2009 Toyota Highlander Toyota Highlander 2009

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2009 Toyota Highlander repairs by problem area

Engine (31%)

Transmission and Drivetrain (4%)

Brakes and Traction Control (10%)

Suspension and Steering (17%)

Electrical and Air Conditioning (33%)

Paint, Rust, Leaks, Rattles, and Trim (0%)

Other (6%)

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Chart based on 52 repairs.
See TSBs and recalls for the 2009 Toyota Highlander.

2009 Toyota Highlander repair cost distribution

$2500+ (0%)

$1000 - $2499 (9%)

$500 - $999 (28%)

$100 - $499 (32%)

< $100 (32%)

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Chart based on 47 repair trips. The repair cost chart excludes repairs made under warranty, do-it-yourself repairs, and repair trips that include maintenance.

2009 Toyota Highlander 4dr SUV

270-horsepower 3.5L V6 5-speed shiftable automatic FWD

Toyota Highlander in Florida, United States
Dec 2013 - Jun 2022
Jul 2015

86700 mi

US $523
Intermediate steering shaft replaced. 
Toyota Highlander in Florida, United States
Feb 2013 - Dec 2015
Mar 2013

39000 mi

US $650
replaced two front struts 
Toyota Highlander in California, United States
Jan 2012 - Nov 2023
Apr 2012

57000 mi
Replaced water pump. Under warranty. 
Nov 2017

153000 mi

US $100
Replaced cracked engine mount 
Dec 2017

157000 mi

US $15
headlamps 
Dec 2021

193000 mi
Replaced Rear Brakes and Rotors 
Sep 2022

192100 mi

US $450
oil cooler line assembly 
Toyota Highlander in Alabama, United States
Aug 2013 - Sep 2018
Sep 2013

76000 mi
Power steering electric assist motor failed. Twice during the week prior to the failure an intermitant humming noise was heard in the driver side dash area. (At parking lot speeds while turning) Dealer said they'd never seen this before. After the power steering repair, the same whirring noise occured at slow speed turns. The dealer admitted to hearing the noise. They couldn't identify what was wrong and sprayed some sort of lubricant on the steering parts under the dash. 
Jan 2014

96200 mi

US $500
Rear hatch motor failed. 
May 2016

118000 mi

US $200
Many electrical failures/issues, seemingly unrelated. Door locks inoperative, engine starting intermittent, security system going off on it's own. The battery was bad. Replaced battery. 
Jan 2018

142000 mi

US $240
Left front tire pressure sensor failed. 

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2009 Toyota Highlander 4dr SUV

270-horsepower 3.5L V6 5-speed shiftable automatic AWD

Toyota Highlander in Massachusetts, United States
Jul 2017 - Jul 2020
Jun 2018

85000 mi

US $6
Replaced passenger side headlight 
Toyota Highlander in Michigan, United States
Dec 2014 - Apr 2018
Dec 2014

45000 mi

US $1200
Replace radiator 
Sep 2016

78000 mi

US $812
Radiator replaced at 78,000; original radiator had been replaced at 33,000. Strong suspicion that this is a defect which Toyota should report. 
Toyota Highlander in Alberta, Canada
Jan 2010 - Mar 2018
Dec 2010

11160 mi
Interior fan stopped working. No air blowing into the cabin at any fan speed. Taken into dealership, supposedly a loose connector, easy repair, no charge as still under warranty. 
Mar 2015

32240 mi

C $350
Water pump leaking. Require replacement. dealer willing to goodwill 50%. 
Toyota Highlander in Indiana, United States
- Aug 2010
Aug 2010

28000 mi
Radio display went out. Replaced radio under warranty. 
Toyota Highlander in Alberta, Canada
Jan 2012 - Jun 2022
Aug 2017

71920 mi
automatic tailgate stopped working. Nothing done, Toyota says they cannot fix it! 
Feb 2018

83080 mi
Replace [power] rear tailgate 
Jun 2021

110360 mi

C $600
alternator failure. replaced 
Aug 2021

112220 mi

C $2000
Replace leaking radiator 
Toyota Highlander in New Jersey, United States
Jan 2012 - Jun 2022
Feb 2012

35000 mi
Hood latch alarm failure. Hood latch was replaced under warranty. Hood latch alarm failure. Hood latch was replaced under warranty. 
Jul 2014

54300 mi

US $951
new water pump 
Dec 2015

67000 mi

US $393
replaced the exhaust gasket, bolt and spring. 
Jan 2018

88000 mi

US $400
Outer control arm joint cover was ripped. Muffler heat shield mounts rusted. 
Aug 2020

122000 mi

US $900
they said alternator died and replaced it and tried to charge me $1200 but I had a coupon from email that saved $200. Rip off. 
Sep 2021

122000 mi

US $700
OIL PAN RUSTED OUT 
May 2022

128000 mi

US $500
NEW ROTORS AND PADS STRUTS AND SPRINGS 
Toyota Highlander in Quebec, Canada
Sep 2018 - Oct 2019
Oct 2019

104160 mi

C $300
rear-left bearing changed 
Toyota Highlander in Maryland, United States
Jan 2013 - Feb 2013
Feb 2013

32000 mi

US $512
Check engine light came on. Codes revealed Bank 2 o2 sensor 1 faulty 
Toyota Highlander in Michigan, United States
Apr 2012 - Jun 2018
Jan 2014

33700 mi

US $120
rear windshield washer pump replaced 
Toyota Highlander in Ontario, Canada
Oct 2012 - Jul 2018
Apr 2013

84520 mi

C $193
Replaced rubber oil cooler hose with one made of steel. This due to TSB not being covered by Toyota as car is out of warranty. 
Oct 2016

108020 mi

C $420
Rear wiper arm seized, and the electrical grid didn't fully work. Solution was to replace the rear window. 
Jul 2018

132680 mi

C $950
Replaced the rear rotors/pads and emergency brake pads due to wear. The replaced components were not OEM and wore out in one year's time. 

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2009 Toyota Highlander 4dr SUV

209-horsepower 3.3L V6 Hybrid CVT AWD

Toyota Highlander in New York, United States
Apr 2017 - Jun 2018
Dec 2017

68000 mi

US $20
License plate light bulb change. Took more than ten minutes. 
May 2018

69000 mi

US $400
Changed break pads and rotors 
Toyota Highlander in Illinois, United States
Jan 2012 - Sep 2021
Jan 2014

115700 mi

US $600
Noise heard while turning. Determined to be Intermediate steering shaft failing. Replaced shaft. 
Toyota Highlander in Ontario, Canada
Mar 2017 - Apr 2017
Apr 2017

124002 mi

C $400
replaced all pads and rotors 

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2009 Toyota Highlander 4dr SUV

187-horsepower 2.7L I4 6-speed shiftable automatic FWD

Toyota Highlander in Florida, United States
Oct 2016 - Oct 2021
Aug 2018

140000 mi

US $600
Alternator, belt, and tensioner replace 
Toyota Highlander in Massachusetts, United States
- Jul 2011
Jul 2011

28000 mi
Alarm system going off. TSB identified problem as hood switch. Hood switch replaced under warranty. 
Toyota Highlander in Oklahoma, United States
Jan 2012 - Jul 2022
Mar 2012

38000 mi
Radio display goes crazy, especially when cold. You can't adjust anything when it does this. This is the 2nd radio that been installed. Also sometimes the tune knob will not change the station or any other adjustments you make with it. 
Apr 2022

168000 mi

US $122
Windshield washer pump replaced 
Toyota Highlander in Pennsylvania, United States
Jan 2010 - Feb 2019
Feb 2010

13500 mi

US $70
Alignment. Problem with tire feathering. 
Sep 2010

20200 mi
Replaced Water pump 
Jun 2018

121000 mi

US $150
Accessory belt tensioner started to lean on one side and only part of the belt was rolling over it. Replaced the tensioner. 
Nov 2018

129500 mi

US $20
PCV Valve Leaking main seal. Added seal sealant, conditioner Leaking struts. Not replaced 

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2009 Toyota Highlander Repair Histories

See our lemon odds and nada odds page to see vehicles with no repairs or vehicles with more than three repairs. To see how frequently 2009 Toyota Highlander problems occur, check out our car reliability stats.