I own a 2026 Toyota Highlander Hybrid Platinum purchased new. The vehicle has repeatedly exhibited hesitation, shuddering, jerking, and abnormal vibration during acceleration from a stop and the transition from electric propulsion to the gasoline engine. When accelerating from a stop, there can be a noticeable hesitation after pressing the accelerator before the vehicle responds. As the gasoline engine engages, the vehicle sometimes shudders or jerks before accelerating normally. I have also experienced vibration and lurching when the gasoline engine engages or disengages. At times, the condition appears more noticeable with the air conditioning operating. I am concerned this presents a safety issue because the hesitation occurs when accelerating from a stop, when predictable acceleration may be necessary to enter an intersection, cross traffic, or merge into traffic. I reported this condition to an authorized Toyota dealer, but it has not been corrected and continues to occur. I have also experienced a visibility issue involving the windshield and wipers. When the wipers operate, a hazy or filmy appearance becomes visible across the windshield as the blades pass over the glass, temporarily reducing visibility before dissipating. This continues despite attempts to clean the windshield and may involve the windshield surface, wipers, or their interaction. I am concerned because the wipers can temporarily create haze across my field of vision when clear visibility is especially
2026 Toyota Highlander
Owners filed 2 complaints about this vehicle with federal regulators, most often about the back over prevention › sensing system › camera. No safety recall has been issued.
| Component | Reports | Crashes | Fires | Injuries | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Visibility/Wiper | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Back Over Prevention › Sensing System › Camera | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
What owners reported
Newest filingsThe rear back up camera is grainy the blue lines are digitized and shaky during the day everything is very blurry during the night you cannot see anything really the quality is extremely poor There are also no dynamic turning lines at all and the camera settings buttons are not present
2 of 2 complaints, reproduced as filed.
Across model years
Worst on record: 2021| Year | Complaints | Recalls | Fires | Deaths | Assessment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 — this page | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Routine |
| 2025 | 9 | 4 | 0 | 0 | Routine |
| 2024 | 42 | 7 | 0 | 0 | Routine |
| 2023 | 180 | 9 | 0 | 0 | Routine |
| 2022 | 245 | 5 | 1 | 1 | Fatalities reported |
| 2021 | 512 | 4 | 4 | 0 | Above average |
| 2020 | 314 | 4 | 0 | 0 | Above average |
| 2019 | 480 | 3 | 1 | 0 | Above average |
| 2018 | 265 | 5 | 1 | 0 | Above average |
| 2017 | 265 | 4 | 2 | 0 | Above average |
| 2016 | 110 | 3 | 1 | 0 | Routine |
| 2015 | 191 | 2 | 6 | 0 | Routine |
| 2014 | 135 | 5 | 1 | 1 | Fatalities reported |
| 2013 | 206 | 3 | 0 | 0 | Above average |
| 2012 | 182 | 2 | 3 | 0 | Routine |
| 2011 | 181 | 5 | 0 | 0 | Routine |
| 2010 | 216 | 10 | 2 | 0 | Above average |
| 2009 | 134 | 9 | 5 | 0 | Routine |
| 2008 | 403 | 13 | 14 | 2 | Fatalities reported |
| 2007 | 123 | 4 | 1 | 0 | Routine |
| 2006 | 277 | 7 | 4 | 1 | Fatalities reported |
| 2005 | 224 | 6 | 4 | 0 | Above average |
| 2004 | 286 | 5 | 3 | 2 | Fatalities reported |
| 2003 | 258 | 2 | 1 | 0 | Above average |
| 2002 | 301 | 2 | 6 | 4 | Fatalities reported |
| 2001 | 137 | 3 | 2 | 0 | Routine |
| 1998 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Routine |
| 1997 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Routine |
Reading this record
No unusual pattern of severe incidents in the complaint record.
Complaint counts track how many cars were sold and how long they have been on the road as much as they track quality. A common model from 2013 has had a decade to accumulate reports; a rare one from last year has not. The signal worth weighing is in the severity columns, in whether the same component keeps appearing, and in whether the manufacturer eventually opened a recall for it.
Most recent recall on file: none. Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation.