2008 Toyota Highlander Equipment Problems
- Complaints
- 9about this part
- Share
- 2%of 405 total for the year
- Median mileage
- 55,000miles
- Trend
- Not enough dataFewer than 15 complaints, too few for a reliable trend.
NHTSA recorded 9 complaints about the equipment of the 2008 Toyota Highlander, 2% of the 405 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 55,000 miles. 3 recall campaigns on record are filed under a similar system.
Fewer than 15 complaints name this part, so treat the figures as a rough indication only.
Example complaints
Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.
“I own a 2008 Highlander sport that has a major issue with the door locks. The remote key fob no longer works, and now even the button inside the car stopped working. I have done a lot of research and it appears that many people who have owned highlanders have had this issue. My car was recalled recently for the power windows, and now the door locks no longer work. I would like to file this complaint with the hope that enough people complain to force Toyota to fix this issue.”
NHTSA complaint #10542788, filed 2013-09, 50,000 miles“While I was driving our 2008 Toyota Highlander (with 21506 miles) to the Toyota dealer for a tire inspection, the vehicle surged to approx 80 MPH without accelerator pedal engagement. When I applied both feet to the brake pedal, it slowed the vehicle to approx 60 MPH, but the engine continued to race out of control. I put the vehicle in neutral, but the engine continued to race. I put the vehicle back into drive and turned off the ignition. I eventually glided to a slow, difficult stop. No other vehicles were in the immediate area. …”
NHTSA complaint #10318488, filed 2010-03, 21,506 miles“Toyota Highlander (2008) with toyo a20 tires. Extremely high wear with low mileage; car hydroplanes with minimal wet road surface, power wheels lose traction, even with slow start. The toyo tire treads are almost worn off at 23000 miles; when in normal driving, one should expect 45000 miles. This is a very poor quality oem tire, and should be recalled.”
NHTSA complaint #10324566, filed 2010-04, 23,000 miles“My 2008 Toyota Highlander sport oil cooler line just gave out. During my research I found this has been a problem in the past. My car has been in the shop for over two week. According to the Toyota dealer, the rubber hose is being replaced by metal. Toyota does not have an eta for the part. The dealership is number 90 on the list.. They will not provide a car.”
NHTSA complaint #10609514, filed 2014-07“The contact owns a 2008 Toyota Highlander. The contact stated that after leaving the key fob in the ignition, she walked around the back of the vehicle after securing a child in the child safety seat when the doors locked independently. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the key fob had a low battery and caused the failure. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The VIN was not available. The failure and current mileage was 100,700. Updated 3/25/14”
NHTSA complaint #10564832, filed 2014-02, 100,700 milesRelated recalls
- 10V035000Feb 3, 2010Gulf states toyota is recalling certain model year 2005-2010 vehicles for failing to comply with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no…Covers: Toyota Highlander 2005–2010, Scion TC 2005–2010, Toyota Camry 2005–2010 +18 more
- 10V036000Feb 3, 2010Southeast toyota is recalling certain model year 2005-2011 passenger vehicles for failing to comply with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety…Covers: Toyota Highlander 2006–2010, Sienna 2004–2011, Camry 2005–2011 +17 more
- 09V223000Jun 15, 2009Toyota is recalling 27,080 model year 2005 through 2010 passenger cars built from september 1, 2005 to may 4, 2009. These vehicles were not equipped with load…Covers: Toyota Highlander 2006, 2008–2009, Tacoma 2005–2009, Tundra 2006–2010 +10 more
Related service bulletins
- 10251070Jan 22, 2024OBSOLETE NOTICE January 22, 2024: This bulletin is now obsolete. Please see T-SB-0057-18.
- 10244113Aug 17, 2023TSB: Replacement certification labels (the vinyl label installed on the driver door or door post) and VIN plates (the metal plate riveted to dashboard) (see Figure 1) for most…
- 10238157May 30, 2023TSB: The Immobilizer and Smart Key Reset is a feature that allows the registration of new keys when all master keys are lost. Once the system is reset, all previously registered…
- 10220174May 26, 2022TSB: Some 2005 ? 2022 model year Toyota vehicles that have undergone water intrusion may exhibit a condition in which a musty smell is present. Follow the procedures in this…
- 10211829Apr 28, 2022DD: Multiple Models and Model Years Vehicles Painted with Blizzard Pearl (070) or Super White (040) Paint Color Coverage for Peeling of Factory-Applied Paint Toyota has added…
- 10211828Apr 28, 2022DL: Toyota has received reports of paint peeling on certain vehicles with the original factory-applied Blizzard Pearl or Super White paint colors. These reports indicate that…
- 10211827Apr 28, 2022TI: Technical Instructions Customer Support Program ZKG Multiple Models and Model Years Vehicles Painted with Blizzard Pearl (070) or Super White (040) Paint Color Coverage for…
- 10211826Apr 28, 2022CSP: Customer Support Program ZKG - Paint Repair Process Operation Flow Chart
- 10207946Jan 12, 2022POL: This consolidated Tire Warranty Guide contains the complete warranty terms for all brands of ground and spare tires currently in use by Toyota. This information must be kept…
- 10203532Oct 1, 2021TT: Some customers may encounter Bluetooth® connectivity concerns such as: ?Difficulty to pair the phone. ?Intermittent Bluetooth® failure to connect to the vehicle when first…
Equipment: other model years
| Year | Complaints | Share of year |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 1 | 0% |
| 2020 | 1 | 0% |
| 2019 | 1 | 0% |
| 2017 | 2 | 1% |
| 2015 | 1 | 1% |
| 2014 | 1 | 1% |
| 2013 | 3 | 1% |
| 2011 | 2 | 1% |
| 2010 | 4 | 2% |
| 2009 | 2 | 1% |
| 2008 | 9 | 2% |
| 2007 | 2 | 2% |
| 2006 | 2 | 1% |
| 2005 | 8 | 4% |
| 2004 | 10 | 4% |
| 2003 | 3 | 1% |
| 2002 | 11 | 4% |
| 2001 | 4 | 3% |
Other parts of the 2008 Toyota Highlander
81 complaintsAir bags
58 complaintsEngine
58 complaintsVehicle speed control
45 complaintsElectrical system
44 complaintsSteering
40 complaintsTires
25 complaintsEngine cooling
18 complaintsOther or unknown
18 complaintsTransmission and drivetrain
18 complaintsVisibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors)
16 complaintsElectronic stability control
15 complaints
← All problems reported for the 2008 Toyota Highlander
About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 30, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate.
To check a specific vehicle for open recalls, use its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. Methodology