Coolant Leaking problems of the 2003 Toyota Highlander

Check engine light went on the morning of February 23, 2015. White smoke emerged from vehicle as I was driving. Then, the vehicle started overheating. Mechanic indicates head gaskets were blown and short block screws stripped and bent, leaking coolant on my 4 cylinder 2003 Highlander. He repaired the same make, model and year the prior year with the same issue. $69,000 for a new engine. $44,00 for a rebuilt one. I have never had any mechanical issues with this car since I purchased it two years old in 2005. Although, I have kept up with the servicing, this type of sudden malfunction is a shocker.

Noticed white smoke coming out of the tailpipe in June. Then I noticed reddish/pink fluid accumulating on garage floor in July. Took it in assuming either a coolant or transmission fluid leak. Toyota told me I needed a new engine because the back headbolts were stripped and the head gasket was blown. All this was determined without removing valve cover and cams, but instead because it's a known issue. Many owners report the same thing on message boards.

Head gasket failed, head bolts stripped, coolant leak, a/c blows hot.

Cylinder head bolts separated from lower engine block causing a major coolant leak (eng:2az-fe) had to replace engine with a remanufactured engine only to have same problem again forcing me to once again replace engine with a remanufactured engine and theirs 22 complaints on car complaints website for same issue, Toyota is refusing responsibility.

I took my 2003 Toyota Highlander to the garage after I noticed that coolant was leaking from the engine block. It had just gone over 100,000 miles and we bought it new. I was told that a head gasket was blown which was due to a defect since the engine didn't overheat. There weren't any issues other than the fluid leaking. I did some research and found that many other Highlander owners have had the same issue (head gasket blown, leaking coolant, and stripped bolts on the block). I called my local Toyota dealership and they said there was nothing they could do. This is very frustrating that they are not taking accountability for a manufacturing defect.

My 2003 Toyota Highlander ( 2. 4l 4-cylinder) developed a coolant leak on the back side of the engine. My mechanic informed me it had a blown head gasket and that the back three head bolts are completely stripped,allowing coolant to leak onto the engine. After some research on the computer I find this is a very common problem. What will it take to get Toyota to step up and take care of their problem?.

Engine started to leak coolant from the head gasket, and after a couple days was leaking about a gallon a day. At that point I stopped driving the vehicle and took it in to have it looked at. They said it was leaking from the head gasket because the head bolts are striped out. Cost would be around $5000 because it had to be striped down and taken to a machine shop to be fixed. And more then likely it would need a new motor block. I still haven't had the car fixed because I cant afford to spend that kind of money right now. I have done alot of research on this and seems many people are having the same issue with the 2003 Highlander. This for sure is a design defect in the Highlander and Toyota will not acknowledge it and help resolve the problem because there has not been a recall. I wrote several letters to Toyota and that is basically the same answer I got every time.

2003 Toyota Highlander 2. 4 l 4-cylinder engine, 108,000 miles, perfect service, until it developed coolant leak on the back side of the top of the engine, adjacent to an insulator pad at the back of the engine block. The back 3 head bolts are completely stripped, allowing coolant to leak onto the engine.

Tl- the contact owns a 2003 Toyota Highlander. The contact stated while driving 25 mph the vehicle began to overheat and coolant began to leak out of the engine. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic for diagnosis and was informed the vehicle would need a new engine due to the head gasket not being able to be removed. The vehicle had not been repaired. The failure and current mileages were 160,000. Dt.

Tl-the contact owns a 2003 Toyota Highlander. The contact stated that there was coolant was leaking from the fire wall. The contact attempted to contact the dealer to schedule a diagnostic test but the contact could not get a response. The contact then called the manufacturer regarding the failure and the manufacturer advised that the vehicle was no longer under warranty. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 106,000. Kmj.

2003 Toyota Highlander (4 cyl. Engine) developed a coolant leak. Vehicle was taken to dealership who advised the water pump was leaking. Water pump was replaced at a cost of $600. Vehicle was driven home and immediately found to still have a coolant leak. Dealership was contacted and owner advised to bring the vehicle back. Dealership checked and advised that cylinder head bolts were stripped out and that engine would have to be replaced at a cost of $5400. The engine never lost enough coolant to overheat but the only repair option given by the service manager was to replace the entire engine rather than replacing the head gasket and repairing the stripped out threads to head bolts. Service manager slipped up by saying this is a defect in the engine but when questioned further about the problem he stated he only sees it "once in a blue moon". This seems to be a contradiction to all the other similar complaints for this 4 cylinder engine. Toyota issued a service bulletin March 2, 2011 for the Highlander, rav4, camry, and solara which states: there may be damaged cylinder head bolts. The vehicle was taken to a private mechanic who stated he has seen this problem before and knows how to fix it (and will give a 2 year 24000 mile warranty on the repair). Why does a vehicle defect have to kill someone before it prompts a recall. This is obviously a vehicle defect and is still hazardous to consumers if they are sick, elderly, or left stranded on the side of the road. How many people are killed every year when they are stranded on the side of the road and struck by another motorist. (too many!) come on Toyota, does it take a lawsuit over someone's death for you to correct the problem?.

Engine overheated while driving, and vehicle was parked overnight and coolant restored. When taken to local Toyota dealer for repair was informed that bolts holding engine block had failed due to threads inside block being stripped, and coolant was leaking from seal in engine block. Aside from hitting a deer once (minor vehicle damage in which the headlight needed to be replaced), this vehicle has not been in an accident. In reading information on web, this issue has been reported by other Toyota owners.

The contact owns a 2003 Toyota Highlander. The contact stated that while driving approximately 70 mph the vehicle started to overheat. She drove onto the emergency lane and waited for the vehicle to cool off. The vehicle was then inspected by a independent mechanic who advised her that the engine bolt was stripped and caused the coolant to leak onto the engine. The mechanic also stated that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and current mileages were approximately 111,400.

2003 Toyota Highlander 2. 4l 4-cylinder engine, 108,000 miles, developed coolant leak on the back side of the top of the engine, adjacent to an insulator pad at the back of the engine block. The back 3 head bolts were stripped, allowing coolant to also leak into the engine. The Toyota dealer says that the short block or entire engine must be replaced, with no other option. The head had never been off since original factory manufacture/assembly. Based on the frequency of identical engine failures, faulty assembly and/or design assures eventual failure of the engine.

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.

Tl-* the contact owns a 2003 Toyota Highlander. While traveling 55 mph, the contact noticed that the temperature gauge was indicating that the vehicle was running hot. After examining the vehicle, the contact discovered coolant leaking from the rear of the cylinder block. The vehicle was taken to a local mechanic where z taps were installed inside of the engine. The current and failure mileage was 155,000.

The contact owns a 2003 Toyota Highlander. The contact stated that the vehicle was parked in his garage when he noticed coolant leaking from the engine. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer and the technician stated that the failure was contributed to a defective engine block. The contact notified the manufacturer who confirmed that the warranty had expired. The manufacturer was unable to provide assistance and informed the contact that there were no related complaints pertaining to the vehicle. The vehicle had not been repaired when the complaint was filed. The failure mileage was 118,000. Updated 01/24/11 updated 04/18/11.

My wife's truck began leaking coolant. I was told the head gasket was blown. I paid nearly $1600 for the repairs. A year later, the coolant is leaking. When the head was pulled, the thread stripped out on 3 bolts. I found the same complaint numerous times on this website and on others. At this point, the options are thread inserts that may work or a new engine! at this point, I have been attempting to get help from Toyota. There has been nothing to date.

I have a 2003 Toyota Highlander with only 97,000 miles that keeps "over heating". I have replaced everything under the hood except the engine. This problem started around Nov. 2009. I have read other blogs that have the same complaint and it appears to be the "bolts on the engine are stripped/defected" and allows the coolant to leak out causing overheating. One blog I read stated he had the "blots" replaced and the new bolts are expanding and doing the same thing (over heating) again! I have called several dealers and so far no recall from Toyota to fix this problem, although one dealer said there is a memo from Toyota regarding this problem, but no recall! please help, I am a senior on a fix income and can not afford the cost of a new engine. I hope you can help all of us with this problem. . . . . Thank you.

This pertains to my wife's 2003 Toyota Highlander SUV, 4 cylinder engine. On Friday, August 28, 2009, while driving she noticed the temperature gage on the dashboard was high. She drove the car home and checked the coolant level. It was extremely low. She refilled the coolant and didn't drive the SUV until she went to her appointment on Wednesday, September 9, 2009 with the hawaii Toyota dealer servco's motor imports service & parts center at 609 south street, honolulu, hawaii 96813. They told her the engine had a blown head gasket. We understand this is because the cylinder head bolts are stripped on the back side of the engine. This is what caused the coolant leak in the first place. Servco told us that the sure repair (a whole new engine) would exceed $20,000, and the less sure repair (trying to fix the old engine) would cost $13,000. We picked up the car the next day and took it to priam's automotive service & repair at 2002 pauoa road. They did a quick test and said that the head gasket was indeed blown, and referred us to rod's auto service at 972 kawaiahao street because priam's was not equipped to handle that magnitude of repair. Rod's has advised us that the best solution is replacing the entire engine with a rebuilt engine for $5,000, but this has become a common problem with Toyota Highlanders and locating a rebuilt engine on the mainland will take time. In doing some internet research, I've learned that camrys of the same vintage have also developed similar problems, but it looks like Toyota is refusing to recall the vehicles and fix the design flaw. . Read more...

While driving on the highway, my engine temp in my 4 cyl, 4wd 2003 Highlander suddenly spiked high. I had to pull of the road. Towed to dealer. Dealer said bolts on short block of engine were stripped and allowed coolant to leak out and engine overheated. I was at 68,000 miles, so over the warranty period. I took it to my local dealer and they said I had a bad water pump. . . I paid to have that fixed, but the car still overheated. I took it back to the dealer and they then said it was the engine itself. . The short block, something about the screws were stripped, that I had gotten a bad engine with stripped screws. Dealers service manager told me this was a known issue on some 4cyl 2003 Highlander but couldn't help me as it was out of warranty!!! the service manager called me back later and said that Toyota would help out. . . I ended up paying a total of almost $1000 for the replacement short block, with Toyota paying the rest of the cost for the short block replacement. This was on top of the cost I paid just a few days prior for a water pump that turned out to not be the issue. Very frustrating. . . I have all my receipts for maintenance and for these repairs. I am filling out this complaint over a year after the incident, because I have seen the same thing in the complaints and wanted to add mine. I do have all the documentation for my repairs for this and am more than willing to answer any questions, thank you.