10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
4 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
2 / 0
Average Mileage:
13,895 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

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problem #11

Dec 202021

Highlander

  • miles
My car would randomly shut off at red lights, one time I was on a hill & thought I was going to roll back into the car in front of me. After restarting it would turn on. The radio would randomly shut off. We eventually replaced the battery. On a Fri.(Dec 17th) my car would not start, so my Husband drove the kids & I to school, upon my return the car started. He told me the wheel locks & I need to move it. Then on Mon. (Dec 20th) driving my daughter to preschool school-??I have video from home camera showing your system will not let me attach a video) -??my car stalling as I reversed out of the driveway. I loose all control, then you hear that I pulled the emergency break & stop just before two cars pass by. I then restart the car, it goes, I drive 3 houses down I pressed the break to make a left turn onto a side street, my car accelerated & smashed into a telephone pole on the drivers side. You can hear the crash on my home camera. The impact was so hard, it bent my a frame, my airbags did not deploy, my drivers side door would not open. I shifted the pole & cracked the frozen dirt ground around it as seen in the pics. I can provide a copy of the body work repairs. We paid our $1k deductible. The car jpeg image icon does is not show like the other pics attached, so I attached a screen shot as well. We have other pictures & video-??s of damage to provide upon request

- Reading, MA, USA

problem #10

Sep 042020

Highlander

  • 42,000 miles
On 3 separate occasions at 30,000, 40,000 and 42,000 miles when driving at interstate highway speeds (around 70 mph) with cruise control engaged, the vehicle has suddenly without warning switched to a low power limp home mode resulting in rapid deceleration in the midst of high speed highway traffic. I believe this is a very dangerous situation. Multiple warnings appeared on the dash including low power mode, check AWD system, and see your dealer. Shutting off the vehicle and restarting it allowed the vehicle to be driven normally again. After all three incidents the vehicle was taken to the dealer for diagnosis. All 3 times the computer had stored codes for random multiple misfires along with a few others. All three times the dealer indicated that the codes did not point to a specific faulty part that they could replace, so there was nothing they could do. At my insistence that something be done after the third incident the dealer opened a case with the Toyota tas system to ask for assistance in diagnoses. The only result of this was to switch some of the coil pack positions to see if the misfires followed the coil pack. The end result is that I have to drive it until it fails again, putting myself and others at risk. I also opened a case with the Toyota customer experience center, they confirmed this was all Toyota would do at this point.

- Pittsburgh, Pa, PA, USA

problem #9

Nov 102019

Highlander

  • 25,000 miles
I turned my car to park in the church parking lot. I believe my foot was on the brake, it happened so fast, I am not sure.. all of a sudden the car began to accelerate on it's own! it scared the daylights out of me! suddenly the car jumped through a wooden fence and off a five foot drop off to the street below. I was lucky there was a pile of gravel to stop me. I put it into park.the airbags did not go off. I was not hurt. But I am very stressed by the incident. It will be a month before it is fixed.

- Weaverville, CA, USA

problem #8

Oct 012019

Highlander 6-cyl

  • 14,680 miles
The contact owns a 2017 Toyota Highlander. While the contact was parking the vehicle, it suddenly sped forward, drove over a median, and crashed into a tree. There were no injuries and a police report was not filed. The manufacturer offered to inspect the vehicle or process a request for the vehicle to be repurchased. The contact was unsure of which option to take. Darcars Toyota frederick (5293 buckeystown pike, frederick, md 21704, (301) 696-6300) was contacted, but did not diagnose or repair the vehicle. The cause of the failure was not determined. The failure mileage was 14,680. Manufacture was notified.

- Hagerstown, MD, USA

problem #7

Aug 202019

Highlander

  • 19,850 miles
Cruise control on speed at 45 mph, lifted cruise lever 5 times to posted 50 mph speed going onto interstate apron/bridge. Lifted the cruise cont lever and held to accelerate to posted speed of 60. Released lever at 60 mph, but noticed car still accelerating. Pulled on lever to cancel when car was at 75 mph. Car has 19,850 miles

- Henderson, KY, USA

problem #6

Aug 022019

Highlander 6-cyl

  • 37,516 miles
My Toyota Highlander would not go into park. The SUV lunged forward over curbing and into building. Then went violently into reverse and into a uncontrollable spin. Then the SUV went violently into drive and jumping over a curbing and into a ditch and was sitting on top of a natural gas line. During this whole time I was pressing the brake and pushing the ignition switch trying to turn off the engine. This was done in a parking lot as I was trying to park.

- Maurepas, LA, USA

problem #5

Oct 212018

Highlander

  • miles
On Sunday Oct 21 2018, the driver had just left the olin rest area in North Carolina, heading northbound on rt 77. After driving for a little bit the car suddenly acceleration unintentionally by itself. And the car started to zig zag across the highway lanes without the driver turning the steering wheel. The driver tried to press on the brake but it was not effective. The car then grazed an highway guardrail and it partially ripped off the rear left side and rear bumper. The driver kept pressing the brake without effect while swerving across the lanes. Then suddenly the brakes started to work and the driver was able to bring the car to a stop on the right shoulder. The driver put it into park but the engine kept revving at high RPM until the driver turned off the engine. I think the car had a sudden unintended acceleration incident due to the electronic throttle control. In addition, I think the zig zag was due to the electronic traction/ stability control, sending excessive power to a wheel on a particular side of the vehicle when it didn't need it.

- Buford, GA, USA

problem #4

Dec 222017

Highlander

  • 7,000 miles
While driving up the I-5 grapevine at 72 mph the car suddenly slowed without any warning to under 20 mph. The check engine light turned on and the dash said AWD system disengaged or error or some similar message and to take to the dealer. I was barely able to accelerate to get off the road. I pulled off, turned the car off and back on, and it started running again. I'm lucky I was not rear ended.

- Bend, OR, USA

problem #3

Jul 082017

Highlander

  • 1,200 miles
While driving vehicle lost power to appx 5mph and check engine, check all wheel drive system, visit dealer, lights appeared on dash, vehicle was on highway driving at appx 50mph at time of incident, dealer reprogammed ECM, and returned car to owner and next day while driving incident happened again

- New Salem, PA, USA

problem #2

Apr 022017

Highlander

  • 4,400 miles
The dynamic radar cruise control does not operate correctly and can be very dangerous. When driving on a highway with the feature on and a vehicle in front of you exits to the right, the Highlander will slow and brake aggressively as if it's still following the slowing exiting vehicle that is now in another lane and leaving the highway. The setting of the vehicle to vehicle distance and pre-collision setting have little affect on this problem. This problem can easily be duplicated every time. The dealer says it's normal operation. I was nearly rear ended by a large truck when my Highlander unexpectedly and aggressively braked and slowed for no reason as it continued tracking the exiting vehicle in front of me. I could have been killed, which is why I no longer use dynamic radar cruise control. Please investigate this matter with Toyota before some is seriously injured. Thank you.

- Mooresville, NC, USA

problem #1

Jan 262017

Highlander

  • 1,200 miles
2017 Toyota Highlander SE AWD ("vehicle"). on January 26, 2017 at approximately 11:15 P.M., pacific time, I was driving the vehicle on the interstate 10 freeway near the la brea avenue exit. It was dark but clear with light to medium traffic. While I was driving around 80 mph and merging toward an inner lane, the vehicle suddenly - on its own - slowed to around 30 or 40 mph. Concomitantly, the vehicle's messaging system (between the tachometer and speedometer) began blinking and alerting me that the all wheel drive system was experiencing failure and that the vehicle needed immediate servicing. A small orange triangular indicator with an embedded exclamation point flashed as well. I engaged the hazard lights and then manipulated the transmission shifter into various positions while fully depressing the accelerator, but the vehicle would not accelerate over 30 or 40 mph. Faced with the possibility of being rear ended, I disengaged the hazard lights, signaled to the right, and eventually made it off the freeway. The following day, January 27, 2017, I took my vehicle to a Toyota dealership where I believe it is still being diagnosed. The longer the diagnosis takes, the more I am concerned that Toyota has not determined the remedy for this issue. Given Toyota's history, I am also concerned they may return the vehicle to me without determining conclusively how the problem occurred and without fixing the issue so that it will not pose a threat to my passengers, including my own family, and the public. Accordingly, it is my duty to report this to the NHTSA and to seek the NHTSA's guidance about steps I can take to ensure that Toyota does not hand me back the vehicle, which may be a deathtrap. I don't use such inflammatory words lightly, but the more I contemplate, the more I feel that this was a potentially life-threatening event.

- Los Angeles, CA, USA