One problem related to engine cooling system has been reported for the 2011 Toyota Highlander. The most recently reported issues are listed below. Please also check out the statistics and reliability analysis of the 2011 Toyota Highlander based on all problems reported for the 2011 Highlander.
Submitted to consumer rpts - we bought our brand new 2011 Toyota Highlander on March 3, parked it in the garage for a week (due to the bad winter weather in minnesota), drove it for 3 weeks, and on April 9 had the engine overheat (and blow) on our trip back from seattle, washington over spring break. Our Highlander has been sitting now at a Toyota dealership in butte, montana while they rebuild the engine. The vehicle only has about 4000 miles. Toyota is not covering the repairs, as they claim a road hazard - a rock - caused the radiator to leak and run dry vs a mechanical issue. However, there were no warning signs or any indication that something was going wrong until it was too late. The Highlander can tell me when my oil is low, when my tire pressure is low, calculate my mpg, annoy me with the alarm that goes off when I do not have my seat belt on (which I can physically see whether it's on or not), but it has no indicator that my radiator is leaking, my engine is overheating, or that it is about to blow. The last time I looked at my temp gauge, it actually showed below 'c', as we had just filled up with gas, and the incident happened within 15 miles of the gas station. As I was filling up, there was no indication that anything was wrong - no smoke, no smell, nothing. Of course, I thought the below 'c' was a bit odd, but I was driving a brand new vehicle and am very used to the temp gauge being below 'c' living in minnesota. I was told afterwards that the engine was so hot, the needle actually went all the way around - yes, no small one cent stopper at the top of the gauge, otherwise I would have noticed my engine was super hot before it was too late. Why don't they have an alarm (similar to my seat belt alarm) go off if any of the gauges enter the 'red zone'? why have they removed some of the guards that used to protect the radiator more. . . . Cost? we're hoping Toyota will pay some of the extra costs we incurred $500 insurance deductible and others.