CarComplaints.com Notes: 2008 is the first year of the 2nd generation Highlander, & it may be a model year to avoid as Toyota most likely worked out some production quality issues with the new model.
The 2009 Highlander is the has far fewer complaints.
10.0
really awful
Crashes / Fires:
12 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
20 / 0
Average Mileage:
68,065 miles
About These NHTSA Complaints:
This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.
So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.
I was in a car accident yesterday two cars hit me from behind my daughter was in the third row and my other kids in the second row. The air bags didn't deploy and my daughters seatbelt in the third row didn't lock when the cars impacted my vehicle her seat belt kept going forward with her. Also my seat belt unlocked and came off upon impact of car
Air bag lights continue to show. Vehicle had not been in any accidents. Seat warms do not work light comes on when you turn them on. Driver window will go up half way occasionally. Back wiper motor makes loud noise and doesn-??t work anymore. Tire sensor also comes out.
Airbag failed to deploy in a front-left collision with another vehicle. The other vehicle's airbags did deploy. The vehicle is totalled and not available for inspection. The lack of deployment resulted in a head injury and whiplash. There was no advanced warning of this being a problem.
We were driving on WA14 going about 55mph when our right side airbag curtain exploded. We were not in a collision. No body damage. The airbags exploded out of thin air.
I have a 2008 Toyota Highlander. While driving a side city street, on a slight curve, the steering wheel locked and could not be turned. As a result, my daughter hit a tree. My daughter was going approximately 25mph and the impact was in the center of the vehicle. The air bags did not deploy.
The contact owns a 2008 Toyota Highlander. The contact stated that the air bag warning indicator illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the air bag sensor failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The VIN was not included in NHTSA campaign number: 11V245000 (air bags). The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 47,000.
Takata recall my car was involved in the initial recall, Toyota replaced the airbag in September 2015. In October 2016 my airbag light came on again and it was diagnosed to be the same issue I had before - airbag issue. Toyota refuses to fix the car again stating they only have a one year warranty on warranty work which this issue is just out of that period. I have tried to reach a manager at the Toyota warranty center numerous times but have been unsuccessful.
The airbag malfunction alert light intermittently comes on in my 2008 Toyota Highlander limited. I took it to Toyota service and they said it was functioning normally on that particularly day. The alert light came on again 2 days later so I called Toyota corporate offices. Toyota said that there has been a recall on some of the same 2008 Highlanders, but Toyota claims that my vehicle was not one of the vehicles affected by the recall, although the symptoms of the problem with the airbag sensor wiring is identical in my car to what is described for those cars that were recalled. The airbag malfunction light in our car comes on more than 50% of the time. This has been ongoing now for about a year. The problem is apparent whenever the engine is on, whether the car is moving or staionary.
I have a 2008 Toyota Highlander that has never been in a crash. On Thursday, Feb.11,2016 as I was driving down the highway the airbag warnings light came on. The info screen said to take my car to the dealer immediately and there were 2 warning signals on the dash as well. My car has 88,000 miles on it. I called our local dealer where I purchased the car brand new. Atkinson Toyota in bryan, Texas. I spoke to chris in service and he said how quick can I get it there. Naturally my husband was out of town so I said it would be Monday, feb15,2016 before I could get it in. I have since done research online and found hundreds of complaints, injuries and bewilderment as to why this issue has not been recalled. The service technician I spoke to gave me no information as to this problem occurring in other Highlanders, said he would need my car for an entire day and that I could rent a car onsite at my on expense. I feel that Toyota is being extremely negligent and putting passengers lives at stake. I plan to call the dealer tomorrow. Please report this problem as soon as possible before someone gets killed because their airbags did not deploy. I would call this gross negligence on the part of Toyota as it is clearly evident that they are aware of the problem. Thank you.
2008 Toyota Highlander involved in a rear/side crash sitting still; hit by other vehicle at 60 mph; 3 occupants inside vehicle all injured; no airbags deployed in vehicle at time of crash; if airbags only are to deploy on a frontal impact crash what good R they in other crashes to help the occupants of the vehicle?
I was driving the Toyota Highlander when I got struck on my front left side. I was hit pretty hard my head was caught between the steering wheel and the windshield. And the air bags never deployed I was rushed to the hospital along with 2 other people. And on the screen it said check system air bag failure.
The contact owns a 2008 Toyota Highlander. The contact stated that the SRS warning light flashed randomly. The dealer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. Also, the contact was notified that the vehicle was not included in NHTSA campaign number: 14V168000 (air bags) and NHTSA campaign number: 11V245000 (air bags). The manufacturer was notified of the failure and provided no remedy. The approximate failure mileage was 115,000.
The contact owns a 2008 Toyota Highlander. While driving at 5 mph and parking the vehicle in the garage at home, the vehicle suddenly accelerated without the accelerator pedal being depressed. The vehicle crashed through the interior wall of the garage, only coming to a stop after damaging the outer brick facade of the building. The air bags did not deploy. There was no police report filed and no injuries sustained. The vehicle was towed to the dealer. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 98,000. Updated 10/07/15 updated 12/11/2017
The contact owned a 2008 Toyota Highlander. While driving approximately 35 mph, another driver ran a light and crashed head on into the contact's vehicle. The air bags failed to deploy. The contact sustained shoulder injuries, but did not receive medical attention. The vehicle was destroyed. A police report was filed. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 14V168000 (air bags), but had not yet made an appointment for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 130,000...updated 08/26/15
The contact owns a 2008 Toyota Highlander. The contact stated that when the vehicle was started the air bag warning indicator was constantly illuminated. The failure recurred each time the vehicle was started. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and was diagnosed that the spiral cable assembly was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The manufacturer stated that the VIN was not included in NHTSA campaign number: 14V168000 (air bags). The approximate failure mileage was 139,000.
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