2008 Toyota Highlander problems
NHTSA has received 504 complaints about the 2008 Toyota Highlander, and 16% of them involve brakes. After that come engine (15%) and air bags (12%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 504 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Brakes 17% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 59 and 19
- Injuries and deaths
- 63 and 2
- Typical mileage
- 78,000 miles 386 complaints with mileage
Source: NHTSA owner complaints
Where the complaints are
Share of this model year's complaints by the part of the car involved. One complaint can name more than one part, so the shares can add up to more than 100%.
When problems show up
View the numbers
| Mileage | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 0k to 20k miles | 59 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 56 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 32 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 51 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 45 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 36 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 36 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 29 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 18 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 9 |
| 200k+ miles | 15 |
What the data shows
Among the 386 complaints that report mileage, the typical (median) problem appeared at about 78,000 miles. For brakes specifically, the median reported mileage is about 125,000 miles (48 complaints with mileage).
Safety-related details: 59 complaints mention a crash; 19 complaints mention a fire; 63 injuries reported; 2 deaths reported. Its complaints are more severe on average than those of 80% of model years in our database.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 2008 ranks 8th most-complained-about out of 24 model years of the Toyota Highlander with enough data (230 complaints in that window). It is also covered by 11 safety recall campaigns.
What owners wrote
A few complaints as filed, shortened and with personal details removed. The first ones are among the most serious reports for this model year; the rest are typical.
Tl* the contact's sister owned a 2008 toyota highlander. The contact's sister was driving and the vehicle accelerated across the interstate, hit an embankment and was struck by semi truck. The vehicle burned and the driver was killed as a result of the accident. The vehicle was destroyed but there was no investigation into the cause for the accident. The contact called the manufacturer but was not able to get in touch with any representatives. The current and failure mileages were approximately 33,000.
My father [xxx] was killed while driving a 2008 toyota highlander. He hit another car sustaining severe injuries to the driver. He left my house in georgetown, tx. Driving to rockport tx when it is reported that he left his lane, no indication that he tried to slow down. The accident occurred in goliad county, about an hour from his house. The autopsy could find no medical or physical cause for this accident. The accident is on file with the texas department of public safety and usaa insurance.
I was involved in a car accident on 08/17/2010 while driving my 2008 toyota highlander that has 23000 miles on it. The accident caused me total damage to my car and put my life in danger due to failure in the break/acceleration system on the car. The car did not stop but accelerated even though when I was pressing the break which caused me to hit a truck that was passing in front of me.
Tl*the 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 who stated that the transmission dropped out of the vehicle because the front axle had broken. The vehicle was being repaired when the complaint was filed.
This vehicle has a knocking/clunking/clanking/thumping sound when turning the steering wheel. It sounds dangerous and I wonder if the steering column will break apart while driving. This has been happening for a while, but the dealers are always unable to replicate it, some say that it is a common problem. It has become worse recently.