2008-2013 Toyota Highlander and Highlander Hybrid Buying Guide

hello and welcome to the car care nut channel welcome to another buying guide video today we're going to be talking about the 2008 to 2013 toyota highlander this is a common problem buying guide video for those who own one or who are looking to buy one but before we get started if you are a returning subscriber thank you so much for watching another one of my videos if you are new to the channel this is the first time you watch one of my videos first thank you for watching the video consider subscribing to the channel check out my other videos i hope you can find something that is helpful for you but without further ado let's dig right into it starting with engines and we're gonna start with the v6 engine the v6 engine was a very good engine in these cars and this was the first year that the highlander got it the 3.5 to grfe engine now in the very early years 2008-2009 we had a problem with valve variable valve timing rattling noises and which eventually leads to the gears coming apart and causing all kinds of issues if you are buying one or if you own one if you must start the car when it's completely cold has sat overnight you're going to start the car you'll never notice a very loud rattling noise for like up to five seconds now if this is the case and you're buying one walk away because this this repair is super expensive the engine has to come down as you can see in this picture and it just it's not worth the risk and if this comes apart as you can see in this picture this is actually one that's come apart i mean the cost is just we're talking thousands easily as the date of filming this video will easily exceed the cost of the car so this is something you should know if you're worried about this by late 2009 2010 and up this problem was fixed this was an issue internally in the gear it was fixed you should have no issues however i would still check it regardless any of these sears you're buying you got to start it when it's cold if you hear that rattling noise walk away it's not worth it now another couple leaks that are pretty serious on this car any oil line that is rubber is notorious to get brutal and leak two notable ones are the vvti supply line and the oil cooler line unfortunately they're not extremely easy to check when they leak there's gonna be oil all over the place and it's gonna the kind of leak that you start the car giant puddle under the car immediately if you are buying one of these cars have your mechanic or you're welcome to email me i'll help help you walk you through it how to check them the fix for these lines is simple you replace the line with the all metal line that doesn't have that little section of rubber and you're all good if you're buying one you want this checked if the lines are rubber get them replaced right away with all metal lines and you'll never have to think about this problem this problem can be fatal we've seen so many engines fail because of this be careful with this one one more oil leak on the v6 engine is the front timing cover leak this one is super common on these all the year range and this is one that i would definitely inspect it's very easy to look at very easy to inspect here's how you expect for this leak [Music] now if that area is dry you're all good if it's leaking unfortunately this is an engine out job very expensive it's just a tube of sealer that costs 16 but the engine has to come out there's no way to do it in the car some will say yes you can do it in the car yeah but how long are you gonna guarantee that incorrectly done job that's up to you but something this one is very simple to look at if you own one that is leaking unfortunately this is this is the reality of these engines this is one achilles heels it's oily leaks and this is one of them however keep an eye on the leak clean it up see how far it progresses and then make a decision from there another thing that is very common on these v6 engines are water pump failures and there is it's either going to be a water pump leak or a rattling noise that goes up and down that with the rpm of the engine now here's a water pump from the v6 this is one that failed it had a little leak we were doing some other engine works and we replaced it now what you're going to have is either this pink crust all over the place all over the side of the engine and the coolant is going low or this pulley right here that turns this turns the impeller and circulates the coolant this hat will have significant movement if this has significant movement it's going to start making a rattling noise again this can get a little expensive but it's not a deal breaker if you have one with a slightly leaking water pump or you have that rattling sound and you're buying it negotiate the price this could be a good negotiation if you can find a trusted mechanic outside the dealer the cost will be less they are a little expensive but the pump has been updated although we've seen the updated pump leak but not the same rate as the old one so that's something you should know about the water pumps moving on to another issue which this more affects the 2011-13 the oil change schedule now this has been debated and debated the 10 000 mile oil change it is your car it is your money i am just advising you from what i see doing the oil change at 10 000 miles one year could in the future have issue with oil contamination and the first victim of that is the vvti system the variable valve timing system you will have oil control failures codes misfires all these issues are easily avoided with 5 000 mile oil changes every six months the oil will always be clean the oil control valves will not clog but if they do typically you'll have some timing codes and it's the oil control virus that are sticking or clogged or completely stuck and not moving at all so something you want to know about if you're buying one with the check engine light you got to know what the codes are never buy a car blind without knowing what the check engine light codes are let's talk briefly about the 2.7 liter engine the 1ar fe now i personally don't recommend you buy a highlander with a 4-cylinder not because of the engine but because you're buying an suv you're going to fill up with people and their stuff and you're going to use it as an suv the four-cylinder while a great engine in other cars not the best choice for the highlander however if you find one you like it you're happy with the power level of the engine here's something you should know about this engine they are notorious for oil consumption i have seen so many and i am sure somebody will comment on the video saying i have a 2.7 i have two three four hundred thousand miles and i have no issues and i'm very happy for that but i will say this if this engine is not maintained properly i'm talking about oil changes you will have the oil consumption issue and something notorious for this engine when it does have oil consumption is that people run it low on oil run this engine low and oil enough and you're gonna have the variable valve timing gear explode break the chain and i'll show you this picture this is carnage this engine was completely destroyed and this was a 2011. and this picture is actually a little old so this this car was not that old it was not nine years old so be careful with the four cylinders i advise not to buy one unless you know the service history everything was done properly and well and if you end up buying it i highly recommend you continue with 5000 miles six months oil changes this engine is known for oil consumption so be careful with this one moving on to transmissions and we're also going to address a few issues with the all-wheel drive system toward the end now the transmission in these highlanders is pretty bulletproof there's no chronic issues or things that would tell would make me tell you not to buy one if you would however there are a few things that you should know about this transmission first it's very common for this transmission to develop small oil leaks mainly there's a side cover on the transmission you'll see oil through the driver's side wheel well you'll see oil all over the transmission underneath it and then covering the bottom of the transmission and this this brings people in a panic to the dealership hey my transmission is leaking oil thing is that side cover is not exactly a pressure point so if you clean that leak it'll probably be another five years until you get the leak again i'm not really worried too much about that one if you have it if you're buying one and you see that leak negotiate the price but don't worry too much about that leak because honestly so many of them leak like that and it takes them years and years to accumulate an actual dripping leak one thing i will tell you about this highlander the v6 model has a huge cover that covers underneath everything covers everything every time you're buying one this cover is coming off you tell the dealership i need it on a lift i need that cover off if the dealership declines then so do you on buying the car it's as simple as that you remove that cover all of a sudden you see everything covered in oil that you didn't see before i see this all the time this cover needs to come off if you're going to inspect for any leak another common one on the transmission for these highlanders is a whining noise now this is a very faint whining noise very consistent on light acceleration you'd hear it whine as soon as you take your foot off the gas it goes away this wine noise have brought so many highlander owners and got their transmissions replaced and the whole nine yards don't be alarmed by this noise this is just a harmonic vibration of the transmission from the final drive there is nothing broken there is nothing bad it's just the way it is now if you have an extended warranty with this car or you're buying one sure go get a new trance you pop up in any dealership it's a known problem they'll immediately order transmission get it authorized life is good but if you don't have a warranty or you're looking to buy a car that potentially will not have a warranty and you hear that noise absolutely use it as a negotiating factor here but don't worry about it if it bothers you then maybe look for a car that doesn't but just know that if you buy a car that doesn't whine as you put miles it might start whining and i wouldn't worry about it nothing's broken just raise the volume on the radio or something if it really bothers you but i'm not concerned about it let's move on to all-wheel drive system on this car now it is a very good system it does have a couple things and mainly with oil leaks and you will see the theme of this car is oil leaks now there is a common leak from the transfer case it's a seal that sits between the transfer case and the transmission it's a double lip seal it leaks and in some cases it mixes transmission fluid with differential fluid now this see this leak is kind of hard to see again you got to remove that big cover any oil transmission or differential fluid sitting around the transfer case area it is likely that seal and this is a pretty big job because the transmission has to come out of the car yes you could possibly get the transfer case out without pulling the engine out but it's nonetheless an expensive repair as i said the theme with this cars oil leaks again the 2008 as the date of filming this video is a 12 year old car it's going to have leaks so you got to do your due diligence have that cover removed look very close for oil leaks you don't see any oil licks anywhere everything is nice and dry i think that's a good car to buy if you have some oil leaks make your best judgment it's up to you now you know all the common leaks on these cars make your decision what you're willing to live with and what not and how you're going to negotiate that price now another common leak on these is the tail shaft of the rear drive shaft leaking oil through the drive shaft now i've seen people put seals and replace it's a driveshaft that's sleek causing the leak oil goes through the yoke and leaks and you'll see a lot of oil at the tail shaft of the rear drive shaft of where it connects to the transfer case just like we said you got to do your due diligence on oil leaks on this car when you're checking one and if you own one it's a drive shaft replacement you can replace the seal the leak will be back it's a common problem so something to know about leaks for this one another thing that is not very common and really not a fault of the car design itself the rear differential if it's all-wheel drive model we've seen a few essentially blow up um due to lack of maintenance so if you're buying a car that doesn't have a service history on the differentials replace the fluid it's very cheap it's very easy very diy by the way it's just two plugs strain fill through the other plug and we're done consider that don't forget those because we've seen some fail from lack of maintenance usually when you drain these fluids around 30 40 000 miles when these cars were new the fluid is pretty dark and you want to keep up with it between 30 and 60 000 miles don't go further than that if you bought a car again with no service history or unknown just replace it be on the safe side moving on to body and we got a quite a few things here so hang with me i know this video is getting long the first issue is with the back door or the hatch door or the tailgate if you would it mainly has to do with the power operation of that door if you have a manual one this problem really isn't a big problem but the power operation you gotta make sure that that back door works a hundred percent perfect and i say it perfect because it was a super common problem with these because of the design of the one-sided motor lifting the back door it's because it's lifting on one side it's tending to bend the door and bend the hinges there's not really anything you can do about that and what really aggregates the situation is pushing the door and kind of manhandling the door if you would the most common problem is as the door is closing it reaches a point where it hits and opens back up this is the door bent or worse the hinge is bent now toyota did have some coverage on this but likely most of these are out of this coverage you'd want to call your toyota dealership for that if you are out of coverage and the door is doing that in some cases the only way to fix that is to replace the hinge and the whole door that as you can imagine is a pretty expensive proposition so be careful with that one make sure you focus on the back door another common issues and also with doors is front doors now this is very common mostly on the driver's door but we've also seen it on the passenger front door now the bolts that hold the glass that goes up and down in the door come loose and this this is a problem that kind of has a snowball effect first the bolts come loose now the window every time you put it up and down it makes like a clicking or a thud or as it closes as it opens it makes it feels like something is loose what do most people do they ignore it ah it's working i'm not worried about it sure why not then one of the bolts falls off inside the door you'll find it then the window starts coming off the track and believe it or not some people will still ignore that uh it's i can just hold it and close it but then both balls fall glass falls and you keep trying to operate it and the regular gets bent so now you went from just tightening two bolts to finding one bolt that fell off and putting it back and life is good so now you're replacing the regulator i don't understand why people do that but you're watching this video you know about this issue if you have a rattling noise when the window's going up and down or clicking or any kind of issues you got to do this it's very diy you just take door panel find two bolts tighten them or if you don't want to keep doing this over and over take the bolts put a little bit of loctite not high strength put it back and that's it you'll never have this problem again i see this this is super common on these highlanders seems to be more common on the 2011-13 for some reason but nonetheless they're common are all make sure you check these windows if you hear that noise you gotta tighten these bolts before you bend the regulator and then you gotta replace it another thing with these doors and this is primarily the driver's door for some reason very few passenger front doors but nonetheless front doors same type of clicking noise but this time every time the door is closed you raise the window as it's raising up it makes a click as it's coming down it makes another click you open the door all the way the click goes away that's how you differentiate between the loose bolts and this the loose bolts will rattle regardless but this second issue we're talking about is is only when the door is closed if you open the door it goes away and this is a door check the the doors on these highlanders are very light so it's very common for the door to get sprung basically you open it the wind catches it and it just opens violently and it stops well do that so many times the point where the door check mounts to the door is going to get bent now the door check is facing the glass so every time your glass comes down it's going to hit the door check at its way up and down if you open the door door check comes out nothing unfortunately again if you want to fix this 100 the door will have to be replaced and that's very expensive however we have been successful in bending that area back just far enough so it the glass doesn't hit the door check you gotta check this one because and be generally gentle with the door don't let it spring outside so far and get caught by the wind and kind of violently open like that because you're gonna accelerate this issue now this next issue although more for the rust belt cars but we've seen some cases where it was not a rust belt car so you want to know about this one the rear wiper the rear wiper doesn't work or it's very slow to go up and down i see people the first thing ah it needs a window motor they go to place the window motor guess what it's the same thing well the com the very common problem on these by the way if you didn't know the highlander the back glass opens i see a lot of people not know that there's a little button you press on the back between the tail lights that pops the rear glass well when you open the rear glass there's a mechanism that stays on the glass and then there's the motor that mechanism that stays on the glass is the problem not super expensive to fix kind of scary to diy because you're essentially working around the glass and sometimes you have to cut this thing because it's so rusted you can't get the nut off so if your rear wiper doesn't work or works very slowly this is a hundred percent the problem i've never seen a motor go out it's usually that mechanism on the glass it's not very expensive semi-diy depends how brave you want to be around the glass i'm not i freak out every time i have to be cutting right next to the glass wear glasses please if you're doing this because we've had a few windows shattered like that so check the if you're buying one use that as a negotiating thing because it's really not a big expense but don't go replacing motors because that's not the issue last item in body is air conditioning and the air conditioning typically in these highlanders pretty bulletproof with the exception of one issue if you have rear ac the rear ac lines that extend basically the length of the car notorious to leak and if you live in the rust belt they're notorious to seize so if the line leaks you got to replace a little two dollar o-ring you can't separate the line to replace the o-ring you have to cut the line and now you're replacing the whole lines and now this becomes a big expense so it's really hard to see and if they're not leaking today they might be leaking two weeks later so the moral of this story is do not buy a car with a non-working ac because nine out of ten times it is the rear ac lines and it kind of gets pretty expensive as you progress especially if it's a rust belt car and if you're mechanically inclined and you know how to check lines it's basically two aluminum looking lines that go all the way from the front all the way to the back of the car make sure all the joints every every place where two lines connect is dry you will see like an oily residue that's the ac oil leaking through it that's how you know they're leaking so something to know about the ac in this car moving on to chassis and the first item in chassis is a very common one with all our beloved toyotas clunking noise when you turn the wheel at slow speeds it feels like clunk clunk in the steering wheel drives most people crazy some people are concerned it's a safety item it's neither now here is the offender in this case this is called the steering intermediate shaft this is a shaft that it has splines right here it just moves this is supposed to be part of the collapsible steering column when in an accident now these two splines right here i can't make it happen right now because you need you need the weight of the car and that and the tension of the steering all happens with that noise is these two shafts are clunking against each other because there's no grease here now you can put some grease here and that will be gone temporarily or you can replace a shaft with an updated model and you won't have that issue again if you're buying one you need to make a big big deal about this because you could really bring the price down in the car if you own one i wouldn't worry about it if it drives you crazy which i will admit it would drive me crazy put some have this lubricated or replace it and we're done you won't have this problem again but just remember it is not a huge problem it is actually just an annoyance more than anything another item on chassis are struts now they're not extremely chronic like some other models but we've seen enough struts leaking and typically on this one you'll really know when the strut is leaking you'll hear like a big rattling noise over bumps and kind of a general instability of the whole car again if you're buying one make sure you check the struts you'll just see a general leak refer to my other video on how to check for leaks on struts and what constitutes a strut leak and what is normal another thing on struts is front strut mounts now this one we've seen a lot because the way of the design of the cowl in the front water seems to channel and sit on top of the strut mount basically rotting it out and this is regardless if it's rust belt or not and these strut mounts they start initially making noise and if they fail they could cause a very unstable ride so something to know about this car and a very easy way to check them is jack up the front of the car as you're jacking it up look at the wheel it's going to get to a point where the str well the wheel will just drop significantly and make like a little clunk that's a strut mount essentially separating and that's the drop off it and another way if it didn't do that with both front wheels off the ground turn the wheel you'll feel it like clunk clunk clunk clunk as is turning that means the mount is as it's extended and overloaded if it's cracked or broken it's going to start making that noise again they're very common but if you have every time you have a leaking strut on this car you have the strut off for any reason always put new mounts it's a good idea they will fail eventually they're not extremely expensive original aftermarket is even cheaper i recommend original but that's up to you again refer to my toyota suspension and steering guide for more information last but not least on chassis and this one gets a lot of mechanics believe it or not this car is very very common for wheel bearing noises especially in the rear and the this is this doesn't seem like a big problem so really blurring place it move on life is good however because of the way because of the design of the car it is so common that the rear wheel bearing noise is misdiagnosed as a transfer case noise you do not know how common this is and how many mechanics make their customers spend small fortunes replacing a transfer case that is completely fine and then put the new transfer case in a few few thousand dollars later guess what the noise is exactly the same and this throws mechanics into a spin because they don't know what's going on the thing about it is and i don't blame the mechanics this one is kind of an odd one when you have four wheels off the ground let's say in a lift situation the car is on a lift you have the wheel spinning the car is in drive the transfer case will always make noise that is normal that's because you're not loading the wheels that's normal for this transfer case to make noise when all four wheels are off the ground the best way to check for wheel bearings on this car from experience have the wheels off the ground put the car in drive wheels are spinning put your hand on this on the spring the the coil spring between the strut and the mount put your hand on it you'll feel like that roughness on one of the rear wheel bearings replace it car is nice and quiet these cars are generally very smooth and very quiet any noise you're gonna know if you're say you're buying one you drove and you feel like roughness that's the rear wheel bearing and it feels more in the middle of the car and it just spreads all over the body that's just a common thing with these cars so be careful do not go replacing the transfer case because of the bad rear wheel bearing moving on to electrical and just like all other toyotas we don't have crazy electrical problems and gremlins and this and that these cars are generally very they're basic they're they have some advanced features but they're generally basic and they don't have chronic problems there's only one problem that seemed to plague the 2011-2013 and i'll be honest this was this was the type of problem that we had or heard of them and then all of a sudden we don't hear about it again i don't know it's because of these cars out of warranty they're going somewhere else but nonetheless you need to know about this door locks all of sudden door locks stopped working two days later they started working again all four of them there was a common problem with the body control ecu unfortunately the whole ecu needs to be replaced there's no really fix for it so if you're looking to buy one or you have a car that has a randomly stopping power locks this is your issue it's semi-expensive to replace somewhat diy there's no programming involved or anything it's just a module you replace it and we're done now another issue with power locks the issue with the body control issue will affect all four doors at the same time this issue we're going to talk about affects a single door we've had somewhat of a high rate of failure of actuators if one door stops working and it starts then it's like you see the lock moves slowly that's a door lock actuator it can get expensive if you buy original but something to know about these models let's talk about hybrids and you need to know that there are essentially two hybrid models in this in this year range of the highlander 2008-2010 had the wonderful 3mz engine the 2011 to the 2013 had the also wonderful 2g rfe sorry not fafxe now the difference between the two is obviously the 2gr is more modern potentially better gas mileage but remember the v6 oil leaks we talked about also apply to the hybrid model on the 3mz we've had some coolant leaks especially from the water pump and remember most people don't remember this this is potentially the last toyota with the timing belt 2010 highlander i like timing melt engines they were very quiet they were very easy to work on extremely diy however do not forget that timing belt and that's also an additional maintenance item that you need to deal with so every 90 000 miles gotta replace that timing belt and i highly recommend you replace the water pump they're very common to leak and remember this water pump unlike the v6 if this water pump decides to quit it's going to throw the timing belt now the car is going to shut off and you're going to have bigger issues so something to know about the hybrids the hypers are generally very reliable as long as the maintenance is done right the main emphasis of maintenance is the hybrid cool the hybrid battery cooling fan vents they're located underneath the back seat do not block them make sure you clean the screen regularly there's no replaceable filter for those but you can pop the screen out replace clean it excuse me and put it back life is good do not cover it i see people put stuff in the back covering the vents if you're buying a hybrid or your own one you need to be aware that that screen is there it needs to be clear it needs to be free-flowing so the hybrid battery won't overheat which by the way the number one cause of failure of hyper batteries is overheating from clogged vents another thing on the hybrids there was a recall in the early ones for an ipm replacement or intelligent power module replacement this is this is a recall that hasn't reoccurred we haven't had issues with the newer ones with the ipm however if you're buying an early hybrid make sure that recall was done if it was not done you need to get it done as soon as possible because that could disable the hybrid system and now the car shuts off this is really the only problem and the general theme with toyota overall their models when there is a problem serious enough and chronic enough that is kind of occurring very early and these ipm failures were very early they tend to take care of it either recall customer support program and hence the reason why you're buying a toyota they really take care of their customers people ask me what are the best years to buy this one is pretty simple 2011-2013 granted that you have checked for leaks and there are no leaks or there are leaks but you are well aware of them and willing to live with them and you've negotiated the price right if you own one of these cars most people that own these cars keep them for a very long time i have seen multiples that go two three four hundred thousand miles without major issues yeah leaks here and there and some expenses but they're generally solid cars that as the date of filming this video these things are a little older you can really get one that is nice taken care of for a really good price and you're buying a lot of car for that money so the hybrids i love the 3mz engine but i would tell you to buy 11 13. they're gen they're revised the hybrid system is revised it's better and generally between you and me i don't like the hybrids very much in this model they're not my favorite the gas mileage advantage is not significant now this was the case when these things were noon you were paying a lot more for a hybrid but today they're similarly priced if you see a hybrid you're intrigued by the technology and the slight advantage in gas mileage sure go for it 2011 13 is my recommendation well i hope this video was helpful and informative good luck with your highlander if you own one they're awesome cars i i personally like these cars and the prices they're going for today it is a huge bargain make sure you do your due diligence if you're buying one check all the problems now you know what the common things with these cars are if you if you're new to the channel you like this video consider subscribing to the channel give the video a thumbs up you're also welcome to follow the channel instagram and facebook for sneak peeks of upcoming videos may the lord bless you and keep you and you have a wonderful day

Channel: The Car Care Nut

Views: 196,290

Keywords: highlander buying guide, toyota, toyota highlander, 2011 highlander, 2012 highlander, 2013 highlander, 2009 highlander, 2008 highlander, 2010 highlander, highlander rattle noise, highlander common problems, highlander oil leak, highlander door lock, highlander problems, 2020 highlander, highlander noise, highlander transfer case, toyota diy, toyota mechanic, toyota problems, highlander strut, highlander whine noise, highlander transmission problem, highlander window noise

Id: 1djDSR2vwdI

Length: 35min 30sec (2130 seconds)

Published: Tue Sep 08 2020