from the rear of the cylinder block. The vehicle was taken to a local mechanic where z taps were installed inside of the engine. The current and failure mileage was 155,000.
2003 4 cylinder toyota highlander. Coolant leak and subsequent need for a new replacement engine due to the defect of 3 rear engine short block screws/threads. Had less than 85k miles on vehicle, when found a coolant leak underneath engine block of vehicle in garage after having no issues prior with engine, radiator or any associated accessories to the coolant system/engine system of vehicle. Took to a toyota dealer prior to any overheating or vehicle operation failures or radiator failure. Toyota dealer pulled engine manifold and cover off to investigate and found that when they pulled the three screws that connect the engine cover that cover the heads/cylinders, the threads associated with the screws came with them. The only fix per dealership determined to be a brand new short engine block and accessory replacement for $6,470. Date on this is august/2010. Have all past service history oil changes/transmission changes, radiator changes, water pump service, etc from 0 miles to current. Told that the screws were never sprayed and sealed correctly, thus corroded into the threads and caused failure with both items. Very unhappy that an engine is going to be paid for and replaced by consumer on an obvious manufacturer error. More and more of these specific issues will arise with time on these 4 cylinder early 2000 toyota highlanders. They will need to relieve the consumer of a full payment of a new engine or burden themselves on losing even more loyal toyota consumers. ----toyota only consumer since 1994.....till now!!!!
I have a 2003 toyota highlander with only 97,000 miles that keeps "over heating". I have replaced everything under the hood except the engine. This problem started around nov. 2009. I have read other blogs that have the same complaint and it appears to be the "bolts on the engine are stripped/defected" and allows the coolant to leak out causing overheating. One blog I read stated he had the "blots" replaced and the new bolts are expanding and doing the same thing (over heating) again! I have called several dealers and so far no recall from toyota to fix this problem, although one dealer said there is a memo from toyota regarding this problem, but no recall! Please help, I am a senior on a fix income and can not afford the cost of a new engine. I hope you can help all of us with this problem.....thank you.
Tl*the contact owns a 2003 toyota highlander. The contact stated that the vehicle was parked in his garage when he noticed coolant leaking from the engine. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer and the technician stated that the failure was contributed to a defective engine block. The contact notified the manufacturer who confirmed that the warranty had expired. The manufacturer was unable to provide assistance and informed the contact that there were no related complaints pertaining to the vehicle. The vehicle had not been repaired when the complaint was filed. The failure mileage was 118,000. Updated 01/24/11 *cn updated 04/18/11
My wife's truck began leaking coolant. I was told the head gasket was blown. I paid nearly $1600 for the repairs. A year later, the coolant is leaking. When the head was pulled, the thread stripped out on 3 bolts. I found the same complaint numerous times on this website and on others. At this point, the options are thread inserts that may work or a new engine! At this point, I have been attempting to get help from toyota. There has been nothing to date.
Toyota highlander 2003 2.4 liter, blown head gasket due to stripped threads on the short block engine.
My 2003 highlander heat gage indicated the engine was starting to get hot. I pull into service station to check coolant level and noticed coolant leaking on the ground. I waited for about 15 minutes to assure myself it was safe to take off the radiator cap. I could not see any coolant so, I purchased a gallon of pre-mixed coolant and poured in about 1/2 to 3/4 gallon to bring it up to full. I made the trip home without the car getting hot, but noticed the leak was still there. I had the vehicle looked at by a local toyota dealer and was told the car needed major repairs. There is a technical support bullitin on the engine in question. A 2.4 litre (4 cylinder) engine common on camarys and highlanders. I feel toyota should have to repair this vehicle in light of the fact toyota has known of the design defect on other models (camary and highlanders). When I took the car in for repairs the service scheduler knew exactly what problem I was describing to him about my car. This indicated to me, toyota has informed their dealers of the problem or, they wouldn't have sent a service bullitin on the very fix to my cars problem. The service bullitin described (3) head bolts around the intake manifold would stretch and fail to seal the head thus, leak coolant. The bullitin even describes installing heli-coils in the (3) affected bolts to solve the problem. This appears to be another failure of toyota taking responsibility for known defects in their automobiles. I bought and paid for this vehicle in good faith on the reliability record of the toyota company's past record. I now feel I have been treated unfairly by this company. I would understand if this was an isolated occurance, but it is not and toyota knows this full well. Service bullitins don't get sent to all dealers for a single occurance. Please help !
Vehicle suddenly leaks engine coolant to the outside of vehicle without any warning of overheating. Leak is coming from a defective head bolt and cannot be fixed. Entire engine block needs replacement. A very common issue among 4 cylinder 2001-2006 toyota engines in the camry,highlander and rav 4 leaking harmful coolant to the outside of vehicles that is deadly to humans and animals if consumed. Not to mention overheating of engine that can result in loss of engine power and vacuum that supplies power to steering and brakes.
Faulty electronic computer module on 2003 toyota highlander throws multiple error codes to indicate a number of problems with emission components. Error codes call out oxygen sensors, (there is four sensors on 2003 (4) cylinder highlanders). Fix one sensor and another pops up bad according to the error codes. Another $400 repair bill ! Toyota will replace the module on cars with warranty, no problem. However, they deny there is any problems with the module when no warranty is involved. Codes at times also show a faulty catalytic converter ($1000 repair bill ). If you visit the toyota nation web site you will see many reports of the component at issue. This is on the same vehicles as the one I own. Some people have reported toyota charges unsuspecting customers $1600 to repair these four sensors. ( not my words, taken off the toyota nation forums). Please demand toyota replace the modules on these vehicles. Thank you !
1. Engine overtemp 2. Engine continually runs hot. Cannot use vehicle 3. Replaced head gasket, radiator, thermostat.
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