2008 Toyota Highlander: excessive oil consumption

7 of the 406 complaints about the 2008 Toyota Highlander describe excessive oil consumption.

owner complaints: 7
of this car's complaints: 2%
typical mileage: 92,221
recalls: 0

Is there a fix? 39 service bulletins cover this area of the car. See below

Excessive oil consumption by model year

2019
1
2017
1
2015
1
2013
5
2012
3
2011
2
2010
1
2008
7
2006
1
2004
1
2003
1
2002
3
2001
2

What owners say

Filed Jul 20, 2020 · Engine · 82,652 miles · NY · fire

Tl* the contact owns a 2008 toyota highlander. The contact stated that while driving approximately 65 MPH, smoke was suddenly present coming from under the passenger side of the front hood before the engine stalled. After stopping and examining under the hood it was discovered no oil was present in the engine and oil had spilled onto the engine. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the engine oil cooler line had burst causing oil to leak from the engine. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The local dealer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 82,652.

Filed Jun 15, 2020 · Engine · 78,000 miles · NJ

Dear sir/madam the toyota highlander /camry and sienna have a oil cooler line which is made of rubber and explode due to the high temperature of the oil. All these vehicles have been causing oil to be leaked all over the roads of america with toyota not having issued a recall. Years 2008 - 2013 .this issue is dangerous.

Filed Jun 27, 2017 · Engine · 87,822 miles · IL

The car blew the engine oil cooler pipe leaking profusely I drove it at night came home and there was a 12 x 12 oil leak in my garage. I pulled it out of the garage with the motor running and there was another 12 x 12 oil spill on my drive way. I have a line all the way down my street of the oil spewing out of the engine . I had to get the car towed the following day to toyota who knew about the part and offered an extended 10 year warranty to fix this problem. There was only 2 quarts of oil left in the crank case. No low oil light came on. I would have blown my motor for sure if I was on the highway. There is a video from toyota about the engine oil cooler pipe leaking and that they changed the part from rubber hoses to metal. Why was there not a recall on this part. It is not a matter of if it will fail but when. This could have caused a serious situation!

Filed Mar 18, 2017 · Engine · CT

Purchased this 2008 toyota highlander hybrid new from greentree toyota in danbury ct. We selected the hybrid version to save on gas. Little did we know our savings in gas would be sucked up in oil consumption. I need to carry a case of oil in the car at all times. Asked toyota service in danbury ct to investigate and they conducted the same oil test others speak about. Although they say our highlander passed the test I end up adding about 2 quarts of oil between every oil change. This car was serviced in exact compliance with the recommended service schedule. The toyota service department in danbury ct just says that it is normal for a car with 135,000 miles on it to burn oil. This was a huge investment. I would expect at least 200k miles on a car before experiencing this sort of problem. Very disappointing. I would have expected toyota to stand behind their product. Instead we get a well orchestrated don't admit any wrongdoing response. Toyota should be held accountable for producing a substandard product.

Filed Oct 13, 2015 · Engine · 126,000 miles · MA

Tl* the contact owns a 2008 toyota highlander. While driving 50 MPH, the contact smelled burning oil. The contact pulled over and found a leak in the motor oil cooling hose. The vehicle was towed to a dealer to be repaired. In addition, the mechanic found an issue with the cam shaft of the vehicle. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The failure mileage was 126,000.

Filed Mar 24, 2014 · Engine · 92,221 miles · MN

Driving in parking lot at approximately 5mph when smelled burning oil. Parked car and noticed smoke from under the hood. Turned off car and checked under the hood and noticed oil over engine. Searched online and saw issue with oil-cooler line "toyota: on some vehicles, the engine oil cooler pipes may exhibit an oil seepage. Information has been provided regarding this issue". This did turn out to be the issue. Fortunately this even occurred when we were in a parking lot and not driving down the highway with kids in the back. This is a significant issue that could result in a fire and/or engine damage. The dealer stated they were aware of this service notice but no official recall had occurred. This has the potential to be a significant issue to both the cars and passengers and I hope that a recall would occur.

Filed Nov 12, 2013 · Engine · 200,000 miles · OR · fire

Tl* the contact owns a 2008 toyota highlander. The contact was driving 55 MPH when the vehicle began to emit a burning oil smell. The check engine lamp illuminated so the contact added oil to the vehicle. The contact stated that the burning oil smell still lingered and the check engine warning lamp illuminated again. In addition, a hose from the engine failed and spilled motor oil on the exterior of the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to the dealer for inspection where the contact was informed that the oil cooler line had exploded. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the incident. The approximate failure mileage was 200,000.