2008 Toyota Highlander Vehicle speed control Problems
- Complaints
- 45about this part
- Share
- 11%of 405 total for the year
- Median mileage
- 27,500miles
- Trend
- FallingComplaints filed in the last 3 full calendar years are at least 25% lower than in the 3 years before.
NHTSA recorded 45 complaints about the vehicle speed control of the 2008 Toyota Highlander, 11% of the 405 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 27,500 miles. 22 of these say a crash was involved and 2 a fire, according to the filers. 1 recall campaign on record is filed under a similar system.
Example complaints
Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.
“I was involved in a car accident on 08/17/2010 while driving my 2008 Toyota Highlander that has 23000 miles on it. The accident caused me total damage to my car and put my life in danger due to failure in the break/acceleration system on the car. The car did not stop but accelerated even though when I was pressing the break which caused me to hit a truck that was passing in front of me. …”
NHTSA complaint #10380388, filed 2011-01, 23,000 miles“On august 13, 2009 my wife was driving our 2008 Toyota Highlander limited, 4wd SUV when she suddenly lost control and crashed into a wooden telephone pole, totaling the car. According to her, the car suddenly accelerated and she couldn't stop the vehicle.”
NHTSA complaint #10294068, filed 2009-11, 8,000 miles“For about 6 months or longer, the cruise control on this car has been operating erratically, when it wants to it seems. The problem always seemed to be that I couldn't turn the system on. Now, however, when I am sometimes able to turn it on, and set the speed, the problem becomes that the stalk on the lower right side of the steering wheel will lose it's connection and the movements of the stalk become inactive. This is very surprising if you're planning to slow down, speed up or more importantly hit the cancel button. The only thing to do is hit the brakes. …”
NHTSA complaint #10862117, filed 2016-04, 140,000 miles“My 2008 Toyota Highlander has had one incident where the accelerator got stuck. I brought the vehicle to bernardi Toyota in framingham, ma on 3/2/2010 and they advised that my vehicle is not part of the recall and they also conducted diagnostics on the vehicle and reported that all systems are normal. I am concerned about all of the confusing information pertaining to this problem offered by Toyota and the fact it happened once to my vehicle, I am worried it might happen again.”
NHTSA complaint #10322088, filed 2010-03, 20,000 miles“This is an intermittent problem with acceleration we have had with our Toyota Highlander since we purchased the vehicle. When accelerating, the vehicle will periodically over-rev before the automatic transmission shifts into the appropriate gear. This results in a momentary lack of acceleration. Again this is an intermittent problem. When taken to the Toyota dealer, they say they cannot recreate the problem and that there is nothing that they can see that is wrong with the vehicle.”
NHTSA complaint #10308314, filed 2010-02, 100 milesRelated recalls
- 10V023000Jan 27, 2010Toyota is recalling certain model year 2008-2010 highlander, model year 2009-2010 corolla, venza and matrix passenger vehicles. The accelerator pedal can get…Covers: Toyota Highlander 2008–2010, Corolla 2009–2010, Matrix 2009–2010 +1 more
Related service bulletins
- 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…
Vehicle speed control: other model years
| Year | Complaints | Share of year |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 3 | 30% |
| 2024 | 1 | 2% |
| 2023 | 9 | 5% |
| 2022 | 8 | 3% |
| 2021 | 9 | 2% |
| 2020 | 10 | 3% |
| 2019 | 13 | 3% |
| 2018 | 9 | 3% |
| 2017 | 13 | 5% |
| 2016 | 4 | 4% |
| 2015 | 11 | 6% |
| 2014 | 5 | 4% |
| 2013 | 31 | 15% |
| 2012 | 14 | 8% |
| 2011 | 12 | 7% |
| 2010 | 22 | 10% |
| 2009 | 14 | 10% |
| 2008 | 45 | 11% |
| 2007 | 16 | 13% |
| 2006 | 43 | 15% |
| 2005 | 39 | 17% |
| 2004 | 40 | 14% |
| 2003 | 28 | 11% |
| 2002 | 31 | 10% |
| 2001 | 15 | 11% |
Other parts of the 2008 Toyota Highlander
81 complaintsAir bags
58 complaintsEngine
58 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 complaintsFuel system
13 complaints
← All problems reported for the 2008 Toyota Highlander
About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 31, 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