10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 1
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
3,264 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.

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problem #6

Apr 082024

Highlander

  • miles
Car fire (total loss of vehicle) after hybrid malfunction. My family and I were traveling west bound on [XXX] near Crawfordsville Indiana on [XXX]. Trooper Chelsey Smith from the Indiana State Police (CAD # [XXX] ) came to the scene. Our car was traveling westbound at about 70 mph when I got a notification of "a malfunction in the electronic control of the engine, throttle, or automatic transmission has been detected. Contact your Toyota dealer to have your vehicle inspected" - I acknowledged the alert and kept driving, then it showed again 30 seconds later and acknowledged again. About 30 seconds later I received a "Hybrid System Alert" stating "A malfunction in the Hybrid System has been detected. Stop in a save location and contact your Toyota dealer to have your vehicle inspected". The vehicle then notified me that it was reducing power output and we went from 70 to 20 mph in a few minutes. Then while we were going about 20 mph, the vehicle notified me that its going to come to a stop and shut off its power. I engaged the brakes and before coming to a full stop, thick brown smoke came out from the hood on the drivers side. Vehicle cam to a stop and we all jumped out of the vehicle. Within 30 seconds, the car had flames coming out of hood and front drivers side quarter panel. The fire then moved through the vehicle. Fire department came about 10 min later, but worked on it for 30+ mins to put out. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

- Mcfarland, WI, USA

problem #5

Jun 022024

Highlander

  • 17,781 miles
The contact owns a 2022 Toyota Highlander. The contact stated that while driving 70 MPH in the fast lane, the steering wheel failed to respond as needed while attempting to turn to the left or the right. Additionally, the brakes became inoperable and the vehicle decelerated. The contact stated that several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The contact was able to veer to the shoulder, and the vehicle shut off. The contact called Roadside Assistance and was informed that the battery needed to be replaced. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who informed the contact that the failure was due to the engine. The contact called the local dealer, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 17,781.

- Hawthorne, CA, USA

problem #4

Jun 012023

Highlander

  • miles
The breaking system doesn-??t take effect in speed and turn and when you leave the acceleration and the speed increase and loose control. Also the electrical system is damage not with seven month of brand new highlander hybrid. The rear cross traffic control and blind spot warning are coming. These is a serious electrical problem under 11,000 miles brand new vechile

- Pflugerville , TX, USA

problem #3

Nov 102022

Highlander

  • miles
While driving on the highway the entire dashboard warning system came on all the ADAS and messages saying braking failure to loss of control. This vehicle is not even three months old and is a platinum AWD vehicle fully loaded version. Toyota Dealership never mentions or stated this vehicle had any issues, even today they seem not to know what caused the vehicle to underperform. This is dangerous and this vehicle going at 65 MPH and unable to stop is a real danger to the occupants and others. They say its safe to drive, I disagree for the safety of all indivduals on the roadways.

- Auburn, AL, USA

problem #2

Oct 082022

Highlander 6-cyl

  • miles
While having the eco system on, with the active system present by firmly pressing the brake hard at a stoplight, the light turned green. while taking my foot off the brake and the engine turning back on, attempting to accelerate the transmission would not allow me to get through the intersection turning left. I pulled to the far left/slow lane to stay out of other traffic. The vehicle would not allow me to go past 40mph, and the rpm-??s would rev between 2000-3000 at low speeds between 10-25 mph. I had my 1 1/2 year old with me in his car seat, and it would have been tragic should this happen on the freeway and this kind of situation happened. Attempting to take it to the dealership, the truck even had trouble going over some railroad tracks with a small mound present. The dealership checked out the vehicle and called it operator error, after inspecting the reported malfunctions and finding nothing. This will not be operator error when someone is seriously injured, or if it happens to be one of their family members driving a similar vehicle.

- Merced, CA, USA

problem #1

Jan 052022

Highlander

  • 1,800 miles
The contact owns a 2022 Toyota Highlander. The contact stated while driving 35-40 MPH and attempting to accelerate to enter the highway, the accelerator pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle responded sluggishly. The vehicle emitted abnormal sounds as though the transmission was in neutral. The contact depressed the accelerator pedal all the way to the floorboard and the vehicle responded as intended. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact was able to continue driving. Additionally, the contact stated that while driving 40 MPH, the brake pedal was depressed but hesitated to respond, causing 20 feet stopping distance delay. The contact stated that the failure mainly occurred in wet conditions, snowy conditions while driving approximately 60 MPH. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and test driven. The dealer informed the contact that though the vehicle was sluggish, it was not concerning. However, the failure reoccurred increasingly. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for a second and third time. The dealer test drove the vehicle and informed the contact that they could not duplicate the failure. Additionally, the contact stated that there was a strong burning wire coating smell coming from grill radiator while driving approximately 60 MPH. The contact stated that there was a metallic rotating sound coming from the air conditioning vent while using the heat. The contact stated that the sound persisted after turning off the vehicle. The contact also stated that there was an abnormal sound coming from the rear passenger-??s side subframe while reversing. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and a case was opened. The contact was awaiting a call back. The failure mileage was approximately 1,800.

- Milwaukee, WI, USA