general problems of the 2008 Toyota Highlander

My 2008 Toyota Highlander gas pedal must be lose. Because I barley push the gas and it takes on fast. I was driving home on the highway and the truck just died . The battery dies I couldn't turn my wheel I could not press the break.

Steering went out all of asudden without notice,almost causing me to crash,,my speed was legal speed in texas 80mph,,,also a the abs light came on and felt like brakes were going to be applied,,turned engine off, restarted car and abs brake light went off.

The steering shaft makes a clunking noise during low speed turns. There have been a number of complaints about this over the years, but no recall. Meanwhile, Toyota is charging around $800 to make the repair.

Found steering shaft noisy/ worn/loose.

The steering makes a loud knock when turned to left or right.

Toyota Highlander sport awd 2008 makes clunking noise when turning. Researched issue online after taking to multiple shops thinking it was transmission issues and learned about faulty intermediate steering shaft. I have to pay $536 through local mechanic for fix because Toyota wont issue recall of know defective part design.

Steering wheel is making clunky noises when turning the wheel right or left.

I have a 2008 Toyota Highlander. While driving a side city street, on a slight curve, the steering wheel locked and could not be turned. As a result, my daughter hit a tree. My daughter was going approximately 25mph and the impact was in the center of the vehicle. The air bags did not deploy.

Turning my car right or left there is a clicking noise and I can't get a good turn. It seems there is an issue with the electrical powering steering. I have researched to find out if there is a recall on this and the only thing I have found is other complaining about the same thing. I bought my car based on research and the durability of Toyota, also I have taken very good care of the car. I have gone in for all the recalls. But the issue with eps has me very concerned.

The steer wheel makes a klunk noise when turning in either directions at low speed. This problem developed at about 90,000 miles and the noise has progressively gotten more frequent and louder. My car has about 110,000 miles now.

As I was making a slow right turn onto a side street, the steering wheel gave out and I hit a parked car. Then my dashboard light indicator for the steering wheel lit up.

Driving at a slower speed and during a turn - my power steering shut off- the power steering indicator appeared on my dash but then disappeared. As a result I lost access to power steering. This happened several times and has happened at approximately 20 mph. I checked the recall notifications and identified I had 3 separate recalls related to this vehicle how the power steering concern was not one of them. . Read more...

The steering wheel had been adjusted to a setting for a shorter driver, and while in the process of re-setting it for a taller driver, the steering wheel and its housing came completely off of the shaft that reaches into the engine. To safely get off the road, an attempt was made to stick it back on, and it was unable to stay in the correct position. Once the vehicle was pulled over, to try to reattach it, the driver again attempted to seat the housing on the shaft. This maneuver was completed successfully, but upon attempting to drive again, the "slippery when wet" warning light came on and whatever engine mechanism that alerts began to engage, affecting the brakes, accelerator, and steering. This all happened as we were backing out of the driveway, and then attempting to maneuver into the roadway.

Tl-the contact owns a 2008 Toyota Highlander. The contact stated that while attempting to park, the steering wheel seized. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the intermediate driveshaft detached form the mount due to a failed spiral cable assembly. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 125,000. Djr.

Vibration.

We were starting off to go on vacation when warning lights came on the dashboard and information panel with hybrid system warnings and brake warnings then the car completely stopped in the middle of the road and steering was lost. We were able to get off to the side enough to prevent causing an accident however we were on a busy street. Had it towed to the local Toyota dealer and the diagnosis was a failed coil. They replaced all 3 coils saying that it would be prudent as the engine was already apart (I agree). They also said that this is a relatively common occurrence with some of the Highlander hybrids. I have the part and it looks like the top of the coil became became over heated and blew out the top plastic compound. I consider myself very lucky that this did not happen while on a highway on a rainy day where the vehicle abruptly stopping would certainly have caused me to be in an accident. This is certainly a flaw that Toyota should address for safety reasons and it makes me hesitant to want to purchase another Toyota product again.

Eng lights and service lights stays on even after service hard to start battery always down dealership could't fix problem!!.

I had to replace the steering shaft on this car. I was told that on the 2008 and 2013 models there was an issue. Toyota would not work with me on this expense. I feel this is a major part of the car and I could have been in danger if not fixed. Them knowing this is an issue and not doing a recall is wrong! I felt they should have taken care of this and not at my expense. I have had about 3 different recalls on the car and this just added to my worries. I am not sure what constitutes a recall but felt this was one on Toyota. Thank you.

My steering locks when I was driving. I reported this issue before to the dealer, but they figure out that the computer has a problem after the big issue.

Poping clunking noise while driving turning left or right. Had mechanic checked it and notified Toyota via email to no avail . Then this year had the car sticker inspection done was informed about the clicking sounds. Now I start to get worry is this particular issue has an impact on my life while driving the car. Checked the internet and found similar issue with owner's complaint about intermediate steering shaft. Hopefully Toyota will do a recall to rectify the problem and safeguard the public safety.

The contact owns a 2008 Toyota Highlander. The contact stated that while driving 10 mph, the contact heard a knocking sound in the steering wheel and the vehicle began to shake abnormally. The vehicle was taken to a dealer for diagnosis and a repair was made however, the contact was unaware of the nature of the repair. After leaving the dealer the vehicle began to shake again. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer at least three times who then advised that they were unsure of what was causing the failure. The vehicle was not further repaired. The failure mileage was 21,000 and the current mileage was 60,000.

The contact owns a 2008 Toyota Highlander. While driving at low speeds with his foot on the brake pedal, the power steering locked and it was very difficult to make a left or right turn. The vehicle also became hard to control at higher speeds between 50 to 70 mph. The failure occurred 10 times. The dealer was contacted and stated that the vehicle was designed that way and it was not malfunctioning. No repairs were made to the vehicle. The failure mileage was 2000. The current mileage was 12,050.

My stering wheel it making noise all the time when you turn left or right its clicking when I went to Toyota dealer they asked for $3000 for repair and I have that clicking the year after I buy this car.

The contact owns a 2008 Toyota Highlander. On February 10, 2008 while driving approximately 35 mph, the vehicle suddenly accelerated when she put her foot on the brake pedal. The vehicle failed to slow down. She lost control and swerved the into the left lane and crashed into another vehicles rear bumper causing that vehicle to crash into the vehicle in front of them. She sustained injuries to her ribs. The other two drivers also sustained injuries. The insurance company was in the process of investigating the failure. The vehicle was destroyed. The failure and the current mileages were 13,000. A police report was filed. Updated 03/30/10. The consumer stated there may have been possible steering problems as well. According to the police report, the consumer was traveling too fast for the road conditions. Updated 06/28/jb.