10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
3 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
1 / 0
Average Mileage:
8,083 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

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.

2019 Toyota Highlander engine problems

engine problem

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2019 Toyota Highlander Owner Comments (Page 1 of 3)

problem #41

Jun 262024

Highlander

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

While driving my car, the check engine light turned on and my car listed hybrid system malfunction as a flashing indicator. It lost all power in the middle of the road and I was unable to drive and move vehicle. This is the third incident with the same problem since purchasing.

- Syracuse, UT, USA

problem #40

Oct 202023

Highlander

  • miles
The car turns off when driving which was supposed to be corrected by recall. It doesn-??t appear the recall has been successful in correcting the issue. I actually am not 100% sure they actually swapped out the recall part so I-??d like that checked. I also purchased a new battery from the dealer about 3 weeks ago and the problem actually got worse in that it stalls while driving or resets the computer while driving at least once a week.

- Petaluma, CA, USA

problem #39

Sep 262023

Highlander

  • miles
Originally, 2019 Toyota Highlander lost engine power, steering, and braking on U.S. Route 30, a very busy highway. Managed to pull off side of road AND WAITED. AFTER A FEW MOMENTS CAR STARTED AND RAN AS EXPECTED.Took to local dealer who had the car for several days, but couldn't identify the problem. This instance was 2020/2021. Fast forward to this past September 26th. Pulling out of a private parking lot the car stalled exactly as it had previously.This complete failure of engine is going to get me killed. Further I now notice my dash lights are dimming for no reason then coming back to bright. Now I read where other Highlander are doing the exact thing. I have a car, I'm afraid to drive.

- Valparaiso, IN, USA

problem #38

Sep 062023

Highlander

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Experience "dead zones" in accelerator pedal movement. Experience "no acceleration" with first 1-2 inches of travel from idle position. This is constant and does not vary noticibly with speed. I was driving in an suburban shopping area in York PA with three lanes of travel in each direction. I intended to move from the laft hand lane to the center lane. I indicated my intentions and waited for an opening. I was travelling about 35-40mph. When an opening came along, I steered into the indended lane, but depressing the accelerator to increase my speed, no acceleration occurred. I then panicked and depressed the pedal quicker, and the ensuing acceleration nearly catapaulted me into the semi truck in the center lane ahead of me. I missed the truck by inches. I have had this issue evaluated at Bennett Toyota in Lebanon PA, and the Lancaster Toyota, the dealer who sold me the vehicle in May of 2023, is aware of the issue. Bennett Toyota service department tried to fix the issue by replacing the brake switch. That did not alleviate the problem. I have had several other instances when pulling into traffic when the delayed acceleration caused me issues but no accidents. I believe this issue is related to the selectable "snow" driving function. I think the system is somehow stuck in the "snow" mode at all times. I may have substantiated this today when I experimented with the "snow" function while driving at about 45 mph. When I select the "snow" mode while driving, the accelerator "dead zone" actually gets worse. Bennett Toyota Service response is "it drives like any other Highlander". If that is so - this is truly a huge issue with "drive by wire" tachnology...!!! As a note, at Bennett Toyota I did drive a 2019 Highlander privately owned by the service manager and it did indeed have the dead zone in the acelerator - a fact that the service manager admitted to me verbally. I have read many instances of this issue in chats online.

- Lebanon, PA, USA

problem #37

Jul 082023

Highlander

  • miles
While I am driving my Toyota Highlander XLE 2019 in a parking lot to park my car, I stopped to yield to people crossing and I slowed down and applied brake, but my car stopped and unable to restart as car display showing an error - Braking Power Low I unable to star the car and ended up towing to Toyota Dealer ship in Plano, TX I am still waiting for Dealer to check on and advise on the issue I feel this is huge safety issue as car can stop in middle of traffic or on busy highway with out any warning and can cause a serious accident I am really pissed off at Toyota quality

- Little Elm, TX, USA

problem #36

Dec 122022

Highlander 6-cyl

  • miles
This is a 2019 hybrid Highlander and the vehicle continually stalls or won-??t start and we get a warning message that the hybrid system has stopped working and to put car in Park and restart. While this is happening regularly during startup, fortunately this has only happened once with the vehicle in Drive but represents a serious safety concern for us! We were being assigned to Germany and reported the issue to our local Toyota dealer who couldn-??t duplicate the problem and said that the Toyota engineers said it couldn-??t happen. Since arriving in Germany, the problem during startup has occurred on almost a daily basis. Last occurrence was this evening, 12 Dec 22.

- Oak Island, NC, USA

problem #35

Aug 162022

Highlander

  • 40,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The contact owns a 2019 Toyota Highlander. The contact stated while his wife was driving in a parking lot at approximately 2 MPH, the vehicle suddenly accelerated without the contact's wife having depressed the accelerator pedal. The vehicle crashed into a railing in the garage. The contact stated his wife had not noticed any warning lights. The vehicle had minor damage to the front grill and bumper there were scrapes and dents on the driver's side front fender and also to the passenger side front fender. The vehicle was drivable. The contact drove the vehicle to a local dealer, the vehicle had not been diagnosed. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 40,000.

- Tucson, AZ, USA

problem #34

May 292022

Highlander

  • miles
Battery constantly keeps dying. I have already bought two new batteries. I have been stranded because my car would not start. For no reason and never know when it will happen but battery will drain and not crank

- Attalla, AL, USA

problem #33

May 262022

Highlander

  • miles
When running, after stopping at a stop sign, the car hesitates to go, kind of sputters. When turning the car on, the lights on the dash flicker and now the car won-??t start. On days prior, you would turn the car key, but the car wouldn-??t start on the first time. It sounded like it wouldn-??t turn all the way on, like the battery died. I didn-??t leave the radio on or anything that would warrant that.My safety was put at risk because I work in healthcare and get off work at midnight so if I broke down or stalled in traffic, this could cause an accident.

- Santa Maria, CA, USA

problem #32

Nov 302021

Highlander

  • miles
I was driving and stopped at a red light on 4 lane intersection (very busy). I went to press on the gas and my car would not move. I put it in park and and then back in drive. It still did not move. It "died". I looked at the dash and it said "electrical system - move over to a safe place". My car would not start - I could not move it. I was stuck in the middle of the street -scared out of my mind. I had to call 911 and they told me someone already called for me and the police were on their way. When the police came he told me to stay in my car and he would stay behind me. There were no warning lights or anything to let me know that this was going to happen. If there was, I would not be in the middle of a 4 lane road. Toyota states it is the start-stop battery system. This is completely unsafe.

- Naperville, IL, USA

problem #31

Nov 012020

Highlander

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Erratic steering - Steering response is unpredictable when changing lanes, especially at highway speeds. Stall out on hard acceleration - such as accelerating from an entrance ramp onto an interstate. Glare on navigation screen - creates hazard when shading screen by hand to see it while driving.

- Palm Harbor, FL, USA

problem #30

Oct 012021

Highlander 6-cyl

  • miles
Since having recall work done my vehicles computer system has not been functioning the same. My vehicle has been stalling out and saying braking power low, stop in a safe place, charging system malfunction. I-??ve reached out to Haley Toyota 8301 Midlothian Turnpike, Richmond, VA 23235 where the diagnostic was done and let them know of the error code I was given ( P0335) Crankshaft Position Sensor -??A-?? Circuit. I took it in for diagnostic there and they told me they couldn-??t find any issues with my vehicle, ( picked up Oct.3, 2021). It-??s Oct.4, 2021 and here I am at Sams Club trying to leave but my vehicle will not start. I contacted Toyota again and let them know of the same issue and they said to once again bring it in for diagnosing. I asked the gentleman on the phone if they had previously had it for a week and didn-??t seem to find any issues with it after doing diagnostic then what were they planning on doing differently. My vehicle is under warranty and I-??m trying to figure out who and where I can take it to to get some answers.

- Midlothian , VA, USA

problem #29

Sep 182021

Highlander

  • miles
I was involved in an accident that I believe was caused by sudden unintended acceleration (sua). In a very busy commercial parking lot, I was pulling into a parking space proceeding at a very slow speed, when there was a sudden surge in acceleration accompanied by a grinding/acceleration sound. I hit the brake to no effect, and the vehicle jumped the curb and hit a building shop and entered the shop. The air bags did not deploy, and I was shaken up but not injured. Thankfully, there was no one at the front desk area of the business. The car was not drivable and was towed to a body shop.

- Virginia Beach , VA, USA

problem #28

Sep 132021

Highlander 6-cyl

  • miles
Our 2019 Highlander xle ( VIN [XXX]) is currently at the Lonestar service department. Service Rep ([XXX]), Assistant Sales Manager [XXX], and [XXX], were fully advised of the stall problems of our vehicle on 9/13/2031. Our paperwork on previous tall repairs were left with [XXX]. On 9/13/2021, we left our 2019, Highlander XLE in the Toyota Lonestar Service department, Lewisville, Texas, for stalling (would not drive) repairs. They were fully notified of several stall episodes. The most recent stall was while driving, 30 mph in Denton, Texas, in heavy traffic, in the middle of an intersection. My wife was terrified when the car stalled. The screen went black. Her car mileage was 9344 mileage at this most recent problem 9/2021. My wife when she starts the car leaving the house. She always going through the procedure to turn off the "start/stop" function, before leaving our residence ("manually turns off the auto stop-start feature"). This vehicle has stalled, several times, in heavy traffic while wife was driving, putting my wife in personal danger. The vehicle is very much at risk of a serious traffic accident. The Toyota dealer, in Denton Texas, has been made aware this problem, when it was returned for service repairs several times. They have not fixed this on going problem at all. This car is a "Lemon". This problem has occurred (stalls occurred on 3/16/2021, and 3/26/2021, 5/17/2019)The care was taken to Lonestar Toyota and Denton Toyota for repairs on these stall occasions. My wife says there were additional stall episodes. The Denton Police have a report of my wife being stalled on I-35 in heavy traffic on 3/5/2021. We waited in a police car for four hours for a tow truck, because of dangerous fast traffic. My wife says two other police departments have similar reports of these stall episodes, when police responded, (Flower Mound Police was one she recalled. https://www.consumerreports.org/car-recalls-defec INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C.

- Denton, TX, USA

problem #27

Jul 132021

Highlander

  • miles
Driving under "normal" weather conditions when the check engine light warning along with the hybrid maintenance warning light. The car stalled while trying to safely pull to the side of the road. The vehicle was towed to the nearest Toyota dealership. They confirmed fuel pressure codes p0087, p107b, p3190. I was told Toyota has not issued any updates for this problem. So I am stuck with a car that isn't safe to drive, especially long distances.

- Washington, UT, USA

problem #26

Jul 022021

Highlander

  • 20,000 miles
My vehicle was not part of the fuel pump recall like the other 3.3M vehicles from Toyota. However, my vehicle exhibited the exact same symptoms as those cars and stranded me on the side of the road twice. This included pushing on the accelerator and getting no response from the car followed by numerous system warning lights including hybrid system malfunction, front collision system failure, and check engine light. Initially, the dealership could not find anything wrong when I first brought it to them. The second time it happened, I was able to bring the car in with the check engine light still on so they were able to diagnose it and are currently replacing the fuel pump. My car (and many others) should have been included in this recall, this is a huge safety issue as this had me stranded on the side of very busy highways twice plus not being able to accelerate in traffic.

- Fort Worth, TX, USA

problem #25

Nov 012020

Highlander

  • miles
Received notice of recall more than 60 days ago, NHTSA no.20V-682 "low pressure fuel pump may stall vehicle and cause crash" called both my dealership and Toyota with response of: "no date for remedy" I have travel planned and this 2019 Highlander should not be on the road for fear of crash. Why no positive result yet?

- Scottsdale, AZ, USA

problem #24

Aug 312020

Highlander

  • 5,000 miles
Although my car was new (only 11 months old) and less than 5000 miles, it had shut down completely while I was pulling out of a parking lot. I had to get it towed to the nearest Toyota dealership overnight. They told me it was my faulty fuel pump and that they had never seen that happen to such a new car before. Currently I have my check engine light on (my car has less than 6200 miles on it) and it only goes away when I put in a full tank of gas. After I drive about 2 miles, the check engine light turns on again. I am terrified my car engine will just die once I'm on the road, or worse, the freeway. I am unable to drive this car without that fear. Please see culver city Toyota records for proof of my fuel pump problem and engine dying. They also have record of my towing to that dealership the next day on Sept 1, 2020.

- La Mirada, CA, USA

problem #23

Oct 032020

Highlander

  • 6,250 miles
Lack of responsiveness in acceleration from a stop; sluggish response to pressing the accelerator when accelerating from a stop or while moving and attempting to pass slower moving vehicles; have nearly caused an accident more than once when turning/pulling out into traffic with plenty of space but unable to accelerate correctly. Also uneven shifting; transmission jerks when shifting gears.

- Mount Pleasant, SC, USA

problem #22

Sep 182020

Highlander

  • 15,000 miles
2019 Toyota Highlander hybrid. Today exactly one year from purchase it stalled on a busy public roadway for the 4th time. With the 4 incidents in June, July, & Sept 2020, the car, without warning 1."powered down" almost immediately to a dangerous slow point with no acceleration in response to pressing gas pedal in the following locations: A high traffic major urban bridge(40mph); interstate highway(75mph); coming into busy city intersection(5 -10mph); country highway (45mph) 2.power steering was slow and difficult. 3.master warning light activated. Audible tone/constant beeping activated. "hybrid system malfunction., pull over to safety, call dealer, check engine, pcs", and multiple other warnings. 4.within moments the car completely died (before I could seek legal and/or safe parking.) safe parking required multiple attempts. In July (Illinois) the car required towing off very busy interstate highway. Assessed as "no issues". within one hour a MINIseries of sputtering, choking, stallings in city intersection, dealership then kept our vehicle overnight. More lengthy diagnostics "threw" fuel codes. Bad gasoline? today car should have been towed but Toyota roadside assistance denied my VIN & phone# existed in their database. Home dealership confirms I am, without doubt, in database. During hour+wait for assistance, dash cleared of all warnings w/ ignition. Home dealership advised driving to closest dealership.5 miles. My car currently sits in a Missouri toy. Dealership w/ fuel pump suspect. I was told repairs could take up to a week. 97 fuel pumps currently back ordered in parts system. 20,500 miles/all service plan requirements met promptly. I have all inspection forms/service receipts. No ability to upload documents now but would like to be contacted by NHTSA for more information and to share service documents.

- Champaign, IL, USA

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