Overview & Reviews

There are no changes for the Highlander this year.

• Roomy cabin, carlike ride and handling, clean styling.

• Gets expensive quickly, limited towing and off-road ability.

User Reviews:

Showing 1 through 10 of 305.00

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  Disappointed - 2003 Toyota Highlander
  By herbertspoof - July 10 - 6:45 pm

  Purchased used 5 years ago with 86,000. Didnt flinch at the mileage due to Toyotas reputation for reliability; car drove well, at first. Sold at 109,000 due to expensive repair and maintainence costs including: All 4 wheel bearings, $500 a pop. Breaks completely replaced, some more than once. $2,000 spent on breaks in just 2 years. Evaporator sensor went bad; $400 just for the part. Muffler developed a small hole; $400 for a new one. Straw that broke the camels back: drive shaft developed a wobble and needed complete replacement $1,200. Cut my losses and unloaded the hunk of junk. Other car was a 20 year old Subaru Legacy that had fewer problems and was cheaper to maintain.

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  BEWARE - 2003 Toyota Highlander
  By BEWARE - July 24 - 2:00 am

  Bought an 03 HighlanderV6.Replacing my loaded Mountaineer lease,I knew Id sacrifice some bells & whistles,but wanted a smaller SUV. Toyota makes a great safe car,I thought it was a no-brainer. Well,BUYER BEWARE!Dont drive over 38mph with the back window down or youll feel like your ears will explode.Worse than a plane.If this wouldnt bother you, then Id say its a nice choice.However,if you care about your kids or backseat passangers ears,I BEG YOU TO SEARCH FOR SOMETHING ELSE,or at the least make sure it comes w/a sunroof to slightly alleviate it. With the great ratings&reviews I thought Id be thrilled, but you live & learn. DONT BELIEVE THE HYPE!

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  BEWARE - 2003 Toyota Highlander
  By beware - July 24 - 2:00 am

  Bought an 03 HighlanderV6.Replacing my loaded Mountaineer lease,I knew Id sacrifice some bells & whistles,but wanted a smaller SUV. Toyota makes a great safe car,I thought it was a no-brainer. Well,BUYER BEWARE!Dont drive over 38mph with the back window down or youll feel like your ears will explode.Worse than a plane.If this wouldnt bother you, then Id say its a nice choice.However,if you care about your kids or backseat passangers ears,I BEG YOU TO SEARCH FOR SOMETHING ELSE,or at the least make sure it comes w/a sunroof to slightly alleviate it. With the great ratings&reviews I thought Id be thrilled, but you live & learn. DONT BELIEVE THE HYPE!

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  Buyer beware - 2003 Toyota Highlander
  By bk - June 27 - 2:46 am

  We purchased this car new and kept it dealer maintained for 7 years. I found it to be quite a reliable vehicle until recently. At 118,000 miles it developed a coolant leak. It was ultimately found to be due to stripped out threads in the engine block (i.e. the car needed a new engine ~ $7500.00). After discovering that I was not the only one to experience this problem (check online Toyota forums), I notified Toyota. The Rep stated, "Your engine may be defective, but we cannot help you because you are out of warranty." Beware of the 4 cylinder engine in the 03 Highlander! A dealer maintained vehicle is worthless, and Toyota has lost a customer. And so it goes.

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  Really Disappointed -Lost $$$$$ - 2003 Toyota Highlander
  By Carol W - March 18 - 10:00 am

  Yesterday I traded in my Highlander after only having it for 6 weeks. I was not happy with the ride, acceleration, and small feel to the interior. It was too tight and not at all comfortable to drive. Seats seem cheap and not well padded. Very little leg room for driver. The stereo speakers had poor quality and bad sound. CDs sounded like a cheap radio. It was a mistake to buy and I lost several thousand on the trade, but now I have a 2002 Sienna and love it. It has better acceleration, much more comfortable seats and room! I still wanted a Toyota, but the Highlander really is not a good family vehicle.