Toyota Highlander Complaints (2023)

176 consumer complaints on file.

#11695564October 25, 2025
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
lift gate stuttering at 49K bought new. available for inspection. Have yet to bring to dealer because they need the vehicle for the whole day. No warnings etc just loud opening. Concerned it could give way when I am grabbing groceries at any time. Seems like a widely reported issue.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11694643October 21, 2025
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL, SERVICE BRAKES
There is a wobbling sensation on my Highlander during braking at highway speeds. There is no such feeling while driving around city. It appeared after my trip on highway in heavy rain. There was no traffic, and I were using cruise control. Suddenly, doing nothing from my side but steering, I started to feel heavy break impacts, which scared me (I was with my family). I switched off cruise control, and those break impacts disappeared. Then switched it again, and I started to feel the same, thus I switched off cruise control and drove the rest of rain area with my foot on accelerator pedal. After that I started to feel wobbling during braking at highway speeds. It seems - more on the right side. Maybe there was more water layer under the right side of the car, and the Electronic Stability Control tried to hold car on the straight line, or camera detect water on the windshield as an obstacle and applied breaks from time to time, which might case warped rotors. To my understanding it has to be warranty issue, as Toyota manual said that driving during heavy rain can cause unproper action of cruise control, but it does not say it can damage the car or warp the rotors.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11694306October 18, 2025
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
I have a 2023 Toyota Highlander Platinum. For some unknown reason, the dashboard suddenly stopped working. Because the dashboard is not working, I have no information on things like when the gas will run out, what speed I’m driving, or if any parts are malfunctioning. This creates a dangerous situation for me. So, I went directly to Toyota and had the car inspected. They confirmed that the dashboard was indeed not working. I have the document from Toyota. Before the issue occurred, there were no warning signals or alerts, it just went completely blank. I want to drive my car calmly and safely without any worries. Please help me with this.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11693766October 16, 2025
SEAT BELTS, SEATS
Car seats and booster seats for infants and children with the age and weight requirement for seats in a vehicle do not meet safety requirements. The second row and the third row you literally have to pick the car seat up to buckle the seatbelt in appropriately. I have asked on numerous occasions if there is a seatbelt extension that can be purchased and I was told no. My concern is for safety of children/infants. We should not have to pick a car seat or booster seat up after a child is placed in the car seat to be able to buckle the car seat in appropriately or the booster seat appropriately. In the third row, my son literally has to stand behind the hatchback to get the seatbelt for the booster seat in the third row Locked in place. This is a safety concern. I brought it up to two dealerships and Toyota’s customer complaint who actually gave me this website.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11691889October 7, 2025
SERVICE BRAKES
Randomly when braking the vehicle will "lurch" forward causing you to immediately reapply the brakes hard to stop. The dealer claims they have no knowledge of this but when you Google "Toyota Highlander hybrid brake issues" there are numerous reports of the same occurrences. This creates a serious collision potential issue with a vehicle stopped in front of the car. It is available upon request for inspection. It has not been confirmed by the dealer but I am happy to do so. It happens without warning.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11688964September 22, 2025
STRUCTURE:BODY:BUMPERS
the front bumper assembly has come off our 2023 highlander twice since purchase 2 years ago, the first time the entire bumper was pulled off while on the freeway(terrified my wife) and we had to pull it off and put it in the back on the highlander and bring it to the dealership. Courtesy Toyota of Brandon . This was supposedly fixed with Toyota recall campaign 23TA12 . Approximately one year later we noticed it was coming off once again, this time I tried to push it back myself but was unable to hook it up correctly and brought into the dealership. While they do recognize the vehicle is unsafe , and that there was a recall for this issue , they say it is not covered in the safety recall. I believe this is incorrect, and the Recall either does not properly rectify the issue or this is a new safety concern.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11688391September 19, 2025
LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES:DOORS:LATCH
I have another issue that has never happened to me before. The front passenger door just popped open while I was sitting at a red light. I had just driven for over 2 hours with it closed and locked and it made a weird sound and shifted. The light on my dash came on and I had to unlock the doors and reach over to try to open and shut the door while I was at an intersection. HELP
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11688010September 17, 2025
SERVICE BRAKES
T-SB-0059-23 should cover 2023 Highlander hybrid vehicles as the same issue exists. My 2023 Highlander Hybrid seems to totally ignore braking during the transition from regenerative braking to friction braking causing me to have to suddenly push the pedal harder to compensate. The mentioned TSB only covers up to 2022 models and only for 36 months or 36,000 miles, which is a disservice to owners. Moreover this should be a recall rather than a TSB as dealers will likely not be able to readily reproduce; reproducing is a requirement for addressing the TSB. An issue with braking is a safety issue!
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11687848September 17, 2025
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
The contact owns a 2023 Toyota Highlander. The contact stated that while driving at 40 MPH, the digital instrument panel went blank and showed a white screen. The contact was unable to see critical safety information and warning lights during the failure. The contact stated that the screen was white for over twenty minutes. The vehicle was not taken to an independent mechanic or dealer to be diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 29,500.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11687075September 13, 2025
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
The side mirrors (more on the drivers side) have a vibration in them no matter how smooth of a road in which I am driving. This causes the visual to be blurred and makes me dizzy. I have been driving for 30 years and not ONE other vehicle I have ever driven or owned has had this problem. I see that there are many other complaints online about this issue and this needs to be a recall as my dealership won’t deem it a problem under my warranty. This is a significant problem.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11684844September 3, 2025
STRUCTURE:BODY:BUMPERS
The contact owns a 2023 Toyota Highlander. The contact stated that while driving approximately 75 MPH, there was an abnormal scraping sound coming from the front of the vehicle. The contact stated that simultaneously, the top part of the bumper was flipped up by the slipstream and crashed onto the hood. The contact pulled over but was unable to recover the lower part of the bumper, but was able to reattach the top part of the bumper. The contact stated that the bumper had scratched the paint on the hood and damaged the front badge. The contact was aware of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V720000 (Structure). The vehicle was taken to a local dealer, where the bottom portion of the front bumper was replaced. The contact stated that the top part of the bumper was not repaired. The contact also stated that the dealer did not repair the front badge. The vehicle was partially repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 211,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11681085August 16, 2025
AIR BAGS
My wife was hit from the driver side, causing car to deviate and have a head on collision with a fire hydrant. No airbags deployed. Side or front.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
1
Deaths:
0
#11679063August 7, 2025
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
INSTRUMENT CLUSTER
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11674853July 20, 2025
SERVICE BRAKES, FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING
I was involved in a vehicle crash on 7-1-25. I had just pulled out of the gas station and was coming up to a stop sign so I was only going about 8mph I put my foot on the brake and nothing happened. I had my foot all the way down on the brake pedal because I saw a car coming and they were traveling at about 40mph. No automatic braking nothing worked. I had no control. I just prayed that I hope this doesn’t hurt. None of my airbags deployed. My car is now totaled and of course I got the ticket because I did not have control of my vehicle. I strongly believe this has to do with the brakes and how it switches from electric to gas in my hybrid vehicle. Toyota has recalled prior years 2020 to 2022 hybrids for this exact issue. This is a huge safety issue and thankfully I am alive to make this complaint. My husband went to my Toyota dealership where I get all my service and the service manager said yes he has noticed this as a problem that he himself pulled in a Toyota Highlander Hybrid into the garage and had the same thing happen. We have been reading online about others complaining of this same issue.
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
1
Deaths:
0
#11669632June 27, 2025
STRUCTURE:BODY, SERVICE BRAKES, ENGINE
weather conditions were severe due to a snowstorm, causing ice buildup on the road, low visibility, and slippery pavement. Despite driving cautiously, I lost control of the vehicle, which resulted in going off the road, down an embankment, and crashing into a tree. Immediately after the impact, I called 911 emergency services for assistance. I attempted to exit the vehicle, but the driver’s door was blocked due to the position of the tree. I remained inside the vehicle until a passerby stopped and helped me get out. As a result of the impact, my vehicle sustained significant damage The shocking thing about it all is that the vehicle did not activate the airbags and that is worrying to me because it could have been unfortunate.
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
1
Deaths:
0
#11661996May 19, 2025
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, ENGINE
We live on a farm so the fact there is rodents is no surprise. However strangest thing is the knock sensor harness has been chewed completely off two times in last two months.. when this happens it causes power loss. With the extra shielding the wire has tells me it gives off a low frequency that would irritate most animals and me at this point since the part is never available. If it actually gives off a frequency, it is absolutely unnecessary and a complete nuisance.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11658736May 4, 2025
ENGINE, STRUCTURE:BODY
There’s a noticeable lag in the engine, especially when starting or turning. Sometimes, it’s almost a full second, which is quite alarming. When I asked the mechanics at a few dealerships about this, they all said it’s normal for these new “Green” type engines with four cylinders and a turbo. However, I feel that the turbo is functioning poorly as the mileage increases. I’ve owned the car for almost three years and it only has 20k miles! Another issue is the wind noise. At speeds exceeding 40 mph on the highway, the wind noise can become quite annoying. I’ve addressed this issue at two different dealerships, and both acknowledged the problem and admitted it. However, they both claimed that it’s inherent in the car’s design and advised me to wait for a potential recall from the manufacturer.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11653064April 6, 2025
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
The seat belt alarm goes off for no reason while driving, is loud and distracting and the only way to reset it is to turn off the car and restart it. Luckily, I was on a local street and was able to safely pull over. I've had this vehicle for 18 months and the alarm has gone off over 6 times now. P.S. I'm not the only one. [XXX] 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
#11651686March 31, 2025
AIR BAGS
The contact owned a 2023 Toyota Highlander Hybrid. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 40 MPH on a heavy snow weather condition, the vehicle lost traction, causing the contact to lose control of the vehicle and crash into a tree, where the vehicle came to a stop. No warning lights were illuminated. No air bags deployed. The contact sustained injuries to his neck, chest, and shoulder. The contact sought medical attention. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed by the insurance provided for further investigation. The local dealer was contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 50,000.
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
1
Deaths:
0
#11646847March 6, 2025
TIRES
2023 Toyota Highlander XLE, Bridgestone Alenza Sport A/S 235/65R18. This is the 2nd time we had a side wall tire blow out. First incident 08/2023 and today 03/06/2025 happened again with 3 slit/cracks/holes(not sure how describe it, attached picture) in the side wall.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0

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