We have bought Toyota vehicles for many years now and this is the first big issue we've had with this make of vehicle. Our 2009 Highlander started started having issues during a recent road trip to visit our son. It would idle rough when we stopped at intersections and occasionally would stall and have to be restarted. The engine would also stall periodically when we were attempting to park or pull out of parking spaces at various businesses. We had our mechanic check out the car and he told us it was three quarts low on oil! The car never had low oil issues before. What's odd is that we had just had the oil serviced before our trip. There were no indicators on the dash indicating the low oil condition.

We thought initially that perhaps we were ripped off by our previous oil service until about 3 weeks later when we began noticing the same symptoms show up. Checking the oil revealed that again it was 3 quarts low. There were no signs of an oil leak and a mechanic friend of ours said that it looked like it was burning the oil. Based on the clattering of the cylinders he said that we might have to rebuild the engine or purchase a refurbished engine - both of which are very expensive options!

2009 4cyl 2.7L Toyota Highlander, purchased brand new March 2009 from Wilde Toyota. Feb 2017 at 69k miles, Highlander started driving rough, engine failing around corner turns (had to coast and restart) and engine accelerating while braking. Took to Wilde Toyota and found to be completely without oil. This was more than a month before next oil change was needed (I never hit miles). Was advised to return at 1,500 miles for check-up. After driving 900 miles I noticed a sudden drop in oil and headed back to Wilde. They confirmed I had lost 2 quarts of oil in four weeks/900 miles. Wilde service has been excellent (though results not good) throughout this headache. I called Toyota and asked if my vehicle has any service bulletins or recalls - no it does not. After calling around for options, I am very frustrated. I can either have the engine rebuilt or replaced with a REFURBISHED engine, as a new does not exist. This will cost around $6,000. I was the sole driver of the Highlander and expected it would soon become the main vehicle for my daughter. This is the first Toyota that I've owned with such a huge problem and at such low mileage for an issue like this to occur. I have a 17 year old Rav4 with almost 200k miles that was to finally retire (Highlander take its place). As a single mother who trusted the reliability of Toyota, this is an enormous burden. I purchased a new, not used vehicle and have had regular maintenance completed at Wilde religiously. I feel some sort of relief should be provided by Toyota, as a well mantained vehicle's life expectancy of 70k miles is absurd!

*The low oil warning light was not lit on dash - even at Wilde when I checked it in for service. I remember it flickering at startup during a cold spell two weeks prior - then it stopped, but no other alerts were ever given.

I would love to know if anyone else is dealing with this headache, as Toyota and Wilde have told me this is a rare situation. After reading online, this sounds like the same 4 cyl Camry issue with failing piston rings.

Not happy in Milwaukee, WI ... Jackie