Toyota Highlander 2008–2013 · Maintenance schedule & cost to maintain

Toyota's 2008-2010 guides, gas and Hybrid, change the oil every 5,000 miles or 6 months. The 2011-2013 guides keep the 2.7L four-cylinder at 5,000 and let the V6 and the Hybrid go 10,000 miles or 12 months on 0W-20, but back to 5,000 without 0W-20 or if most of your driving is towing, dusty roads, trips under 5 miles below freezing, or long idling. Plan on 5,000.

All twelve 2008-2013 guides, gas and Hybrid, rotate the tires at every 5,000-mile service. Toyota's manuals warn that mixing tires of different treadwear can damage parts of the drive train, so keep all four wearing evenly. Uneven wear is also one of RepairPal's signs that the alignment is off.

On gas 4WD cars, every 2008-2013 guide replaces the rear differential oil and the transfer case oil every 15,000 miles if most of your driving is towing. The 2011-2013 V6 schedule adds car-top carriers and heavy loading to that condition. Without it, Toyota inspects both every 15,000 miles. The books mark both rows 4WD.

All twelve guides replace the engine air filter every 30,000 miles. On dirt or dusty roads Toyota adds an inspection at the other 5,000-mile services, not an earlier replacement, so no shorter severe interval exists. Toyota's chart lists one filter for the 3.5L gas V6 and the 2.7L (17801-0H010), and separate ones for the 3.3L Hybrid (17801-20050) and 3.5L Hybrid (17801-0P070).

All twelve guides replace the cabin filter every 30,000 miles and print no shorter severe interval. Each guide notes that heavy traffic, dirt roads, and urban, dusty or desert areas can shorten its life, and says replacement may be needed if airflow drops or the windows fog in Fresh mode. Toyota's chart lists one filter for every engine, 87139-02090.

No guide replaces pads on a mileage. From 30,000 miles every guide measures pad and disc thickness and disc runout every 30,000, and looks at them at every 5,000-mile service. Replace on measured wear. The Hybrid guides print the same rows.

All twelve guides replace the transmission fluid and the front differential oil at 60,000 and 120,000 miles if most of your driving is towing, and only inspect them every 30,000 otherwise. In the 2011-2013 Hybrid and V6 schedules and the 2013 four-cylinder schedule, car-top carriers and heavy loading count too. The manuals specify ATF WS. RepairPal's range covers the transmission fluid only.

Every 2008-2013 Hybrid guide replaces the rear differential oil at 60,000 and 120,000 miles if most of your driving is towing (2011-2013: or car-top carriers or heavy loading), and inspects it every 30,000 otherwise.

The gas guides and the 2011-2013 Hybrid guides inspect the drive belts at 60,000 miles, then every 15,000. The 2008-2010 Hybrid guides print no drive belt row. The cost shown is a belt replacement, if the inspection finds one is needed.

The 2008, 2009 and 2010 Hybrid guides inspect the engine valve clearance at 60,000 and 120,000 miles. No gas guide and no 2011-2013 Hybrid guide prints this row.

No guide replaces struts on a mileage. RepairPal puts typical life at 50,000 to 100,000 miles, says to replace them in pairs, and recommends a four-wheel alignment afterward. Budget the alignment with the struts.

Not a guide item. Get one after new tires, after any steering or suspension part is replaced, and when the tires wear unevenly or the car pulls. RepairPal puts the usual gap at 25,000 to 60,000 miles. Paying for tires or struts and skipping this wastes part of that money.

The 2008, 2009 and 2010 Hybrid guides replace the timing belt at 90,000 miles, with no severe variant. The gas guides and 2011-2013 Hybrid guides print no timing belt row. No RepairPal 2008-2010 row was read, so the cost is its 2004-2007 Highlander range, when the gas V6 was the same 3MZ-FE.

All twelve guides replace the engine coolant first at 100,000 miles or 120 months, then every 50,000 miles or 60 months, with no severe variant. The 2008-2010 Hybrid guides put the inverter coolant on the same schedule. The 2011-2013 Hybrid guides start the inverter coolant at 150,000 miles or 230 months, then every 50,000 miles or 60 months. Toyota bases these intervals on its Super Long Life Coolant, and says another coolant may need a different interval.

All twelve guides replace the plugs at 120,000 miles, with no severe variant. Toyota's chart splits them by engine: FK20HR11 for the 3.5L V6 (gas and Hybrid), SK16HR11 for the 2.7L, SK20R11 for the 3.3L Hybrid. RepairPal's rows do not split engines, so get a separate quote for the 2.7L.