Toyota Grand Highlander Complaints

314 consumer complaints on file.

#11734096April 27, 2026
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
The 2025 Grand Highlander XLS front sun roof exploded. Will be taken to dealer upon appointment. Had the interior cover not been closed, we would have been showered with glass particles. According to many articles this is a known defect by Toyota. Lemberg Law phenom. Vehicle will be inspected by Toyoto dealer on Apr 29, 2026. There were no warnings. Outside temp was 64 degrees F. Traveling at 45 mph at 2:30 EDT, Apr 27, 2026. Massive exploding sound, like a gunshot. Pulled over to check vehicle and noticed front sun roof center blown outward and rest of glass fractured.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11733492April 24, 2026
SERVICE BRAKES, STEERING
Front brakes were worn prematurely and rotors had to be resurfaced multiple times under warranty and once more after warranty. Premature wear would cause shaking in the steering wheel when medium to heavy braking force was applied.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11733491April 24, 2026
STEERING, SUSPENSION
When making turns under acceleration at various speeds, there is a noticeable clunk noise from the front section of the vehicle. The sound can be described as a coil that is being compressed/decompressed and creates the noise. The noise is heard when loading and unloading the steering wheel during a turn.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11732822April 21, 2026
STRUCTURE:BODY
While driving at approximately 20-25 mph, the panoramic sunroof glass of my vehicle suddenly shattered without any warning. There was no impact from road debris, no visible chip, and no prior damage to the glass. The glass appeared to explode outward, creating a loud noise and causing shattered glass to fall inside the vehicle. This created a dangerous situation that could have led to driver distraction or injury. Safety Concern: This incident poses a serious safety risk. Sudden shattering of the sunroof while driving can: Distract the driver and lead to loss of control Cause injury from falling or flying glass Create hazardous driving conditions, especially at highway speeds Dealer Response: I reported the issue to a Toyota dealership, but they denied warranty coverage, stating it was not covered without providing evidence of impact damage. Additional Notes: There was no visible point of impact, which suggests a possible stress fracture or manufacturing defect rather than external damage. Request: I request that NHTSA investigate this issue as a potential defect, as spontaneous sunroof glass failure while driving presents a significant safety hazard.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11732819April 21, 2026
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
My 2026 Toyota Grand Highlander Hybrid sunroof shattered spontaneously while driving - no impact, no prior damage. I was driving at 20-25 mph on a feeder way, approaching a signal
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11732329April 20, 2026
WHEELS
Car vibrates at high speeds. Dealers idea of fixing is to "overinflate tires, drive for 45 minutes and then let hang on lift"
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11732028April 18, 2026
LANE DEPARTURE: BLIND SPOT DETECTION, BACK OVER PREVENTION: WARNINGS, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS
My car read system malfunction and come to find out there was corrosion with the wires in the internal circuit of the driver side mirror that prevents it from warning you of blind spots and pre-collision.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11731349April 15, 2026
BACK OVER PREVENTION: SENSING SYSTEM: CAMERA
The contact owns a 2024 Toyota Grand Highlander. The contact stated that the display was not functioning properly, and the screen was blank while operating. The contact stated that after the "Get Started" prompt was displayed and selected, the screen would go blank. Additionally, the back over prevention camera was inoperable. The vehicle was taken to the dealer; however, the vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 22,679.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11729249April 5, 2026
ENGINE
I purchased this vehicle new from Toyota of madison in Indiana on 3/26/2026. It had 300+ miles on it. Had it for just a week before this warning light came on while idling or driving very slowly..… High Coolant Temp. Pull over in a safe area immediately. My temperature gauge was in the red. I pulled over. Called closest dealership who stated closed for Easter. After several hours of personal researching on the internet of a potential cause , I examined the engine only to find that my Radiator Fan had been UNPLUGGED!! No wonder the engine was overheating. I currently own 4 corollas, one 2025 tundra, and one sienna. I have never had this issue with Toyota. Why was the radiator fan unplugging and Who unplugged this radiator fan and forgot to plug it back?????
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11728923April 2, 2026
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING
It didn't work it didn't brake or didn't have an alert in which caused an accident
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11727530March 27, 2026
LANE DEPARTURE: WARNING, LANE DEPARTURE: ASSIST, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: INSTRUMENT CLUSTER/PANEL
When I went to turn the car on last Tuesday (3/24.2026), the entire digital dashboard was black. I tried restarting the car a few times with no resolution. Thankfully, the infotainment screen and heads up display (HUD) were on and working fine. If it was not for the HUD, I would of had no idea what my speed was driving home. However, I was unable to see my gas level or other safety features which is concerning. Once I got the car home about 15 minutes later, we turned the car off and back on and everything was fine. So far, everything has been working normally ever since. I did take a picture of the black screen as you can see for proof. Please reach out if you need more information.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11727033March 25, 2026
SERVICE BRAKES, POWER TRAIN, VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
I was driving toward the perimeter of my neighborhood, approaching an arterial cross street. When I braked the pedal went straight to the floor. The breaks didn’t work despite pumping them multiple times. I also heard the engine revving. To avoid the intersection and busy street I steered into a yard, hit a retaining wall and a tree, rolled and hit a metal city street sign. All airbags deployed. I was taken to the hospital by ambulance. The car was totaled and is on a temporary hold at a salvage yard.
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
1
Deaths:
0
#11726754March 24, 2026
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Due to the design of the grill located at the front end of the 2025 toyota grand highlander the vehicle poses vulnerability for multiple debris items to fly up into exposed air conditioning condensor. The damage caused by the debris is not covered by the warranty because it is considered an outside occurrence. However the design creates the vulnerability for the ac to become damaged. It is also sitting below the radiator posing an additonal risk for damage and should have additonal protection to help prevent damage. I am currently having to dispute the refusal to cover the damage to my own ac condensor done by a rock flying into the grill space causing damage and losing freon, because they state it is an outside occurrence regardless of the fact that the design is faulty. There are multiple people who have experienced this happening to their vehicles some not even at the 2000 mile mark and are responsible for the financial cost. Upon doing research the 2026 toyota grand highlander model was created with an even lower setting bumper that provides better coverage and protection for the air conditioning condensor and all other important mechanical components. Suggesting that Toyota is aware of the issue if they created an additonal part to help protect that area from damage. I am literally at risk each time I drive my car just for the fact that rocks are on every road way as well as other debris. I have called the customer relations department with no resolution given only to be told I am responsible for the cost of the repair. I believe this is something that needs to be addressed as well as fixed for the sake of the buyer and the already large cost of owning and maintaining a vehicle. If it happens more than a few times its not bad luck, it's a flaw in the creation of the product and consumers should not have to be held financially responsible for someone else mistake, whether individual or corporate entity. I have previously owned 4 other toyotas with no issues!
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11726218March 22, 2026
POWER TRAIN
The transmission needs to be replaced per the dealership. I was told this on 3/7/26 with mileage of 69K. The transmission has been reported as defective to Toyota since 2016-2017 with multiple lawsuits that have been filed. According to the lawsuits found online, Toyota knowingly used the defective UA80 transmissions and failed to inform consumers when purchasing the vehicles or inform consumers the need to replace prior to the 60k warranty expiration. The 2024 Grand Highlander has been listed as one of the affected vehicles and the transmission can fail at any time which is a safety risk.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11726187March 22, 2026
POWER TRAIN, FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
The incidents most often occur when I try to accelerate after vehicle is stopped at an intersection. The car hesitates during acceleration regardless of how much I push the gas. Once it starts to go, it feels as though the car can't shift from 1st to 2nd gear. The RPMs get up 4500 while the car is going 25-40 mph and remain there for a few seconds up to ~20 seconds. I am fearful of getting t-boned when my car hesitates while turning at an intersection, going through an intersection or pulling out from a parking lot. I have been stuck in several intersections when traffic was coming toward me, but thankfully those cars were able to avoid hitting me. I have reported the problem every time I take the car to the dealer for a service. The problem has been happening since I purchased the car in November 2024 and occurs randomly--sometimes every couple of months, sometimes days in a row. The dealer can't reproduce it, but they were able to pull a code from the transmission and found it had an acceleration error. They updated the software from a TSB, but that didn't help.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11725808March 20, 2026
SEAT BELTS
We have two forward facing car seats in the third row. When buckled according to the car seat user manuals - the seatbelts do not stay buckled. The seatbelts unbuckle while driving, creating an extremely dangerous situation for our toddlers. We take out and redo their car seats daily due to them being unbuckled while the vehicle is in motion. Our toddlers are not able to unbuckle them - so we know it is a vehicle defect. The car has been taken to the dealership where they simply tell us they can’t find an issue. We do not feel safe in this vehicle and do not want our children in there. No safety lights appear on the dash to notify us that the seats have become unbuckled.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11725473March 19, 2026
ENGINE, POWER TRAIN
Reported issues of lag in acceleration and harsh shifting into reverse, the vehicle has been brought to the dealership multiple times stemming from shortly after previous, there are no warnings lights on. I requested the dealership provide in writing if the deemed the vehicle safe for operation. They would not do so. I requested a loaner while my vehicle is being reviewed for repurchase and was denied. When my repurchase claim was denied, I requested a reconsideration and again a loaner.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11725136March 18, 2026
POWER TRAIN, SEATS, SUSPENSION
Transmission slipping, holding high RPM, Jerky shifts, back seat not locking at times, infotainment freezing up
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11724589March 16, 2026
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Driving when it sounded like a gunshot went off in the car. I looked to the back of my car to see what was around me (nothing), and saw no damage to any windows. I could hear glass cracking so I went to open my moonroof screen to check the glass and I could hear glass on the screen so I closed it right back. I pulled over and was able to confirm the sunroof had busted across the back of the glass. It did not look like it was hit by anything, but like it blew out then spidered across the remainder of the glass.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11723598March 11, 2026
AIR BAGS
On February 25, 2025, I took my car into Freeman Toyota dealership in Santa Rosa for a recall on the airbags (24TA09 SAFETY (NONCOMPLIANCE) RECALL 24TA09(Remedy Notice) - Certain 2024 Model Year GrandHighlander and Grand Highlander HV - Curtain ShieldAirbags May Not Deploy As Intended). In the labor notes, they claimed to have performed the recall - 1. PERFORMED THE 24TA09 AND REPLACED BOTH LEFT AND RIGHT HAND CSA ASSEMBLIES. OP CODE: 24TA09R1.3.1 HRS. However, on June 24, 2025, the Toyota was involved in a collision with a deer. The autobody shop confirmed that the airbag sensors went off, but the airbags did not deploy. A claim was filed with my insurance company, and the airbags have been replaced by the autobody shop. The vehicle did not get back to the dealership.
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0

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