Toyota Grand Highlander Complaints

375 consumer complaints on file.

#11759592August 25, 2026
ENGINE, POWER TRAIN, VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
I continuously have issues accelerating from stop in my max hybrid. the issue is particularly worse when it is warm out. I press the gas and the RPMs drop really low and I barely move through the intersection for a few seconds. Once it finally registers after a number of seconds, the RPMs rev up over 4000. It is very dangerous trying to proceed through an intersection and the car basically stalls when I press the gas. It especially concerns me that I have my child in the car with me and I worry when it is going to act up. I know others have experienced this issue and there was a TSB for 2024 models that had this issue. I have a 2025 and experience this issue. I have had toyota look at it and they said they cant do the TSB since it's bot for my VIN. A solution needs to be found for the the safety of myself and others.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11759577August 25, 2026
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
The car stalled on entering secondary roads from my own neighborhood. When it happens, I have pressed the throttle and the car stops moving forward. It takes 5-10 seconds before the engine picks up and the car moves. The first owner found the same thing and now as the second owner, it has done the same thing.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11759572August 25, 2026
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
I have over 30k miles on my car. Over the period that I’ve owned it there have been a few, roughly 6, occasions where I’m trying to change lanes from a stop into quick traffic and my car lags 1-3 seconds in response to me pressing the gas petal. It happens infrequently and is not the normal response. Other times the car responds as one would expect.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11759560August 25, 2026
POWER TRAIN, ENGINE, VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
Sometimes, when trying to accelerate in certain situations, the vehicle accelerator pedal will not respond or the engine stutters and won't immediately respond to input and the vehicle seems to stall. This has been scary several times in traffic. The vehicle originally would throw an engine code on the dash about system failure and was taken into the dealer after several of these incidents and a software updates was performed, but it still happens randomly although now with no code.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11759554August 25, 2026
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
My coolant evaporates . I think a tick hit through grill and damaged the heat exchanger. I have to fill the coolant monthly
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11759524August 25, 2026
STRUCTURE:BODY, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Damage occurred to the front air conditioning system because a rock flew through the open grill area. This punctured the system causing a couple thousand dollar repair, not under warranty. The car was nearly brand new at the time. The grill area is a problem, it's a bad design.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11759500August 25, 2026
ENGINE
The engine would not engage for 4-5 seconds when pulling out of my neighborhood. Gas pedal was all the way down and after a delay, the car rolled forward as if trying to start in 2nd/3rd gear. I am a cautious driver, but this is an unsafe scenario when pulling out into traffic.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11759369August 25, 2026
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
on 8/13/2026, I was driving alone on West I-80 right before Park City, Ut; I heard a loud pop and my panoramic sunroof exploded which was really scary. I was not using my sunroof at all, so the cover protected everything on the inside. At first I thought it was a flat tire, but no warning messages came onto the control panel. There were not immediate safety issues, so I was able to get to a Toyota Dealership to have it repaired. I did not hear any gravel or road debris flip up onto my sunroof, nor did I hear any under my tires when driving. My vehicle was inspected by a service technician at the Toyota Dealership and he just said it was probably caused by an outside influence.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11759213August 24, 2026
STRUCTURE:BODY
The hybrid inverter cooler failed due to an impact with what was described as a rock or road debris shooting through the front grill and striking the inverter cooler so that it leaked coolant and failed. There was no notice of impact, while driving on the highway the hybrid system rapidly went into shut down/safety mode and acceleration and power to the drivetrain of vehicle dramatically reduced. This took a matter of seconds while on the highway without any warning. The problem, cause, effect, and repair was all diagnosed by a Toyota service personnel at a Toyota dealer. It was reported that this is a common issue with the grill design.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11759168August 24, 2026
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM, STRUCTURE:BODY, ENGINE
road debris entered into front grill though the holes in grill adn damaged condensor fins causing vehicle to loose propulsion. Vehicle would not travel over 25 mph after the incidnet. This is safety issue as vehicle slowed from 55MPH to 25MPH rather abruptly on highway. Multiple lamps came on dash at time of incident and were reatained untill fixed (non warranty repair)
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11759021August 24, 2026
POWER TRAIN, VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
The contact owns a 2024 Toyota Grand Highlander. The contact stated that while making a right turn from a complete stop to merge into traffic, the vehicle hesitated and failed to exceed 7–10 MPH. The contact released and then depressed the accelerator pedal again, and the vehicle responded as intended. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where software updates were performed on several occasions; however, the failures persisted. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 800.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11759009August 24, 2026
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
For no reason at all windshield has two parallel lines crack in upper right side, no signs of impact and not sure what caused this.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11759004August 24, 2026
ENGINE
During normal highway driving, a small road rock/debris entered through the front grille and damaged the radiator/heat exchanger. The damage caused coolant to leak, and the vehicle subsequently lost propulsion and became disabled. I had to stop driving the vehicle and have it inspected and repaired by a Toyota dealer. The Toyota dealer inspected the vehicle and confirmed that the radiator/heat exchanger was damaged by an outside object and was leaking. The dealer indicated that rocks or road debris can cause this type of damage. The total repair cost was approximately $1,350. I am concerned that the large openings in the front grille allow ordinary road debris to reach the radiator/heat exchanger, which is not adequately protected. A relatively small road object resulted in a critical cooling system failure and sudden loss of vehicle propulsion, creating a significant safety risk, particularly if this occurs while traveling at highway speed. I understand that NHTSA is currently reviewing similar reports involving the grille design and damage to the heat exchanger/radiator on Toyota Grand Highlander vehicles. My vehicle experienced a similar failure. I believe this issue should be investigated as a potential design-related safety defect and that an appropriate protective solution should be considered.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11758880August 23, 2026
ENGINE, FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
While driving on a highway at highway speed of approximately 62 miles per hour, a rock from the highway went through the front grille's hole, and punctured the area of the radiator, resulted in a large loss of coolant, and the vehicle's speed suddenly lost highway speed and lost propulsion on the highway, while driving at a highway speed. Thankfully noone was driving behind me. However, If someone was behind me, they would have hit me from the rear due to my loss of propulsion.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11758833August 23, 2026
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
During driving on a highway at highway speed (not off-roading), A road debris or rock went through the front grille's hole and damaged the cooling system which leaked coolant and i experienced a loss of power and propulsion while driving on highway, as a result of this issue.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11758770August 22, 2026
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
My wife was driving and a small rock passed through the front grill puncturing the radiator and causing her check engine light to come on. Within 5 minutes the coolant leaked out and the car was undrivable. We took it to Bredemann Toyota in Park Ridge who replaced it.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11758752August 22, 2026
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:COOLING SYSTEM
I had my car for service to be replace the wheel bearing on the right passenger side. Two weeks after my cooling engine light came out. Took to the dealership and they said there is a leakage in the radiator and needs replacing.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11758738August 22, 2026
STRUCTURE:BODY, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
A rock went through the grill and pierced the AC condenser. The result left us with no AC. Toyota of Grand Rapids charged us $2300 to replace it. The holes in the grill are massive. Toyota of Grand Rapids has a video on file documenting the issue.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11758722August 22, 2026
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Road debris from normal driving on paved roads (perhaps related to a trip from Flagstaff to Phoenix on [XXX] in April 2026- in Phoenix the AC took a very long time to cool down the car), road debris punctured the ac condenser. The AC stopped working entirely in July of 2026, so it was taken to Findlay Toyota Flagstaff for review. They noted all refrigerant had leaked from the system, and that road debris had punctured the condenser. The warranty claim was denied, and I paid about $1450 out of pocket for a new condenser and system recharge. I have the estimate from the dealer along with the receipt for the actual repair; however, the file upload functionality of this app is not working. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11758692August 22, 2026
STRUCTURE:BODY
My 2026 Toyota Grand Highlander Platinum has an issue that is commonly referred to as "cabin boom". It occurs at approximately 30mph going over bumps or rough patches in the road. When it occurs it creates a droning noise that amplifies the bump or rough surface you drove over and also creates a cabin pressure similar to flying on an airplane. This issue has caused significant ear pressure and headaches from driving my brand new vehicle. As a chronic migraine sufferer, this is unacceptable when you commute 25 miles to and from work. The issue has been reproduced by the Toyota dealership and they are currently in a waiting phase of next steps from Toyota corporate engineers on how to fix the issue, however there is no timeline on a resolution. Considering this has been an issue for over two years I find it unacceptable. They have added sound proofing materials around the spare tire and that didn't help the issue at all. This has apparently been an issue since the first Grand Highlander model was released, however it seems to not affect all of them but does affect across all trim levels.My dealership just got two brand new Grand Highlanders in this past week, and they make the same exact sound. I'm hoping with more reports of the issue Toyota will actually address it because I know of many other owners who have this problem. Other owners have taken these same steps over the past two years with no results. Please help make Toyota recognize and figure this out.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0

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