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2008 Toyota Highlander Problems and Recalls
Owners filed 404 complaints with NHTSA about the 2008 Toyota Highlander, most often about the brakes (20% of complaints, typically around 129,000 miles). It is the 3rd most complained-about Highlander model year since 2000 and has 11 recalls.
Most common 2008 Toyota Highlander problems
Brakes
79 complaints · 20%Half of these problems showed up before 129,000 miles. Parts named most often: power assist, electrical.
The contact owns a 2008 Toyota Highlander. While driving at 5 MPH, the brake pedal was depressed and became stuck. The contact had to depress the brake pedal multiple times to release the pedal. The check engine and brake warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that…
Recently we've got a bunch of warning lights on the dashboard of our car indicating a brake system malfunction and urging US to stop the vehicle in a safe location. The brakes were still working and we were able to carefully and safely drive home. After scanning the car for ABS error codes and doing a quick online…
Engine
76 complaints · 19%Half of these problems showed up before 101,000 miles. Parts named most often: engine, cooling system.
The contact owns a 2008 Toyota Highlander. The contact stated that while driving 10 MPH, the engine stalled without warning. The vehicle was restarted and taken to the dealer for inspection. The dealer was unable to diagnose the cause of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the…
The contact owns a 2008 Toyota Highlander. The contact stated that while driving 10 MPH, she began to her a knocking noise in the engine. The contact parked the vehicle and had it towed to a certified mechanic which stated that the engine cooler hose had a hole and cause the engine oil to leak out of the vehicle and…
Air bags
57 complaints · 14%Half of these problems showed up before 78,000 miles. Parts named most often: frontal, side/window, air bag/restraint control module.
Spiral cable failed at about 78 000 miles on my 2008 Toyota Highlander base model causing airbag warning light to illuminate. I took it in to be looked at and I was told of failure of airbag system creating increased risk of injury in the event of a crash. The light randomly came on and was not caused by an accident.…
Air bag warning light lit, took to dealer and found out spiral cable was the issue and need replaced. This is a huge safety issue which I believe should be recalled by Toyota as they already did on other models. As a loyal Toyota customer along with the rest, I would like to call upon Toyota to step up to the plate…
Speed control
45 complaints · 11%Half of these problems showed up before 27,500 miles. Parts named most often: accelerator pedal, throttle.
In january 2010, I was parked in my daughter's daycare driveway. The driveway has a normal slope. I turned the vehicle on while in the driveway and even though I was pressing on the brakes the brakes failed and the car began rolling backward. I had to use the emergency brake to stop the vehicle. Thankfully no children…
Tl contact owns a 2008 Toyota Highlander. On december 7, 2009 the contact drove into his parking garage and depressed the brake pedal when the accelerator pedal immediately jammed causing the vehicle to crash into the garage, approximately 18 feet. The vehicle stopped at the stairs. There was $9,000 worth of damage to…
Electrical
44 complaints · 11%Half of these problems showed up before 85,000 miles. Parts named most often: instrument panel, software.
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…
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…
Steering
40 complaints · 10%Half of these problems showed up before 92,500 miles.
The steer wheel makes a klunk noise when turning in either directions at low speed. This problem developed at about 90,000 miles and the noise has progressively gotten more frequent and louder. My car has about 110,000 miles now.
The steering shaft makes a clunking noise during low speed turns. There have been a number of complaints about this over the years, but no recall. Meanwhile, Toyota is charging around $800 to make the repair.
Wheels and tires
31 complaints · 8%Half of these problems showed up before 23,000 miles. Parts named most often: temporary/emergency spare tire, tread/belt.
On march 2, 2009 I rented a SUV from hertz at the salt lake city airport. Upon picking up the car I commented to the person checking me out that the tire tread depth looked very low for an SUV that would be used in the snow. She said she would make note of it. When I arrived at my destination 230 miles away I used a…
Toyota Highlander (2008) with toyo a20 tires. Extremely high wear with low mileage; car hydroplanes with minimal wet road surface, power wheels lose traction, even with slow start. The toyo tire treads are almost worn off at 23000 miles; when in normal driving, one should expect 45000 miles. This is a very poor…
Transmission
18 complaints · 5%Half of these problems showed up before 12,000 miles. Parts named most often: automatic transmission, axle assembly, manual transmission, driveline.
Tl contact owns a 2008 Toyota Highlander. The contact was backing out of the residence driveway on a slight incline. The driver stepped out of the vehicle while the gear shifter was placed in the reverse position and within three seconds the vehicle rolled over top of the driver. The ambulance was called to the scene.…
Tl contact owns a 2008 Toyota Highlander. While stopped a stop sign and the rpms begin to increase excessively. When the contact attempted to pull off she was unable to drive forward or in reverse. A mechanic came and was able to drive the vehicle to the contact's residence. The vehicle was then towed to the dealer…
Complaints are owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects. One complaint can name several components, so shares add up to more than 100%.
2008 Toyota Highlander recalls
Seats: seat heater/cooler
Risk: If damaged, the copper strand heating element may short circuit, increasing the risk of a fire.
Fix: Set will notify owners, and dealers will disconnect the seat heaters, free of charge, and refund the purchase price of the seat heater accessory. The recall began on july 14, 2016. Owners may contact set customer service at 1-866-405-4226. Set number for this recall is set16b.
Full defect summary
Southeast toyota distributors, llc (set) is recalling certain 2005-2011 4runner, highlander, sequoia, and sienna, 2005-2010 avalon and tundra, 2006-2008 camry solara, 2006-2010 highlander hybrid, 2006-2011 rav4 and tacoma, 2007-2010 fj cruiser, 2007-2011 camry hybrid, 2009-2010 venza, 2010-2012 prius, 1988-1990 and 2005-2010 camry, and 1989 and 2009-2010 corolla vehicles equipped with aftermarket accessory seat heaters with a copper strand heating element. The electrical wiring in the seat heaters may be damaged when the seat cushion is compressed.
Visibility and wipers: power window devices and controls
Risk: If the sliding electrical contacts are not protected by lubricant, debris and moisture that get into the switch may cause a short circuit and the switch assembly may overheat and melt, increasing the risk of a fire.
Fix: Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the switch, applying a lubricant if no abnormality is found. If abnormality is found, the pwms circuit board will be replaced, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin december 20, 2015. Owners may contact toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's number for this recall is c0m.
Full defect summary
Toyota motor company (toyota) is recalling certain model year 2009-2011 tundra, sequoia, corolla, corolla matrix and scion xb, 2008-2011 highlander and highlander hybrid, 2007 camry and camry hybrid, 2009 camry and camry hybrid, 2006-2011 rav4, 2006-2010 yaris, and 2009-2010 scion xd and pontiac vibe vehicles. During the manufacturing of the power window master switch (pwms), grease lubricant may have been inconsistently applied to the sliding electrical contacts.
Seats: seat heater/cooler
Risk: Damage to the seat heater wiring could cause the wires to short, increasing the risk of the seat burning and causing personal injury to the occupant.
Fix: Set will notify owners, and dealers will disconnect the heaters with copper strand heating elements and refund the purchase price of the seat heater accessory, free of charge. The recall is expected to began in january 2015. Owners may contact set customer service at 1-866-405-4226.
Full defect summary
Southeast toyota distributors, llc (set) is recalling certain model year 2010-2011 prius and corolla, 2009-2011 venza, 2006-2010 avalon, 2007-2010 fj cruiser, 2005-2011 sienna and sequoia, 2006-2011 tacoma 4x2 and 4x4, camry, highlander, tundra 4x2 and 4x4, and 2007-2011 rav4 and 4runner. The affected vehicles may experience compression of the seat cushion which may damage the seat heater wiring.
Air bags: inflator module
Risk: If the ffc is damaged, connectivity to the driver's air bag module could be lost and the air bag deactivated. The failure of the driver's air bag to deploy in the event of a crash that typically necessitates deployment increases the risk of injury to the driver.
Fix: Toyota will notify the toyota vehicle owners, and general motors will notify the pontiac vibe owners. Toyota sent owners an interim notification letter in may 2014 to advise owners of the recall. Toyota will mail owners a second letter when remedy parts are available. General motors sent pontiac vibe owners an interim letter on june 20, 2014 notifying them that parts are currently unavailable. General motors sent notices to the pontiac vibe owners on september 15, 2014, that a remedy is available. The recall began on october 27, 2014. Owners may contact toyota at 1-800-331-4331. Owners may con
Full defect summary
Toyota is recalling certain model year 2006-2008 rav4, 2006-2010 yaris, 2008-2010 highlander, and 2009-2010 tacoma, corolla, corolla matrix and general motors pontiac vibe vehicles. In the affected vehicles, the steering column assembly contains electrical connections to the driver's airbag module housed in a spiral cable assembly, which includes a flexible flat cable (ffc). Due to the shape and location of the ffc's retainer, the ffc could become damaged when the steering wheel is turned.
Visibility and wipers: power window devices and controls
Risk: If the switch overheats, it may melt, possibly resulting in a fire.
Fix: Toyota will notify its owners, and dealers will inspect the switch and apply a special grease that inhibits heat build up or replace any switch damaged by the defect, free of charge. Toyota owners that experience a problem with a switch should not attempt to make repairs, but should contact their toyota dealer or the toyota customer experience center at 1-800-331-4331. General motors will contact the pontiac vibe owners affected by this recall and gm dealers will inspect and repair switches as necessary. Those owners may contact pontiac customer care at 1-800-762-2737.
Full defect summary
Toyota is recalling certain model year 2007-2009 camry, camry hybrid, rav4, corolla, corolla matrix, tundra, sequoia, highlander, highlander hybrid, yaris, scion xb, scion xd and pontiac vibe vehicles. The power window master switch assemblies in some of these vehicles were built using a less precise process for lubricating the internal components of the switch assemblies. Irregularities in this lubrication process may cause the power window master switch assemblies to malfunction and overheat.
Air bags: side/window
Risk: Inadvertent activation of the csa and/or the seat belt pretensioner can cause injury to a vehicle occupant.
Fix: Toyota will replace the airbag sensor assembly with a new one containing improved roll rate sensors, free of charge. Toyota intends to send an interim owner notification to owners early to mid-may, 2011 when sufficient parts and remedy becomes available. Owners may contact toyota at 1-800-331-4331.
Full defect summary
Toyota is recalling certain model year 2008 highlander, highlander hybrid, and model year 2007-2008 rav4 vehicles. In the curtain shield airbag (csa) system, there are two sensors in the airbag sensor assembly which are designed to detect vehicle roll angle. If one of these sensors malfunctions, the airbag warning light (malfunction indicator light: mil) will illuminate and the roll detection system will be suspended; however, the airbag csa remains available in the event of a side crash. If both sensors fail nearly simultaneously after initial airbag system check, the csa and the seat belt pretensioner could be inadvertently activated.
Equipment: labels
Risk: This does not meet the standard requirements.
Fix: Dealers will mail to consumers the corrected label or the customer will have the option for dealers to install the label free of charge. Dealers will also correct the owner's manual. The safety recall began on may 27, 2010. Owners may contact gulf states toyota at 713-580-3300.
Full defect summary
Gulf states toyota is recalling certain model year 2005-2010 vehicles for failing to comply with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 110, "tire selection and rims." these vehicles were sold between september 1, 2005 and june 2, 2008 without the requisite load carrying capacity modification labels.
Equipment: labels
Risk: A driver may overload a vehicle which may increase the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will mail to consumers the corrected label or the customer will have the option for dealers to install the label free of charge. The safety recall began on may 27, 2010. Owners may contact southeast toyota at 1-800-301-6859.
Full defect summary
Southeast toyota is recalling certain model year 2005-2011 passenger vehicles for failing to comply with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 110, "tire selection and rims." these vehicles were sold without the requisite load carrying capacity modification labels.
Speed control: accelerator pedal
Risk: A stuck open accelerator pedal may result in very high vehicle speeds and make it difficult to stop the vehicle, which could cause a crash, serious injury or death.
Fix: Toyota will modify or replace the accelerator pedals on the subject vehicles. Floor surface modifications are also being considered and will be included for any model for which it is deemed appropriate. Initially, dealers will be instructed on how to reshape the accelerator pedal for the repair. As replacement parts with the same shape as the modified pedal become available, they will be made available to the dealers for the repair. Customers who have had the pedal reshape remedy completed will have the opportunity to receive a new pedal if they desire, after replacement pedals become availabl
Full defect summary
Toyota is recalling certain model year 2008-2010 highlander, model year 2009-2010 corolla, venza and matrix passenger vehicles. The accelerator pedal can get stuck in the wide open position due to its being trapped by an unsecured or incompatible driver's floor mat. This recall is an expansion of a campaign of 3.8 million other toyota vehicles announced in 2009 for the same issue (see 09v-388).
Equipment: labels
Risk: Incorrect load carrying capacity modification labels could result in the vehicle being overloaded, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Toyota will notify owners and provide them with a new, accurate label to be installed over the inaccurate label free of charge. The safety recall began on august 18, 2009. Owners may contact toyota at 1-888-270-9371.
Full defect summary
Toyota is recalling 27,080 model year 2005 through 2010 passenger cars built from september 1, 2005 to may 4, 2009. These vehicles were not equipped with load carrying capacity modification labels which fails to conform with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 110, "tire selection and rims."
Seat belts: rear/other
Risk: However, for the two third row dsp's on these vehicles, the alr mode deactivates before the webbing is fully retracted, so that it will not lock when certain rear-facing crs's that have a short seat belt routing path are installed in the vehicle. This can allow the seat belt webbing to spool out during normal driving maneuvers, which could affect the stability of a child restraint installed at those seating positions. As such, this could discourage the use of a child restraint and in the event of a crash, the child may not be adequately protected possibly resulting in injury.
Fix: Dealers will install a newly designed seat belt component free of charge. The recall is expected to begin on or about december 18, 2008. Owners may contact toyota at 1-800-331-4331.
Full defect summary
Toyota is recalling 90,189 my 2008 highlander and highlander hybrid passenger vehicles equipped with a third row seat. These vehicles fail to conform to the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 208, "occupant crash protection." the non-driver designated seating positions (dsp) on these vehicles is equipped with seat belt assemblies that have a feature that converts the retractor from an emergency locking retractor (elr) to an automatic locking retractor (alr). The belts convert to the alr mode after the webbing has been fully withdrawn from the retractor. The system is designed so that as the belt is released into the retractor, the system remains in the alr mode so that a child restraint system (crs) can be tightly secured.
Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer. Enter your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which recalls are still open on your car.
NHTSA defect investigations
Steering column separation
Summary
On november 16, 2018, the office of defects investigation (odi) opened an engineering analysis (ea18-006) as an upgrade to a preliminary evaluation (pe18-005).â the investigation focused on allegations of steering wheel separation from the lower steering column after using the tilt and/or telescoping mechanism. Given the separation occurring when operating the tilt and/or telescoping function and failure of both shear capsules to maintain the lower steering column mounting position, potential for shear capsule damage in the known failures due to collisions, the overall low rate of occurrence, and the updated manufacturer documentation, this investigation is closed.â the closing of this inves
Upper steering column separation
Summary
On may 4, 2018, the office of defects investigation (odi) opened preliminary evaluation pe18-005 to investigate three allegations of steering column separation for model year (my) 2008 through 2013 toyota highlander vehicles. Two (2) of the 3 complaints were received by odi in april 2018 and occurred while the vehicle was in motion. Since opening pe18-005, one (1) additional voq involving steering column separation has been received. This incident occurred while the vehicle was stationary.as part of pe18-005, odi examined the field data, warranty data, and relevant technical information submitted by toyota in response to the pe18-005 information request letter. Ten (10) additional incidents
Questions about the 2008 Toyota Highlander
- What are the most common problems with the 2008 Toyota Highlander?
- By NHTSA owner complaints: brakes (79 complaints, typically around 129,000 miles); engine (76 complaints, typically around 101,000 miles); air bags (57 complaints, typically around 78,000 miles).
- How many recalls does the 2008 Toyota Highlander have?
- 11 recalls listed by NHTSA, the latest from June 2, 2016 (seats). Check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which ones are still open on your car.
- Is the 2008 a bad year for the Toyota Highlander?
- It is the 3rd most complained-about Highlander model year since 2000, with 404 complaints. Complaint counts are not adjusted for how many cars were sold, so popular years collect more of them, and the newest years have had less time to.