7.1

pretty bad
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
8,127 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

The NHTSA is the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints can be spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem. See the Back button — blue bar at the very top of the page — to explore more.

Get notified about new defects, investigations, recalls & lawsuits for the 2017 Toyota Highlander:

Unsubscribe any time. We don't sell/share your email.

problem #3

Mar 212023

Highlander

  • miles
The low beams began to get dim after ~60K miles until it began to be difficult to see the right shoulder of the road. After a number of visits, the Toyota dealer said there was some kind of cloudiness on the internal surfaces of the low beam and that the only solution was to replace both headlight assemblies. By then I had also failed state inspection (because of the lights.) I paid the ~$1400 for the replacements and the lights work now. BUT, I can see inside the sealed low beam portion a few areas with a bit of cloudiness. The dealer said they could not explain and Toyota Engagement (the only way to contact the company), after I sent a long written explanation said, "contact an authorized Toyota service center. So...this is resolved but the car was not safe for a while and I have had to pay to fix a safety issue that I had nothing to do with (vehicle has mainly been garaged and not driven offroad etc).

- Northport, ME, USA

problem #2

May 102019

Highlander

  • 20,380 miles
In the back of the car, the rear light covers stick out about 3 inches, the edges are as sharp as a keen knife (photos attached). When I unload stuff from the trunk, it often hurts me. I have tried to be very careful. I also reminded my teenage son with caution. However, it sticks out too much and is too sharp. It is hard to avoid. It keeps hurting. For example, three months ago, on an evening it was dark and raining, at a costco parking lot, when I uploaded groceries onto the car, my right arm and joint were suddenly hit by this sharp cutting edge of the rear light cover. The keen edge cut my arm, and the stick out part badly hurt my joint (photos attached). I could not raise my arm. Three months have passed; however, my joint is still paining. I went to jim coleman dealer and pointed out the danger part in the rear. I had their managers and staff to feel by putting their hands on the keen edge. They all admitted it is bad design and easy to injure people. But they said they could not do anything about it. I asked if they could report incidents/cases to manufacturers, and have it improved. They said they sell cars only. I randomly took photos of other made of cars (photos attached). None of them stick out a knife likes Highlander. It is a nightmare when using this Highlander daily.

- Rockville, MD, USA

problem #1

Jul 122017

Highlander

  • 4,000 miles
The headlight projection is sharply cut off at the top. When entering a dip in the road there is no illumination at the far side uphill. The dealer adjusted them, now there is a lack of acceptable light immediately in front on flat roads

- San Jose, CA, USA