2024 Toyota Highlander Problems & Owner Complaints

Unknown Or Other 12 2 crash 2 injury

“I was driving on road going speed limit during the day, came around a curve, vehicle was stopped, slammed on brakes and turned wheel but still hit rear of vehicle. No collision warning or auto brakes engaged.”
NHTSA complaint #11641681, 2024 · crash · 2 injury(ies)

“My car was parked in the driveway with the engine running. The engine was then turned off from outside the vehicle using the start/stop button. Once the engine stopped, the car moved backward down the sloped driveway and struck a pickup truck that was parallel parked on the street. I then entered the vehicle and attempted to shift into drive, but a warning appeared indicating the hybrid system was off and instructing me to put the car in park. Multiple attempts were made to drive the car forward, but instead, it was driving in reverse. The car would not move forward for approximately five min…”
NHTSA complaint #11659903, 2025 · crash

“I've been waiting for a recall repair based on a recall file nearly 8 months ago now. This recall still appears to have no remedy. I continue to get emails about this issue from my dealer, but when I call to schedule the appointment to fix it, they continue to tell me that no remedy is available yet.”
NHTSA complaint #11735646, 2026

Service Brakes 8 2 crash

“>While exiting a highway my vehicle surged forward crashing into the vehicle in front of me.Engaging the brake, my car smashed into the van again. I had no control over the forward momentum of the car. >Both the driver & I were in danger of injury >The problem has not been addressed as my damaged car is being repaired >The vehicle has not been inspected >I was given no warning that the incident was forthcoming”
NHTSA complaint #11693669, 2025 · crash

“My car was parked in the driveway with the engine running. The engine was then turned off from outside the vehicle using the start/stop button. Once the engine stopped, the car moved backward down the sloped driveway and struck a pickup truck that was parallel parked on the street. I then entered the vehicle and attempted to shift into drive, but a warning appeared indicating the hybrid system was off and instructing me to put the car in park. Multiple attempts were made to drive the car forward, but instead, it was driving in reverse. The car would not move forward for approximately five min…”
NHTSA complaint #11659903, 2025 · crash

“Ours has pulsing brakes and brakes feeling "off" at low speeds, potentially due to the interaction of regenerative and conventional braking. The brake pedal will also suddenly jolt the car forward when switching between braking systems. The system is unsafe.”
NHTSA complaint #11686533, 2025

Electrical System 6 1 crash

“>While exiting a highway my vehicle surged forward crashing into the vehicle in front of me.Engaging the brake, my car smashed into the van again. I had no control over the forward momentum of the car. >Both the driver & I were in danger of injury >The problem has not been addressed as my damaged car is being repaired >The vehicle has not been inspected >I was given no warning that the incident was forthcoming”
NHTSA complaint #11693669, 2025 · crash

“The trunk will not close using any of the buttons. This is an on going issue on so many newer highlanders.”
NHTSA complaint #11742837, 2026

“My 12.3” display screen goes really dark and I have to restart vehicle to reset.”
NHTSA complaint #11723811, 2026

Engine 4 1 crash

“My car was parked in the driveway with the engine running. The engine was then turned off from outside the vehicle using the start/stop button. Once the engine stopped, the car moved backward down the sloped driveway and struck a pickup truck that was parallel parked on the street. I then entered the vehicle and attempted to shift into drive, but a warning appeared indicating the hybrid system was off and instructing me to put the car in park. Multiple attempts were made to drive the car forward, but instead, it was driving in reverse. The car would not move forward for approximately five min…”
NHTSA complaint #11659903, 2025 · crash

“The vehicle started stalling out randomly on the highway even with it being automatic, after getting home and parking it , it would not back up or drive . Took it to Toyota dealership and they said it’s an internal failure of the transmission which is a UA80 model , it only has 92,000 miles on it they can’t figure out what caused it . There are lawsuits with this vehicle already from other people and Toyota is not fixing the issue and won’t help with mine even after they have known what it is. I took it to one shop before Toyota to get a diagnostic it shown two codes one being in the transmiss…”
NHTSA complaint #11736517, 2026

“Vehicle smells like fuel after engine toggles on and off between the hybrid system. This issue is intermittent, but when it is taken to the dealership they smell the fuel, with no luck duplicating the issue. I have also noticed when the smell is present the vehicle seems to run rough.”
NHTSA complaint #11732318, 2026

Fuel/Propulsion System 4

“Vehicle smells like fuel after engine toggles on and off between the hybrid system. This issue is intermittent, but when it is taken to the dealership they smell the fuel, with no luck duplicating the issue. I have also noticed when the smell is present the vehicle seems to run rough.”
NHTSA complaint #11732318, 2026

“Strong smell of fuel after a hot day. This is a new vehicle purchased new on 2024. No warning lights On dashboard. After reading a few threads about the same situation on newer highlanders it seems like it's being ignored.”
NHTSA complaint #11654245, 2025

“When the engine is running after hours a gasoline smell and vapor exit the tank by the cap.”
NHTSA complaint #11716387, 2024

Structure 4

“The trunk will not close using any of the buttons. This is an on going issue on so many newer highlanders.”
NHTSA complaint #11742837, 2026

“The contact owns a 2024 Toyota Highlander. The contact stated that there was a leak coming from the roof rack of the vehicle. The contact stated that previous model years since 2021 had experienced similar failures, which caused damage to the SRS air bag module. The dealer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 155,590.”
NHTSA complaint #11734371, 2025

“My driver side rear door handle comes off when I open the door. I am having the dealership look into this on 8/28/2025.”
NHTSA complaint #11683238, 2025

Power Train 3 1 crash

“Detailed Description of the Incident: I am reporting a recurring powertrain safety issue regarding the 8-speed automatic transmission (UA80-series) in my vehicle. [Symptoms] During cold-start conditions (outside temperatures below 30°F), the vehicle consistently experiences a violent jerk/shock and an audible clicking noise during the first 2nd-to-3rd gear transition. This physical impact is severe enough to be felt directly by the driver through the accelerator pedal. The issue is highly predictable, occurring once after every "Cold Soak" period (6+ hours of sitting). [Dealership Failure]…”
NHTSA complaint #11720553, 2024 · crash

“The vehicle started stalling out randomly on the highway even with it being automatic, after getting home and parking it , it would not back up or drive . Took it to Toyota dealership and they said it’s an internal failure of the transmission which is a UA80 model , it only has 92,000 miles on it they can’t figure out what caused it . There are lawsuits with this vehicle already from other people and Toyota is not fixing the issue and won’t help with mine even after they have known what it is. I took it to one shop before Toyota to get a diagnostic it shown two codes one being in the transmiss…”
NHTSA complaint #11736517, 2026

“While slowing down, the vehicle will suddenly lunge forward, as if It hit a patch of ice and then slow again. This started happening around 30,000 miles. The dealer said this is because of a transition between hydraulic braking and regenerative braking and is "NORMAL". This did not start until 30k miles. I have owned 4 hybrid vehicles and only this one does this. Upon reading and studying online, there was a bulletin for an earlier generation of this type of problem. Clearly, it is an issue as I am not the only one with this problem.”
NHTSA complaint #11679694, 2025

Back Over Prevention 1

“The contact owns a 2024 Toyota Highlander. The contact stated that while driving at unknown speeds, the instrument cluster was blinking. The contact expressed that she was concerned that the vehicle was unsafe to drive. The contact received the recall notices of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 25V744000 (Back Over Prevention) and 25V595000 (Electrical System); however, the part to do the recall repair of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V595000 (Electrical System) was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and filed a cl…”
NHTSA complaint #11706841, 2025

Forward Collision Avoidance 1 1 crash 2 injury

“I was driving on road going speed limit during the day, came around a curve, vehicle was stopped, slammed on brakes and turned wheel but still hit rear of vehicle. No collision warning or auto brakes engaged.”
NHTSA complaint #11641681, 2024 · crash · 2 injury(ies)

Fuel System 1 1 injury

“The contact owns a 2024 Toyota Highlander. The contact stated there was an abnormal fuel odor inside the vehicle's cabin coming from the rear of the vehicle near the fuel tank. No warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the vent valve remained open causing fuel to leak from the fuel tank and as a result the fuel cap needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired however the failure persisted. The failure was intermittent. The contact stated that the odor was extremely strong, causing the driver to sustain headaches. The fire department issued…”
NHTSA complaint #11607256, 2024 · 1 injury(ies)

Latches/Locks/Linkages 1 1 injury

“The contact owns a 2024 Toyota Highlander. The contact stated that while placing groceries in the trunk, the lift gate violently fell on her head. While in the trunk, the liftgate came down, and her cousin was able to stop the liftgate from closing on the contact. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact had a continuous headache and dizziness, and it was determined that she had a concussion when medical attention was provided at the emergency room. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer, who was unable to duplicate the failure, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The…”
NHTSA complaint #11586602, 2024 · 1 injury(ies)

Other/I Am Not Sure 1

“I am submitting a formal complaint regarding a safety defect in my Evenflo Revolve 360 car seat. The white foam headrest component has completely detached due to what appears to be a failure in the original adhesive. This issue occurred despite proper use and adherence to all manufacturer guidelines. This component is part of the headrest system and plays a role in impact protection. Its detachment raises serious concerns about the structural integrity and crash performance of the seat. As a result, I no longer feel it is safe to transport my child in this car seat. I want to be clear that I a…”
NHTSA complaint #11730788, 2026

Seat Belts 1

“The third row seat belts in the 2024 Highlander are very difficult to latch. I had to bring my Highlander to the dealership twice over the seatbelt buckles in the third row. The buckle part does not lift up high enough to grab the buckle to latch it. Anytime a child old enough to be in the third row sits back there an adult has to Buckle them because they can’t get the seat belt to latch to the buckle. It’s supposed to be a family friendly vehicle but if a 7 year old can’t buckle themselves, that is an extremely unsafe design. It often takes me 10-15 minutes to get kids buckled in my third row…”
NHTSA complaint #11745432, 2026

Seats 1 1 injury

“Second row seats not latching when moved forward. Sliced up multiple finger when trying determine what was causing it not to latch. Put in a couple of stitches in 2 finger and bandage up the remaining 2 fingers”
NHTSA complaint #11726926, 2026 · 1 injury(ies)

Suspension 1

“UNKNOWN - 2024 Toyota Highlander makes a drumming or hooting sound when driving over normal to slightly rough roads. It is not related to expansion joints in the road. 1st dealer said it was a rt. wheel bearing, changed it and it did not work. He then said it was in all Toyota's with 20" wheels. I paid to change tires and wheel to no avail. 2nd dealer said it was normal even though mechanic heard the noise. His supervisor said it was fine and they would do nothing to try to isolate the noise. Noise is very obvious.”
NHTSA complaint #11694379, 2024

Tires 1

“The tires have not “failed,” but they are dry rotting on both the sidewalls and inside the tread. These came as the OE tires, size is 235/65 R18. This is a daily driven car with almost 30,000 miles on the odometer. There is no reason the tires should be dry rotting. This is a severe safety hazard, as most tire shops wouldn’t mount, balance, or even touch these tires if they were dry rotted this quickly. The tires have been rotated every 10,000 miles or so, and have been kept properly inflated throughout their life. They were made on the 42nd week of 2023. They began showing symptoms of light d…”
NHTSA complaint #11719690, 2026

Vehicle Speed Control 1

“when I attempt to accelerate from a stop, or slowly rolling, there is a 2-3 second delay, sometimes longer, prior to the vehicle moving forward. during the delay, when accelerator is pressed, the engine does not rev, nothing happens at all. it's scary. the highlander has less than 9k miles on it. this has been happening more and more frequently. I have contacted toyota, they have yet to provide a response or solution for this safety issue.”
NHTSA complaint #11678799, 2025

Visibility 1

“When driving at highway speeds (over 40mph) the driver side mirror excessively shakes/vibrates, negatively impacting visibility.”
NHTSA complaint #11580301, 2024