2024 Toyota Grand Highlander Complaint Log

After coming to a stop the vehicle will not accelerate as it should. A severe loss of power as it will only advance very slowly for 10 to 15 seconds. This is always in an intersection, so it is dangerous. Seems to happen mostlyin hot weather when the A/C is on.

The car stalls or fails to accelerate from a complete stop despite adequately stepping on the gas pedal. This has left me in dangerous situations with oncoming cars as my car fails to move as expected. This issue occurs sporadically.

when moving from a full stop, the car sometimes has hesitation to move to a full speed.

Sometimes the vehicle will be very sluggish when accelerating from a stop, it is hard to replicate, and inconsistent.

**Vehicle:** Toyota Grand Highlander Hybrid Max **Issue:** On high-temperature days, when the A/C is running at full capacity, the vehicle occasionally fails to accelerate from a stop. This issue persists even after applying the recommended ECM update. **Safety Concern:** The lack of reliable acceleration poses a significant safety risk, particularly when turning across oncoming traffic or entering a busy street. This situation can leave the vehicle stalled in the path of approaching vehicles, increasing the likelihood of an accident. **Action Taken:** Applied the ECM update that is supposed to resolve the issue, but the problem persists.

Starting off from a stop or at low speeds the vehicle loses all power. Engine stumbles and does not respond, when it happens it almost feels like the engine may stall. Pressing the accelerator and the vehicle will not move, then suddenly will start to go seconds later. This has almost resulted in a crash since the vehicle loses all propulsion unexpectedly. No warning lights. Took to the dealer twice and everything is “normal” no codes stored.

When accelerating from a stop, there is a hesitation or lack of power when stepping on the accelerator. Releasing the accelerator and depressing it again will get the car going. The engine also revs high at low speeds before dropping to the next gear.

while the engine has not warmed up, when its hot and air conditioning is on high, vehicle does not respond to the gas pedal while trying to accelerate from a stop. vehicle hesitates on acceleration. i feel this is a safety problem, because i need the car to merge quickly onto the road from a stop. this hesitation could cause a bad accident. i feel like the hesitation, is the car trying to find the gear.

Our vehicle is less than 2 months old, and it had less than 5,000 miles before highway debris (gravel) chipped and cracked the windshield on two separate occasions. I have never had a chip or crack caused by rocks before, and my previous vehicles have been hit plenty of times. Talking to people that own the Lexus equivalent of my Grand Highlander (Lexus TX), they have similar experiences with what appears to be very weak windshields. I will have to replace the windshield.

I have a 2024 Grand Highlander and when I get to empty the most I can put in it is 10 1/2 gallons of gas. Toyota said I had a 17.2 gallon gas tank. I’ve called Toyota. They set up a appointment. They were going to pull the gas tank and check the sensor. The dealership said oh no you have a 5 gallon plus reserve in that we have the same problem with the RAV4, the problem is because on trips you have to keep stopping for gas when I get 325 to 340 miles it tells me I’m empty when I fill up it says I can go 520 to 540 miles the most I’ve ever been able to put in it was 12 gallons and that was going down beyond empty and driving it for another 50 miles. It doesn’t make sense to have 5 gallons 6 gallons 7 gallons of gas sitting in my truck that I’m carrying that weight and not getting to use it this just doesn’t seem like Toyota‘s way of fixing things. I did recall Toyota and now they tell me I have to get the dealership to do something about it. They don’t do repairs on their vehicles. Only the dealership can do that.

There are two documented events, Jun 28 and Jul 02, but several others have been observed While moving forward -Exiting a private drive, from a stopped position -Turning right to merge into a traffic lane -The vehicle failed to accelerate rolling forward into traffic at idle speed only -There was no response from the vehicle when the accelerator peddle was depressed or re-depressed -Vehicle had to be “coasted” to the right shoulder out of the way of oncoming traffic After traffic passed -While still on the road shoulder and the vehicle still running -It was a minute or two before the vehicle started to respond to throttle -When it did started to respond, it was laggy for about 30 seconds -Response remained laggy until the speed passed 20 mph and it started to respond as normal There were no vehicles or obstructions within range that should have triggered a vehicle control response There were no instrumentation or gauge cluster warnings indicating obstructions

- Vehicle intermittently will not respond or will barely respond when accelerator is depressed from a complete stop or near (rolling) stop. I have noticed this issue mainly when A/C is on high and during hot temperatures. I reside in the Phoenix, AZ area where high temperatures have been ranging around 110-115. - This poses a safety risk when attempting to pull out onto a busy road, either turning left or right. If the gas pedal fails to respond, this could lead to a serious crash. - This issue has arisen following a recent software update that Toyota performed (under service bulletin TSB-0017-24). This update was done to correct a different issue (shifting hesitation between gears when accelerating from 0-40mph), however it seems to have negatively affected the response of the vehicle when starting up from a stop. I have not yet taken my vehicle back to Toyota with this issue, but MANY owners of the HybridMAX are experiencing this same issue as the weather temperatures have peaked. - No warning lights appear when this occurs. The problem arose shortly after I had a software update done at the dealer on June 14, 2024.

I live in Arizona and the car has bad gas smell after drive a while(usually between 10-30 minutes) in a hot day (usually afternoon). I took the car to dealership and they replicated the issue and the dealership said Toyota told them it’s due to excessive heat and told us to use better quality gas which we are already getting gas from Chevron and Costco. Seems this is known problem because I saw other grand Highlander owners complained the same issue but Toyota is not doing anything to fix it. They can’t blame on the heat since they are selling the vehicles in AZ/NV. After drive the vehicle during a hot day, park the car in garage and the garage smells like gasoline.

The contact owns a 2024 Toyota Grand Highlander. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V461000 (Air Bags); 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. Parts distribution disconnect.

I call the dealer the say they already have remedy but they requested the parts to the manufacturer and they don't know when they will received the order I call the manufacturer they don't know either, Now my car is in the dealer because it was out of oil and is a brand new car, I need help the Toyota and the dealer are not respecting my safety I'm scar to have an accident and my airbags won't works

I received a recall notice on June 21st, 2024 about the airbag on both driver and passenger not being deloy if the vehicle in a crash. It has been 5 months already, but the remedy is still unavailable to fix the issue. I extremely have a concern for my family and my safety when driving the car.

The contact owns a 2024 Toyota Grand Highlander. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V461000 (Air Bags); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

The contact owns a 2024 Toyota Grand Highlander. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V461000 (Air Bags); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. 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.

The contact owns a 2024 Toyota Grand Highlander. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V461000 (Air Bags); 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 2024 Toyota Grand Highlander. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V461000 (Air Bags); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. 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 curtain shield airbags on both the driver’s and passenger’s side may not deploy as intended during certain crashes when the driver or front passenger windows are rolled down. If this occurs, the vehicles may not meet a federal safety standard, increasing the risk of injury during certain crashes.

Air bags recall with no resolution. Recall announcement was release in June 19 big safety concern for our family, especially with the cost of the vehicle. We dont trust and won’t feel safe with a airbag replacement

I am not comfortable driving my vehicle while the safety recall has not been addressed for almost three months since we received the notice on Jun 19, 2024 Manufacturer Recall Number: 24TB09 NHTSA Recall Number: 24V461 Recall Status: Recall Incomplete, remedy not yet available

Our vehicle loses power after initial startup when you first accelerate. We have had three incidents where we were pulling out from a stop sign or stoplight on a major road and you press the gas and the car shutters and doesn’t move at all. All three times a car accident almost occurred. This has been reported to the dealer and they replaced the entire hybrid powertrain. The issue persists at random with no warning messages generated by the car. It also hasn’t been replicated for a dealer to see themselves. It’s extremely dangerous and has been reported numerous times on forums.

Fuel tank is 17.2 gallons. Refueling on empty only can put in max at 12 gallons when fueling tank is full or stopped. Have never been able to put more than 13 gallons in this tank. Has taken the car to dealer for checking, they came back and said the tank was a 17 gallon tank.

Multiple times I have pressed the gas pedal and the car has not responded, as in did not accelerate. I was almost T-boned one time because of it since I was turning left and could not accelerate above 5mph. This is a frequent issue among GH Hybrids from talking to others.

I saw that a recall was posted on my Toyota app. June 28, 2024, I called for recall repair, regular service and second key. I was advised that the recall did not have a remedy, but I needed to bring it in for regular service. Service was scheduled for July 13, 2024. At that appointment, I followed up on the recall. They advised that the recall is open but Toyota did not have a remedy, so just keep monitoring it. I called on November 5th , to check on the recall and a service campaign alert that was issued on my Toyota Application. They said for that I needed to bring it in during the week, we scheduled the recall repair for 11/12/2024. When I picked up my vehicle, I was advised that they had to order the part for the recall. They performed regular maintenance, etc. however, the recall is still open and has not been repaired.

The fuel tank capacity according to the vehicle specifications should be 17gallons. I have refilled the vehicle three times after reaching empty (around 20mi left according to the gauge), and when I fill the tank it only takes about 11 gallons to fill. That is a significant difference. Even with a reserve, I should be putting around 15 gallons in the tank when it is on empty to fill it. I am concerned that the tank is not the correct size or there is a problem with the fuel level sensor.

I was just recently in an accident where I was T-boned by another driver. My side air bags did not deploy. There is structural damage and my front passenger tire is laid in this this wasn't a light tap on my car.

Since we purchased the 2024 Grand Highlander Hybrid Limited in April 2024, there has been an issue filling the fuel tank completely when the vehicle is on empty. The stated fuel tank capacity from the owner’s manual is 17.8 gal, however the maximum amount of fuel that can be pumped into the tank using auto fill at the gas station is 12 gal before the pump “kicks off”. After this, the fuel gauge on the dash reads full, however fuel range shown is 330 mi (at 30 mpg average gas mileage) when it should be closer to 500 mi with specified fuel tank capacity of 17 gal and 30 mpg. Shortly after filling the fuel tank, the fuel gauge and range will quickly decrease while driving. From researching and reading dozens of online forums about this issue, I tested filling the tank manually at the pump, extremely slowly, not using the auto fill lever. Two times doing this test, I was able to pump 14.5 gal into the tank before the pump “kicked off”. After these fill ups, the fuel gauge showed full and did not quickly decrease when driving. Also, the range now showed 450+ mi remaining. Both times after what appears to be an actual full tank fill up, the vehicle recorded over 400 miles before the fuel low light turned on, while previous max miles was in 300 range. It seems as if the fuel tank design does not allow the fuel to enter and settle in the tank quickly enough when filling, causing the pump to “kick off” prematurely and not actually fill up the tank. This issue causes the vehicle to not reach the full mileage range with advertised MPG and tank capacity, causing more frequent and inconvenient trips to the gas station. We have taken the vehicle to a Toyota Service center and they documented the issue but were told by Toyota Corporate that they do not have a fix for it at this time. Tech Tip T-TT-0742-23 exists on NHTSA.GOV website related to this issue from November 2023.

fuel guage does not accurately indicate the amount of fuel in the tank. when guage showing completely empty the car takes about 12 gallons to fill, tank capacity shown in manual is 17.2 gallons.

Subject: NHTSA Complaint - 2024 Grand Highlander Hybrid XLE Rear Windshield Shattering To Whom It May Concern, I am writing to formally file a complaint regarding a concerning incident with my recently purchased 2024 Grand Highlander Hybrid XLE. On [XXX], 2024, the rear windshield/liftgate glass spontaneously shattered without any apparent cause. The vehicle was merely six months old at the time of the incident. This unexpected and potentially hazardous occurrence has prompted me to investigate further, and I have come across multiple reports online from other customers who have experienced similar issues with the same rear windshield/liftgate glass on this specific vehicle model. This pattern of incidents raises significant concerns about a potential manufacturer's defect that may compromise the safety and reliability of these vehicles. Given the frequency of such occurrences and the potential safety implications involved, I am urging the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to investigate this matter thoroughly. It is imperative to identify any underlying issues or defects that may be contributing to these incidents to ensure the safety of consumers and prevent any potential accidents or injuries in the future. Please consider this complaint as an urgent matter, and I implore the NHTSA to take appropriate action to address this issue promptly. Your attention to this matter is greatly appreciated, and I look forward to a swift and comprehensive investigation into this concerning issue. Sincerely, [XXX] [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

The vehicle is consistently making a low rumbling noise at 15-20 miles per hour.

When driving under 40 mph mainly the vehicle has extreme ear pressure. Sometimes you can hear a rumbling noise along with the ear pressure. The ear pressure is so intense that I can no longer drive or ride in the vehicle. It is an extreme danger because I get headache, nausea and dizziness along with the ear pain, which could lead to an automobile crash. There was not a problem with my ears prior to driving this vehicle, I have had no issues in the past in any other vehicle with ear pressure or pain and it only happens in this vehicle.

The contact owns a 2024 Toyota Grand Highlander. The contact stated while the vehicle was stationary, the contact moved the third-row seat, and the seat made and abnormal sound. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact then took the vehicle to the dealer and the dealer made unknown repairs. On a separate occasion the contact became aware the bottom of the window was fractured. The contact then taped the door on the bottom of the window. The system function error message was displayed. On a separate occasion, the contact stated while driving 25 MPH, the rearview camera sporadically failed to respond. The system function error message was displayed. The contact then turned off the vehicle shifted the vehicle into reverse and the vehicle started working properly. On a separate occasion, the contact depressed the brake pedal and the vehicle failed to respond. The local dealer was contacted; however, the vehicle was not repaired because the VIN was not under recall. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 22,554.

I've had consistent issues with the vehicle accelerating and shifting. These include sluggish acceleration, loss of power, sputtering, and limp mode. We've almost been hit by other vehicles almost 10 times because the vehicle has failed to accelerate when pulling into a roadway. The vehicle will start to accelerate slowly, then stop, then 5-10 seconds later will surge forward will the engine revs very high and is delayed shifting into 2nd gear. I've told my Toyota dealership about this numerous times but they keep telling me that there's no issue but there clearly is being that many others are experiencing the same exact problems. There's never been a warning lamp or message when this happens. This is a huge safety issue and my family is extremely lucky that we haven't been involved in a serious accident.

Toyota is having issues filling up the tank as the specs says (Owners manual book). According to the Owners manual book, the Gas tank of these vehicles are 17.2 Gallons and 2.6 of those are saved for the reserved. In theory, we should have 14.6 Gallons to fill-up as soon as we see the "Empty sign" on the vehicles. Now, the thing is that even after this happens, we can only fill-out up to 11.5 gallons. I have tried several times, saving the history on FUELLY, and its always the same. I have asked the dealership and they don't know what to do. If you just search for "Grand highlander gas tank issues" you will find thousands of people that have the Grand Highlander (not only the Hybrid, models, but all models) are saying the same thing (Facebook groups you can join and talk with real people who can prove you this issue) the gas tank cannot be filled up to what the size of the tank is (owners manual) This is not good since we dont know the real value of miles / gallons of tank left so we know when we could fill up the tank specially if you are on a long road trip where there are not a lot of gas stations between places. Please ask TOYOTA to find where the issue is in here, it might be just the air is not allowing the gas pumps to fill out more gas in the tank.

1. Transmission issues with slippage, response. Issues where when going from reverse into drive taking 2-3 seconds to engage. Issues coming from a stop to going as well whereas there’s a hesitation with propulsion. 2. Safety has been at risk numerous times when pulling into heavily trafficked areas. Response to pedal should not have a 1-2 second hesitation, but it does and it’s sporadic. Can no longer back into locations where it may be important to put it into drive and move fast, a 3 second delay is a long time when you’re not moving and someone is going 50mph in a 35. 3. Dealer reproduced the delay from reverse to drive and annotated it was “normal” behavior. 4. Dealer denies issues with transmission, brought to another where they said it was a CVT and that’s just how they are and master tech came for drive with me. He was wrong, XLE is not a CVT. They flashed it/reset it. Seemed to help with shifting issues, however it did not fix delays. 5. No warning lamps.

A safety recall has been placed on this vehicle, but no remedy remains. I haven't even had this vehicle for a year, and I am scared to drive it. I purchased it because I have toddlers and needed the space. I need a solution.

Not everyone has this issue but my car has this low pitch noise whenever I drive pass 40mph speed it makes a noise like I left my rear wind cracked open but all the windows are closed. Some people decided as “cabin boom” and it gets louder when I speed up to 70-80mph. I can record the noise too, but I can’t upload in here, it only allow me to upload pictures but not video… please help

Issue started as soon as we first received the vehicle. Speeds 0-35 on almost any road causes a low frequency rumble until around 40mph. The sensation is very painful to hear and at times its nauseating.

Sometimes the radio lose volume all the way. You could turn the volume all the way up , change stations, FM, Sirius and nothing happens. The only way that this issue goes away and you can go back and start listening is to turn off completely the vehicle, leave if off, for a few secs, then power on . turn on the vehicle. This is very annoying since if you are driving for a long period of time, you cannot turn off the vehicle to do this trick. I hope this 3.0 Toyota Multimedia works better and more reliable.

Reverberation noise, also commonly referred to by other owners as “boom or acoustic boom.” The entire cabin vibrates as if a shock wave is being sent through it. Mostly occurred when hitting small to large bumps under 45 mph and also happens often while breaking (even on flat and smooth pavement). On highway over 50mph there is a constant pressure within the cabin that significantly effects the ears and makes me nauseous and gives me a dazed-like feeling. Every person that has been in my vehicle has asked me what was wrong with it. A Toyota service tech told me they didn’t find anything wrong with it, but I still can’t drive it for more than 20 minutes without feeling sick. Please help.

Myself and all Grand Highlander owners of the new version that just came out in 2024, we have the same fuel issue. The car is only registering half a tank of gas. If you go to the grand Highlander forum every driver is reporting the exact same issue over the last three months that the car has been out Toyota has put out a statement but has no solution, it is a hybrid and it’s supposed to get 400 miles or more per tank and we have to fill it up every time we drive only 170 miles. However, when the tank says on the digital screen that it is empty, there is still 10 gallons in the tank. This is for all owners and effects all cars of the Grand Highlander Platinum Max only.

While this is a beautiful car there are major safety concerns that needs to be addressed. When I drive my ears feel full like I’m on airplane or driving on high elevation. And on top of that I feel EXTREMELY disoriented. That is not safe. I’m driving my kids around. This is a family vehicle and I should not feel like that. I thought it was cabin pressure but it’s not. The windows being down does not help. I’m bringing it back to Toyota on Friday but pretty sure they will laugh and say that I’m crazy. There’s nothing worse than driving a car that’s brand new and feeling like you are unwell the entire time. What a shame. You really missed it here Toyota. Please fix this there’s a lot of people who are also dealing with this!!! DO SOMETHING. It doesn’t matter how fast you go. The fullness is there.please fix this.

the problem is the constant pressure felt in the cabin especially most at the driver side. the pressure is felt by my ears persistently when all windows, sunroof are closed. it's the worst when driving slowly (between 10 to 30 mph), any uneven road bumps magnify to constant "cabin boom". After a long (45 minutes) commute to work on local roads, my ears are hurt, humming persist for few hours. The dealer checked and suggested to open the vent to allow fresh air in cabin (turn off recirculating air button), but it didn't help. I felt this pressure problem the next day I bought it (on March 2, 2024) when drove to work. this could have been when I test drove it, but it was a short drive, I didn't notice. I test drove the other gas Grand Highlander, AWD, Limited trim on the dealer slot. it had the same problem. Dealer said they don't have fix for this while it's hurting my ears every cummute to work. the car mileage now is only around 500 miles.

Cabin pressure. Ears are popping very odd sensation. As if we were on an airplane. Regarding the cabin boom issue, in an attempt to describe it, to me it sounds/feels like when I'm in my other car and put one window down and get a strong pressure reverberation that is resolved when I crack a second window. Apparently this is called "wind buffeting" and Helmholtz Resonance. This is exactly how it feels in the GH, except there are no windows open. I've only had mine a couple days and l've noticed a strong pulsing pressure resonance going 45mph on a smooth road, plus low tones/ pressure when going over bumps at slower speeds. It wasn't there on the test drive because we drove a different model. opening the windows didnt help. Dealer ship has no clue.

I have a brand new Grand Highlander Limited with a Panoramic roof, and since the day I took it home, I have noticed a deep bass sound and ear pressure/cabin pressure when driving below 40mph on residential roads. It is very low-frequency and causes headaches, ear pain, and ringing after driving the car. I have taken it to 2 separate dealerships for diagnostic, and they agree they hear the sound and feel the cabin pressure but state it is the vehicle's design. However, most owners aren't experiencing the same issue, so it's not a feature but more of a flaw in some of them.

There is a serious vibration or bouncing of the hood that is very distracting while driving once the vehicle is moving 40 mph or more. My guess is that the metal is too thin or not well bracketed causing it to flutter or vibrate from airflow over the hood. I also experienced the hood denting in from a strong wind gust that made a very loud bang or pop making me think the hood was about to blow off and had to immediately pull over to examine but nothing seemed to be wrong. It just must have dented in and out again. Seems very dangerous. It flutters every time you drive the vehicle above certain speeds and causes the sunlight to flicker in your face which is very distracting. It is evident with every road test.

Rear glass seemed to shatter very easily. Almost no pressure caused this to happen. Caused an 8 week period with no glass. Repair has occurred. Others reporting same issue.