Engine Overheat Problems of Toyota Highlander

The engine overheated suddenly, blowing hot air from the ac and the temperature gauge went up. We managed to get home and get to the Toyota dealership the next day. The dealership mechanic told us the engine bolts stripped due to the block being soft, and that he had seen this problem before. The issue of the soft block was confirmed in a subsequent search of the internet. Apparently Toyota is aware of this flaw, but there is no warranty remedy. The 2003 inline 4-cylinder engine is the model with the bolt stripping problem. Neither the dealership nor another japanese auto repair place would consider trying to replace the bolts. They said that because of the soft metal in the block, a new set of larger bored bolts would be unlikely to hold. The cost to put in another engine is approximately the value of the car, if there were used engines available. A new engine would be in the $15k range, much more than the car is worth. We will likely sell the car for scrap. When we bought the car, we felt we could reasonably expect a 250k mileage life. The engine failed at 128k. Just half of its useful life.

See all problems of the 2003 Toyota Highlander 🔎.

As shown on your complaint section I among many many others have been sold a defective 2. 4 liter engine 4 cylinder. The head bolts become stripped and migrate loose over time and there is no repair solution. You have to scrap the engine and maybe the whole vehicle no matter how good of condition its in. This problem causes a blown head gasket and resulting major leakage of antifreeze which is a life threatening chemical babies and pets drink and die from. I first found this pool of antifreeze on my garage floor and I have 2 dogs! not to mention getting stranded out in trafffic or a desolate area when engine overheating occurs putting your own life in danger from becoming a stranded motorist.

See all problems of the 2004 Toyota Highlander 🔎.

The contact owns a 2003 Toyota Highlander. The contact stated that the temperature gauge indicated that the engine overheated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the failure was located at the head gasket. In addition, the dealer advised the contact that the engine bolts were stripped. The vehicle was repaired. The dealer replaced the head gasket and the bolts thread. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure and the current mileage was 145,000.

I purchased a new 2002 Toyota Highlander from sierra Toyota of lancaster, CA. I have experienced no problems with this vehicle until 25 Jan. 2011 when the engine overheated while driving 40mph on city street. I took my vehicle to my mechanic and he informed me of a problem with the 2. 4l 4cyl Toyota engines in which some of the head bolts become loose/stripped where they attach at the engine block. I called sierra Toyota of lancaster and they denied any knowledge of this problem. On further investigation, I discovered that sierra Toyota had a specialist servicing one of their vehicles by placing inserts into the stripped holes the very next day. Sierra Toyota refused to give me any monetary assistance in repairing my vehicle. After researching the bolt problem on the internet, I have found numerous Toyota owners with the same engine, that have had the exact same problem with their vehicles. The only fix is either a complete engine replacement or having an expensive anchor-bolt redo. My costs look like to be about $2500, if there is no other damage found due to the over-heating. At this point, I don't even know if the new anchor-bolt system will work. My vehicle was always well-maintained and currently has apx. 126,000 miles on it.

See all problems of the 2002 Toyota Highlander 🔎.

The contact owns a 2004 Toyota Highlander. The contact was driving approximately 45 mph, and noticed that the temperature gauge rapidly increased to hot and the engine began to overheat. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact parked the vehicle for one hour and then resumed driving without the engine overheating. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer for diagnostic testing where they were informed that the engine block bolts were stripped and the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 130,000.

2003 Toyota Highlander has head bolts stripped from block, causing fluid to slowly leak from engine and overheat. First symptom is ac blows hot air. Most folks who experience this burn up the engine, but I was fortunate and was able to have it repaired at a cost of $2750. 00 !!!!! this is a clear defect, head bolts do not simply get stripped from a block.

Coolant loss due to stripped head bolts in the engine block. Engine over heated.

Engine overheated. Service dept diagnosed bad head gasket. Discovered stripped threads in the block for two rear head bolts. Service dept attempted repair with rethreaded helicoil but would not hold. Engine replacement is required.