2018 Toyota Highlander Engine Problems

Engine cam tower oil leak due to the manufacturer's inadequate assembly of the engine parts. The mating surfaces were not adequately prepared and/or application of a contaminated sealant did not adhere to the surfaces creating a small oil leak that eventually became larger and finally noticed. The Car Care Nut automotive shop performed this repair and documented in the video: [XXX] The 2018 engine (3.5L DOHC V6 D-4S Engine with Dual VVT-i Direct Shift) with 52,500 miles has by now (2024) developed a large oil leak coming from the cam tower seal, and requires replacement. I'm the original owner with the car always being garaged and maintained by the book at the dealer. Toyota of America is refusing any assistance with the defective engine component even though it is under the 60,000 miles powertrain warranty, but past the 60 months warranty period. The leak likely has been there since leaving the factory floor, but was not noticeable until after five years of use. Leaking engine oil on hot components of the engine bay may result in smoke, burning odor, and even fires. This vehicle has a concurrent vehicle safety complaint NHTSA ID Number: 11611353 INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Wife was driving and out of nowhere axle to the transfer case broke leaving her stranded in the middle of the road. Seems like transmission had been a common issue in these vehicles around the same year

The 2018 engine (3.5L DOHC V6 D-4S Engine with Dual VVT-i Direct Shift) with 52,500 miles has by now (2024) developed a large oil leak coming from the valve cover to cam tower seal, and requires replacement of valve cover assembly and gasket priced at $2173.51 by a local Toyota dealer. I'm the original owner with the car always being garaged and maintained by the book at the dealer. Toyota of America is refusing any assistance with the defective engine component even though it is under the 60,000 miles powertrain warranty, but past the 60 months warranty period. The leak likely developed prior to the first 60 months of use, but was just now noticeable to the technician. Leaking engine oil on hot components of the engine bay may result in smoke, burning odor, and even fires.

The contact owns a 2018 Toyota Highlander. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, and it was determined that there was low compression in cylinder #1. The contact was informed that the engine was damaged and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, a case was opened, and the contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 61,000.

Engine light came on, took to auto parts store and they checked for the code. Was told it was an issue with the fuel pump/ vacuum. Reset engine light, stopped to fill up with gas and car would not restart. The steering wheel locked and car would not crank. Was jumped off by a bystander, still would not turn over. After sitting for approx 15 minutes, I tried to restart vehicle again and it cranked. One week later, on vacation, car would not start after getting gas. Once again, took it to auto part store and same code and check engine light was on. Reset engine light, drove fine. Once check engine light is on, I am unable to use cruise control, this was very inconvenient since we were traveling! I have had this same issue happen about 5 times now! Making appointment with dealership to see if this weill be covered by my warranty and hopefully it is a simple fix.

The contact owns a 2018 Toyota Highlander. The contact stated while driving 70 MPH, the check engine warning light illuminated informing the driver that the AWD system and stability were disabled. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where they diagnosed the failure of the sub-assembly and the water temperature sensor needed to be replaced. The contact stated that he was informed that the onboard computer disabled the system due to the weather. The dealer informed the contact that the parts were on national backorder. The dealer performed a temporary repair by placing plastic on the grill to keep cold air out; however, the failure reoccurred several times. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the parts were not covered under warranty. The approximate failure mileage was 48,000.

LIGHTS CAME ON FOR ENGINE WARNING -- LOW FUEL PUMP NEEDS TO BE REPLACED

VEHICLE WAS DRIVING ON STREET AND CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. TOOK VEHICLE TO SERVICE PROVIDER AND IS RELATED TO RECALL. NO REMEDY FOR RECALL HAS BEEN DEVELOPED -- CURRENTLY DRIVING A LOANER CAR.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2018 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING 35 MPH, THE VEHICLE STALLED ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS WITH THE CHECK ENGINE WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO ROUTE 22 TOYOTA (109 US-22, HILLSIDE, NJ 07205, (973) 287-4741), BUT WAS NOT DIAGNOSED NOR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED AND REFERRED CONTACT TO NHTSA. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 20V012000 (FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE). THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 20,000. PARTS DISTRIBUTION DISCONNECT.

MY CAR IS ONLY 2YEARS BUT I FOUND OIL ARE LEAKING. I HAD CHECK UP AT LOCAL BODY SHOP AND THEY FOUND OUT THAT OIL LEAKS VACUUM PUMP SO I NEED TO REPLACE. *TR

ON MAY 5, 2020 I STOPPED AT A RED LIGHT IN THE LEFT TURN LANE, AFTER JUST HAVING A 20K MAINTENANCE PERFORMED ON MY 2018 HIGHLANDER XLE. AFTER THE LIGHT TURNED GREEN, I ACCELERATED AND AS I WAS ENTERING THE INTERSECTION, THE VEHICLE ABRUPTLY STALLED. IT WAS NOT A SMOOTH DECELERATION, BUT RATHER A JOLTING AND ABRUPT, SLAMMING DECELERATION, ALMOST SCREECHING TO A HALT. LUCKILY, THE CAR BEHIND ME SLAMMED ON THEIR BRAKES AND DID NOT HIT ME. ENGINE LIGHTS CAME ON, AND AFTER THE CAR WAS STOPPED COMPLETELY, IT RESTARTED AND I DROVE INTO THE NEAREST PARKING LOT. HAD I AND THE CARS BEHIND ME BEEN TRAVELING FASTER, IT'S LIKELY THAT I WOULD HAVE BEEN REAR-ENDED. THE STOPPING FORCE WAS ENOUGH TO SLAM ME INTO MY SEATBELT. I CALLED TOYOTA SERVICE AND THEY RECOMMENDED THAT I TURN OFF THE AUTO-START FUNCTION EVERY TIME I DRIVE THE VEHICLE, WHICH I HAVE DONE. THIS APPEARS TO BE DIRECTLY RELATED TO THE SAFETY RECALL 20TA02, WHERE THE LOW-PRESSURE FUEL PUMP MAY STOP OPERATING. THE VEHICLE IS IN AN EXTREMELY UNSAFE DRIVING CONDITION AND I'M VERY DISAPPOINTED THAT TOYOTA HAS NOT ROLLED OUT THE RECALL REPAIR SOONER. I'M LUCKY THAT I WAS THE ONLY OCCUPANT IN THE VEHICLE, AND IF THIS HAPPENED ON THE FREEWAY WITH MY FAMILY IN THE CAR, THE RESULTS COULD HAVE BEEN CATASTROPHIC. *TR

I OWN A 2018 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER, ME AND MY FAMILY INCLUDING MY 4 YEAR OLD SON WERE TAKING A DRIVE UP TO NEVADA CITY. WE LIVE IN CALIFORNIA AND WHEN WE GOT ON THE ROAD AND TRIED TO COME TO A STOP ON THE HIGHWAY AND THE STEERING WHEEL AND BRAKES STARTED TO SHAKE. WE DECIDED TO PULL OVER AND AS WE PULLED OVER THE CAR STALLED, WE PUT THE CAR IN PARK AND TRIED TO TURN IT ON WITH NO LUCK LEFT IT OFF FOR A COUPLE MINUTES AND STILL NO LUCK AN ERROR CAME ON THAT SAID LOW BREAKING POWER. WE HAD RECEIVED A RECALL NOTICE SO WE CALLED TOYOTA AND THEY STATED THEY WOULD NEED TO CHARGE US ABOUT 200 DOLLARS TO CHECK THE CAR. TOOK THE CAR IN AND THEY DECIDED TO KEEP OUT CAR UNTIL THERE IS A RESOLUTION FOR THE RECALL WHICH THEY SAID COULD TAKE 3 TO 4 MONTHS. JUST UNETHICAL FOR TOYOTA TO CHARGE US FOR A PROBLEM THAT IS COMPLETELY OUT OF OUR CONTROL NOT ONLY THAT BUT 4 MONTHS TO FIX A RECALL ERROR IS JUST RIDICULOUS. NOW WE'RE TERRIFIED TO DRIVE THE CAR ESPECIALLY WHEN OUR 4 YEAR OLD SON IN THE CAR. CONTACTED TOYOTA MANUFACTURER AND THEY WERE REALLY UNWILLING TO HELP GAVE US A RUN AROUND AND WE DIDN'T COME TO A RESOLUTION ABOUT THE PROBLEM. THEY DIDN'T OWN UP TO THE PROBLEM AND WE WERE LEFT WITH MORE UNANSWERED QUESTIONS. *TR

I NOTICED A HESITATION WITH THE VEHICLE WHEN I PRESSED THE GAS PEDAL. ON ONE INCIDENT ON I-288 I PRESSED THE GAS TO PASS A CAR AND IT HESITATED AND THE RPM JUMPTED TO 51/2. FINALLY THE CAR ENGAGED SO I COULD PASS. I THOUGHT IT WAS GOING TO BLOW UP. ON THE WAY HOME ON I-295 IT REPEATED AGAIN ONLY THIS TIME THE RPM JUMPED TO 4. THIS WAS ON 3/20 AND THE DEALER STILL HAS THE VEHICLE AND CAN'T FIGURE OUT THE PROBLEM. THE SERVICE MANAGER DID DRIVE IT WITH ME AND FELT THE HESITATION.

SINCE THE FIRST DAY OF OWNERSHIP (07/27/2018, THIS VEHICLE HAS THE VERY PUNGENT ODOR OF ANTIFREEZE COMING FROM OUTSIDE THE VEHICLE, DRIVER SIDE.AFTER THE ENGINE REACHES NORMAL OPERATING TEMPERATURE. THERE ARE NO VISIBLE SIGNS OF COOLANT LEAKING, EITHER ON THE PAVEMENT OR INSIDE THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT. THERE IS NO ODOR INSIDE THE CAR INDICATING A LEAKING HEATER CORE. THE CAR IS ONLY EIGHT MONTHS OLD AND 4800 MILES.THIS VEHICLE HAS BEEN TAKEN TO THE DEALERSHIP THREE TIMES WITH NO SOLUTION YET.

AFTER VEHICLE HAS WARMED UP ENGINE RPM SPEED DROPS TO NEAR 500 WHEN BRAKE ENGAGED AT STOP LIGHTS AND VEHICLE IDLES ROUGH AND ATTEMPTS TO STALL. SHIFTING TO NEUTRAL BRINGS RPM SPEED BACK UP AND IDLES SMOOTH AGAIN. PROBLEM OCCURS DAILY OVER LAST TWO MONTHS. VEHICLE IS NEAR NEW, 1750 MILES. AUTO STOP START FEATURE IS NOT ENGAGED. TAKEN TO DEALER WHO ADVISED NO PROBLEM FOUND. RETURNING TO DEALER AGAIN FOR ANOTHER TRY AND HOPEFULLY BETTER RESULTS.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2018 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER. THE CONTACT NOTICED FLUID LEAKING FROM THE ENGINE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO TOYOTA OF BOWIE (16700 GOVERNOR BRIDGE RD, BOWIE, MD 20716) WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE ENGINE GASKET WAS NOT SEALED CORRECTLY. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 4,200. THE VIN WAS NOT PROVIDED.