The 2008 Toyota Highlander has 8 recalls, the most serious being a stuck accelerator pedal that can pin the throttle wide open, making the vehicle extremely difficult to slow or stop and raising the risk of a crash.
The curtain airbags and seatbelt pretensioners share a related concern: the roll-angle sensors in the airbag control assembly can misread the vehicle's position and trigger both systems without a rollover occurring, which can injure an occupant without warning. On the restraint side, two recalls address the third-row seatbelts on vehicles with a third-row seat. When a rear-facing child seat is installed in the outboard third-row positions, the seatbelt's automatic locking mode can disengage before the webbing is fully retracted and revert to its standard emergency-locking mode, which means the belt cannot hold the child seat firmly in place during a crash. Note that these seatbelt issues only apply to vehicles equipped with third-row seating.
The electrical cluster covers two separate fire concerns. Power window switches on certain vehicles can accumulate moisture and debris internally, causing the switch to short circuit, overheat, and melt. Separately, vehicles fitted with aftermarket heated seats carry a risk that the copper heating element inside the seat cushion can short circuit and start a fire. Hybrid models have an additional concern: a fault in the inverter can push the vehicle into a reduced-power mode, limiting how the driver can accelerate or respond to traffic.
Rounding out the list, some vehicles sold through Southeast Toyota distributors are missing
At a glance
What can fail
The electrical wiring in aftermarket seat heaters with copper strand heating elements can be damaged when the seat cushion is compressed, potentially causing electrical issues.
What the fix does
Dealers will disconnect the seat heaters at no charge and refund the purchase price of the accessory.
Summarized — see the official notice for exact wording, dates, and contacts.
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At a glance
What can fail
The power window master switch may have inconsistent grease lubrication on its sliding electrical contacts, potentially causing the switch to malfunction.
What the fix does
Dealers will inspect the switch and apply lubricant if needed, or replace the circuit board if abnormalities are found.
Summarized — see the official notice for exact wording, dates, and contacts.
At a glance
What can fail
The Intelligent Power Module in the inverter may have transistors that operate hotter than the solder can withstand, causing heat damage to the transistors. This triggers warning lights on your dashboard.
What the fix does
Dealers will replace the Intelligent Power Module at no cost to you.
Summarized — see the official notice for exact wording, dates, and contacts.
At a glance
What can fail
Two roll-detection sensors in the curtain airbag system may malfunction. If both fail nearly simultaneously after the initial system check, the curtain airbag and seat belt pretensioner could activate unexpectedly.
What the fix does
Toyota will replace the airbag sensor assembly with a new one containing improved roll rate sensors at no cost to you.
Summarized — see the official notice for exact wording, dates, and contacts.
At a glance
What can fail
Your vehicle lacks the required load capacity modification label that shows safe tire and rim specifications per federal safety standards.
What the fix does
A corrected label will be mailed to you, or your dealer can install it free of charge.
Summarized — see the official notice for exact wording, dates, and contacts.
At a glance
What can fail
The accelerator pedal can become stuck in the wide-open position when trapped by an unsecured or incompatible driver's floor mat.
What the fix does
Toyota will reshape or replace the accelerator pedal and replace any Toyota all-weather floor mat with a newly designed one at no cost.
Summarized — see the official notice for exact wording, dates, and contacts.
At a glance
What can fail
When installing an infant car seat in the third row, the seatbelt can switch from Automatic Locking Retractor mode to Emergency Locking Retractor mode, which may not secure the infant seat properly.
What the fix does
Dealers will install a newly designed seatbelt component at no cost to restore proper locking function.
Summarized — see the official notice for exact wording, dates, and contacts.
At a glance
What can fail
The seat belt retractors in the third row don't lock properly for child car seats. The belts are designed to switch to locking mode when fully extended, but this mechanism may not work as intended for securing child restraints.
What the fix does
Dealers will install a redesigned seat belt component at no cost to ensure proper locking for child car seats.
Summarized — see the official notice for exact wording, dates, and contacts.
