This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.
So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.
I purchased the car in 2020 with 73K miles on it. It has sporadically had incidents of unintended acceleration. I happens when I slow for a stop sign, red light, or crosswalk. My foot is on the brake when this occurs, the engine then goes into high gear and no amount of pressure on the brake will stop it. I put the car in park and turn the key off. There are no warning lights. It has happened more frequently in 2024. On [XXX], I tried to come to a stop at a crosswalk in Plymouth MA. The UA occurred, putting the folks in the crosswalk and myself in danger. The next day I contacted the dealer and Toyota. The upshot - they said the car is fine, it must be my mats or shoes or something that is not their fault. I've been driving Toyotas for 40 years, I've never had a mat or shoe problem. There is something faulty with the acceleration/braking system. The last occurrence was [XXX] in Plympton MA. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
The issue started when the car was over 84,000 miles. The engine burns excessive oil. I have to add oil every 2200 miles. When I press on the gas pedal to rev the car, oil come out of the tail pipe. When I went to the dealer that they are aware of the issue but they did not make any recommendations. Online several owner of this model have changed the engine or replaced pistons. I have never gotten the check light on even when no oil is on the dip stick. I have to check the oil every time I fill up my gas tank as a precaution. My concern is that I could be stranded or the car overheat and cause a fire.
Engine is burning/consuming oil excessively; no leaks or any other unusual symptoms found. I was on an interstate highway and all of a sudden engine sound changed and excessive knocking started. No OIL LOW LEVEL or CHECK ENGINE light turned on. Yes the problem is persistent now and was verified by an independent (ASE Certified) service provider. No waning lamps or messages displayed.
I am known by Toyota experts and my local mechanics as someone who takes excellent care of my vehicle, but unfortunately I am completely blown away when I was driving my car and suddenly it stopped and couldn-??t start, after I tolled it to my mechanic, he told me the engine seized and it needs replacement. The cost is about $4000. I don-??t have that kind of money and it has been seating in my driveway. I don-??t understand how a very well maintained engine will just give out without any warning signs.
Oil consumption/oil pressure issue. Started suddenly maybe in 2020. My oil pressure light would come on -??turn off car immediately-??. Took it to dealer, told me I have no oil. Then it kept happening. No notice of low oil, and well within 3 months/3000 miles. Toyota did an oil consumption test at 1500miles, no issue. Then, took my car in shortly after because oil pressure light came on. They told me to get a new engine. Possible see the PVC valve, but once in there likely a new engine is needed. No wear/tear, or obvious age of use. Engine just started consuming oil. I googled it. It seems to be an issue with Highlanders. But I-??ve never seen a recall on it. Pretty much living on oil changes every 2 months to keep my engine running. And this whole time, my engine light has never turned on.
- Chicago, IL, USA
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As I begin driving and come to stop it tends to rev up and then drops back to normal. It feels like vehicle revs up a little while you are trying to stop it by pressing the brake pedal.it feels like vehicle does not want to stop and you have the feelings to press the brake even harder.
Checked oil last week also dealer supposedly changed oil couple days ago yellow triangle light came on it was just bought so unfamiliar with the warning lights tried to look up told me nothing. Today I left a friends house (3miles ) she called and said I left massive oil leak left on her driveway. Sure enough I looked on my driveway and I also had huge oil leak lucky she called me I could have blown the engine or it could have caught fire if I had driven it any farther or she didn't tell me proceeded to look up common Toyota Highlander problems. And there it was saying massive oil leaks from the line exploding also said that the repair Toyota gives to fix the problem has problems too I'm assuming this is what the problem is I'm lucky I was not out on highway having it towed tommorow the picture is at her house she sent after I left. My driveway oil leak is twice that size
Head gasket cracked, leaking coolant into 5th cylinder. The reason for a PO305 misfire code on reader. Auto shop removed head gasket and saw that the finish on the engine block was horrible. They called Toyota themselves to file a complaint and have them replace that side of the block. Auto shop doesn't feel comfortable replacing head gasket without Toyota fixing the finish. If the finish is as is, head gasket will eventually crack again. Highlander was bought brand new and only has 73K miles.
Bought vehicle 'certified' on 04/20/17 and first oil change 06/30/17 corrosion on battery terminal notated. New battery purchased. 05/25/17, corrosion is again notated. Vehicle has been through 2 separate oil changes and no corrosion notated. Now dealer is stating verbally $5800 to fix terminals and cable due to battery acid and corrosion leading to electrical damage. Harness damage. Flaw of this vehicle is all components are interconnected. Rep will not put in writing, but is saying major hazard. Toyota will give only $2500 towards cost. Not driving car at this time.
I am asking that the NHTSA investigate the 2013 Highlander limited for the ability to turn off the car while in "drive" after parking. We purchased our car new form the dealer, and ever since we have been able to turn the car off the vehicle after parking but in "drive" which has led to the car unintentionally rolling downhill on several times. On two occasions it has led to the car not restarting. We have asked our local dealer and service people, at Toyota of seattle, about this several times and have been told, albeit with inconstant reasoning, that the car was designed to have this capability. We have two small children and to us this seem extremely dangerous, as the only way to be alerted to the fact that you've left the car in "drive", other than the vehicle rolling, is a beep sound. However, this beep is the exact same sound alert you get when your lights are on, or a door is open, or you're running out of gas -- making it a common sound that does not signify a dangerous situation. Also, often this sound does not register in the brain until you are out of the vehicle, because the same sound is used to alert that a door has been opened before the car was turned off. In which case, the noise goes away after you get out and close the door. We have had several occasions where our children have gotten out of the parked vehicle while we're trying to determine the source of the beep and then the car will start rolling. I am a careful person, so given my innumerable close calls with this issue I encourage you to investigate this issue before someone is killed. Thank you of your time. Sincerely, [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).
Upon entering into car after it had been parked I smelled gasoline. Wife said she had just filled up before coming home and perhaps spilled some. I got out of vehicle and checked and saw small puddle of gasoline where car had been parked. Moved car away from house and raised hood to vent engine compartment. I removed front skid plate/panel to find leak and allow further air circulation. I power cycled key and saw fuel leak again. After further investigation found were main fuel line was misting onto engine and surrounding parts. Leaks were coming from middle portion of hose and not at connections. Next day I had my car towed to the dealer. They suspected rodent damage. Upon inspection there was no evidence of "chewing" or other type of external damage. A replacement line was ordered and installed. I was charged for the repairs. I have kept the original fuel line for further investigation. Dealer had no explanation of the cause of the failure. I feel blessed that we did stop when we did otherwise it would of resulted in an gasoline fed engine fire because of the gas spraying onto the exhaust and other hot engine parts in a confined area.
Vehicle hesitates when accelerating, usually when making a turn from a stop or moving slowly. It is especially hazardous when trying to make a left turn in front of oncoming traffic. Has happened multiple times, not just the date below. The dealer can not duplicate the problem. We bought the car in early 2014 new, and noticed this problem before 5,000 miles. The car now has 22,000 miles and it still does this intermittently.
The car has burned 1 qt of oil every 1500 milles or so since day1... Toyota will do nothing to repair the internal engine problem as they say it is acceptable per them to burn 1 qt every 1200??
The contact owns a 2013 Toyota Highlander. While driving approximately 65 mph, the cruise control was engaged and the rpms increased rapidly to 5,000 for a brief moment and then resumed normally. The failure occurred when driving up an incline and also without the cruise control activated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who was unable to duplicate the failure. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 8,000. The VIN was unavailable.
While attempting to turn from a side road onto a main road, I needed to accelerate to blend into the faster moving traffic. While attempting to accelerate the engine acted like the gas pedal had not been pressed but maintained the previous slow engine speed despite the gas pedal being finally pressed to the floor. While maintaining the full gas pedal position the engine finally revved up and the SUV lurched forward. I have not been placed yet into a hazardous situation, but that is becoming a reality. This hesitation has recurred more than twenty times since then. No, I have not taken this to Toyota since they appear to have no concern for the many fine folks reporting similar engine stalling.
I purchased the 2013 Highlander new from a dealer in vienna, va in July 2013. The auto started a string of engine hesitancy to accelerate problems at around 5,000 miles which was reported to the dealer at the 5,000 mile check-up and again at the 7,500 mile checkup. The service department could not duplicate the problem and gave the engine a clean bill of health. We moved to mn in May 2014 and the hesitancy of the car to move (accelerate) from a stopped position for several seconds after engaging the gas petal continues and is increasing in frequency. The car has been taken in to the local Toyota dealer on three occasions with the same answer that there is no problem with the car. I have been in two near accidents while pulling out in traffic on to a high speed divided highway and consider this a very serious safety issue. It happens randomly, (three times this past week), but a pattern has developed - most incidents occur while idling at intersections for some time waiting for traffic to clear, traffic lights, etc, and then making a left hand turn onto the roadway. The car has exhibited this behavior only a couple times while making a right hand turn from a idling start. The sensation is that the engine stalled and no matter what is done with the gas petal nothing happens for anywhere up to 4-5 seconds. With traffic moving at 60 miles an hour and one is attempting to merge into traffic, a five second delay brings the on-coming traffic almost 450 feet closer to one before the car starts to move requiring more distance in traffic gaps to overcome a potential stall in the roadway. I have come across another local owner with the same problem and note at least 15 other complaints on the web of almost the exact circumstances. What does it take for Toyota to recognize this as a safety issue? updated 12/12/2017
I rear ended a car in front of me. Damage minimal to his car. My Highlander sustained over 10 thousand dollar front damage. My air bags did not deploy.
I purchased a new 2013 Toyota Highlander limited in November 2013. A few days later, upon accelerating from a stop into a left turn, the engine cut off for a few seconds while entering traffic. This happened a couple more times before the first checkup, at which time I informed the service technician, problem was noted on service sheet, but when service was completed, they said they could find no problem. The hesitation continued, quite randomly, and seemed to happen in left turn, accelerating situations. At next service and checkup (different dealer) I told them about the problem and it was written up again with same result, no problem could be found. This has been reported to dealer at least three times, no results, no action taken, no problem found. I consider this a dangerous situation, especially when merging into traffic. Based on information I have seen, it appears that Toyota should address this problem asap.
The contact owns a 2013 Toyota Highlander. The contact stated that while driving 55 mph, the vehicle suddenly stalled. Also, the contact mentioned that the headlights and instrument panel light intermittently failed. The vehicle was taken to the dealer. The technician was unable to duplicate the failure. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and current mileage was 16,000.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Plympton, MA, USA