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2003 Toyota HIGHLANDER Engine And Engine Cooling Problems, Complaints and Defects

Issue ID	918248
Internal NHTSA #	10456868
Manufacurer	TOYOTA MOTOR CORPORATION
Brand	TOYOTA
Model	HIGHLANDER
Model Year	2003
File date	25/04/12
Component	ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Product type code	VEHICLE
Description of the problem	2003 toyota highlander (4 cyl. Engine) developed a coolant leak. Vehicle was taken to dealership who advised the water pump was leaking. Water pump was replaced at a cost of $600. Vehicle was driven home and immediately found to still have a coolant leak. Dealership was contacted and owner advised to bring the vehicle back. Dealership checked and advised that cylinder head bolts were stripped out and that engine would have to be replaced at a cost of $5400. The engine never lost enough coolant to overheat but the only repair option given by the service manager was to replace the entire engine rather than replacing the head gasket and repairing the stripped out threads to head bolts. Service manager slipped up by saying this is a defect in the engine but when questioned further about the problem he stated he only sees it "once in a blue moon". This seems to be a contradiction to all the other similar complaints for this 4 cylinder engine. Toyota issued a service bulletin march 2, 2011 for the highlander, rav4, camry, and solara which states: there may be damaged cylinder head bolts. The vehicle was taken to a private mechanic who stated he has seen this problem before and knows how to fix it (and will give a 2 year 24000 mile warranty on the repair). Why does a vehicle defect have to kill someone before it prompts a recall. This is obviously a vehicle defect and is still hazardous to consumers if they are sick, elderly, or left stranded on the side of the road. How many people are killed every year when they are stranded on the side of the road and struck by another motorist. (too many!) come on toyota, does it take a lawsuit over someone's death for you to correct the problem? *js
Vehicle Mileage at Failure	100000
Number of Occurences	2
Source of the issue	NHTSA WEB SITE
City and State	MONTGOMERY, TX
VIN pattern	JTEGD21A330XXXXXX
Was vehicle invloved in a crash?	N
Was vehicle involved in a fire?	N
Was incedent reported to police?	N
Was medical attention required?
Was part original equipment?
No. of injured persons
No. of fatalities
Date of purchase	08/08/26
Was original owner?	N
Anti-lock brakes	N
Cruise control	N
Number of cylinders
Drive train type	FWD
Transmission type
Vehicle speed
DoT tire identifier
Tire size
Location of tire code
Type of tire failure code
Was defective tire repaired?
Date of manufacture
Type of child seat code
Type of restraint
Dealer's name
Dealer's telephone number
Dealer's city
Dealer's state code
Dealer's ZIP code

What is Recall?
A recall is when a product is removed from the market or a correction is made to the product because it is either defective or potentially harmful.
What is Failure?
Failure is the state or condition of not meeting a desirable or intended objective, and may be viewed as the opposite of success. Product failure ranges from failure to sell the product to fracture of the product, in the worst cases leading to personal injury, the province of forensic engineering.
What is Defect?
Non-conformance of a car component with the specified requirements, or non-fulfillment of user expectations, including the safety aspects.

Last decoded VIN:

XW8ZZZ61ZEG062657 KMHDH4AE7BU102785 1N4AL3A98DC219390 2FMPK3J93KBC06742 1GKUKJE36AR238442 WAUZZZ8E68A003201 1GKFC16J77J174082 MA3FC31SXBA208712 WAUH3DGY1PA045429 NLHB351BAFZ010487 KL1DC53FX8B196641 KNDMB5C15F6031960

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2003 Toyota HIGHLANDER Engine And Engine Cooling Problems, Complaints and Defects, Recalls and Failures

2003 Toyota HIGHLANDER Engine And Engine Cooling Problems, Complaints and Defects

What is Recall?

What is Failure?

What is Defect?