Toyota Highlander Complaints

958 consumer complaints on file.

#11525045June 2, 2023
TIRES
The contact owns a 2022 Toyota Highlander equipped with Continental Tires, Tire Line: Alenza Sport A/S, Tire Size: 235/55/R20, DOT Number: 1W28AALA12522. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22T021000 (Tires) however, the part to do the recall repair was not available. Several unknown dealers were contacted and confirmed that the parts were not yet available for the recall repair. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue and the contact was advised to take the vehicle to a third-party service center. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11523954May 26, 2023
SERVICE BRAKES
While driving in town and coming to a stop sign at a four way intersection I applied the brakes at under 15 to 20mph to stop and my vehicle lurched forward and my brakes were unresponsive. The brake peddle got very spongy for a split second and immediately returned to normal. When I finally stopped my Highlander was half way out into the intersection. This is about the third time it has happened since I got the car in April 14, 2022. Each time it has happened I remember the roadway surface being very rough and full of small potholes or a uneven braking surface.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11523053May 20, 2023
STRUCTURE:BODY, VISIBILITY/WIPER
We purchased 2021 highlander in March 2021. Since the day we experienced some vibration in the driver side mirror and we first notice bad vibrations when we drove above 40 to 50 mph. We never bought this up with Toyota or the dealer untill May 5th 2023. When we created a case with Toyota, they directed us to the dealer. Once we scheduled the service they confirmed the vibration and replaced Part Number: 879400E351. After the replacement we noticed that the vibrations are getting bad even during lower speeds now. The mirror is vibrating during idle and any speed higher than 30/ 40mph. We scheduled another appointment with the dealer and the manager did test drive another highlander 2022 model and confirmed that it is also vibrating. It was surprising to see that all the highlanders have these mirror vibrations. They said eventhough theres is vibration, it'd be considered normal. I rive mostly during night. The driver side mirror is blurry, vibrating and is extremly difficult to drive the car and is scary that the image on the mirror is not steady and create confusions to the driver. Changing lanes or entering to highway is really challenging as the mirros are vibrating too much and extremely hard to concentrate. This may even can cause major accidents as the image is not clear. The vibrations (humps, dips, rumble strips) are even translated to driver side vibrations and is very hard to see. The dealer even agreed to it but said that it’s a Toyota flaw in design because all Highlanders have this… and after talking to them, they said the only way Toyota would even look at this issue or have an engineer take a look in to it is if they get enough complaints or see a pattern. This is why I am reporting this to NHTSA. I want to keep Americans road safe and sound to all my fellow humans. They also said Toyota RAV4 also had these issue and Toyota issued a TSB however there is nothing on Highlander. I humbly request NHTSA to seriously look in to this and assist us.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11522920May 19, 2023
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
I bought toyota 2023 highlander in january. But I found water damage on roof of interior. so I went to dealership service center ( Midland toyota ). and they told to me . sun roof glass angle had wrong angle. and fixed it. ater 3 monthes same problem was appeared in this morning. so I went to Jim hudson toyota to fix it. but Jim hudson toyota PIC told to me. reason is that I parked my car angled location. I asked to him again Is that reason? he told to me. yes !!! you should go. I don't believe this. I think that toyota must explain that toyota car can't be parked on angled location
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11522904May 19, 2023
STRUCTURE
The contact owns a 2021 Toyota Highlander. The contact stated that on various occasions, water was leaking into the vehicle from the roof rack. The contact stated that there was a bad odor in the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer, where the failure could not be duplicated, and the mechanic stated the smell was possibly from a spill. The failure reoccurred, and the vehicle was taken back to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that there was black mold in the air bags, floorboards, headliner, and various other areas and that the vehicle needed to be detailed to remove the mold. The vehicle was repaired; however, the contact then stated that there was condensation seen in various areas inside the vehicle, windows were failing to operate, and the headliner was sagging. The vehicle was not taken back to the dealer. The contact stated that after seeking medical attention for herself and her children for ongoing unknown symptoms, they needed to be prescribed asthma and allergy medication, and she sought legal advice. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 10,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
3
Deaths:
0
#11522850May 19, 2023
SERVICE BRAKES
When coming to a stop, when I apply the brakes, they stop working and I have to press harder on the petal to stop the car. It feels like the brakes "let go" , it is scary since the brakes stop working. I have searched the web and found the Manufacturer has been sited with an issue on another model. Toyota Camry- NHTSA 21V890 - bad vacuum pumps- "van cap" - many break causes the break to lose brake assist . I am planned to see my dealer for its 35000 mile checkup and plan to report to the dealer this issue- 5/19/2023
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11522568May 17, 2023
SERVICE BRAKES
This occurs occasionally when I brake. I have my foot softly on the brake and the brakes cut out. The car feels like it accelerates/surges forward rather than slowing down. I need to apply the brakes hard to then stop the vehicle. I never know when it will happen. When it occurs and a car is in front of me, I have had near miss accidents. The issue seems to be worse on bumpy roads or downhill road when I tried to hit break to slow down or stop the car. I brought the car into dealer on 5/17 which they connected with diagnostic tool. However it showed everything is normal. The service agent told me there is one case just reported few days ago with same issue. Toyota sent expert to dealer to investigate the issue so I need to come back on same day for further investigation.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11522174May 15, 2023
SERVICE BRAKES
On multiple occasions the breaks appear to momentarily slip, resulting in the car lunging forward. This tends to happen when slowly decelerating, especially when going down hill. It happens at random, regardless of weather or road conditions. I reported the issue to Toyota two services ago and they stated they were unable to replicate the issue despite driving my car 20 miles. Their best guess was that the ABS system is engaging briefly (Ok. That's an issue. They say there's nothing they can do). Both my husband and I have experienced this issue. It's incredibly unnerving and I'm worried it has potential to cause an accident. I have noticed an increase in occurrence over the past few months. I try to document the date and time of each incident. Additionally, the few times I've needed to brake suddenly (rare because I stay pretty far behind the car in front of me at all times, especially given my concerns) the breaks take a moment to register. When you need to break immediately and press on the breaks firmly to do so, they should respond instantly. That does not happen here. There's a few moments of no response before they finally engage. All in all, the breaks/breaking system on this car really worry me.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11522023May 15, 2023
VISIBILITY/WIPER
The driver side mirror wiggles at highway speed or with strong wind and the image in the mirror is not clear which causes the driver to do a double take on where and how far the car is. This is a safety issue that needs to be addressed and fixed by Toyota. I’m not the only one experiencing this issue, see other reports. Thanks for your quick action on this matter.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11521620May 11, 2023
POWER TRAIN, SERVICE BRAKES
While parking, the shifter was inadvertently left in reverse. The engine was turned off while foot was still on the brake. After preparing to exit the car and removing my foot from the brake, the car began rolling forward until I noticed and slammed on the foot brake. We are used to the vehicle parking brake engaging automatically as there is no way to do so manually, that we know of. There was no warning that the shifter was not in park and no audible or noticeable visual notification that the vehicle was not in park. In some cases, on a flat surface when the vehicle wasn't in park, it didn't allow me to shut off or arm the security system. In this case, I was able to stop the vehicle and fortunately there was nothing in front of the vehicle. Since the vehicle was powered off, anti-collision likely would not have stopped a collision.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11520770May 6, 2023
SEATS
The 3rd row seating does not come with anchor latches for children. Only latch at the back of the seat in the middle. If there is a shortage of latch they must add as standard equipment for safety to children. Now how can I use my 3rd row space for kids if they did not put a latch? It’s a 50K SUV but did not come with it. Now I reported this because these are not features but should be standard in every SUV with 3rd row seating.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11520305May 3, 2023
SEAT BELTS
I took delivery of the new vehicle without testing all the seatbelts. The third row passenger side seat belt is fully retracted as it should be, but it's locked in that position. It came from the dealer that way, and it cannot be used. If I hadn't noticed while testing out the seats, I might incorrectly assume that it is functioning while inviting 6 passengers into my vehicle. This could lead to somebody taking a ride without a seatbelt. Third rows of these mid-size SUV's aren't commonly used, so I imagine it could be a long time (years) before somebody notices that their seat belt doesn't work, unless they happened to check them all. I have a service appointment in 2 days at my local dealer to have the seatbelt inspected and fixed or replaced.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11520271May 3, 2023
ENGINE, SERVICE BRAKES, VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
According to Toyota, the wire harness needs to be replaced due to damages caused by animals (rodents). My main concern is, this vehicle is not safe to drive. Because if a midsize animal could find its way inside the engine compartment and caused so much damages to a car I drive every day, what would happen if a snake or a rat shows up inside the cabin while driving at 65 or 70 mph. Secondly, what types of materials are used to make these wires and other components in the vehicle? Why are these animals attracted to them in the first place? As much as the news was chocking to me because it was the first time that I have heard of that kind of stuff, when I went online in some Toyota owners forums, that issue is prevalent in Toyotas. Even the rep. from Toyota whom I spoke to earlier stated that her cousin who owns a Toyota had to deal with the same issue. Why nothing has been done to fix the problem?
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11519834May 1, 2023
SEATS
I purchased a new Highlander. When I exit the vehicle, when wearing shorts, the bottom portion of the seam in the seat molding slices my leg open causing bleeding and injury. The dealership tried to fix this by sanding down the uneven protrusion where the seams meet. It still cut my leg. They then wanted Corporate to handle it. I set an appointment with Toyota. The Field Technician Specialist failed to meet with me and consequently performed a careless and inaccurate inspection. Toyota based their decision to ignore me on this inadequate inspection. Please see 4 attachments: the seam in the seat molding, an independent invoice to repair the seat, my leg in its final healing state and the Toyota letter. All I am asking is to not cut my leg open. I don't think that is unreasonable.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11517605April 18, 2023
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
This car when I’m driving it has a loud wind noise I went to dealer couple time but they told me that they can’t hear any noise but I have evidence and video about the noise when I’m driving 45 mph. It is still loud noise.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11517377April 17, 2023
TIRES:SIDEWALL
Car tire burst on interstate at normal operating speeds. Bursts throughout tire wall with large blow out on inside. No damage to tread and no other signs of damage. Tire began smoking while finding safe pull off spot. A Goodyear inspector suggested a vertical slash in tire was culprit, but slash was not on tire prior prior to being unmounted by inspector. In addition, area with slash was pinned underneath the rim while waiting on roadside assistance, as seen in attached photos. No warning (TPMS or otherwise) prior to blow out. Tire was discarded by Goodyear. Car is AWD, or a more serious wreck could have happened P235/55R20
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11517344April 17, 2023
VISIBILITY/WIPER
The windshield is chipping extremely easily, and long crack lines have developed as well no extreme weather has occurred.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11514780March 31, 2023
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
The Sunroof/Moonroof shattered as we drove down the highway. Glass shattered and a hole in the sunroof was made. Our shield kept the glass from falling in on us. Dealership has said that they believe road Debry cause the sunroof to shatter. No debry was found in the hole or shield area. No other groups have inspected the sunroof. No warning lights or messages.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11514374March 29, 2023
VISIBILITY/WIPER
While driving my 2021 highlander on the road my Driver side mirror shakes alot. It makes my visibility shaky when im trying to switch lanes. I took the car to toyota and newer models are having same issue the toyota dealer told me
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11513592March 24, 2023
STRUCTURE:BODY
There is a safety issue with the driver side mirror, as it shakes in its housing at varying speeds and on non-smooth roads, in that it becomes a distraction of focus in the small time of you looking at the mirror to then switch back to front. This has happened to me few times, changing lanes to the left lane, I saw the shaking of the mirror and lost focus of the image in the mirror and momentarily had no visual input while driving on a highway, at least no useful visual input for driving purposes. This phenomena is the same as if someone drew on the mirror and your eye just cough that drawing and just focused on that instead of the rear view image and then to the front. Side view mirrors are critical safety components of the car, but their viewing purpose is for very short and momentary when needed. If you add a distracting and almost blinding effect to them, you are bound to take away the drivers attention in that critical moment when you least can afford to lose attention. 4 things: 1. The driver is not looking at the road ahead, where the most attention is needed 2. The driver is looking at the left, bringing the instinctive tendency to move the hands, hence the steering, to the left 3. The driver is actually not visually perceiving reflection image of the mirror, instead the mirror itself, often the edges as it naturally gravitates the eye focus in this visual pattern 4. The time spent in looking to the left in the view of the driver side mirror is extended well beyond the safety limit and time needed to get mirror reflection view I foresee: 1. Someone encountering this, in a right curving 1 lane road, the path of the car would bi straight line directly towards the apposing lane/car. 2. Someone looking to the driver side mirror to change lanes to the left and either lose focus and not notice the oncoming car or worse notice abruptly a car and oversteer to the right, then over correct to the left then losing control Toyota driver confirmed today
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0

← Back to Toyota Highlander