2023 Toyota Highlander complaints

On 10/21 the vehicle accelerated on its own. At a stoplight behind another automobile, when I only slightly lifted my foot from the brake, the car lurched forward and the auto safety stop system lit up. I never touched the accelerator pedal. I pushed back down on the brake. This was not the first time this happened.

I am writing to bring to your attention a serious issue regarding my Toyota vehicle, which is still under warranty. While my wife was driving to work, the front passenger tire exploded unexpectedly, without any warning lights or messages. This is particularly alarming as the car is new, purchased just 11 months ago, and has only 7,000 miles on it. After contacting AAA for assistance to replace the damaged tire with the spare one, I reached out to Toyota customer service. They advised me to visit the dealership for an inspection. However, upon arrival, the service advisor refused to honor the warranty and informed me that they did not have the tire brand and or model in stock, requesting a full payment of $370 to replace the damaged tire with a new one from a different brand. Concerned for my family’s safety, I opted to replace all four tires at America’s Tires, incurring the expense myself. I believe the original tires may have been defective and pose a risk if such an incident were to occur again. I did report the issue to Micheline without any resolution yet. I kindly request your assistance in addressing this matter. Thank you for your prompt attention to this critical issue.

The contact owns a 2023 Toyota Highlander. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the odor of gasoline was present inside and outside of the vehicle. The contact indicated that the failure had occurred intermittently after refueling the vehicle on extremely hot days. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who was unable to duplicate the failure and the cause of the failure was not determined. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 40,000.

Vehicle smells like gas/fuel sometimes. I brought it to the dealership and was advised that they cannot duplicate my concerns since they can't smell anything when I dropped it off.

The contact owned a 2023 Toyota Highlander. The contact stated that while his friend was driving at 45 MPH, he failed to yield when exiting the interstate at an exit ramp. As a result, the driver t-boned the passenger side of another vehicle. The air bags did not deploy. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to a tow yard and deemed a total loss by the contacts insurance provider. A police report was filed and injuries were reported. The contact transported himself to his physical therapist and was treated for a nondescript injury to his left shoulder. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 26,000.

I am writing to complain about the app called experience Drive connect. It is a push ad for a subscription that I do not want it interferes all the time, and is a safety issue. I can be using a navigation app like Waze and this blue ad will pop up, taking the place of my Waze app. It will also pop up if I am listening to a podcast and want to make a change. I always have to delete it to make it go away, but then it comes back again within a minute or so. It is driving me crazy And making me hate Toyota since there doesn’t seem to be anyway to get rid of it. Please help as this is a dangerous safety issue. I have reported it to the branding service at Toyota and encouraged other people to also report it. Thank you for your help Aloha, [XXX] . INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

On hot days the evap system does not function properly. You can visibly see gas fumes spewing from the filler neck area. The smell of gas inside and outside of the vehicle is horrible. It has caused headaches, nausea and dizziness to the passengers inside of the vehicle. It is extremely unsafe and Toyota doesn't know how to fix it. They are aware of the problem but refuse to remedy it. I personally know of 3 other highlanders doing the same thing. Not only is it a personal safety concern, it's also an environmental issue. This problem is with 2023 and newer highlanders and grand highlanders.

The vehicle has erratic acceleration. It will either be extremely slow and jerky or it will jump forward with great speed and force. This is dangerous and may cause an accident. You have no control when it comes to acceleration whether you are leaving a stop light or trying to avoid an accident.

Vehicle is sluggish and will not accelerate from a dead stop for several seconds. The gas pedal often has to be pushed much farther down than usual so then when the vehicle actually starts moving it lurches. It often seem like it can't find the proper gear so it will buck and stutter while driving. The shifting is not smooth at all and you never know how the vehicle will respond making for a very unpredictable driving experience. This all started shortly after reaching the 2000 mile mark. The cruise control has issues reaching and maintaining the speed that is set. I found the Toyota service bulletin, T-SB-0087-23 and have made an appointment with my local dealer to hopefully fix the issue.

Toyota gave me one FOB Key when I purchased the vehicle. I should be receiving 2 FOB keys. The dealer told me TOYOTA will send me a letter when the second key will be available. I called the TOYOTA Hot Line last Feb. 2024. I was told it will be available June 2024. I called last June 2024. I was told it will be available July 202. I called last July 2024. I was told it will be available August 2024. On Sept 9, 2024, I ordered a FOB key from Burien, Washington Toyota dealer. I paid a total of $400.20. This expense would have been avoided if Toyota sent me the FOB key as promised.

While driving at 60 mph the lower front bumper assembly came off and detached from the vehicle and lodged under the car causing an emergency stop in the middle of the highway. When Lithia toyota was asked to repair the damage they have refused stating that it must go thru my insurance since it was an accident

The car surges forward when braking, as if the brakes are momentarily released. it almost caused be to hit the car in front of me. the brakes released in the middle of braking

From a stop or slow roll (0-10 mph), significant hesitation is experienced after pushing the gas. The engine will not respond for a few moments and then all of a sudden it will take off in a jerking manner. Note that this is experienced when the engine auto start/stop is deactivated, so it is not from the delay of the engine starting when activated. This hesitation causes a near miss safety situation in many normal driving activities, but the highest risk is when turning left in front of oncoming traffic. I brought the vehicle to a Toyota dealership for the condition, noting Toyota's Service Bulletin T-SB-0087-23 for this exact issue, but after 3 days and 40 miles of the dealership driving it, they stated that they cannot reproduce the issue. There are no warning signs or lamps, and this issue has been occurring since the vehicle had about 1,000 miles, and the vehicle now has 20,000 miles on it.

The car absolutely reeks of gas after driving for a while on warm days. You can visibly see the fumes around the filler neck. It has been the the dealer multiple times and they say they can't find anything. It seeps into the car causing headaches and dizziness. I personally know of 2 2023 Highlanders and 1 2024 highlander that have this issue. I am extremely worried this will cause a fire and/or explosion at some point.

Brakes momentarily lost during certain conditions. If going down a hill and applying brake, suddenly loses pressure and vehicle surges forward. Taking a right hand turn, slowing, brake suddenly loses pressure and lunges forward causing vehicle to go into wrong lane. Parking, apply brake, surges forward, end up in the next spot forward. I've had several very close calls, including trying to stop behind a bicycle at a stop sign, came within inches. I've repeatedly been to dealer. Toyota calls it "loss of braking sensation", have issued a TSB for years prior to 23. I have a 23 hybrid, there is no TSB or fix. Dealer is aware of the issue, has techs who have experienced it themselves. Just can't be fixed without Toyota stepping up. Happy to work with Toyota if they want to put sensors or computers on the vehicle. When the vehicle was new it only occurred once/twice a month. Now it is every day. The latest incident was today driving back from the dealer.

When 87 fuel is put into the vehicle, the 2023 highlander is jerky/has hesitation, RPMs jump around. Trying to slow down to a yield then go again it jerks and almost feels like engine is cutting out. Seems worse when car is being driven on warm day with a/c on or under a “load”. Very dangerous in intersections. Current fix is to put 93 octane in the vehicle to remedy the issue. Putting 93 octane fuel in the vehicle does help. All of these issues pose a risk to the car jumping from a start to cause a rear-end accident. I've complained to the dealer and they've stated everything is normal when they test drive and no codes are showing even explaining a TSB was issued they refuse to fix. Started at 500 miles on odometer, still happening at over 13,000 miles.

The contact owns a 2023 Toyota Highlander. The contact stated while driving 62 MPH, the front bumper detached from the vehicle. Additionally, the wheel guard had also detached. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V720000 (Structure) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The failure mileage was unknown. The VIN was not available.

The contact owns a 2023 Toyota Highlander. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V720000 (Structure) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.

The contact owns a 2023 Toyota Highlander. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V720000 (Structure) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.

When 87 octane fuel is put into the vehicle, the 2023 highlander is sluggish to start and make jump at times as well. After reading other complaints online, the current fix was putting 93 octane in the vehicle to remedy the issue. Putting 93 octane fuel in the vehicle does help although the vehicle jumps around RPM's when going from ECO mode to normal. All of these issues pose a risk to the car jumping from a start to cause a rear-end accident. I've complained to the dealer and they've stated everything is normal. Folks online stated their dealerships said Toyota was working on a fix.

Hesitation/Non-linear Acceleration From a Stop. Reprogramming the ECM completely resolved the issue. This needs to be sent out to affected vehicles but I had to investigate and pretty much demand a resolution. I fear what this could later do to our engines, etc.

I received the first recall notice about 7 months ago and have made the intent to set appointments with Kendall Toyota and West Kendall Toyota many times, but they stated that they don't have the fix available yet. They stated that they put me down in a waiting list and I will be called for an appointment according to the person on the phone the recall for my car is not a life-threatening recall. I stated that how come is not serious if the bumper gets detach while driving. I can cause an accident. I can I asked to speak to a supervisor in my last two intents to get appointments, but they stated that supervisors were not available at the moment, but a supervisor will call me back. NEVER GET A CALL BACK. I received the second recall showing in records that it is pending, however I have done the due diligence to fix it but not Toyota West Kendal and/or Kendall Toyota.

There are two problems with our 2023 Toyota Highlander. 1) We only have 25k miles on our vehicle and the brake rotors became warped, to the point of causing severe chatter while downhill braking. Toyota stated that the warranty does not cover brakes. My argument was that the brake rotors should not be failing at 25k miles! They then stated that they would inspect the rotors and resurface them, if necessary. They did find that they needed to resurface the rotors. My contention is that this will be a recurring issue, especially since there is even less metal on the rotors now. I believe the original rotors are faulty to have failed prematurely. 2) We had a receiver hitch installed by a third party, which caused the kick sensor for the back hatch to be inoperable. This is expected and no big deal to us. However, when we put the bike rack in the receiver hitch, the backup warning sensors engage the brakes and cause the vehicle to not back up. The only way to back up with the bike rack on is to disable the backup sensors! Now we have lost that backup safety feature! The backup sensors see the bike rack and engage the brakes. Additionally, this issue also caused all other sensors to malfunction by stating that the sensors were dirty and needed cleaning, with the backup sensor engaged. Toyota inspected the vehicle multiple times and finally reached the conclusion that there is no fix for the sensors to allow our bike rack to be installed. Toyota sells this vehicle with the option of

The contact owns a 2023 Toyota Highlander. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V419000 (Tires) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was contacted. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

When driving the vehicle will hesitate and pause when trying to accelerate. This normally occurs when trying to make a turn. The delay is a safety concern since the lack of acceleration frequently causes near accident with oncoming traffic. The dealership recreated once but said there is nothing they can find/ do about it.

The contact owns a 2023 Toyota Highlander. The contact stated while driving 5 MPH and hitting concrete, the lower front bumper cover mounting tabs detached and created holes on the lower front bumper. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where the parts were ordered; however, the dealer declined to repair the vehicle because they were not an auto body shop. The vehicle was then taken to an independent mechanic, where the lower front bumper and mounting tabs were replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The contact later received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V720000 (Structure), which he related to the failure. The manufacturer was contacted for reimbursement and advised the contact to fax the required documents. The contact stated that the documents were faxed; however, the manufacturer informed the contact that reimbursement could only be provided once the recall remedy was available. The failure mileage was approximately 1,500.

The contact owns a 2023 Toyota Highlander. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V720000 (Structure) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

Still they have yet to come up with a fix to the problem they sent out for their safety recall. 23TA12 (Interim notice 23TB12) Certain model years 2020-2023 Highlander-Highlander HV-Front Lower Bumper Cover Assembly May Detach While Driving. This is something that has caused severe damage to vehicles lowering the value of their vehicles and causing harm to passengers and pedestrians at times. This is something that they should have done by now. This is a cause for concern and extreme anxiety every time I drive my car and I already deal with anxiety issue as does my husband.

The warning lights go on for no apparent reason. Dash instrumen just disappear for no apparent reason and then reappear randomly. Such as compass disappearing and reappearing throughout the drive at long stretches at a time. The forward and rear collision warning system just come on when nothing is close to vehicle. The blind spot monitoring system doesn’t always show up on right side of vehicle. Doesn’t matter speed or road conditions. It randomly happens throughout our regular commute and not. The warning buzzer goes off but doesn’t say what is the problem. Went off for over half an hour even when car was stopped and car turned off. Dealership not able to figure out why. Said to bring it in while doing it. By time I get there it’s done. I live 1/2 hour away. They drive it and say blind spot working like supposed to. I showed them videos of how it’s not working and they tell me it’s fine. Yet even a semi truck didn’t show up in blind spot or a UPS truck. They say unless it throws a code every thing is fine. Yet I’ve had clear roads, no rain no traffic nothing and had my collision warning lights and sounds go off and not stop for up to 5-10 minutes.

Noticed side view mirrors vibrate at speeds above 25 mph and on highway speeds. Driver side mirror has much noticeable vibration when looking at it to make lane changes. Vibration makes it hard to focus and view other vehicles on the road and possibly a safety concern. When taken to dealership, technician could not duplicate the concern and did not found mirror to be loose. I also noticed that tapping from inside the front driver or passenger door creates similar vibration of side mirrors. Both side mirror assemblies need more structural strengthening due to it’s position on the door panel which is prone to vibrations from road and transmits it to the side mirror assemblies. This is a design defect that needs to be addressed.

I was in an accident on [XXX] on [XXX] in Elizabeth, Indiana in front of the casino. They changed a two lane road into a one lane road by using mobile traffic lights. As I tried to brake, the car sped up and the car auto corrected in the lane on the left when I tried to avoid the impact by going right. When I crashed into the other vehicle, my air bags did not deploy. I hurt my back, neck, and chest(from the seatbelt/impact). I had no choice or option to avoid impact. On my left was oncoming traffic. To my right was the River. In the front of me, was the other car. I wore my seatbelt until the 911 operator told me to get out of the car to check on the other driver who said he was fine. The vehicle is a total loss. My Insurance Company, USAA, is in the process of giving me a settlement. I released the car to them. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Notice something hanging when looking at the vehicle from the front took vehicle into Toyota dealership for inspection. Informed at that time there was an open recall on the vehicle was told by service director no remedy available to bring vehicle back in once remedy available. Explained there was visible damage to the vehicle. Vehicle in their possession since November 2023 no updated information on remedy available. Have had 3 loaner vehicles some do some don’t accommodate needs and family size. This is my primary vehicle for work as I travel 100% of the time for my job is financially inconvenient. Informed I will be responsible for rental vehicle if loaners become unavailable. Purchased the car new January 2024. Recall listed below. 10/26/2023 Manufacturer Safety recall issued NHTSA: #23V720 Recall: #23TB12 SAFETY RECALL 23TA12 (INTERIM NOTICE 23TB12) - CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2020- 2023 HIGHLANDER AND HIGHLANDER HV- FRONT LOWER BUMPER COVER ASSEMBLY MAY DETACH WHILE DRIVING Status: Remedy Not Available

I am on CarPlay Maps following direction and suddenly a pop up come up on the screen advertising the Toyota Driver experience connect subscription or asking me to reset the Toyota apps pin. In order to come back to the maps, I need to take my eyes off the road to click a couple of times to CarPlay. This is dangerous as it happens every 5 to 10 minutes.

The contact owns a 2023 Toyota Highlander. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the steering wheel was excessively difficult to steer. The power steering malfunction and pre-collision warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed with power steering and rack and pinion failure. The contact was informed that the power steering rack and pinion needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The parts were ordered to complete the repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 49,050.

The contact owns a 2023 Toyota Highlander. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V720000 (Structure) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was made aware of the issue. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

The fact that the dealership was able to sell this car with a recall on is crazy, yes I have blame for not looking as well but now we are having issues with the front bumper hitting the tires when you turn and making a grinding noise. We were told that there’s nothing they could do as of yet but as I see this recall has been open for a while now? This is a big concern to us what if they don’t find anything wrong or so they say and something happens? They need to speed up the process to find a solutions loosing a front bumper while your on the highway is a big risk.

Recall has been out for 6 months still no remedy. Manufacturer Recall Number 23TB12 NHTSA Recall Number 23V720 Can't sell vehicle with open recall, and need to sell.

The right side blind spot warning does not always show a vehicle is in blind spot. The forward collision will alert will start and keep beeping for up to 3 minutes when nothing is in the area. I pulled into driveway and the vehicle started to beep a warning but no warning message showed up on dash. It continued for 30 minutes even after I turned off car. Then started it and drove it a mile and parked it again. I get on the overhead view a generalized warring. But doesn’t say what it is then goes away. This has happened a couple of times when driving. All doors shut, all seat belts locked if someone is in seat, it starts after driving for some time. No apparent reason it starts and stops but is a hazard if trying to drive and figure out why it’s beeping like something is wrong. I also have paint chipping off back bumper on the top for no apparent reason. The back liftgate doesn’t always close even when nothing is in the way. It doesn’t always open when you push the button the first time. The crossbars for luggage installed by Toyota does not keep end cap on on drivers side front and I had to pay to get new ones. The problem is the rail does not hold the cap tight.

The contact owns a 2023 Toyota Highlander. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, unattended an unknown vehicle crashed into the front bumper. A police report was not filed. There was no air bag deployment, fire, or injury. The contact attached the bumper to the vehicle. At the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the bumper cover had detached. The vehicle was not repaired because the parts were not available. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The contact stated that the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number 23V720000 (structure). The failure mileage was approximately 8,000.

The plastic bumper cover on the front of the vehicle came detached as I was driving 60mph in a construction zone. It got sucked underneath the front of the vehicle and was grinding against the front tires. There is even damage to the driver side bumper from this. I pulled over as soon as we were out of the construction zone, and we pulled the bumper out from under the car. This could have been a much bigger issue! It could have caused an accident that could have injured or killed someone. What if the bumper flew off into another vehicle and caused the driver to lost control? What if the bumper hit the tire just right and caused me to lose control and have an accident? It is my understanding that there IS a safety recall for this very issue. However, I was made known of the safety recall in OCTOBER OF 2023. It is now MARCH OF 2024, and there is still no “official” remedy available. This is unacceptable! I am told by the dealership and the manufacturer that I am just supposed to drive around without my bumper attached for an unknown amount of time until a remedy is available. I am very concerned about the safety issues at hand and I would urge that a remedy be made available for this matter immediately.

Issues with vehicle accelerating, bucking and hesitating

While driving on the freeway, the sunroof just spontaneously exploded. The hole was right on the center of the sunroof. I am suspecting the explosion is due to weak material used on the vehicle not withstanding thermal expansion. In any case, this is very dangerous and can cause accident. How many more incident to you need until you investigate this matter. Please investigate this matter, so the issue can be remediated. Thank you [XXX] By the way, Sunroof option for issue is not even an option on your list.Please put this on your radar. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

The contact owns a 2023 Toyota Highlander. The contact stated while driving 70 MPH, the vehicle drove over a pothole, and the driver’s side front door opened about 3-4 inches wide. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer to be diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 8,874.

The contact owns a 2023 Toyota Highlander. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V720000 (Structure) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

I took my car for recall inspection because I want to work on Turo car rental. Dealership is denying an inspection on my car. I visited Toyota Elgin dealership.

Toyota has a software program called Drive Connect. This is built into their 2023 and 2024 vehicles. This program has a navigation system and some other features that Toyota offers for about $200 per year. Toyota gives you 12 months free when you buy a new car. When that year is up, they have a built in advertisement that pops up repeatedly and takes over the display screen. The “Experience Drive Connect” screen blocks everything on your screen including other navigation systems, phone, audio, etc. So, the driver must take their eyes off the road to touch the screen multiple times to make the ad disappear for a few minutes and then it returns a few minutes later. So, the driver has to repeat the process every 5 to 10 minutes. Obviously this is annoying, but more importantly, it is distracting and dangerous. The dealers cannot fix this because it is built into Toyota's software program. I have written to the CEO of Toyota, Tetsu Ozawa, but have not received any response. Please require Toyota to fix this because there are hundreds of driver out there driving distractedly.

Unknown

The contact owns a 2023 Toyota Highlander. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V720000 (Structurer) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. The local dealer was not contacted. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

The contact owns a 2023 Toyota Highlander. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V720000 (Structure) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

The contact owns a 2023 Toyota Highlander. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V720000 (Structure) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.