Two problems related to engine burning oil have been reported for the 2001 Toyota Highlander. The most recently reported issues are listed below. Please also check out the statistics and reliability analysis of the 2001 Toyota Highlander based on all problems reported for the 2001 Highlander.
Purchased the vehicle used at about 42,000 miles. It burned oil (1 quart per 1,000 miles) from the first day I had it. The Toyota dealership has been monitoring the oil every 1,000 miles for about 6 months and agreed it has a problem but it will cost me $2,600 for them to tear down the engine to see if they can find out what's wrong. They report there is "sludge" in the engine and I should have changed the oil more often. They won't determine a problem or do anything else for free even though they say I do have a problem and they know the warranty is up in about 2,500 more miles which should cover the engine and drivetrain. Please help.
Engine light started flashing right at 25,000. Car gave no sign of failure or anytime of problem. Oil changes was performed every 5000/mi and car was running fine until the light started to flash and we took car to concord Toyota to check on the engine liht problem. Concord Toyota said the engine was burned in and out due to lack of oil and blamed tha customer for poor maintenance to the car and refuse to fix the car under the warranty. It's been 3months that concord Toyota still has possession of the car with the engine opened apart and still refused to cover under the warranty.