Toyota Grand Highlander Complaints

314 consumer complaints on file.

#11713620January 27, 2026
BACK OVER PREVENTION
The contact owns a 2025 Toyota Grand Highlander. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V744000 (Back Over Prevention); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was contacted and diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the camera had failed, and that the contact would be notified when the remedy was available. The contact stated that after leaving the vehicle with the dealer, the back over camera started to fail. The back over prevention camera no longer switched the screen for the camera while in reverse, but remained on the home screen or radio instead. The contact had not heard from the dealer regarding the parts availability for the repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 29,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11713179January 25, 2026
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING, SERVICE BRAKES
The Electronic Park Brake (EPB) fails to release when the car is shifted into gear. The park brake dashboard light remains on, and the brake does not release. The problem is intermittent but has occurred multiple times in the first 2 months and 2,000 miles of owning the newly purchased vehicle. The vehicle was purchased in Nov 2025, and in Jan 2026 it was taken to the authorized Toyota service center at the Toyota dealership where it was purchased to have this issue repaired. But Toyota refused to replace any parts. Multiple photographs of the brake failure were provided to the Toyota service center, but they will not replace any parts or do any repairs related to the issue unless they can replicate the intermittent failure while the car is at the service center garage.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11710025January 9, 2026
SERVICE BRAKES
2025 Toyota Grand Highlander Hybrid AWD, with about 16000 miles. While driving, the brakes failed. The brakes would only work if the pedal was pushed all the way to the floor. A "Low Brake Power" warning light came on the dash. The following warnings came on at the same time. Parking Brake System, Advanced Ultrasonic Detection, Vehicle Stability Control, Check Engine, Smart Stop System, Brake System, Electronically controlled Brake, Secondary Collision Brake, Anti-lock Brake System. I was lucky to have been traveling on a road that was not busy and was traveling at less than 30 mph very close to my home. Had I been driving on the interstate, on a busy road, or near pedestrians, the event could have injured or killed myself, my family, or others. The car was towed into the dealership. The dealership said that the issue was not current and the car operated normally when after it was towed in. The following DTC codes where present (P05E000, P05E062). This indicates an issue in wiring or brake pedal stroke sensor. They suspect its an intermittent issue with the sensor. The sensor was replaced (P/N, 89510-0R010 and 62112-0E040-C1). They also said the car battery was low and replaced it (P/N 00544-H5061-540). The dealership said that they would send the affected part to Toyota for inspection, but I have not heard anything back. The dealership experience was poor (Mark Jacobson Toyota, Durham, NC).
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11709947January 9, 2026
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
UNKNOWN, vehicle dash warnings advising front sensors were not working causing error messages. The vehicle was taken to the dealership for a recall and they advised the Right front Ultra Sonic Sensor also needed to be replaced. They alleged this was potentially caused by an unknown impact such as small rocks or bugs. The faulty sensor causes error messages on the dash and needed to be replaced. They would not cover this under warranty which is a repair cost of $823.81. The only other band aid was to turn of the other sensors to get rid of the dash notifications, not allowing the other sensors to work as designed to monitor items or people in front that may not be seen by the driver. This turns off some of the vehicle's safety features. Toyota was directly notified of this incident but refused to cover the issue under warranty and expects consumers to pay for a new sensor and programing for a part that is faulty or not durable enough to perform under normal driving conditions. I am making this notification to NHTSA so there is a record of the issue with the durability of the Toyota Ultra Sonic Sensor or failing under normal driving conditions in case there are other complaints about the same issue.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11709793January 8, 2026
STEERING, SUSPENSION
When I turn to the left or right I hear a clicking/popping noise. Took it to the dealer and they said it was the CV axle. So they replaced the driver side. After the repair, it would make the same sound from time to time so I took it back in to the dealer(Northside Toyota in San Antonio, TX) they couldn't recreate the sound and notated my account. This was all when the car had less than 30k miles. The grand highlander now has 47k miles and it is making the noises alot more. Im on a grand highlander forum and a lot of other owners are having the same issues. Some are already on their 3rd set of cv axles.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11709767January 8, 2026
VISIBILITY:DEFROSTER/DEFOGGER/HVAC SYSTEM
The vehicle takes an excessively long time to make heat, I know NHTSA only has requirements related to defrosting the windshield and it's clear Toyota is aware of the heating issue because they added an electronic defrost to be able to pass the defrost test. The vehicle when it is less than 20f outside takes 40+minutes to warm the cabin to a reasonable temperature. The dealership let the vehicle warm up in their 80deg F shop and said it took 20minutes to get heat out of the vents and claimed that this was normal behavior. I have owned several new cars and also work as an engineer in testing so I've driven countless new vehicles to do various tests and have never had it even take 20 minutes to have heat in a vehicle.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11709659January 8, 2026
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
The contact owns a 2024 Toyota Grand Highlander. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V595000 (Electrical System); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the instrument panel failed to show critical information as intended. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the failure was recall-related; however, the parts were not available for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 90,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11709267January 6, 2026
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
While driving under normal conditions, the air conditioning system in my Toyota Grand Highlander suddenly stopped working. The vehicle was inspected by a Toyota dealership, which determined that the AC condenser had a hole/puncture that caused a refrigerant leak and complete AC failure. Toyota denied warranty coverage, classifying the damage as “road hazard,” despite acknowledging that this is a common issue with the Grand Highlander. There was no collision, no unusual road event, and no warning prior to failure. The condenser appears to be positioned in a highly exposed and vulnerable location, allowing small road debris to puncture it easily. Based on discussions with the dealership and reports from other owners, this issue is occurring repeatedly and results in expensive repairs (approximately $1,500–$2,000). This appears to be a design-related vulnerability, not an isolated incident or abnormal use. A failure of the air conditioning system significantly impacts vehicle safety and operability, particularly in extreme heat conditions. I am reporting this issue to document a pattern of premature AC condenser failure in Toyota Grand Highlander vehicles and to request further investigation.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11709124January 6, 2026
VISIBILITY:DEFROSTER/DEFOGGER/HVAC SYSTEM
The defroster on the vehicle does not work properly. When starting the car and the window is frosting, the drivers side of the front window defrosts normally but the right side does not defrost properly and it lags by 15-20 minutes. You cannot operate the vehicle safely with your entire passenger side frosted over. I reported this to Toyota as well as dealer and they are advising that it is working normally. I have pictures that show that the passenger side does not defrost properly, it was reproduced by the dealer, and Toyota's thermal imaging scan confirms lack of heat on the far side. However, Toyota is standing by that it is working as designed despite their testing showing it isn't working properly.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11708716January 5, 2026
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
My vehicle has been out of service since October 7, 2025 due to a complete failure of the instrument cluster (combination meter). This issue is related to SAFETY RECALL 25TA08. The instrument panel is fully non-functional, making the vehicle unsafe and inoperable. The vehicle has been at Toyota dealership for approximately three months, with no repair completed and no clear timeline provided. The dealership stated they are awaiting instructions from Toyota Corporate and cannot proceed independently.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11707549December 29, 2025
POWER TRAIN, SUSPENSION
I have taken my vehicle to Wilde Toyota (2 time) for the same issue . The car either moves/slids to the left or right. They adjusted the wheel alignment in November and now again I am having the same issue. Took the car again to Wilde Toyota and they are asking me for 185 USD for the wheel alignment. I told them this looks like a drive train or suspension issue but there were hesitant to check it.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11706794December 23, 2025
POWER TRAIN
While accelerating from low speeds and turning, the car exhibits a rotational clicking noise from one or both front drive shaft assemblies. Seems to be the identical issue noted in the 2024 Grand Highlander that was presumably fixed during later production lots (T-SB-0082-24). That issue was seemingly solved with driveshaft replacement. The dealer said they “could not duplicate” the issue; however, it happens often while I am driving the vehicle and others have reported it to the same dealer as well. It seems to be an existing related safety issue that the dealer, and potentially the manufacturer, are ignoring until we get past the warranty.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11705448December 16, 2025
SEATS
Third row seating bottom (back side) has loose flap material end the bottom, when closing and opening the seat it’s can get stuck. It’s also possible the seat can probably even collapse while in use or in driving. The dealer tried to help but there doesn’t seem to be any solution for this from Toyota. This seems to be model wide issue as I was told by dealer. They had another one with same issue. The bottom back of the seat is literally loose flap material. The only solution was they replaced the cargo tray which was actually slightly BENT at front possibly due to seat struggling to close and opening due to faulty design. THIS IS A FAULTY DESIGN! ITS LITERALLY A LOSSE FLAP PLASTIC MATERIAL ON A SEAT BACK. The dealer told me to be careful when handling these seats bc the material can break easily and there isn’t solution from Toyota on this unless there is recall or safety notice.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11705284December 16, 2025
CHILD SEAT
The contact owns a 2025 Toyota Grand Highlander with an Evenflo Revolve 360 Slim car seat, Model Number: 36812470A, Manufactured Date: December 12, 2022, installed in the vehicle. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25C010000 (Child Seat). The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed with the child secured in the car seat, the contact became aware that there was an object in the child’s mouth. The contact pulled over to the side of the road and removed a foam piece from the child's mouth. The contact inspected the car seat and became aware that the foam was from the headrest. Medical attention was not needed. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure, but the contact stated that the manufacturer mailed tape to cover the exposed areas of the car seat.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11705092December 15, 2025
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
I am filing a complaint regarding a safety recall on my Toyota vehicle. Toyota issued the recall notice on September 11, 2025, but as of today there is still no available remedy. Due to this recall, my vehicle has been deemed unsafe and undriveable and has been out of service since October 8, 2025. While a rental vehicle has been provided, I have been without my own car for several months with no clear timeline or resolution. I am concerned about the extended delay in providing a recall remedy for a safety-related defect and the lack of transparency regarding next steps. I am requesting that NHTSA review Toyota’s handling of this recall, including the prolonged lack of a remedy and the impact on vehicle owners. I believe this delay is unreasonable and warrants further oversight.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11704630December 11, 2025
VISIBILITY:DEFROSTER/DEFOGGER/HVAC SYSTEM
My Toyota Grand Highlander develops severe interior window fogging and condensation, affecting the windshield, front side windows, and occasionally rear windows. This occurs during normal driving, especially in cool or humid conditions. The fogging appears rapidly, and the HVAC/defrost system often fails to clear the windows effectively, even when set to full defrost with outside air intake. Interior moisture buildup is excessive compared to other vehicles I’ve owned, and the issue repeats regularly. This creates a significant visibility hazard, forcing me to adjust climate controls constantly while driving or pull over to clear the glass manually.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11703651December 8, 2025
SUSPENSION
My car is a 2024 Grand Highlander I bought in May of last year. It currently has 20,000 miles on it. A few weeks ago I started hearing a knocking sound when I turned left or right. I looked at some Toyota forums and found that other people were having this issue and had to have both front axles replaced. I took my car to Toyota and sure enough, they said the parts they used to assemble the car were not machined properly and they replaced both of my front axles. Having said that, I have 2 issues. One, why hasn't a recall been issued on this. It seems as though quite a bit of people have had this problem and this is a big safety issue. There have been 2 other recalls, one about the screen going blank and airbags, but to me, axle is a much bigger safety issue, so why no recall on this? Also, the technician recommends an alignment after chaning the axles which I am expected to pay $150 for but this should be included since my axles should not need changing at 20,000 miles. They consider alignment normal wear and tear and not under warranty which I would normally agree with but I only need an aligmnent because they changed my axles.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11702200December 1, 2025
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
On 11/24/25 I gave permission to my friend to drive my 2024 Toyota Grand Highlander SUV from my house to Newark international airport, while my friend was driving my 2024 Toyota Grand Highlander SUV on a New Jersey Turnpike , the vehicle suddenly dropped the speed and within moments caught fire. I live in Pennsylvania, but the incident occurred on New Jersey Turnpike . The fire started while the car was in motion, creating a serious safety hazard. The vehicle was properly maintained, and no prior warning lights or issues were noted before the incident. I have done vehicle inspections/ service this month, and they told everything is perfect. This poses a severe risk to driver and passenger safety, and I am reporting it for investigation. Whole car got burned out within 5-10 mins only
Crash:
No
Fire:
Yes
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11700965November 22, 2025
POWER TRAIN, VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
Shortly after powering on the GHHM vehicle, driving a short distance, coming to a stop and depressing the accelerator the vehicle does not accelerate as though no power is getting to the drive train. This does not often happen but has always happened when the EV battery level is 3 bars or less and the vehicle is in its Normal mode (as opposed to Sport or ECO). This acceleration failure event lasts for a few seconds. No warning indicators are displayed prior to, during or after this happens. The dealer checked the vehicle on 30AUG2025, was not able to reproduce, but applied a firmware update TSB-0040-25, which has not solved the problem. Took it back to dealer on 14OCT2025, but the dealer was again not able to reproduce the problem. It poses a safety risk when attempting to cross intersections or entering round-abouts and the vehicle can only move at a coasting speed instead of the expected normal acceleration.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11699755November 17, 2025
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
While driving at approximately 50 MPH with no other vehicles around, there was a loud bang and then the sound of air. We identified that the panoramic sunroof had exploded. We pulled over immediately and took photos of the sunroof which at that time was shattered but intact. There was a clear bulge upward and no sign of impact from an outside force. We then continued driving to our home approximately another 40 miles, during that drive shards of glass flew onto the roadway leaving a hole in the sunroof of approximately 10-12 inches. We brought the vehicle to Toyota dealership for a warranty repair. Toyota refuses to cover under warranty, stating outside influence. I am confident there was no outside influence causing the glass to explode. The vehicle is a 2025 Grand Toyota Highlander Hybrid Limited with approximately 9000 miles on it, the incident happened on Nov 2nd. 2025 around noon. Weather was mild, 50-60 degrees F, no precipitation or severe winds.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0

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