The dreaded numbie question..has there been any problems with the 08 Highlander?

[summerwind]

First of all my new Highlander Limited has a Vancouver,WA port date of 10/26/07.

As a 07 Camry XLE owner that waited 6 months after it's launch date, I watched as Toyota went through the new 6 speed tranny flare period with the 3.5 V6's where they first replaced all of the tranny's with the problem and then issued several TSB's that tweaked the TCM firmware to refine the tranny operation.

I waited the same 6 months when I bought the 06 RAV4 Limited I4 that I traded in for my 08 Highlander and watched several TSB's pop up on TIS that corrected acceleration lag and other issues (I had the I4 ECM firmware upgrade done that really improved the performance of the I4 power train)

I invoked the same 6 month after availability rule for my purchase of my 08 Highlander.

BUUUTTTT...

After weekly Google searches for problems with the new 08 Highlander I found ZERO..

So I violated my 6 month rule and bought one.

FINALLY THE QUESTION....

Did Toyota learn a lesson with the past introductions of the 06 RAV4 and 07 Camry and the introduction of the 08 Highlander is back to expected Toyota Quality??

What do current 08 Highlander owners think...Rock Solid?? or still lacking in Quality??

[mwfromva]

So far, so good....knock on wood. About 2500 miles into it.

[08highlander]

So far so good

[MNOutdoorsman]

I have about 3800miles on mine, and I've noted the following "problems:"
- I'm getting 22-23mpg, which is on the high side of the EPA estimate. Darn, I was expecting 20.
- The heated seats make the leather too comfortable on chilly Minnesota mornings. Such a bear to get out of the vehicle to go into the office.
- The highlander causes martial strife.. As in, the wife wants to drive it, too.

Seriously, I purchased a Toyota based on reliability, and hope not to be disappointed. So far, so good. Other than I wish Toyota would allow me, as an adult, to override the mommy-mode of the Nav so I could (ummm, I mean my passenger, of course) make adjustments while in motion, life would be perfect.

---
08 Highlander Limited 4WD, Cypress Green, Navi and lots of other buttons to push.

[lucky777]

I have no problems with mine. Toyota appears to be well aware of major screw up with Camry and trying to regain quality crown with HL.


from HL press release:

"Customer First" Quality
As vehicles become increasingly complex, Toyota has realized the need to re-vamp the engineering and manufacturing processes. In 2005, President Katsuaki Watanabe took the reigns of Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC) and issued a company-wide challenge to re-prioritize product quality. The initial steps to guide the quality enhancement agenda began with engineering innovation. He tasked each TMC chief engineer to offer new ideas to improve quality. Everything from tools and processes to budget, was open to discussion. The result was a company-wide agenda called "Customer First."
The program re-allocated assets, allowed more development time, increased headcount, and reverted to the use of additional prototypes to gauge quality during development. Raw materials were reconsidered and assembly was extensively analyzed.
The Highlander development program served as the pilot and featured three critical criteria. First, the process of producing the most comprehensive and accurate original drawings possible was given the top priority. The vehicle would only be as good as the quality of the blueprints.
Second, Toyota accelerated prototype production, increased the number of prototypes, and enlarged the number of quality-check personnel four-fold.
Finally, with these changes, Toyota was able to devote an additional month in the development schedule to address countermeasures.

[Fishballs15]

Bought mine two weeks ago and now have 900 miles on the clock. Rock solid so far - knock on wood.

It's been an interesting change for me - in my last car I think I spent more time on the message board finding out about problems than actually driving the car. Now, I am doing the exact opposite! Darn...

[ktmd]

I have had my 2008 Limited for several months (2500 miles on it). No major problems, but noises are starting to appear. My vehicle has developed a very odd "reverberating/oscillating" noise in the drivetrain. I took in into Toyota, but they said they could not hear anything. It is not loud, but to me it is very noticeable. Three separate rattles are now present in the dash - these are quite loud, but due to their intermittent nature there is not much Toyota can do to address them. Again, nothing major, but I honestly expected the car to remain as quiet as the day I bought it. Perhaps my expectations were a bit high.

[summerwind]

Originally Posted by ktmd

I have had my 2008 Limited for several months (2500 miles on it). No major problems, but noises are starting to appear. My vehicle has developed a very odd "reverberating/oscillating" noise in the drivetrain.

I wonder if it is similar to the Fuel pump noise the RAV4 with the V6 had??

See link for Rav4 TSB


RAV4 fuel pump noise

[ktmd]

Originally Posted by summerwind

I wonder if it is similar to the Fuel pump noise the RAV4 with the V6 had??

See link for Rav4 TSB


RAV4 fuel pump noise

Good thought, but no. My HL makes the noise even if the engine is tuned off and I am drifting down hill in neutral. Something in the drivetrain is rubbing/vibrating. It is driving me absolutely nuts. Being in Canada I paid $55,000 for my HL Limited with Nav (yes that's right, fifty-five grand, plus $10,000 tax = $65,000!!! - keep in mind the US dollar is about on par with the Canadian), so you can imagine how thrilled I was to discover several odd noises in my brand new vehicle. Methinks I should have bought a Lexus.

[Grumman]

No problems here.. However.. I only have about 72 miles on my HL.

[lucky777]

2008 HL had been selling for around 6 months now and I didn't see any complains on it so far. Does anyone know how many 2008 HLs were sold up to date?

[cowzrul]

Our first 08 Limited was perfect. Was retired with 767 miles on the odometer. We have had the second for a week now and have 400 miles on it. This Limited has all the same options just in a different color...and an annoying noise when we turn corners while braking. Sounds like a knuckle joint on a 67 Chevelle gone bad. You can feel it in the steering wheel as well. Took to the dealership at 100 miles and they couldn't reproduce the problem.

[takahashi]

I found the gear stick is too ugly and not comfortable to hold.... hangon it is the first automatic car I own

[Grumman]

Originally Posted by takahashi

I found the gear stick is too ugly and not comfortable to hold.... hangon it is the first automatic car I own

You can get aftermarket replacements.. If I remember correctly they aren't all that expensive either.. 30 - 70 bucks....
I bought my HL for the wife. Her first automatic as well...

[ace_leroy]

I have the same problem as cowzrul (knock in the steering). In my research, it appears that Toyota is having the same problem they did with the 03-05 Camry's and 04-06 HL's where they wrote several TSB's to replace the intermediate steering shaft. I had an appt scheduled for this Friday to replace mine, and low and behold the part is now backordered. If anyone else out there is having this problem, please speak up as based on the part availability, my guess it the population is growing.

I will keep you posted on my progress.