Page 5 of 5 · complaints 201–207 of 207

2013 Toyota Highlander complaints

Owner reports filed with NHTSA about this vehicle, newest first and reproduced as filed. They are unverified accounts: one proves nothing, and a pattern across many is the thing worth reading. Back to the full 2013 record →

Engine
Filed Sep 18, 20131,146 milesAL

WHEN TURNING LEFT OUT OF MY NEIGHBORHOOD I SLOWED DOWN AND THEN TRIED TO RETURN TO SPEED BUT THE VEHICLE HESITATED THEN SUDDENLY JERKED UP TO THE DESIRED SPEED. ONE OTHER TIME ON AN INTERSTATE I HAD TO SLOW DOWN BEHIND A TRUCK AND THEN WHEN I TRIED TO ACCELERATE BACK TO SPEED IN THE PASSING LANE THE CAR HESITATED FOR SEVERAL SECONDS AND AGAIN ACCELERATED RAPIDLY (CARS IN THE PASSING LANE HAD TO BRAKE QUICKLY. I COULD DESCRIBE OTHER TIMES BUT THE SAME THING (THE HESITATION AND THEN THE EXTREMELY RAPID ACCELERATION) I HAVE TAKEN IT DO THE DEALER BUT THEY SAID THAT THEY COULD NOT FIND ANYTHING.

Engine
Filed Aug 29, 20131,500 milesPA

THE VEHICLE HAS A HESITATION OR LACK OF ACCELERATION PROBLEM. IT OCCURS FROM A STOPPED POSITION OR A MOVING STATE. I HAVE HAD IT TO THE LOCAL TOYOTA DEALER 5 TIMES AND THEY HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO FIND THE PROBLEM. THEY WERE ABLE TO DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM. THEY HAVE BEEN IN TOUCH WITH TOYOTA BUT THEY SAY NO PROBLEMS EXIST, WHICH IS WHAT I HAVE COME TO EXPECT FROM TOYOTA CORPORATE. MY WIFE WAS ALMOST IN AN ACCIDENT ON THE INTERSTATE YESTERDAY, 08/28/2013. I WOULD ESTIMATE THAT THE PROBLEM HAS OCCURRED AT LEAST 10 TIMES SINCE WE PURCHASED THE VEHICLE IN JULY. THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE. THANK YOU IN ADVANCE FOR YOUR HELP ON THIS CONCERN. ALSO, THE DEALERSHIP IS GOING TO GIVE US A LOANER TODAY AND POSSIBLY JUST LET US RETURN THE VEHICLE. THEY HAVE BEEN GREAT, PALMIERRO TOYOTA.

Engine
Filed Aug 5, 2013600 milesOK

AT TOTALLY RANDOM TIMES, AFTER A FEW MILES OF DRIVING OR 100 MILES, VEHICLE HESITATES WHEN ACCELERATING. MOST ANNOYING AND DANGEROUS IS THE WAY IT DOESN'T RESPOND TO THE ACCELERATOR FOR A FEW SECONDS AFTER STOPPING AT A STOP SIGN OR STOP LIGHT. TOOK VEHICLE TO TOYOTA DEALERSHIP AND OF COURSE VEHICLE RAN FINE FOR THE 4 MILES THEY DROVE IT. TECH CHECKED FOR ANY TROUBLE CODES AND NONE WERE FOUND. THIS SEEMS LIKE A REAR-END ACCIDENT WAITING TO HAPPEN. FOR TEN DAYS WE HAVE GOTTEN NOTHING BUT THE RUN-AROUND FROM THE NATIONAL TOYOTA "CASE MANAGER". (AT FIRST WE THOUGHT THIS HESITATION OCCURRED BECAUSE THE VEHICLE WAS NEW, BUT AFTER 8,000 MILES, WE ARE STILL EXPERIENCING THE SAME ISSUE.) *TR

Visibility/Wiper
Filed Aug 2, 201357 milesNY

I TOOK DELIVERY OF A BRAND NEW TOYOTA HIGHLANDER LIMITED, WITH A DEFECTIVE WINDSHIELD. THERE WAS A DISTORTION IN THE GLASS WHICH CAUSED GREAT EYE STRAIN TO THE DRIVER. TOYOTA CORPORATE CLAIMED NOT TO KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT THIS. THE SERVICE MANAGER AT MY DEALERSHIP TOLD ME THAT THIS WAS HIS 3RD ON A HIGHLANDER. IT CREATED AN EFFECT SIMILAR TO WEARING THE WRONG PRESCRIPTION EYEGLASSES. *TR

Engine
Filed Jul 23, 20131,300 milesNJ

VEHICLE HESITATES WHEN ACCELERATING. DOES NOT HAPPEN ALL THE TIME, WHEN TRYING TO GET VEHICLE UP TO HIGHWAY SPEED WILL DEPRESS GAS PEDAL AND NOTHING WILL HAPPEN FOR 3-4 SECONDS, THEN ALL OF A SUDDEN VEHICLE WILL SPEED UP. THIS ONLY STARTED TO HAPPEN AFTER 1300 MILES . TOOK VEHICLE TO TOYOTA DEALERSHIP AND OF COURSE VEHICLE RAN FINE, TECH. CHECKED FOR ANY TROUBLE CODES AND NONE WERE FOUND. ALSO SINCE THIS STARTED TO HAPPEN MY GAS MILEAGE HAS DROPPED FROM 18 MILES A GALLON TO 15 MILES A GALLON. *TR

Visibility › Power Window Devices and Controls
Filed Jun 12, 2013800 milesID

WHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY, MY SON OPENED THE REAR PASSENGER WINDOW, WHEN HE OPENED THE WINDOW THE NOISE AND PRESSURE ON OUR EARS WAS UNBEARABLE, IT WAS LIKE AN EXTREMELY LOUD HELICOPTER NOISE. WE EVEN TRIED OPENING OTHER WINDOWS IN THE CAR TO REDUCE THE PRESSURE AND NOISE, WHILE THE NOISE AND PRESSURE WERE REDUCED IT WAS STILL VERY LOUD AND DISTRACTING. I CALLED THE TOYOTA DEALER WHERE WE BOUGHT THE CAR AND HE SAID ALL CARS DO THAT AND TO JUST OPEN ANOTHER WINDOW TO RELIEVE PRESSURE. WHEN I TOLD HIM WE TRIED THAT AND IT DID NOT WORK HE DID NOT HAVE ANY OTHER ANSWERS. THE DEALER GAVE ME A PHONE NUMBER TO TOYOTA SERVICE, I CALLED THEM AND THE REP SAID SHE HAD CHECKED AND THEY HAVE NEVER HEARD OF ANYTHING LIKE THAT. AFTER CHECKING ON THE INTERNET I HAVE FOUND MULTIPLE INSTANCES WHERE OTHER PEOPLE HAVE HAD THIS ISSUE, THE NOISE IS SO LOUD IT ACTUALLY HURTS YOUR EARS DRUMS. IF WE WERE TOLD ABOUT THIS ISSUE WHEN WE WERE PURCHASING THE CAR I DOUBT THAT WE WOULD HAVE BOUGHT IT. THE NOISE AND PRESSURE START AT APPROX. 35 MPH AND GETS WORSE THE FASTER YOU GO AND ONLY WHEN 1 OR BOTH OF THE REAR WINDOWS ARE DOWN. TOYOTA GAVE ME A CASE NUMBER AND TOLD ME TO TAKE THE CAR BACK TO DEALER SO THEY CAN DUPLICATE THE ISSUE BUT THE DEALER WAS/IS ALREADY AWARE OF THE ISSUE. WE FEEL THAT TOYOTA NEEDS TO IDENTIFY THE CAUSE AND OFFER A REPAIR OPTION, OTHER THAN NOT USING THE BACK WINDOWS AS THAT IS OUR ONLY OPTION AT THIS TIME. *TR

Service BrakesCrash
Filed Jun 5, 20134,500 milesCA

MY WIFE WAS MANEUVERING THE SUV INTO SMALL AREA PARKING LOT ONTO A CORNER SPACE, ON THE FIRST FORWARD AND BACK MOTION TO MANEUVER THE BRAKE WAS OK, THEN ON THE SECOND MANEUVER THE BRAKE DIDN'T WORK AND THE TIRE WENT OVER THE CONCRETE PARKING BLOCK THEN HITTING THE STRUCTURE OF THE DOCTORS OFFICE. EARLY ON IN THE DAY I WENT TO THE TOYOTA DEALERSHIP TO PURCHASE A HITCH AND WHEN ABOUT TO LEAVE THE PARKING BRAKE DIDN'T RELEASE COMPLETELY, TOLD SERVICE GUY AND SAID TO GET A CLIP AND HE ALSO COMMENTED THAT THE DEALERSHIP WHERE I BOUGHT MIGHT INSTALL WIRING ON THE LEFT PANEL PUSHING THE PLASTIC PANEL WHICH BLOCK THE RELEASE OF THE PARKING BRAKE. ORDERED THE CLIP TO HOLD THE PLASTIC. BY THE WAY THE TRUCK WAS PURCHASE IN JANUARY 2013 AT A TOYOTA DEALERSHIP IN SACRAMENTO. *TR

Reading these

NHTSA publishes every complaint as the owner wrote it and investigates only a fraction. Spelling, capitalisation and judgement are the filer’s own. What carries weight is repetition: the same component failing the same way across many filings, and whether the manufacturer eventually opened a recall for it.

Full record for the 2013 Toyota Highlander → · Every Highlander year → · How the figures are calculated →