The water pump on my 2016 Toyota Highlander XLE disintegrated while I was driving in heavy traffic. The pulley came loose from the water pump shaft. I have the water pump. Our safety was at risk because this happen in heavy traffic and it could have effected my control of the vehicle if it had came off completely. The pulley was wedge between the wheel well and fame. I sent a claim to Toyota and it was rejected due to the vehicle be out of warranty. I'm saying this is a manufacturing defect. No warning before it happen.
Engine & cooling
2016 Toyota Highlander Engine problems
Owners have filed 10 complaints about the 2016 Toyota Highlander's engine & cooling with NHTSA - 9% of all its complaints, most recently on December 16, 2024. Stalling, loss of power, oil consumption, overheating, head gaskets, timing chains and engine failure.
- Complaints
- 10
- Recalls
- 0
- Crashes
- 0
- Fires
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Deaths
- 0
Engine complaints
2016 toyota highlander le model v-6 cylinder. The FUEL PUMP runs after engine has been turned off for several hours, even up to as many as 8 hours. This situation can be heard in a closed in garage, in the completely quiet of night time, and at multiple times during the same time period. It happens intermittently with various levels of gas in the tank. The length of time FUEL PUMP can run can be as little as 10 minutes to over 60 minutes.
The contact owns a 2016 Toyota Highlander. The contact stated while driving 55 MPH on the highway, the contact pulled over and heard water dripping. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact had the vehicle towed to the residence and then to the dealer where it was diagnosed as the water pump needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 90,000. The contact stated that the failure speed was actually 0 mph and the mileage was 90,723. The manufacturer was also notified of the failure.
The contact owns a 2016 Toyota Highlander. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle would shut-off without warning. The contact would be able to restart the vehicle a few minutes after the failure. The contact had taken the vehicle to an unknown dealer. The dealer attempted to charge him a diagnostic fee and the contact refused. The manufacturer had been notified of the failure and they sided with the dealer and insisted that he pay a diagnostic fee to have the vehicle serviced. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was unknown.
Engine is making a audible knocking sound that increases with engine rpm. The sound is emitting from the bottom right hand side of the engine (underneath/to the right of the oil pan on the side nearest to the pulleys and serpentine belt). I have reported this issue to reliable toyota in springfield missouri. Dealer claims the sound is normal even after video evidence was provided. However, I have not heard a knocking sound coming from other highlanders. A non dealer mechanic was consulted and he heard to noise and advised my to return to the dealer so they may solve the issue under warranty,
Crankshaft position sensor inoperative during normal use
Whistling/squeaking noise from engine when turned off after driving. Took a video and showed dealer who thought it was unusual but no diagnosis on multiple visits.
Whenever the weather is colder like 35 degrees or lower I am having issues starting the vehicle. The dealer already changed the battery but it did not help. I had the vehicle by the dealer for 10 days but they couldn't figure it out. In this time I had to pay out of pocket for rental and other expenses. Yesterday it took me 45 minutes until I was able to start the vehicle. I spoke to toyota and they are not very helpful.
Occasionally, at a stop sign/intersection or entering a highway if I have come to a full stop before proceeding the car will stall. I pressed on the accelerator and nothing happens. My wife and I have found ourselves in this predicament several times now and it is only getting worse. This scenario is very dangerous for several reasons, but the most important one is that my family has been inside the car when this has happened. We have had several scares now, because the car stalled on us as we were entering the...
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highway. I have spoken to the dealer about this over the phone and both times that the car has been serviced. After they test drove the vehicle, I was told that this was normal behavior due to a delay between the computer and the accelerator throttle. Additionally, I was also told that toyota is aware of this, but has not addressed the problem. This is extremely upsetting because my family is now at risk due to a computer malfunction. I urge the nhtsa to please look into this matter as more and more people based on internet searches are dealing with this same issue. I own a 2005 highlander with 105000 miles and this has never happened. You would think that a 2016 model with all of its safety features and enhancements would be a pleasant driving experience? But, now that I owned the car for almost 8 months I am second guessing myself whether this was the right purchase. Once, again I urge the nhtsa to look into this and to anyone else out there that is experiencing the same issue, please speak up so that both toyota and the nhtsa address this problem as soon as possible. *Tr
My car engine started on its own after being turned off. I went shopping at walmart and parked my 2016 toyota highlander xle in the parking lot. I put the car in park and pushed the engine start/stop button to turn off the car. My family and I exited the car and I used the keyless entry pad to lock the doors. We shopped for approximately 45 min. When we returned to the car, I used the keyless entry pad to unlock the doors so I could put our purchases in the trunk. As I got close to the vehicle I heard an...
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engine running, but thought it was the car next to us. I bent down and listened under the front end of my highlander and to my surprise, I realized my car engine was running. When I opened the driver side door and looked at the dashboard, I noticed a small triangular yellow caution light was flashing but I don't remember what the message said other than caution. If my car randomly starts on its own while its in a garage, it could cause toxic fumes to fill my garage if left on long enough, and could cause harm or death to someone who breathes it in. After reading about the brake/hydraulic recall on some 2015-2016 highlanders, coupled with the recent issue I had at walmart, I am nervous about driving my car. I wish I had read about these issue before buying my car 30 days ago. I thought I had done my homework and read several websites before buying the car, but I will read recall reports before buying a car from now on.
Toyota Highlander engine complaints by year
Highlander engine problems, every yearSource: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) complaints and recalls, checked . Complaints are owners' own reports and are not verified. How we use the data