Page 6 of 7 · complaints 251–300 of 322

2020 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 2020 record →

Service Brakes
Filed Mar 19, 2023WI

When I am using the brakes an a medium rate the vehicle will loose its brakes for a second causing a loss of control on the vehicle. This happens randomly and caused us to almost go off a culvert of a driveway once. It has scared us many times to thinking we were going to hit the car in front of us. It makes my wife sick every time it happens. Smart motors and regional techs from Toyota have looked into this issue and determined this to be a “feeling” and not a safety hazard. This is not the case and needs to be fixed before someone gets hurt. Lane Keeping assist is unusable. When it is turned on it fights with the driver. It will swerve back in forth in its lane and sometimes so bad it feels like the car would roll if it was not turned off and got worse. Every once in a while it will try to take an exit on the highway by itself. Date of incident in questionnaire is approx to the last time it happened. It has happened too many times to count. Vehicle mileage is when we first started really having issues with the brakes. Lane assist is an always thing.

Service Brakes
Filed Mar 9, 2023SC

We purchased the highlander a few days ago from a Toyota dealership. There are currently no recalls that have not been addressed and the car seemed to be in great condition. Driving the last few days there have been times that the brakes just don't function properly. I went online to see if this was an issue that had been reported. I found this description below and it is exactly my experience as well. This site has the other complaints that match my experience. Feeling like you don't have brakes for a few seconds is going to lead to accidents. I have a 2005 Highlander and I am sad I spent so much money and would feel safer driving my old car. It has not been confirmed by a dealer, or inspected, and there are no lights on the vehicle. I don't know where to go for an honest assessment. https://m.carcomplaints.com/Toyota/Highlander/2020/brakes/service_brakes.shtml I have experienced brake issues, on any slight decline where the braking system will let up as if the braking is not working for a moment, and also, a jerk forward once stopped. This will lead to an accident and potentially, a pedestrian getting hurt if not addressed. I took it to the dealer and they stated they could not replicate the issue, therefore, did not run diagnostics on the vehicle and will do nothing else for me. I have great concern this will lead to an accident and after 30 years of driving, I'm having to constantly think of leaving enough room between myself and other cars to avoid an accident, and adequ

Unknown or Other
Filed Feb 15, 2023CA

The driver side mirror shakes and vibrates while driving. This is distracting and makes it difficult to concentrate on surroundings. This happens at all speeds. My dealership said that it is normal, but I see many other people on forums have similar complaints. The passenger side mirror does not rattle.

Power TrainCrash
Filed Feb 12, 2023OH

I pulled my vehicle into the driveway and stopped outside of the garage. I stepped out to fold my mirrors on both sides of the vehicle as the garage is very narrow. I also need to unload my belongings from the rear hatch. I walked around to the Right side mirror, folded it and headed to unload the hatch when the vehicle PULLED ITSELF INTO THE GARAGE; literally! I could not open the doors as they lock and the space is so narrow. The vehicle stopped when it hit the back wall of the garage. I immediately opened the door and turned the vehicle off. The Vehicle sounds an alarm and shows the message "Shift to park" if not in Park. This did not happen. I sat in the car putting my sunglasses away and unplugging my phone before exiting. If I had not put the vehicle in Park, I would have heard and seen the warnings immediately and the car would have moved immediately; not 30-60 seconds after exiting. Note: our driveway is flat

Air BagsCrash2 injured
Filed Feb 6, 2023KY

Air bags didn’t deploy in severe accident. Vehicle is available for inspection. Air bags not deploying in accident could have led to injuries. No service or dealerships has seen the vehicle. Police didn’t inspect the vehicle. Insurance company is going to look at the vehicle on February 13, 2023. No indication of any service lights for air bags on vehicle’s dash.

Wheels
Filed Dec 30, 2022WI

Case #11497584, All 4 tires Brigestone 235/55R20 102V cracked(DOT 4919, Thread 6/32-7/32). Numerous report of this tires exploding. load index 102 is Max load 1874 Lb at 44 PSI. Manufacturing label is 36 PSI, GAWP RR 3405. At 36 PSI(load inflation table) tire capacity is 1620 Lb which is show that GAWP 3405/2=1702.5 LB is ALREADY OVERLOAD each rear tire by 82.5 LB. If you add 5000 Lb trailer(tongue load 10%=500 Lb) then rear tire will be overloaded 82.5+500/2=332.5 Lb. This is 332.5/1874=17.7% All Toyota Highlander 4th generation LIMITED & PLATINUM should be removed from the road an emergency. The contact stated that their wife drives the vehicle majority of the time. The contact also expressed concerns about the tires not being able to support the weight of all 7 passengers or the weight of towing their boat.

Seat Belts
Filed Dec 17, 2022TN

Driver's seatbelt doesn't latch well and when latched it is very difficult to unlatch making you feel trapped in vehicle.

Tires
Filed Dec 15, 202220,000 milesWI

The contact owns a 2020 Toyota Highlander equipped with Bridgestone Tires, Tire line: Alenza Sport, Tire Size: 235/55/R20, DOT Number: 1W28AALA15019. The contact stated that the four tires cracked, due to a discrepancy between the stated weight capacity for the tires and the gross vehicle weight. The contact discovered the failure upon inspection of the vehicle and immediately stopped driving the vehicle. An independent mechanic was notified of the failure. The tire manufacturer was also notified of the failure, and the contact was provided a case number. The vehicle had was not repaired. The tire and vehicle failure mileage were approximately 20,000. The contact stated that their wife drove the vehicle majority of the time on local roads. The contact also expressed fears of the vehicle's tires not being able to support the weight of 7 passengers or being able to tow a boat.

Structure › Body
Filed Dec 2, 202212,300 milesMA

The contact's wife owns a 2020 Toyota Highlander. The contact stated while the vehicle was parked, his wife noticed that the front passenger's side carpeting was extremely wet. Upon investigating the failure, both the contact and his wife noticed that the carpeting underneath was extremely soaked. The contact stated that both he and his wife used towels to soak up the water. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the HVAC evaporator drain hose was clogged, which caused water to leak into the front passenger's side of the vehicle. The independent mechanic informed the contact that the failure was related to Toyota Technical Service Bulletin Number: 0080-19 (HVAC Evaporator Drain Hose Clogged Due to Insect Intrusion) and referred the contact to the dealer for the repair. The dealer and the manufacturer were notified of the failure and informed the contact that the repair could not be covered under warranty. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 12,300.

Service Brakes
Filed Oct 18, 2022CA

On several occasions the brakes will get very weak and you have to apply normal than normal pressure. There’s a second where it feels like the brakes have failed. All occasions have been on dry flat roads. This last occasion I was turning into a grocery store driveway and in the turn the brakes failed and I had to press hard and turn harder or I would have ran into the car leaving the driveway. It’s not the hybrid system. I’ve owned prior Toyota hybrid and the brakes don’t give out like this. Sometimes it’s less that 5MPh but it’s also done it at 10-15mph. Both times the batteries are not fully charged so there isn’t any reason why the regenerative breaking should be suddenly shutting off causing the breaks to feel soft.

Structure › Body
Filed Oct 2, 2022CA

While driving on the freeway, with no prior damage, the front bumper came lose and dragged under vehicle.

Service Brakes
Filed Sep 3, 2022CA

ECU system failure. Dealer ship is stating ECU system was damage from soda or coffee which is not accurate found a recall on this vehicles with the same issue our vehicle is having.

Unknown or Other
Filed Sep 1, 2022FL

The driver side mirror, yes available for inspection The mirror is shaking on higher speed makes it difficult to keep up with traffic around you No No No

Unknown or Other
Filed Aug 17, 2022VA

While driving at approximately 45 MPH on a multi-lane parkway in Virginia, my wife and I heard a loud explosion which I immediately assumed might be a tire blowout. However, the steering system seemed normal as I slowed the car and began a move toward the road's shoulder. Within 10-15 seconds we began to hear the sound of "rushing air" above our heads. To determine why we heard that sound we slowly retracted the interior cabin fabric "head cover" to expose our sunroof; as soon as the "head cover" had retracted an inch or two it was clear that we had a large hole in the sunroof forward panel and that the tempered glass had shattered. We immediately closed the "head cover" and continued forward to our home which was a few miles away. As we drove, more and more "glass shards" were falling to the topside of our head cover. Fortunately, with our fabric head cover closed when the sunroof "failed" we were not showered by glass. However, had we had the sunroof exposed, I believe we would have had small glass pieces fall into the cabin area and on our heads. I have called my insurance company (USAA) and they have processed my claim sending me to SAFELITE which in turn has forwarded my repair work to SUNROOF EXPRESS. I called my Toyota Dealership which told me the sunroof is no longer under warranty. I can only speculate that the failure was caused either by a "micro-defect" in the sunroof which over time and temperature changes (summer heat, interior cool from A/C, winter freeze, etc)

Service Brakes
Filed Aug 11, 2022MI

I have experienced brake issues, on any slight decline where the braking system will let up as if the braking is not working for a moment, and also, a jerk forward once stopped. This will lead to an accident and potentially, a pedestrian getting hurt if not addressed. I took it to the dealer and they stated they could not replicate the issue, therefore, did not run diagnostics on the vehicle and will do nothing else for me. I have great concern this will lead to an accident and after 30 years of driving, I'm having to constantly think of leaving enough room between myself and other cars to avoid an accident, and adequate room for a brake malfunction. I have another 2020 hybrid Toyota that does not have this issue. So, it is not an issue with all hybrids.

Unknown or Other
Filed Jul 28, 2022MN

Excessive tire wear was noted at 18,000 miles requirement replacement of tires. 25,000 miles later, the same tire wear problem has occurred on a set of tires rated at 65,000 miles. The west is much more predominant on the passengers side. Toyota has been informed and claims there is no problem with the vehicle, despite not inspecting the vehicle for other causes. This is a safety hazard, as with regular checkups, the tires were so low that one is at 0/32nd. Upon showing giving me the printout after measuring, the dealership told me I could drive on the tires a few more months. This is a major safety concern.

Unknown or Other
Filed Jul 23, 2022TX

Sunroof exploded (like the sound of a bomb), without warning, on 7/21/22, while driving the vehicle. The shards traveled upward, and broken tempered glass protrudes towards the sky. Size of hole (largest points) approx. 16" X 9". It was not a rock or any other debris that caused this--it was internal force. I reached out to the dealer on 7/21/22, and today with pictures, who will reach out to Toyota. No damage was done to the vehicle, to the best my knowledge, other than the sunroof.

Unknown or Other1 injured
Filed Jun 3, 2022WA

While driving around 60 MPH all the sudden I heard a loud explosion like a shot gun going off and then my sunroof exploding and shattering all over me and the interior of my car. There was no impact from another vehicle, rock, tree, anything. It just exploded into thousands of little pieces out of nowhere. It was terrifying. I was able to safely pull over. There were cuts experienced.

Service Brakes
Filed Jun 1, 2022MO

Several times while applying the brake, particularly when braking slowly and often either downhill or turning a corner, there seems to be a gap in the braking. It feels like I have let my foot of the brake, but I have not. It is very brief. I have taken this to the dealer and they indicated they were able to replicate it and tried to fix it, but the problem has continued. For the approximate date asked about below, it has probably happened at least 50 times and it's happened with our two household drivers.

Electronic Stability Control (esc)
Filed May 20, 2022HI

The contact owns a 2020 Toyota Highlander The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V239000 (Electronic Stability Control) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The dealer was made aware of the issue. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.

Structure › Body
Filed May 19, 2022WA

In April 2022, the sunroof on our 2020 Highlander Hybrid spontaneously exploded (without impact) while driving on the freeway. It was like a loud shotgun went off in the cab of our SUV. We were showered with glass and small cut to my wife's hand. Thankfully there was no traffic otherwise it could have easily caused an accident, putting us and others at risk. The local Toyota Dealership (where we purchased the car from in 2020) took photos (half the glass broke out, the remaining glass had glass shards pointed upwards like a volcano). The Service representative originally advised us that Toyota would likely pay to replace the sunroof and pay for our rental car (as we had just begun a 2-week trip), but then later refused, stating that the sunroof must have had a chip in it or was impacted (which were absolutely false claims). They stated that I must submit it to my insurance who they billed for $2,410 (sunroof assembly remove & replace, new glass, clean-up detail glass shards, supplies/materials, labor), and $500 of which I would have to pay for a deductible. After many difficult emails and telephone conversations, Toyota Corporate finally agreed to pay my $500 deductible but then later handed me a Goodwill Settlement Agreement to sign, stating the matter is resolved and I would take no further action. I refused to sign it, because I had a $1,900 Car Rental bill (less $450 from my insurance), that Toyota refused to pay. There were no warning messages or symptoms. It is a manufa

Structure › Body
Filed Mar 13, 2022NY

The front portion of the panoramic sunroof/moonroof blew out with a loud boom while my husband and I were driving on interstate 75 south in Florida. The flying glass could have injured us had the shade not been closed or if it had been raining and possibly caused an accident. I saw that another person had the same experience with a 2018 Toyota Highlander XLE with a panoramic moonroof listed on Toyota Nation on Oct 3, 2019. It has not yet been inspected. Insurance company was notified. No warnings or symptoms of the exploding moonroof occurred prior to the failure. It just happened today about 1 1/2-2hr ago.About 6pm.

Service Brakes
Filed Feb 28, 2022CA

When going downhill and applying the brakes slightly. You keep your foot constant on the brake pedal. Braking some. The car would suddenly release the brakes for a second or two at speed about 35-40 mph. Then it catches up the brakes again. This looks really dangerous when you drive. I don't like this at all. It happens regularly to me. Maybe once a week or so. I started noticing it a while ago.

Unknown or Other
Filed Feb 10, 2022MA

On several occasions, using the key fob to remote start the car, once unlocking the car, the car doesn't turn off as it should when unlocked or touching the drivers side door. Once in vehicle (car still running), car is unresponsive until shifted from Park, then the engine shuts off and car is disabled for 10-15 minutes. Will not start, unresponsive to touching the push start ignition and dash says "Not ready to Drive." Brake pedal gets very hard. Have been unable to video the actions of the remote start in order to get it to a dealership.

Fuel/Propulsion System
Filed Feb 8, 2022WA

Fuel gauge is inaccurate, leading to potential safety issues. The fuel gauge does not show as full, when the car is refueled, and likewise shows as empty when there is enough fuel to drive hundreds of miles. This has led to situations where the fuel light is on, and car is indicating no remaining miles left, but there is plenty of fuel. Toyota knows there is a problem. I started a Lemon Law claim with the Washington State Attorney's General office and notified Toyota. They have offered to replace my vehicle, which is currently in process.

Unknown or Other
Filed Feb 3, 2022TX

I was driving on the highway at about 65 mph, there were no cars beside me, when there was a loud explosion type noise. I noticed the passenger side mirror had flipped into the window. The cover on the mirror exploded causing damage to the hood and side panel of the vehicle.

Lane Departure › Blind Spot Detection
Filed Jan 18, 202221,000 milesMD

The contact owns a 2020 Toyota Highlander. The contact stated that upon the depression of the brake pedal, the vehicle would intermittently surge forward without warning. The contact stated that he would shift the vehicle into neutral to stop the vehicle from surging. The contact also stated that the blind spot monitor's unavailable warning message would intermittently appear on the instrument panel. The contact had taken the vehicle to Bayside Toyota and Waldorf Toyota and each dealer was unable to duplicate or diagnose the cause of the failure. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 21,000.

Unknown or Other
Filed Dec 2, 2021MN

I was driving on a freeway with no cars in front of me and no debris in the air when our panoramic sunroof spontaneously exploded. The glass blew upwards and the remaining glass around the edges were pointed upwards as if the window had suffered an internal to external impact. Fortunately, the fabric was closed and it could have resulted in a severe accident with glass going everywhere.

Visibility › Rearview Mirrors/Devices › Exterior
Filed Nov 16, 202130,000 milesNJ

The contact owns a 2020 Toyota Highlander. The contact stated while driving approximately 55 MPH, there was a sudden explosion and the passenger’s side mirror casing dislodged from the vehicle causing damage to the passenger’s side window trim and the hood of the vehicle. The cause of the failure was not determined. The local dealer was notified of the failure. The manufacturer was not yet notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 30,000.

Fuel/Propulsion System
Filed Nov 15, 2021WA

Since purchasing this vehicle I began to notice that the fuel gauge is inaccurate. This issue is sporadic. Often after filling the gas tank completely, the gauge will only register as 3/4 full. Like wise, it is inaccurate when the tank gets low, showing that there is 1/4 tank, when in fact it is nearly empty. The "remaining miles" indicator that displays is likewise inaccurate and often the low fuel indicator light comes on when it shouldn't, and doesn't display when it should. I have had it to the deal 4 times now for repair. Initially they told me nothing was wrong, then indicated that a software update was necessary. When that didn't fix it, I returned the vehicle and they indicated an instrument panel sensor chip needed to be replaced. I waited a month for that to happen and it didn't fix the issue. I then opened a trouble incident with Toyota USA and after several weeks received a call back from the dealer indicating this is a known (presumably still developing) issue and has something to do with a faulty gas tank that causes the readings to be inaccurate. The dealer indicated that they know this will require the gas tank to be replaced but that they don't have parts to do this and will contact me at some point in the future. This is a serious safety issue, as it could lead to the vehicle running out of gas while driving, without any indication that the fuel is low. The only way to have any certainty regarding the fuel level is to do a calculation each time you drive bas

Air BagsCrash2 injured
Filed Sep 14, 2021AZ

While making a legal left turn on a green arrow, we were struck on the passenger side of our vehicle by a vehicle that did not stop at the red light.

Seats
Filed Aug 27, 2021TX

The driver seat started making a motorized noise 2-3 days after I purchased the vehicle. Over the few months from my oil change the noise got louder and louder as we moved the seat back and forth. When I took my vehicle in for its first oil change I addressed it to the dealership as the seat was now no longer able to move forward or backwards. During their inspection they stated there was a lego which was not possible as I had at the time a 1 & 2 year old who would choke on a lego so there is no way I would allow them to play with legos that small, mega blocks okay because those are huge but legos are too small. Anywho the seat was functionable after the inspection which lasted about a month and then went out again. I then brought it up again at the next oil change which they Checked it out and it worked a bit then went out again. The last time I took my vehicle in for its last oil change I addressed it, they took it apart and left it that way as it is now but were unable to locate the reason why it was defaulted. I however found that a piece was missing from one side of the track under the seat but they couldn't see that it was the reason for the malfunction. I have tried multiple times at least 5 times and speaking with the 2 service managers but to no avail this driver seat still can not be adjusted which means no one can drive my vehicle aside from myself not even in case of an emergency. There are no warning lights or alerts that come up.

Structure › BodyCrash
Filed Aug 18, 2021TX

Several times pulling out from stop signs I failed to see cars coming from the passenger side. On August 4th 2021 I failed to see a car until it was directly in front of me and I collided with it. Wondering how I could have failed to see it I started doing research on the internet. I discovered others had this same problem also involving an accident. It was brought to my attention the mirrors are large and placed high in regards to the passenger window. I noted others sighted their height as part of the problem. I have a bad back and kept my seat low to ease getting in and out of the vehicle. My vehicle was totaled but the air bags never deployed and no one was injured.

Lane Departure › Assist
Filed Jul 24, 2021SC

The lane keeping assist does not work properly on my vehicle. The lane keeping assist does not keep my car in the center of the lane as intended. For instance, it very forcefully makes the car drift to the left and right of the lane and frequently pulls it into the other lane. I have reported this to my local dealership - Sparks Toyota in Myrtle Beach, SC and Toyota Corporate. Sparks Toyota service has admitted that there are many customer complaints about this issue. They have stated that there is a software download "fix" in the works, but not yet available. I did not take their word for this and called Toyota Corporate. The only "solution" I have been offered is an offer to show me how to turn the feature off. This is totally unacceptable as the is an important safety feature that does not work properly and in fact, creates an unsafe situation while driving. Since my report of the issue, I have been made aware of an owners Facebook forum that other owners state they are having the same issue and seems to be a widespread problem.

Service Brakes
Filed Jul 11, 2021AL

I have a 2020 Highlander hybrid. When I brake my stopping pauses a half second to a second then brakes normally. I am afraid that I can get into an accident due to this happening at the wrong time or if I loan my car to another driver that is not aware of the problem. I took it to the dealer and couldn't reproduce the fault with their computer connected. Though this has been happening about every other day or so. there were no warnings prior, it just happens randomly! Please go to the attached Toyotanation.com link to see other people having the same issues with their Highlander Hybrids. https://www.toyotanation.com/threads/2021-highlander-hybrid-platinum-not-braking-properly.1694783/

Electrical System
Filed Jun 28, 2021CT

The contact owns a 2020 Toyota Highlander equipped with a Tekonsha Prodigy RF Electronic Brake Control with Bluetooth kits, part number 902501. The contact purchased the unit to use for towing a trailer. The contact purchased the part at an independent mechanic and had the equipment installed by another independent mechanic. When the contact first attempted to use the brake kit, her and her husband had connected the equipment per the instructions and brake kit showed the letter "C" which meant the part was connected. As the contact started driving the vehicle, a NC (not connected) message had appeared on the brake kit. The contact decided to drive the vehicle back to her home and attempted to reconnect the brake system as instructed but the failure persisted. Upon investigation, the contact discovered that the equipment had been placed under NHTSA Campaign Number: 20E033000 (Electrical System). The contact reached out to the independent mechanics, the one who sold the part and the other that installed it, and neither were aware of the recall. The contact also called the manufacturer and had written a letter to obtain the replacement part however, the contact had not heard back from the manufacturer. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 0.

Visibility
Filed Jun 24, 202115,600 milesOH

The contact owns a 2020 Toyota Highlander. The contact stated that while his wife was driving 55 mph the sunroof exploded without warning or impact. There were no reported injuries. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified. The failure mileage was 15,600.

Service Brakes
Filed Jun 14, 2021NC

My Toyota Highlander is a hybrid and there is an ongoing problem with the brakes under certain conditions. When you are slowing the vehicle down, with your foot on the the brakes, there is a point under 10 miles an hour, where the brakes appear to let go and you must quickly exert dramatically more pressure on the brakes to stop the car. Fortunately it has not resulted in an accident because my wife and I are aware of the potential danger. The danger is, this occurs when you are stopping at a stop sign or crosswalk, pulling into a parking space, or around pedestrians, even pulling into our garage. I have own previous Toyota Hybrids and this vehicle behaves very differently. In my opinion the route of the problem may be the regenerative braking. As you step on the brakes the regenerative braking supplies most of the braking power and then at a slower speed the regenerative braking abruptly dis engages. It seem there should be a way to smooth the erratic behavior of the brakes. I have filed my concerns with the Toyota customer experience center in November of 2020 under my name and file number #2011280027. The car is available anytime to demonstrate the problem, there are no open recalls for this VIN#, and I have been told there are no service bulletins for this problem. The problem has occurred the whole time I have owned the vehicle.

EngineCrash2 injured
Filed May 18, 2021PA

In my 2020 Highlander I approached a stop sign at a "T" intersection behind 4 other cars. After stopping and looking to see road was clear of oncoming traffic, I pulled out and started my left turn. As I was turning into my lane the car engine turned OFF and the steering wheel was LOCKED in the left position. There was no power for the brakes, which left me jamming on the brake pedal as hard as I could only slowing the car slightly. The steering wheel was LOCKED LEFT and I thought I was going to break it trying to force it back. With no ability to move the steering wheel or brake, I braced myself as the Highlander continued turning in the left direction into the other lane. The result was a head on collision with a Mini Cooper, both cars totaled, and injuring both myself and the other driver. Highlander was investigated by forensic company in the employ of the insurance company, but they could not find any error in the cars CDR (Crash Data Retrieval) system.

Engine
Filed May 4, 2021MO

GAS WILL NOT FILL UP TO THE ADVERTISED AMOUNT. DISTANCE TO EMPTY METER IS NOT CALIBRATED CORRECTLY. OTHERS ON TOYOTA FORUMS EXPERIENCE THE SAME ISSUE.

Service BrakesCrash1 injured
Filed Apr 19, 202115,592 milesPA

I WAS AT A STOP SIGN IN MY 2020 HIGHLANDER WAITING TO TURN LEFT ONTO A BUSY ROAD. UPON TURNING LEFT ONTO PA STATE HIGHWAY 999, THE HIGHLANDER ENGINE TURNED OFF AND THE STEERING WHEEL WAS "LOCKED" INTO A LEFT POSITION. THIS CAUSED THE CAR TO CONTINUE TURNING INTO THE OPPOSING LEFT LANE RESULTING IN A HEAD-ON COLLISION WITH AN ON-COMING CAR. WITH THE ENGINE TURNED OFF THERE WAS NO POWER STEERING, NO BRAKES, AND NO WAY TO UNLOCK THE STEERING WHEEL. THE COLLISION CAUSED MY CAR TO BOUNCE BACK AND SLOWLY FREE ROLL BACK TO THE STOP SIGN AS THOUGH I NEVER ENTERED THE ROADWAY.

Fuel/Propulsion System
Filed Mar 31, 20214,100 milesCO

EACH TIME I FILL UP THE CAR WITH GAS I AM UNABLE TO FILL THE TANK TO ITS LISTED CAPACITY. THE VEHICLE HAS A 17 GALLON TANK, BUT WHEN THE VEHICLE IS NEAR EMPTY (1-2 GALLONS REMAINING) I CAN PUMP IN ONLY 12-13 GALLONS OF GAS. THIS GREATLY IMPACTS THE RANGE OF THE VEHICLE. THE DATE SHOWN BELOW IS MY MOST RECENT FILL-UP, BUT IT HAS HAPPENED EACH TIME I FILL UP. I HAVE REPORTED THIS TO MY TOYOTA DEALER.

Fuel/Propulsion System
Filed Mar 7, 20215,000 milesNC

THE VEHICLE IS SOLD AS HAVING A 17 GALLON FUEL TANK. I'VE DRIVEN THE VEHICLE FOR 5000 PLUS MILES NOW. I HAVE NEVER BEEN ABLE TO GET MORE THAN 13 GALLONS OF FUEL INTO THE TANK. I HAVE WAITED UNTIL THE GAGE SAID THERE WAS ONLY 12 MILE UNTIL EMPTY. STILL COULD ONLY FILL UP WITH ON 13 GALLONS OF FUEL. THE GAGE SAY'S IT'S FULL. I HAVE MADE THE TOYOTA DEALERSHIP AWARE OF THE ISSUE. BUT THEY SAID THERE WAS NOTHING ON THEIR SYSTEM ABOUT A RECALL OR NEEDED REPAIR. IF THE VEHICLE IS ADVERTISED AS HAVING A 17 GALLON TANK I SHOULD BE ABLE TO USE THAT WHALE 17 GALLONS OF FUEL. INSTEAD I CAN ONLY FILL UP TO 13 GALLONS.

Fuel/Propulsion System
Filed Feb 21, 20219,000 milesCO

UNABLE TO COMPLETELY FILL FUEL TANK. WHEN FUEL LIGHT COMES ON AND I GO TO FILL IT, I GET NO MORE THAN 13 GALLONS IN MY TANK. THE FUEL GAUGE ONLY READS 3/4 FULL. NEVER COMPLETELY FULL.

Engine
Filed Feb 13, 20218,000 milesKY

THE ENGINE DIED WHEN STOPPED AT STOP SIGN. AND THEN RESTARTED WHILE TRANSMISSION IN DRIVE.

Electrical System
Filed Feb 10, 202160 milesCA

VEHICLE WILL NOT START WITHOUT A JUMP AFTER 3-5 HOURS. THE BATTERY STAYS CHARGED LESS THAN ONE DAY, BUT TYPICALLY STARTS AGAIN WITHOUT A JUMP IF DRIVEN AGAIN WITHIN A 3-5 HOUR PERIOD. THE VEHICLE STAYS RUNNING ONCE JUMPED. DEALER SERVICE DEPARTMENT INDICATES A SOFTWARE UPDATE MAY BE REQUIRED. THIS HAS HAPPENED SINCE PURCHASE ON JUNE 7, 2020. DATE BELOW IS THE MOST RECENT DATE IT OCCURRED.

Fuel/Propulsion System
Filed Feb 5, 20215,000 milesCA

2020 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER HYBRID AWD. WHEN FILLING FROM ALMOST EMPTY (PER LOW FUEL WARNING LIGHT AND DISTANCE TO EMPTY READING ALMOST 0), TANK ONLY ACCEPTS ~12.5 GALLONS BEFORE GAS STATION FUEL NOZZLE AUTO CLICKS OFF. THE FUEL GAGE AT THIS POINT INDICATES THAT THE VEHICLE IS ~7/8 FILLED. THE OWNERS MANUAL WARNS ABOUT NOT ATTEMPTING TO FILL AFTER THE FUEL NOZZLE AUTOMATICALLY CLICKS OFF. BEING UNABLE TO FILL TANK MAY LEAD TO OWNERS ATTEMPTING TO OVERFILL TANKS AND COULD RESULT IN INADVERTENTLY SPILLING FUEL WHICH POSES A SAFETY RISK AND AN ENVIRONMENTAL DAMAGE RISK. IT CAN ALSO LEAD TO MORE EMISSIONS. A SIMILAR PROBLEM EXISTS WITH 2019/2020 TOYOTA RAV4 PER NHTSA RECORDS, TOYOTA HAS PROPOSED A FIX FOR THIS VEHICLE BUT HAS STATED THAT NO OTHER MODELS ARE AFFECTED BY THIS ISSUE. THE PROBLEM DESCRIBED ABOVE IS ALMOST IDENTICAL WITH THE EXCEPTION THAT THE VEHICLES HAVE DIFFERENT FUEL TANK CAPACITIES. TOYOTA HAS INDICATED THAT THIS IS "NORMAL".

Structure › Body
Filed Jan 26, 20214,190 milesCA

SO WHEN I WAS DRIVING AROUND SPEEDS OF 70MPH THE HIGHLANDER STARTS TO WOBBLE AND THE DRIVER MIRROR SHAKING I WENT TO DEALERSHIP AND THEY SAID THAT IT COULD BE A RECALL IN FUTURE AND DIDN'T FIX THE PROBLEM. HAD IT FOR LESS THEN ONE YEAR

Fuel/Propulsion System
Filed Jan 25, 20215,000 milesPA

WHEN RE-FUELING THE VEHICLE WITH DTE OF LESS THAN 30 MILES, THE FUEL SHUTS OFF AROUND 12 GAL. 2ND CLICK FOR FUEL STOPPAGE MAY YIELD ANOTHER 0.5 GAL. NOTHING ADDS UP TO 17.1 GAL OF FUEL IN THE TANK. GOING BEYOND THE 1ST CLICK IS BAD FOR THE SYSTEM, YET ONLY FILLS THE CAR UP TO 7/8 FULL ON THE FUEL GAUGE.

Fuel/Propulsion System
Filed Jan 21, 2021VA

FUEL GAUGE DOES NOT PROPERLY REGISTER FULL HYBRID FUEL TANK (DESIGN) AND/OR DEFECTIVE FUEL LEVEL SENDING UNIT. TOYOTA SERVICE REPORT (6032680/1- 25 SEP 2020); TOYOTA SERVICE REPORT (6046594/1- 21 JAN 2021).

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 2020 Toyota Highlander → · Every Highlander year → · How the figures are calculated →