Toyota Highlander: 2GR-FE V6 rubber oil line rupture — can dump engine oil in seconds

XU40 Highlanders/Klugers with the 3.5 V6 (particularly 2008-2011 with the towing package oil cooler) use an oil line with a rubber hose section between metal pipes near the oil filter, plus a rubber VVT-i oil supply hose; both degrade and can rupture, dumping oil rapidly and destroying the engine if driven on. Toyota ran warranty enhancement/limited service campaigns (e.g. for the VVT-i hose) replacing rubber with all-metal lines, but those programs have long expired and not every car was done. Any remaining original rubber line is a time bomb worth checking.

• Oil spots under the front of the car
• Oil pressure warning light
• Sudden loud tapping after oil loss
• Oil misting on the front subframe near the filter

1. 1

   With a torch, look near the oil filter for a short rubber hose joining two metal oil pipes — an all-metal line means the update was done.

2. 2

   Check the VVT-i oil hose at the front of the engine for seepage.

3. 3

   Look for fresh oil on the subframe and driveway.

4. 4

   Ask for the invoice showing the metal-line update.

$400 to $1,200 at New Zealand independent workshop rates. That is for this job on its own, not for the car.

An estimate, in NZD, for the repair as normally carried out. What a specific car costs depends on which part has failed and what it damaged on the way — treat this as the floor for a negotiation, not a quote.

• “Has the rubber oil cooler line been replaced with the all-metal update?”
• “Was the VVT-i oil hose ever done?”
• “Has it ever lost oil pressure or been run low on oil?”

The failure described above is documented in published sources — owner forums, technical service bulletins, recall notices and workshop write-ups — held in our fault database. The inspection instructions and the cost estimate are KickTyres’ own interpretation of them, and it is a starting point for an inspection rather than a manufacturer statement.