2003 Toyota Highlander

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!!!! *TR

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. *TR

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. *TR

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. *TR

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 ! *TR

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 FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 120,047. THE VIN WAS UNAVAILABLE. UPDATED 05/06/10. *LJ