2003 Toyota Highlander Engine Problems
- 40
- 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.
Among these 40 stored complaint records:
- 1 indicate a crash
- 0 indicate injury
- 0 indicate fire
What owners report
- head gasket · 17 records
- head bolts · 15 records
- bolts stripped · 11 records
- temperature gauge · 8 records
- coolant leak · 8 records
- engine block · 7 records
Mileage in stored records
| Band | Records |
|---|---|
| 100–150k mi | 26 |
| 60–100k mi | 11 |
| 150–400k mi | 2 |
Complaint records
Owner-submitted complaint content, presented as stored.
Engine
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…
ODI 11270240
Engine
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.
ODI 11076109
Engine · Service Brakes
I have been the owner of my 2003 toyota highlander, for almost 8 years. I got it in nov.2008 at around the 69,000 mark. Since then, i have made sure that my car/baby has had the works in care, to keep the quality and value of the vehicle up. This would include:oil changes, new brakes, new tires, repairs of belts/filters etc, hoses, tune ups, great gas and car washes/body care. Most of this has been done by the…
ODI 10861207
Engine
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,…
ODI 10745598
Engine
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…
ODI 10691888
Engine · Fuel/Propulsion System
Needed to have a total engine rebuild due to faulty head bolts that stripped and allowed coolant to enter the engine and burn. Lucky-i guess-that i acted quickly so as to avert catalytic converter issues or sensors getting damaged by burning coolant. I also avoided the total loss of antifreeze and the resulting damage &/or inconvenience that thousands of others had. Still, a huge inconvenience and huge $5425.82 cost…
ODI 10712214
Engine · Power Train
Noticed white smoke coming out of the tailpipe in june. Then i noticed reddish/pink fluid accumulating on garage floor in july. Took it in assuming either a coolant or transmission fluid leak. Toyota told me i needed a new engine because the back headbolts were stripped and the head gasket was blown. All this was determined without removing valve cover and cams, but instead because it's a known issue. Many owners…
ODI 10626722
Engine
I've had my toyota highlander for about 11 years now. I got it as brand new car and i am the single owner and well maintained car. At about 138,000 miles the temperature gauge started going up , almost to red. It would go up and then down to normal and repeat. Turned out i blew a head gasket. While it was at the shop being repaired they found that the head bolts were stripped which is a known problem with this year…
ODI 10585539
Engine
Head gasket bolts stripped out causing coolant to leak and loss of cylinder compression. This occurred on a toyota 2.4 liter engine. This is a common failure mode on these engines due to a design defect. The thread fatigues at the intake side of the engine because the manifold is plastic and there is a rubber insulator between the manifold and block which traps the heat in that part of the block and fatigues the…
ODI 10583688
Engine
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.…
ODI 10550530
Engine
Head gasket failed, head bolts stripped, coolant leak, a/c blows hot. *tr
ODI 10542655
Engine
The engine was pouring anti freeze on the road from the engine. The engine's head bolts were striped causing the head gasket to leak. This was a manufacturers defect and even sent out a service bulletin but should have been a recall due to the safety of other cars on the roadway. The epa should also be involved due to the hazardous material being placed in the ground. *tr
ODI 10543031
Engine · Power Train
I was backing my car from across the street. After shifting to drive, my car jumped back in reversed full speed crash in to my garage. I had my foot on the brake but wouldn't stop till it hit my garage wall. *tr
Crash reported
ODI 10532286
Engine · Vehicle Speed Control
On 7-11-13, going at highway speed on route 52 in north carolina, the throttle became stuck wide open causing my car to accelerate beyond my control. I slowed down to get off on the side of the highway, but i could not stop the car, only slow it down, to approximately 10-15 mph. Got back on the road and took the next exit. Again i could not stop the car, and though i slowed again to about 10-15 mph, i drifted…
ODI 10533402
Engine
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. *tr
ODI 10578625
Engine
Leak at rear of engine, under intake manifold. Head gasket, or warped head. Cylinder head bolt threads damaged . Toyota said some vehicles equipped with the 2az-fe engine may exhibit damaged cylinder head bolts. *tr
ODI 10514088
Engine
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…
ODI 10511964
Engine
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? *tr
ODI 10509196
Engine
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.…
ODI 10546389
Engine
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…
ODI 10508545
Engine
Original owner of a 2003 toyota highlander 2.4l 4-cylinder engine, serviced by toyota dealer and local repair shop. My wife was driving the care when the engine temp shot up. Pulled over and took car to shop for diagnosis. --- my repair shop serviceman told me the radiator was almost empty, and it likely had a blown head gasket - a $2500 repair by my local repair shop. But when he went to take off the head, the bolt…
ODI 10504113
Engine
Original owner of a 2003 toyota highlander 2.4l 4-cylinder engine, serviced by toyota dealer and local repair shop. 4 months ago it was making a fluttering noise and i had it serviced, it needed an oil pan gasket, got a full oil change, too. But apparently it also had a bad water pump, and had developed a coolant leak, and was burning oil. -- we never noticed any white smoke coming out the back, and no coolant…
ODI 10502202
Engine
Engine started to leak coolant from the head gasket, and after a couple days was leaking about a gallon a day. At that point i stopped driving the vehicle and took it in to have it looked at. They said it was leaking from the head gasket because the head bolts are striped out. Cost would be around $5000 because it had to be striped down and taken to a machine shop to be fixed. And more then likely it would need a…
ODI 10510962
Engine
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 toyota highlander. The contact stated that the engine released a pink fluid as a gurgling noise emitted from the steering wheel column. The vehicle was towed to a local mechanic for inspection, who found that the engine cylinder, bolt head and the thread were stripped from the cylinder block due to defective material. The vehicle was repaired. The failure mileage was 99,900 and the…
ODI 10556849
Engine
2003 toyota highlander 2.4 l 4-cylinder engine, 108,000 miles, perfect service, until it 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 are completely stripped, allowing coolant to leak onto the engine. *tr
ODI 10492009