Two problems related to coolant leaking have been reported for the 2009 Toyota Highlander. The most recently reported issues are listed below. Please also check out the statistics and reliability analysis of the 2009 Toyota Highlander based on all problems reported for the 2009 Highlander.
Oil coolant line bursts which causes immediate loss of all oil. Problem happens while vehicle is in motion, and in this case while in motion on a high trafficked freeway. Fix cost about $1,000 out of pocket. This is a very large leak which covers the ground, engine, and undercarriage. If the oil line ruptures while driving, the low engine oil message and engine oil pressure warnings will illuminate. Continued use after these warnings will result in complete engine failure due to oil starvation. The line is known to be defective, and a revised part has been issued by Toyota but recall has not been issued. Covered under a warranty issued by Toyota but covers under a short time frame.
August 6, 2015 I was driving northbound on hwy 45. After about 20 minutes on the road my 2009 Toyota Highlander began to smoke, the oil pressure warning light came on and I pulled over to the side of the road. Within a few minutes, black smoke was pouring out from underneath the hood. Within another minute or two the SUV was on fire and soon the front half was completely engulfed in flames. I thought it would explode. Two milwaukee fire department teams arrived and extinguished the fire. Thank god no one was hurt and my children were not in the car. Accident report bmz14xn was filed with milwaukee county. Prior to the fire that totaled the Highlander, an emergency repair was made to the Highlander on November 3, 2014. That night the engine began to make a strange noise and the oil warning light went on. I pulled into the nearest auto repair shop; the tech said if I drove any further the engine would have been severely damaged because there was no oil left. The engine coolant pipe sprung a leak and all of the oil poured out of my car. That was the first time my Highlander lost all of its oil because of a faulty oil coolant pipe- the second time it resulted in an engine fire. In December 2014 I received a letter from Toyota stating they reimburse for repairs related to leaking oil or engine damage. Toyota dealers received technical service bulletin (TSB) #TSB-020-11 indicating the replacement part should be metal; not rubber which is what I had. I mentioned the emergency repair twice when I went in for service to jack safro Toyota. Neither time did a service tech suggest that the oil coolant pipe be checked to make sure it was correctly repaired. I believe this was a major oversight on the part of the service department and that Toyota should recall the oil coolant pipe. The faulty part is on 2007-2010 Highlanders and other Toyota vehicles.