2013 Toyota Highlander Engine Problems

Your car has experienced multiple incidents of unintended acceleration when you're slowing down for stops, even with your foot firmly on the brake. When this happens, the engine revs into high gear and braking pressure won't stop it—you have to shift to park and turn off the engine. These incidents have become more frequent in 2024, and one nearly caused a collision in a crosswalk. The dealer and Toyota blamed floor mats or shoes, but you believe the issue is with the acceleration or braking system itself. Diagnosing this will likely involve having a Toyota technician perform a detailed inspection of the throttle control system, brake system, and engine computer to identify any mechanical or electronic faults.

Your engine suddenly stopped while driving and won't start again. Your mechanic says the engine has seized and needs to be replaced at a cost of around $4,000. You're concerned because you've maintained the vehicle carefully and received no warning signs before this happened.

Your engine is burning excessive amounts of oil, requiring you to add oil every 2,200 miles. You may notice oil coming from the tailpipe when accelerating, and the check engine light hasn't appeared even when the oil level is critically low. This excessive oil consumption could lead to engine damage, overheating, or leaving you stranded if oil runs out completely.

Your engine is burning through oil much faster than normal, even though there are no visible leaks. You may have noticed the engine sound changed suddenly on the highway, followed by loud knocking noises, but no warning lights appeared on your dashboard. An ASE-certified mechanic confirmed this is an ongoing issue. The engine may need internal inspection to identify worn piston rings or valve seals that are allowing oil to burn.

Your engine's oil pressure warning light comes on suddenly telling you to turn off the car immediately, even though you're changing oil every 3,000 miles as recommended. The dealer tested your oil consumption at 1,500 miles with no problems found, but the issue keeps happening, and they've suggested you may need a new engine—possibly due to a faulty PCV valve. You're now changing your oil every 2 months to keep the engine running, and the check engine light has never turned on despite the warning. The fix will likely involve replacing the PCV valve or, if that doesn't solve it, replacing the entire engine.

The contact owns a 2013 Toyota Highlander The contact stated that the vehicle was consuming an excessive amount of engine oil. The contact was concerned that due to the excessive oil consumption, that the vehicle could catch on fire. The contact stated that the low oil pressure warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer but was not repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure and was unable to assist. The failure mileage was approximately 97,000.

HEAD GASKET CRACKED, LEAKING COOLANT INTO 5TH CYLINDER. THE REASON FOR A PO305 MISFIRE CODE ON READER. AUTO SHOP REMOVED HEAD GASKET AND SAW THAT THE FINISH ON THE ENGINE BLOCK WAS HORRIBLE. THEY CALLED TOYOTA THEMSELVES TO FILE A COMPLAINT AND HAVE THEM REPLACE THAT SIDE OF THE BLOCK. AUTO SHOP DOESN'T FEEL COMFORTABLE REPLACING HEAD GASKET WITHOUT TOYOTA FIXING THE FINISH. IF THE FINISH IS AS IS, HEAD GASKET WILL EVENTUALLY CRACK AGAIN. HIGHLANDER WAS BOUGHT BRAND NEW AND ONLY HAS 73K MILES.

UPON ENTERING INTO CAR AFTER IT HAD BEEN PARKED I SMELLED GASOLINE. WIFE SAID SHE HAD JUST FILLED UP BEFORE COMING HOME AND PERHAPS SPILLED SOME. I GOT OUT OF VEHICLE AND CHECKED AND SAW SMALL PUDDLE OF GASOLINE WHERE CAR HAD BEEN PARKED. MOVED CAR AWAY FROM HOUSE AND RAISED HOOD TO VENT ENGINE COMPARTMENT. I REMOVED FRONT SKID PLATE/PANEL TO FIND LEAK AND ALLOW FURTHER AIR CIRCULATION. I POWER CYCLED KEY AND SAW FUEL LEAK AGAIN. AFTER FURTHER INVESTIGATION FOUND WERE MAIN FUEL LINE WAS MISTING ONTO ENGINE AND SURROUNDING PARTS. LEAKS WERE COMING FROM MIDDLE PORTION OF HOSE AND NOT AT CONNECTIONS. NEXT DAY I HAD MY CAR TOWED TO THE DEALER. THEY SUSPECTED RODENT DAMAGE. UPON INSPECTION THERE WAS NO EVIDENCE OF "CHEWING" OR OTHER TYPE OF EXTERNAL DAMAGE. A REPLACEMENT LINE WAS ORDERED AND INSTALLED. I WAS CHARGED FOR THE REPAIRS. I HAVE KEPT THE ORIGINAL FUEL LINE FOR FURTHER INVESTIGATION. DEALER HAD NO EXPLANATION OF THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE. I FEEL BLESSED THAT WE DID STOP WHEN WE DID OTHERWISE IT WOULD OF RESULTED IN AN GASOLINE FED ENGINE FIRE BECAUSE OF THE GAS SPRAYING ONTO THE EXHAUST AND OTHER HOT ENGINE PARTS IN A CONFINED AREA.

THE CAR HAS BURNED 1 QT OF OIL EVERY 1500 MILLES OR SO SINCE DAY1... TOYOTA WILL DO NOTHING TO REPAIR THE INTERNAL ENGINE PROBLEM AS THEY SAY IT IS ACCEPTABLE PER THEM TO BURN 1 QT EVERY 1200??

WHILE ATTEMPTING TO TURN FROM A SIDE ROAD ONTO A MAIN ROAD, I NEEDED TO ACCELERATE TO BLEND INTO THE FASTER MOVING TRAFFIC. WHILE ATTEMPTING TO ACCELERATE THE ENGINE ACTED LIKE THE GAS PEDAL HAD NOT BEEN PRESSED BUT MAINTAINED THE PREVIOUS SLOW ENGINE SPEED DESPITE THE GAS PEDAL BEING FINALLY PRESSED TO THE FLOOR. WHILE MAINTAINING THE FULL GAS PEDAL POSITION THE ENGINE FINALLY REVVED UP AND THE SUV LURCHED FORWARD. I HAVE NOT BEEN PLACED YET INTO A HAZARDOUS SITUATION, BUT THAT IS BECOMING A REALITY. THIS HESITATION HAS RECURRED MORE THAN TWENTY TIMES SINCE THEN. NO, I HAVE NOT TAKEN THIS TO TOYOTA SINCE THEY APPEAR TO HAVE NO CONCERN FOR THE MANY FINE FOLKS REPORTING SIMILAR ENGINE STALLING.

THE AC UNIT DOES NOT FUNCTION PROPERLY, IT IS NOT DRAINING, RESULTING IN A FOUL MOLDY MILDEW SMELL DUE TO THE BUILT UP CONDENSATION. TOYOTA OFFERED TO CHANGE THE AIR FILTER AS A SOLUTION TO THE ISSUE, UNFORTUNATELY IT DID NOT SOLVE THE PROBLEM. WITHIN DAYS, THE ODOR WAS STILL VERY APPARENT. WE HAVE BEEN TOLD THAT THERE IS NOTHING MORE THAT CAN BE DONE. THE VEHICLE IS A 2013, WITH 10K MILES, AND STILL COVERED UNDER WARRANTY. THE RESPONSE FROM THE DEALERSHIP AND MANUFACTURER HAS BEEN UNACCEPTABLE. *TR

BURNT SMELL COMING FROM THE AC VENTS, WHICH HAPPENS MOST OF THE TIME THE AFTER THE NOTED FIRST TIME OF INCIDENT, ESPECIALLY WHEN I TAKE MAJOR FREEWAYS, LAST TIME NOTED THIS AFTERNOON 8/31/2014 WHILE TAKING I-75 IN FLORIDA. WHEN I ACCELERATE TO 70-80MPH, ME AND MY WIFE/ PASSENGER ALWAYS SMELL BURNT ODOR COMING FROM THE AC VENTS WHICH IS REALLY ANNOYING AND SCARY BECAUSE I DO NOT KNOW IF SOMETHING IS BURNING INTO THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT OR ELSEWHERE IN THE VEHICLE. SO I NEED TO SLOW DOWN AFTER THAT, OPEN THE WINDOWS TO LET THE ODOR OUT. I HAVE LET THE TOYOTA CHECK IT BUT CANNOT DUPLICATE IT MAY BE BECAUSE DURING THE PLACE OF TESTING IS NOT THE RIGHT PLACE IN MY OPINION, THE DEALERSHIP IS LOCATED NEAR A FREEWAY WHERE SPEED LIMIT IS ONLY AT 60MPH, THE TECH ACCELERATED IT ONCE AT 70MPH BUT I TOLD HIM HE CANNOT DUPLICATE IT WITH NOT CONSISTENTLY HITTING AT 70 OR HIGHER.MAY BE NEXT TIME OF SERVICE I WILL CHOOSE A DEALERSHIP NEAR THE FREEWAY I DRIVE AND DRIVE IT MYSELF. *TR

THE VEHICLE DID NOT ALERT TO ANY ENGINE AND/OR VEHICLE PROBLEM (NO CAUTION LIGHT, NO ENGINE LIGHT, ETC.) THE DRIVER HAPPENED TO LOOK DOWN AT THE FUEL TANK AND NOTICED THAT THE TEMPERATURE GAUGE EXCEED THE MEASURING MARK (OVER THE RED ZONE) AND WAS STILL RUNNING. THE DRIVER IMMEDIATELY WENT TO A SAFE PLACE. TOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP. DEALERSHIP INFORMS THAT A "SMALL ROCK OR ROAD DEBRIS" TRAVELED THROUGH THE FRONT GRILL AND PUNCTURED THE RADIATOR. AFTER RESEARCHING WHY THE RADIATOR IS NOT COVERED UNDER THE WARRANTY ON BRAND NEW VEHICLE UNDER THIS ROAD DEBRIS, I READ OVER 30 REPORTED CASES IN NOT ONLY THE TOYOTA HIGHLANDER, TOYOTA TUNDRA, AND TOYOTA COROLLA AS THEIR IS NO PROTECTION TO THE FRONT PORTION OF THE RADIATOR AND/OR CONDENSER. WOULD HAVE CAUSED ENGINE FIRE, DO NOT UNDERSTAND WHY THERE WERE NO SAFETY LIGHTS AND OR INDICATORS SOMETHING WAS WRONG WITH VEHICLE. *TR

OCCASIONAL THROTTLE NO RESPONSE WHEN TRYING TO ACCELERATE MODERATELY FROM A STOP, OR FROM A VERY LOW SPEED (I.E.-COASTING AROUND A 90 DEGREE TURN WITH THE ENGINE AT IDLE SPEED.) I THEN PUSH HEAVILY ON THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL, AND IT REVS UP, DOWNSHIFTS, AND RACES AHEAD. IT IS DANGEROUS, IN TRAFFIC. I HAVE BROUGHT IT TO THE DEALER TWICE, AND THEY CANNOT REPRODUCE THE PROBLEM. TWO SO CALLED FACTORY REPS RODE AROUND WITH ME THE SECOND TIME, WITH A COMPUTER CONNECTED. DIAGNOSTICS SHOWS NO ERROR CODES. *TR

WHEN TURNING LEFT OUT OF MY NEIGHBORHOOD I SLOWED DOWN AND THEN TRIED TO RETURN TO SPEED BUT THE VEHICLE HESITATED THEN SUDDENLY JERKED UP TO THE DESIRED SPEED. ONE OTHER TIME ON AN INTERSTATE I HAD TO SLOW DOWN BEHIND A TRUCK AND THEN WHEN I TRIED TO ACCELERATE BACK TO SPEED IN THE PASSING LANE THE CAR HESITATED FOR SEVERAL SECONDS AND AGAIN ACCELERATED RAPIDLY (CARS IN THE PASSING LANE HAD TO BRAKE QUICKLY. I COULD DESCRIBE OTHER TIMES BUT THE SAME THING (THE HESITATION AND THEN THE EXTREMELY RAPID ACCELERATION) I HAVE TAKEN IT DO THE DEALER BUT THEY SAID THAT THEY COULD NOT FIND ANYTHING.

THE VEHICLE HAS A HESITATION OR LACK OF ACCELERATION PROBLEM. IT OCCURS FROM A STOPPED POSITION OR A MOVING STATE. I HAVE HAD IT TO THE LOCAL TOYOTA DEALER 5 TIMES AND THEY HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO FIND THE PROBLEM. THEY WERE ABLE TO DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM. THEY HAVE BEEN IN TOUCH WITH TOYOTA BUT THEY SAY NO PROBLEMS EXIST, WHICH IS WHAT I HAVE COME TO EXPECT FROM TOYOTA CORPORATE. MY WIFE WAS ALMOST IN AN ACCIDENT ON THE INTERSTATE YESTERDAY, 08/28/2013. I WOULD ESTIMATE THAT THE PROBLEM HAS OCCURRED AT LEAST 10 TIMES SINCE WE PURCHASED THE VEHICLE IN JULY. THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE. THANK YOU IN ADVANCE FOR YOUR HELP ON THIS CONCERN. ALSO, THE DEALERSHIP IS GOING TO GIVE US A LOANER TODAY AND POSSIBLY JUST LET US RETURN THE VEHICLE. THEY HAVE BEEN GREAT, PALMIERRO TOYOTA.