2011 Toyota Highlander — Known Issues & Recalls

While driving on the interstate at 80 mph, your dashboard warned you about low oil pressure. You pulled over and discovered a large puddle of oil under your car with smoke coming from the engine. The engine oil cooler pipe had completely failed and released all the oil from your vehicle. Toyota had offered a warranty enhancement program for this part, but your car exceeded the mileage limit (163,000 miles vs. 150,000 mile coverage), so the repair was not covered. Fixing this issue involves replacing the failed engine oil cooler pipe.

While driving on the parkway, your oil pressure warning light came on and the engine started making noise, so you pulled over and turned off the car. Your mechanic found that the rubber oil line hose had ruptured, causing you to lose all your oil immediately—a problem that could have caused your engine to seize while you were driving. Toyota has since changed this to a metal system in newer models but has not issued a formal recall for this known issue, and the company has declined to fix your vehicle.

Your engine developed a severe oil leak while being driven on a highway, causing the low oil pressure warning light to come on. Your wife was able to safely pull into a parking lot and shut off the engine before it could seize from lack of oil. A seized engine or oil fire in this situation could have caused a serious accident. The fix will likely require identifying and repairing the source of the oil leak, which could involve replacing gaskets, seals, or other engine components.

Your engine's oil cooler pipe manifold may develop a leak due to rubber pipes that degrade over time. Even a small pinhole leak can drain nearly all your engine oil onto the pavement and underside of your vehicle, potentially damaging the engine and leaving you stranded. Fixing this issue typically requires replacing the oil cooler pipe assembly, which can be expensive.

Your engine is making a loud metallic rattling noise when you start it in cold weather, which your mechanic believes is caused by a failing intake VVT-i gear based on their experience with similar vehicles. This issue has developed over the last 2,000 miles and could potentially cause additional engine damage if not addressed. The fix will likely involve replacing the VVT-i gear assembly.

Your engine is leaking oil from the front section, and your oil pressure warning light is on. This happened at around 161,000 miles. The leak was noticed when you were adding oil, and your vehicle needs diagnostic work to identify the exact source.

Your steering column makes a clicking noise, and a power steering warning light appears on your dashboard. When this happens, it becomes difficult to turn the steering wheel. After a while, the light goes off and steering returns to normal. This issue comes and goes intermittently.

Your steering wheel feels loose and unresponsive, as if you're driving on ice, with excessive play that's gotten worse over the past month. In the last two days, you've noticed a thumping sound when turning right. This type of steering problem can affect your ability to control the vehicle safely and should be inspected by a mechanic soon.

Your power steering feels stiff and clunky, especially when turning slowly at speeds between 3-10 mph or backing out of parking spots. The steering column sometimes locks up temporarily, making the wheel harder to turn. The steering feels unreliable at low speeds and may need inspection of the power steering system components.

Your 2011 Toyota Highlander V6 AWD is experiencing low engine oil pressure with a recurring ticking noise from the engine area, suggesting possible problems with the timing chain and its guides. The transmission is slipping and surging, which affects vehicle control and safety. These issues may require inspection of the engine oil system, timing chain components, and transmission fluid to identify and repair the underlying causes.

Your engine makes a rattling noise when you start it in cold weather. This appears to be a widespread issue affecting multiple owners, and the problem may be related to the camshaft timing gear. Fixing this issue can be expensive and may require timing gear inspection and replacement.

Your engine's oil cooler pipe, which is made of rubber, ruptured and caused sudden, severe oil loss while driving. This led to your engine losing compression and seizing, creating a dangerous loss of power at highway speeds. Your engine failed completely and required replacement. Toyota has a known technical service bulletin for this defect (TSB T-SB-0201-11), but the manufacturer refused to help cover the repair costs.

Your steering wheel airbag failed to deploy during a front-end collision. This is a serious safety defect that means a critical safety feature didn't work when needed to protect you during impact.

Your car developed a small pinhole leak in an oil line that caused it to lose oil very quickly without any warning lights appearing on your dashboard. A coworker noticed excessive oil dripping under your car at work, prompting you to check your oil level and have the vehicle towed to a mechanic before engine damage occurred. The mechanic replaced the leaking line with a metal one, and there may have been a previous recall for this issue that you were unaware of. A mechanic inspection and possible oil line replacement or repair will be needed to stop the leak and prevent engine damage.

Your 2011 Highlander is burning oil faster than normal. When the oil level drops too low, your engine shuts off automatically—even while driving on the highway—after displaying a low oil pressure warning. This unexpected shutdown poses a serious safety risk while driving.

During a highway crash where your Highlander was hit from behind and spun into guard rails on both sides, the side airbags deployed but the front airbags failed to inflate. You report that your seat belt did not restrain you properly, allowing your head to strike the steering wheel and resulting in serious injuries including a dislocated neck disk, permanent vision loss in one eye, concussion, and lacerations. The repair would require inspection and replacement of the airbag control module, airbag units, and seat belt pretensioner system to ensure proper deployment and restraint.

Your ABS brake actuator has started to fail, which means your anti-lock braking system may not work properly. This could affect how your brakes respond in emergency stops or slippery conditions. The ABS actuator will likely need to be replaced or repaired by a mechanic.

While driving at 20-30 mph, your dashboard lit up with multiple warning lights and a brake malfunction message appeared on the information display, even though your brakes seemed to work normally and there were no visible fluid leaks. The brake system's ABS pump was running repeatedly for 2-5 seconds every 1-5 minutes. The issue appears to be related to an electrical problem with the ABS system's power supply or pump relay rather than actual brake failure.

Your sun visors on both the driver's and passenger's sides are hanging down and won't stay clipped up, blocking your view while driving. The dealer confirmed there was a recall for this issue, but it has expired and Toyota won't cover the repair. You'll need to have the visor clips or hinges replaced to fix them.

Your steering shaft is making a knocking noise when you turn left or right, and your driver's side window won't roll up or down because it's off track. Neither problem triggered any warning lights. Your dealer was unable to diagnose or repair these issues. Fixing the steering noise may require inspecting and servicing the intermediate steering shaft, while the window issue will likely need the window regulator mechanism to be realigned or replaced.