2003 Toyota Highlander

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

2003 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER 4.0 SUN VISOR ON DRIVERS SIDE FALLS DOWN ON ITS OWN AND WILL NOT STAY WHERE YOU PUT IT, WHEN I ATTEMPT TO PUSH IS MORE TOWARDS THE WINDSHIELD IT FALLS BACK DOWN WHEN I ATTEMPT TO PUT IT UP IN ITS NORMAL POSITION IT FALLS BACK DOWN AND HAS A TENDENCY TO OBSCURE ONES VISION WHILE DRIVING AND THERE IS NO RECALL ON THIS ISSUE ALTHOUGH IT SEEMS MANY HERE HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM WITH THIS AND ALL THE THINGS I AM HAVING ISSUES WITH. *TR

2003 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER 4.0 HAVE HAD SERIOUS PROBLEMS WITH THE BRAKES ON THIS VEHICLE SINCE I PURCHASED IT DUE TO TOYOTA ORIGINALLY INSTALLING BRAKES THAT ARE TOO SMALL FOR THE SIZE OF THIS VEHICLE. TRYING TO GET IT TO A STOP IS A PROBLEM AND THE BRAKES FAIL ALOT AS WELL AS THE FACT THAT THEY DESTROY THE OEM ROTORS AND PADS AND I HAVE REPLACED THE PADS SEVERAL TIMES AS WELL AS HAD THE ROTORS TURNED TWICE AND NOW NEED TO REPLACE ALL 4 ROTORS AND PADS DUE TO THIS SOMETHING REALLY NEEDS TO BE DONE TO FIX THIS ISSUE PER TOYOTA. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 10 MPH, THERE WAS A DRUMMING NOISE FROM THE REAR OF THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS INSPECTED BY AN AUTHORIZED DEALER WHO INFORMED THE CONTACT THAT THERE WAS A LEAK IN THE VACUUM HOSE. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. AFTER LEAVING THE DEALER, THE FAILURE OCCURRED AGAIN. ANOTHER DEALER STATED THAT THE TIRES WERE WORN. THE VEHICLE HAD NOT BEEN REPAIRED. THE CONTACT CALLED THE MANUFACTURER AND WAS AWAITING A RETURN CALL. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 92,000.

MY 2003 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER'S TEMP GAUGE STARTED GOING TOWARD THE H WHILE DRIVING ABOUT 30 MPH. I TURNED THE HEAT ON IN THE CAR AND THAT MADE THE GAUGE GO BACK DOWN TO NORMAL. I TOOK THE CAR TO A TOYOTA DEALERSHIP WHERE I WAS TOLD MY HEAD GASKET WAS BLOWN AND I NEEDED A NEW ENGINE FOR ABOUT $8000! I TOOK THE CAR TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC THAT TOLD ME THE ENGINE ITSELF WAS FINE BUT 3 BOLTS ON THE HEAD GASKET WERE STRIPPED. THE REPAIR IS COSTING AN APPROXIMATE $2500 TO RETAP THE HOLES AND USE DIFFERENT BOLTS. I HAD DONE SOME RESEARCH AND I FOUND OUT THAT THIS IS A KNOWN PROBLEM WITH THE 2003 HIGHLANDERS AND TOYOTA IS NOT DOING ANYTHING ABOUT IT (I HAVE THE WEBSITE INFO AND COMPLAINTS IF NEEDED). MANY PEOPLE WHO HAVE PURCHASED THIS YEAR/MAKE/MODEL HAVE SPENT THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS REPAIRING THIS DEFECT THAT TOYOTA KNOWS ABOUT BUT WILL NOT TAKE CARE OF. I CALLED TOYOTA NATIONAL CUSTOMER SERVICE AND THEY GAVE ME THIS WEBSITE INFORMATION TO FILE A COMPLAINT (I HAVE A CLAIM NUMBER IF YOU NEED IT). I AM VERY UPSET, ACTUALLY OUTRAGED, THAT HERE WE ARE AGAIN FINDING OUT THAT TOYOTA HAS MORE ISSUES WITH THEIR VEHICLES AND WON'T DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT. I BOUGHT THIS CAR BECAUSE I THOUGHT TOYOTAS WERE RELIABLE. PLEASE DO SOMETHING ABOUT THIS AND HELP ALL OF US WHO BOUGHT THE 2003 HIGHLANDERS RECOVER THE MONEY WE HAVE SPENT ON REPAIRS TO AN OBVIOUS MANUFACTURER'S DEFECTIVE PART USAGE. THANK YOU! *TR

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 LEAK AND SOME OF THE BOLTS WERE LOOSE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 109,171. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 110,000.

2003 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER WITH 110,000 MILES STARTED TO OVERHEAT AND LOSE COOLANT. TOOK IT TO DEALERSHIP AND LEARNED THAT THE CYLINDER HEAD BOLTS HAD COME LOOSE DUE TO THE HOLES IN THE BLOCK BEING STRIPPED. TOYOTA ESTIMATED $3000 TO TAKE THE BLOCK OUT TO A MACHINIST TO BORE NEW HOLES, BUT IF THAT DIDN'T WORK IT WOULD COST $6000 TO REPLACE THE BLOCK. I THEN TOOK THE CAR TO A PRIVATE MECHANIC WHO SAID IT WOULD COST $9600 TO TAKE OUT THE BLOCK AND SEND TO MACHINIST OR BUY A RE-MANUFACTURED ENGINE FOR $8200. THE PRIVATE MECHANIC STATED THIS PROBLEM IS DUE TO FAULTY MANUFACTURING OF THE ENGINE AND ALSO STATED THAT HE SEES THIS PROBLEM ALL THE TIME IN THESE TYPES OF VEHICLES. ON THE INTERNET I HAVE FOUND CONSUMERS SHARING THE SAME STORIES ABOUT SIMILAR VEHICLES BY TOYOTA WITH SIMILAR ENGINES THAT HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM; SOME ONLY LASTING 70,000 MILES. I PUT IN A CALL WITH TOYOTA HEADQUARTERS AND THEY GAVE ME A REFERENCE NUMBER IN CASE ANY RECALLS SHOULD ARISE. TOYOTA SAID THAT THERE WAS NOTHING THEY COULD DO OUT OF "GOOD FAITH" SINCE IT IS PASSED THE WARRANTY MILEAGE AND SINCE I DID NOT DO ALL MY SERVICING AT TOYOTA. I CHANGED THE OIL EVERY 3,000 MILES AND TOOK VERY GOOD CARE OF THIS VEHICLE AS IT WAS MY FIRST PURCHASE OF A NEW VEHICLE AND I THOUGHT IT WOULD LAST ME A LONG TIME. *TR