10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
14 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
16 / 0
Average Mileage:
6,781 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 2018 Toyota Highlander:

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

Get free help with your lemon!
close ad
problem #18

Jan 192024

Highlander

  • miles
My son and his friends were involved in a collision and the air bags did not deploy

- Bronx, NY, USA

problem #17

Oct 102023

Highlander

  • miles
10/10 Tapped pedal into Drive: Toyota Highlander 2018 Car sped off at 50mph with my foot on brake for 3 minutes Holding brake down and down-shifting did nothing Vehicle stopped when it hit a pole destroying passenger-side fender and bumper Airbag did not deploy Unintended acceleration/sticky pedal as reported early this century when Toyota recalled 80,000 vehicles. On 11/17/2023 an ER or Black Box four hour test/investigation was performed and I was told I would have results 12/28. Zero! When I telephone to report I was supposed to have EDR test results in 30 days, the operator (not the unreachable quality control personnel) tells me, "Well review of your crash results could take longer than 30 days." need to have a safe car to drive to work but this one has a potentially deadly defect. I have completed the inspection of your vehicle. Inspection report from Bosch to Toyota below: Please find three files attached to this email: 1) EDR FAQ_2.0.PDF "Frequently Asked Questions" related to the information in the Event Data Recorder (the Air Bag Control unit's digital memory). 2) 5TDZZRFH1JS281738_ACM.PDF The Event Data from your vehicle in PDF form, this file will open on your computer. 3) 5TDZZRFH1JS281738_ACM.CDRx This file contains the same information as Item #2, but it is a special format that will not display on your computer. It is sent to you so you will have the raw data for the #2 file above. I am not trained to interpret this data for you. The engineers will interpret this data and respond to you with their findings within 30 business days. 3 Attachments -?? Scanned by Gmail

- Huntington Beach,, CA, USA

problem #16

Oct 102023

Highlander

  • miles
My relatives remembered the 2002-2011 recall of 80,000 Toyotas, 90 deaths due to unintended acceleration and said that seems exactly what happened to me last month. NEAR FATAL COLLISION DUE TO STICKY PEDAL 2018 Toyota Highlander 10/10 Slowly backed out of parking space in large, empty commercial lot: sunny day, 3pm ?'? Tapped pedal into Drive ?'? Car sped off at 50+mph with my foot off pedal ?'? Sped around lot for approximately 3minutes ?'? Holding brake down and down-shifting did nothing except cause sheer terror with my uncontrollable vehicle ?'? Hit pole and vehicle came to a stop after near-complete destruction of passenger-side bumper ?'? No injury except sheer mental terror ?'? No witnesses DO NOT Blame the victim. Dealer says all-weather floormat could never have been or be involved.

- Huntington Beach,, CA, USA

problem #15

Jul 272023

Highlander

  • miles
Was hit in the side in passenger door, which pushed my car off the road and hit a tree head on going approximately 40 mph. NO Airbags deployed anywhere in the car. I took pictures of entire interior and also a video showing no airbag deployment. Police, fire and first responders and completely shocked that no airbags deployed. Injuries occurred, thank fully no life threatening. However had the airbags deployed as they should have, and why we chose to buy this vehicle in the first place, those injuries could have been minimalized. If you need any additional info, please let me know. Toyota needs to be made aware of this.

- Ponchatoula, LA, USA

problem #14

Aug 082023

Highlander

  • miles
S.R.S malfunction error message due to open circuit in the left front door harness. Active DTC (S) B1697 code which is related to lost communication with side airbag sensor LH is present in the vehicle. Toyota is refusing to address the issue because it is not part of a covered warranty and there are no open recall on this issue. This is a safety issue in that in the event of an accident, the airbag will not deploy which could be catastrophic.

- Somerset , NJ, USA

problem #13

Jun 082023

Highlander

  • miles
I was involved In a rear collision that then pushed me into a front end collision. The airbags and seat belts did not deploy or lock.

- Richmond Hill, GA, USA

problem #12

Sep 142022

Highlander

  • miles
UNKNOWN We have had the vehicle for just over 2 years and out of the blue we get a SRS airbag warning indicator that says visit the dealership. The dealership says that it is $2300 to repair a wiring harness that they Are unsure of the location though. The vehicle has 86,000 miles on it which is 26,000 miles over coverage for that part. In my opinion this is the part that should not fill this early and should still be covered. Much less the SRS components should never fail. We are forced to drive with a warning indicator that comes on every five seconds and blocks all the other information.

- Celina , TX, USA

problem #11

Sep 172022

Highlander

  • miles
I was traveling down the road, when a car hit my car in the back passenger door. My car was pushed onto the curb and it hit a tree. My car was totaled and it was a hit and run. The air bags didn't go off and my dad and I were hurt. I reported it to Toyota and the car was put on hold be the insurance company. There were no warning lights and the emergency stop didn't work. the car had 15000 on it and it was inspected in Jan. 2022.

- Villanova, PA, USA

problem #10

Sep 172022

Highlander

  • miles
A car hit me on the back passenger door. My car was pushed to the curb where I hit a tree and the air bags didn't go off. My dad was injured bad.

- Villanova, PA, USA

problem #9

Feb 282021

Highlander

  • 33,000 miles
The contact owns a 2018 Toyota Highlander. The contact stated that while at a standstill, another vehicle driving at 50 mph crashed into the front driver side of vehicle. There were no warning lights illuminated and the air bags failed to deploy. There were 5 injured reported and 3 needed medical treatment. A police report was filed the vehicle was towed to police lot. The manufacturer was not informed of failure. The failure mileage was approximately 33,000.

- Phoenix, AZ, USA

problem #8

Aug 302020

Highlander

  • 17,500 miles
SUV was in a crash and hit a tree mid front bumper with significant damage to the front of SUV. Damage appears to be from the front passenger compartment forward. Driver was wearing seatbelt and no airbag deployed of any kind in any area of the SUV. Driver hit the steering wheel and was injured. Vehicle was in forward motion at an unknown rate of speed. Waiting to see if SUV will be a total loss via insurance company. Component system that appears to be S cause of this safety issue is the air bag system.

- New Smyrna Beach, FL, USA

problem #7

Feb 232020

Highlander

  • 21,000 miles
Slammed on the breaks and the car kept going and crashed into another car infront of me. There was at least 300 feet distance from the time I slammed on the breaks till the crash. I was going on highway about 50 mph.

- Levittown, NY, USA

problem #6

Jan 252020

Highlander

  • 23,340 miles
We were involved in a motor vehicle accident on 01/25/2020 where we experienced a front impact collision, and the airbags did not deploy. We were in motion in the left turning lane of a two lane road, the adverse vehicle pulled out from a parking lot on the right, crossed two lanes of traffic right into the front of our vehicle causing us to collide. The force of the collision was so hard that the engine mount on the top side has broken away from the engine, I projected forward and my glasses flew from my face. My wife and I have bumps and bruises, issues with our backs, shoulder and wrist pain. During the imppact the airbags failed to deploy. The insurance adjuster has declared the vehicle a total loss. When we spoke with the body shop they stated that they could not believe that the airbags did not go off with this type of impact.

- Harrison, AR, USA

problem #5

Jan 282020

Highlander

  • 22,000 miles
I was involved in a motor vehicle accident on 1/28/20 where I sustained a direct, front impact collision, and the airbags failed to deploy. I was in motion on a city street, accelerating forward through a green-lit intersection when a large Dodge Ram truck turned in front of me causing our vehicles to collide. The impact was so heavy that it caused my body to project forward and upwards. My son's glasses flew off his face and all cups in cup holders flew across the car. My son complained of the seatbelt hurting his shoulder, and I sustained bruises on my legs and arms. Upon this impact, no airbags were deployed. This car was determined by the adjuster to be a total loss. The insurance investigator stated he was 'shocked' the airbags did not deploy on such a 'gnarly' collision. The insurance adjuster reported that he was 'flabbergasted' the airbags did not deploy due to the severity of the impact.

- Broken Arrow, OK, USA

problem #4

Mar 202019

Highlander

  • 25 miles
And light stay blinking

- Norcross, GA, USA

problem #3

Jul 072018

Highlander

  • 2,200 miles
Recently involved in an accident when going in reverse. The SRS alarm malfunctioned and the airbags did not deploy. The reverse braking system did not indicated that I was close to the object.

- Ephrata, PA, USA

problem #2

May 122018

Highlander

  • 3,000 miles
I was recently in a vehicle accident in my 2018 Toyota Highlander with the pre-collision system. The pre-collision system was working well through out our trip but unfortunately did not work when it was most needed. We were involved in a pile up on interstate I-5 going at least 45mph and noticed that the pre-collision system that is so much being advertised did not work at all. There was no warning what so ever and definitely did not break on it's own as advertised. At the time of the hit the airbags deployed a little to late at least the passenger one where I was sitting. I am aware that we should not rely on those items but I sure wish it would have worked the way it was intended to do so.

- Puyallup, WA, USA

problem #1

Jan 182018

Highlander

  • miles
Toyota sinne

- Raleigh, NC, USA