2008 Toyota Highlander Electrical System Problems
- 31
- 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 31 stored complaint records:
- 1 indicate a crash
- 0 indicate injury
- 5 indicate fire
What owners report
- spiral cable · 7 records
- back door · 4 records
- airbag light · 4 records
- emergency brake · 4 records
Mileage in stored records
| Band | Records |
|---|---|
| 100–150k mi | 8 |
| 1–30k mi | 7 |
| 60–100k mi | 7 |
| 30–60k mi | 4 |
| 150–400k mi | 3 |
Complaint records
Owner-submitted complaint content, presented as stored.
Electrical System · Electronic Stability Control · Service Brakes
I sent a letter to toyota motor sales usa after being refused service at a local dealer to resolve a safety issue, with no reply. While pressing brake when starting i got a couple of error messages that said to contact a toyota dealer. I did some very detailed research into this problem and what others had encountered. I found the errors would only show when the 12 volt battery was getting low on charge. The brake…
ODI 11282336
Electrical System · Electronic Stability Control · Service Brakes
At toyota, we are dedicated to providing vehicles of outstanding quality and value. As part of our continual efforts to ensure customer satisfaction, toyota would like to advise you of a voluntary customer support program that has been initiated for your vehicle. Toyota has received reports regarding certain internal malfunctions of the brake actuator assembly in certain 2008-2010 model year highlander hybrid…
ODI 11255430
Air Bag/Restraint Control Module · Air Bags · Electrical System
2008 toyota highlander. Consumer writes in regard to defective srs airbag system. *ld *tr
ODI 11183010
Electrical System · Seats
At 5:00 pm on may 16, 2017 i drove home from work (15 minutes of in-town driving) everything was fine. I parked in the garage and went inside to prepare to leave with my family for my son's senior honors night. At 5;45 pm we got into the car and immediately my mom and my husband said, "what's burning?". It smelled like paper burning. Before leaving the house, my husband popped the hood to make sure there wasn't a…
Fire reported
ODI 10986101
Electrical System
Car automatically locked my young child in the car. I used the fob to unlock the car. Then i opened the back door to put my child in his carseat and placed my keys on the driver seat to have access to both my hands for the tasks. Once my child was strapped in i shut the back right door to go get in the driver front door. As soon as i shut the back door i heard a beep and all the doors locked down, locking my child…
ODI 10909852
Electrical System
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 toyota highlander. After the contact placed the 7 month old child in the back seat with the smart key inside the vehicle, all the doors erroneously locked. The child became trapped inside the vehicle. The window had to be broken in order to unlock the doors. The contact indicated that the smart key safety feature did not prevent the doors from becoming locked while the smart key was…
ODI 10761460
Electrical System
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 toyota highlander. While stopping the vehicle after pressing the keyless push start system, the vehicle continued to travel down a hill which resulted in a crash. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. A police report was not filed and no injuries were sustained. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 160,000. The vin was not available.
Crash reported
ODI 10733843
Electrical System
Tl* the contact owned a 2008 toyota highlander. The contact stated that while driving at an unknown speed, smoke appeared under the dashboard. The fire department was able to extinguish the fire. The contact did not disclose if a police report and a fire report were filed. The vehicle was destroyed. The cause of the fire was unknown. The failure mileage was 84,000.
Fire reported
ODI 10702015
Electrical System
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 toyota highlander. The contact stated after turning on the air conditioner, it emitted hot air through the vents and would continue to do so once the air conditioner was turned off. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and did not offer a remedy. The dealer diagnosed that a computer chip needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and current mileage were…
ODI 10608005
Electrical System · Engine · Steering
We were starting off to go on vacation when warning lights came on the dashboard and information panel with hybrid system warnings and brake warnings then the car completely stopped in the middle of the road and steering was lost. We were able to get off to the side enough to prevent causing an accident however we were on a busy street. Had it towed to the local toyota dealer and the diagnosis was a failed coil.…
ODI 10598817
Electrical System
The driver's side back door has stopped locking/unlocking with the key fob as well as the electrical lock. The beep doesn't occur when i use the fob to lock the doors because the door isn't locking, but does beep when unlocking the vehicle although the back door still remains locked. I did have the recall on the window lock switch completed, so not sure if that is factoring in with the problem or not.. *tr
ODI 10562635
Defroster/Defogger/Hvac System · Electrical System
My windshield wiper defroster started to crackle and smoke. I turned it off and back on and it started to do it again. *tr
Fire reported
ODI 10562394
Air Bags · Electrical System · Vehicle Speed Control
The spiral cable in the steering wheel has caused the airbag light to come on, which means the airbags will not operate in the event of a crash. Also the horn and cruise control will not operate. These items are all associated with the spiral cable. Toyota customer service said they know of the spiral cable problem but do not have a fix for it now. *tr
ODI 10639429
Electrical System
In early november i received a recall notice from toyota instructing me to arrange for replacement of the intelligent power module. The letter indicated that this replacement is urgent and that i would be in violation of california regulations if i did not do this repair. I called my local dealer, toyota of santa cruz, the next day to schedule the appointment. I was told that toyota rations the parts for these…
ODI 10555805
Electrical System · Equipment Adaptive/Mobility
I own a 2008 highlander sport that has a major issue with the door locks. The remote key fob no longer works, and now even the button inside the car stopped working. I have done a lot of research and it appears that many people who have owned highlanders have had this issue. My car was recalled recently for the power windows, and now the door locks no longer work. I would like to file this complaint with the hope…
ODI 10542788
Air Bags · Electrical System
Airbag sensor light deployed, and remained lit for approximately three days. Toyota dealership at pullman, wa diagnosed the problem as a faulty spiral cable; the spiral cable assembly was replaced at a cost of $491.69. I wonder why there was a recall done on ~450,000 tacomas, but not on the highlander. It sounds like a similar problem: poor engineering leads to friction, causing a short in the cable. Warning light…
ODI 10541688
Electrical System · Visibility/Wiper
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 toyota highlander. The contact stated that the front driver side window would sometimes not function properly and there was a burning odor when utilized. There were no warning indicators illuminated before the failure. The vehicle was taken to steve landers toyota ([redacted], little rock, ar 72204) where it was diagnosed that the power window master switch failed and was not covered…
Fire reported
ODI 11075416
Air Bags · Electrical System
I was driving my 2008 highlander on november 11, 2012 and the airbag light came on. The following day i went online to see if there was a recall on the toyota website. There was a recall for the airbag light for the side curtain air bag system. I took my vehicle to my toyota dealer to have the recall work done on november 14. The airbag light was still on after the recall work. I left them the vehicle so they could…
ODI 10484825
Electrical System · Steering
My steering locks when i was driving. I reported this issue before to the dealer, but they figure out that the computer has a problem after the big issue. *tr
ODI 10488862
Electrical System
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 toyota highlander sport. The contact stated that while stopped at a traffic stop, she noticed smoke emitting from the vehicle. The contact exited the vehicle and noticed flames coming from under the vehicle. The contact was able to allow a safe distance between her and the vehicle as it quickly became engulfed in flames. The vehicle was destroyed. The fire department was notified and…
Fire reported
ODI 10478205
Air Bags · Electrical System
The spiral cable went bad causing the air bag light to come on making the airbags inoperable. *tr
ODI 10476707
Electrical System
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 toyota highlander. The contact stated that upon starting the ignition, the engine failed to operate. The vehicle was towed to an authorized dealer where the battery was replaced. The failure recurred three times where and battery was replaced on each recurrence. Most recently, a diagnostic was performed and the dealer was unable to detect a trouble code. The technician informed the…
ODI 10537324
Electrical System · Electronic Stability Control
Dealer claimed " this is an electrical problem. Access and traced all related wiring to inside the fuse/relay panel. Found something had chewed and shorted out the wiring" they would not provide any proof. I notified toyota motors and got no help from them. *tr
ODI 10428905
Electrical System · Electronic Stability Control
The sensor lights for abs and vsc have gone on and off intermittently on my 2008 toyota highlander. Sometimes the brakes engaged the skid control, braking capability is lost and other times the speed needle does not gage properly. The system was inspected by toyota, who indicated it was due to damage to the sensor from a rope. Toyota supposedly replaced the sensor and they stayed off for a few weeks, but continue to…
ODI 10373470
Electrical System
Vehicle, toyota highlander 2008, would not start using the electronic ignition pushbutton. On 7/22/2010 vehicle was brought into the dealer and the ignition/power switch was replaced, code found b2275. Same problem occurred again and dealer replaced neutral safety switch per t-sb-0348-09. Same problem occurred again and was towed to dealer on 8/16/2010. They do not know what the problem is and i have heard nothing…
ODI 10351257