Toyota / Highlander / 2004
2004 Toyota Highlander problems
Owners have filed 337 complaints about the 2004 Toyota Highlander with NHTSA. Power train accounts for 17.8% of them — narrowly the most common, ahead of vehicle speed control at 11.9%.
Complaints337
Crashes42
Fires3
Injuries25
Deaths47
What owners report breaking
Power train 17.8% · 60
Vehicle speed control 11.9% · 40
Steering 10.7% · 36
Visibility 6.2% · 21
Engine and engine cooling 5.9% · 20
Electrical system 5.3% · 18
Service brakes, hydraulic 5.0% · 17
Engine 4.7% · 16
Severity
Of those complaints, 42 describe a crash, 3 describe a fire, 25 report an injury and 47 report a death.
Reading the numbers
Across the 23 model years of the Toyota Highlander in this data, 2004 sits 8th by complaint volume. 2019 draws the most.
Filings are rising — 6 in the last three years against 5 in the three before. For a vehicle this age that usually points to a wear-related failure owners are hitting now.
The median odometer reading at the time of complaint was 55,675 miles.
In owners' own words
The contact owns a 2004 Toyota Highlander. The contact stated that while driving 40 mph and depressing the accelerator, the vehicle was hesitant to respond. The failure would occur most prominently when the vehicle was first started. The vehicle was taken to the dealer but the dealer was unable to duplicate the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 91,000 and current mileage is 93,000. Power train · reported at 91,000 miles
My 2004 Toyota Highlander v6 (3.3L with 5-speed transmission) has an intermittent fault where the automatic transmission will abrubtly drop down a gear (or gears) while simultaneously trying to accelerate creating a sensation like it is bucking or porpousing. Usuall stepping off of the accelerator is sufficient to eliminate the bucking sensation. This has occured since I purchased the vehicle new in august 2004. Power train · reported at 500 miles
The contact owns a 2004 Toyota Highlander. The contact stated that the smell of burning oil was emitted from the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the dealer confirmed that the transmission oil bearing seal needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was not contacted. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 85,000 and the current mileage was 85,250. Updated 08/08/2012 Power train · reported at 85,000 miles
Verbatim from NHTSA filings. Complaints are unverified owner reports.
Safety recalls
Checking NHTSA for open recalls…