2003 Toyota Highlander Engine And Engine Cooling Problems
- 26
- Owner complaint records in our dataset
Records are owner complaints, not a measured failure rate.
Owner complaint recordsComplaint records reflect reports in our dataset and do not measure how frequently the problem occurs across all vehicles.
What owners report
- Engine · 2 records
Mileage in stored records
| Band | Records |
|---|---|
| 100–150k mi | 14 |
| 60–100k mi | 5 |
| 150–400k mi | 3 |
| 30–60k mi | 2 |
Complaint records
Owner-submitted complaint content, presented as stored.
Engine And Engine Cooling
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…
ODI 10456868
Engine And Engine Cooling
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…
ODI 10456590
Engine And Engine Cooling
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…
ODI 10454327
Engine And Engine Cooling
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…
ODI 10443254
Engine And Engine Cooling
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…
ODI 10434831
Engine And Engine Cooling
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…
ODI 10399801
Engine And Engine Cooling
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…
ODI 10382682
Engine And Engine Cooling
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…
ODI 10377488
Engine And Engine Cooling
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…
ODI 10359418
Engine And Engine Cooling
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…
ODI 10363877
Engine And Engine Cooling
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. *tr
ODI 10356658
Engine And Engine Cooling
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…
ODI 10341251
Electrical · Electronic Stability Control · Engine And Engine Cooling · Mechanical · Service Brakes, Hydraulic · Suspension
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…
ODI 10355107
Engine · Engine And Engine Cooling
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…
ODI 10334135
Engine And Engine Cooling
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…
ODI 10441759
Engine And Engine Cooling
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…
ODI 10373481
Engine And Engine Cooling
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 toyota highlander. While driving approximately 25 mph, the engine began to overheat. He pulled to the side of the road, and the vehicle was restarted to resume operation. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic for inspection. The rear head bolts and a blown head gasket were stripped. Also the cylinder head gasket was replaced. The total cost of the service repair was $1,972. The…
ODI 10296695
Engine And Engine Cooling
1. Engine overtemp 2. Engine continually runs hot. Cannot use vehicle 3. Replaced head gasket, radiator, thermostat. *tr
ODI 10297816
Engine And Engine Cooling
I noticed that the engine noise changed. Took the suv to the dealer to check it out, dealer stated that the noise was ok and returned the vehicle to me. After driving the vehicle less than 10 miles returned it to the dealer and the engine was blown. *tr
ODI 10273804
Engine And Engine Cooling
I have a 2003 toyota highlander with a @azfe motor in it. There is a major problem with these motors stripping out the headboltsin the back of the motor. I am now in a predicament as i have to get a block when i know it will mess up again and toyota has as of yet to do anything about it. *tr
ODI 10275428
Engine And Engine Cooling
My car engine is filled with sludge and the manufacturer (toyota motor corp.) will not honor the warranty. *tr
ODI 10215269
Cooling System · Engine · Engine And Engine Cooling
While driving on the highway, my engine temp in my 4 cyl, 4wd 2003 highlander suddenly spiked high. I had to pull of the road. Towed to dealer. Dealer said bolts on short block of engine were stripped and allowed coolant to leak out and engine overheated. I was at 68,000 miles, so over the warranty period. I took it to my local dealer and they said i had a bad water pump...i paid to have that fixed, but the car…
ODI 10268801
Engine And Engine Cooling
Sudden rapid increase in engine temperature. Mechanic found leak at back of head gasket. Two bolts to engine block were loose enough to be removed by hand and new bolts could not be reinstalled due to defect in threads. Only repair said to be new engine. Vehicle was previously well maintained and had 73,000 miles. *jb
ODI 10204403
Engine And Engine Cooling
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…
ODI 10308694
Defroster/Defogger/Hvac System · Engine And Engine Cooling
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. *tr
ODI 10369768