| Issue ID | 930134 |
| Internal NHTSA # | 10465975 |
| Manufacurer | TOYOTA MOTOR CORPORATION |
| Brand | TOYOTA |
| Model | HIGHLANDER |
| Model Year | 2003 |
| File date | 06/07/12 |
| Component | ENGINE |
| Product type code | VEHICLE |
| Description of the problem | While driving on the highway, the temperature gauge went above the half way mark and within 15 minutes of stopping and starting it approached the red but never actually went into the red zone. No dashboard lights ever went on to alert me to an engine problem. When stopped, it went above the half way mark and when driving it went down to the halfway mark. I got home ( 20 minutes later), i parked the car and drove it the next day to the toyota dealer ( 8 minutes away from my house). It did not go above the halfway mark at this time. Fyi, all maintenance and check ups have always been on time and done at this dealer. The dealer called later that day and informed me that the head gasket was bad and in order to see what else may be damaged, it would cost $550. Just to investigate into to head cylinder and the engine. The $550. Would be applied to any repairs. The next business day, the dealer called to tell me that the bolts of the head cylinder were stripped and the threads were in the block. I would need a new short block at the cost of $6,375. 00 plus tax. All due to the overheating incident, which had never happened before. |
| Vehicle Mileage at Failure | 107000 |
| Number of Occurences | 1 |
| Source of the issue | NHTSA WEB SITE |
| City and State | GLENSIDE, PA |
| VIN pattern | JTEGD21A730XXXXXX |
| 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 | 0 |
| No. of fatalities | 0 |
| Date of purchase | 08/08/26 |
| Was original owner? | N |
| Anti-lock brakes | N |
| Cruise control | N |
| Number of cylinders | 4 |
| Drive train type | |
| Transmission type | |
| Vehicle speed | 50 |
| 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 |