Toyota / Highlander / 2008
2008 Toyota Highlander problems
Owners have filed 502 complaints about the 2008 Toyota Highlander with NHTSA. Service brakes account for 13.1% of them — narrowly the most common, ahead of engine at 11.6%.
Complaints502
Crashes59
Fires19
Injuries63
Deaths2
What owners report breaking
Service brakes 13.1% · 66
Engine 11.6% · 58
Air bags 11.6% · 58
Vehicle speed control 9.0% · 45
Electrical system 8.6% · 43
Steering 8.0% · 40
Tires 5.0% · 25
Power train 4.0% · 20
Severity
Of those complaints, 59 describe a crash, 19 describe a fire, 63 report an injury and 2 report a death.
Reading the numbers
Across the 23 model years of the Toyota Highlander in this data, 2008 ranks 3rd by complaint volume — 2019 draws the most.
Filings have fallen off, 22 in the last three years against 47 in the three before. That is normal as a generation leaves the road.
The median odometer reading at the time of complaint was 77,900 miles.
In owners' own words
Brake actuator assembly and brake booster pump assembly (problem known to Toyota for this and other models,) failed, leading to dash messages: master warning, abs warning, brake system warning (brake malfunction: stop the vehicle in a safe place immediately and contact a dealer), slip indicator. Brake pedal function seems limited, and dangerous. All warnings come back upon shutting off and restarting vehicle. Service brakes · reported at 189,000 miles
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 search, I realized that the brake booster pump assembly and actuator assembly failed in our car. Service brakes · reported at 128,250 miles
I was driving on the street and an error message displayed along with a loud ringing sound. The message on the screen said to pull over immediately and call a dealer because there is a brake malfunction. It also said to check the abs and the vsc. I could feel the my brake pedal wasn't reacting when I pressed on it. I had to press the pedal all the way down really hard to get the car to slow down. Service brakes · reported at 169,171 miles
Verbatim from NHTSA filings. Complaints are unverified owner reports.
Safety recalls
Checking NHTSA for open recalls…