There are 47 stored owner reports matching the steering leading-label group for the 2012 Toyota Highlander in our NHTSA-sourced dataset. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
This group counts stored reports whose component label starts with one of this site's matching prefixes, ignoring case. Each matching report counts once within the group. Components mentioned later in the label or only in the narrative are not searched. How component counts work
Loaded 47 of 47 matching reports. The list controls page through the loaded reports only.
Open the full vehicle complaint log (all categories)Popping and clunking sound in steering or suspension. Can be produced at speeds and at stand still. Could it be this? https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/tsbs/2013/SB-10075792-2280.pdf https://www.carcomplaints.com/Toyota/Highlander/2013/steering/steering.shtml NHTSA Action Number: EA18006 https://www.consumerclasslawyersblog.com/snap-crackle-pop-intermediate-shaft-noise-coming-from-toyota-highlanders/
STEERING SHAFT CLUNKING NOISE WHEN TURN LEFT OR RIGHT AT LOW SPEED. CONFIRMED STEERING INTERMEDIATE SHAFT FAILURE BY IRA TOYOTA TECHNICIAN ON 7/31/2020 . THIS IS 3RD TIMES FAILURE. 1ST FAILURE WAS JAN/2012 AND 2ND TIME FAILURE WAS 11/2013.
WHEN TURNING THE STEERING WHEEL TO THE LEFT OR RIGHT A POPPING NOISE OCCURS AT LOW SPEED.
NOTICED A SUBTLE KNOCKING SOUND ON THE STEERING WHEEL ONE YEAR AGO. TODAY IT BECAME MORE PRONOUNCED ,LOUDER , AS I TURN THE WHEEL EITHER LEFT OR RIGHT. I WANTED TO KNOW IF THERE IS A RECALL ON THIS PROBLEM. AND IS IT SAFE TO DRIVE MY HIGHLANDER ?
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER. WHEN THE CONTACT ATTEMPTED TO TURN THE VEHICLE TO THE LEFT OR RIGHT, THE STEERING WHEEL SEIZED. IN ORDER TO RELEASE THE STEERING WHEEL, THE CONTACT HAD TO RETRACT THE STEERING WHEEL QUICKLY TO THE POINT THAT IT WOULD SEIZE. THE CONTACT TOOK THE VEHICLE TO WEST COAST TOYOTA (LOCATED AT 3399 W. WILLOW ST, LONG BEACH, CA 90806) WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE STEERING COLUMN FAILED. THE VEHICLE HAD NOT BEEN REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE AND REFERRED THE CONTACT TO THE DEALER. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 150,000. THE VIN WAS UNKNOWN.
WHILE TURNING THE WHEEL, THERE IS A LOUD POPPING NOISE. THE STEERING ASSEMBLY ALSO FEELS LOOSE WHEN TURNING. THIS HAPPENS AT ALL SPEEDS AND WHETHER TURNING LEFT OR RIGHT.
WHILE TURNING STEERING COLUMN WAS MAKING LIGHT CLICKING NOISE FOR A FEW YEARS. IN 2019 CLICKING RATE AND VOLUME INCREASED AND WAS ACCOMPANIED BY A DEFINITE FEEL IN THE COLUMN. RESOLUTION WAS REPLACING INTERMEDIATE STEERING SHAFT AT A COST OF FOUR HUNDRED AND FORTY FOUR DOLLARS.
MY 2012 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER STARTED MAKING POPPING NOISES WHEN TURNING RIGHT IN JUNE 2019, LESS THAN 100 THOUSAND MILES. THIS MONTH OCTOBER 2019, JUST ROLLED OVER TO 100,000 AND THE POPPING HAS GOTTEN WORSE(LOUDER) AND NOW POPS WHEN TURNING LEFT AND RIGHT. WE NEVER THOUGHT TOYOTA WOULD NEVER STAND BEHIND A CAR WITH SUCH A SAFETY ISSUE. NOTHING HAS HAPPENED YET! BUT IF SOMETHING DOES, GUARANTEED MY CHILDREN WILL NOT STOP UNTIL SOMETHING HAS APPROPRIATELY BEEN DONE..
STEERING COLUMN MAKING TICKING SOUND. TOOK TO A MECHANIC AND HE STATED KNUCKLE JOINT IS BAD. HAPPENS WHEN DRIVING. POTENTIALLY COULD CAUSE STEERING TOFAIL
WHILE OPERATING THE VEHICLE AND TRAVELING AT LESS THAN 20 MILES PER HOUR, A POPPING NOISE WAS PRESENT WHEN TURNING THE STEERING WHEEL IN EITHER DIRECTION. I TOOK IT TO A LOCAL MECHANIC AND IT WAS DIAGNOSED AS A INTERMEDIATE STEERING SHAFT PROBLEM AND WAS TOLD IT SHOULD BE REPLACED. THE PROBLEM WAS FIRST DETECTED AT ABOUT 55,000 MILES.
IT MAKES A LOUD CLICKING NOISE WHEN YOU STEER AT ALL TIMES
FOR SEVERAL MONTHS NOW I HAVE BEEN HEARING A CLUCKING NOISE WHEN TURNING THE STEERING WHEEL LEFT OR RIGHT AND UPON BREAKING A THUD SOUND IN THE FRONT OF MY CAR. AFTER TAKING MY CAR IN TO THE DEALERSHIP THEY CAME BACK AND SAID THAT THE NOISE WAS COMING FROM THE INTERMEDIATE SHAFT. I ASKED WELL HOW DO YOU DAMAGE A WHOLE INTERMEDIATE SHAFT? THEY SAID IT OCCURS OVER A PERIOD OF TIME. MY VEHICLE HAS 92,000 MILES ON IT BUT ITS BEEN MAINTAINED AND SERVICED AND NOT DRIVEN ROUGHLY BUT TO MAKE A LONG STORY SHORT THEY SAID IT WOULD COST ME ABOUT $615.00 TO HAVE THE VEHICLE REPAIRED PLUS AN ADDITIONAL $89.95 FOR THE ALIGNMENT. THIS APPEARS TO BE A MANUFACTURE ISSUE AND NEEDS TO HAVE A RECALL. I'M VERY DISAPPOINTED IN TOYOTA SINCE THEY PRIDE THEMSELVES AS BEING ONE OF THE LEADING AUTO MAKERS AROUND THE WORLD.
STEERING SHAFT- AFTER EXPERIENCING CLUNKING AND POPPING WHEN TURNING THE WHEEL AT LOW SPEEDS THE VEHICLE WAS INSPECTED AND FOUND THAT THIS IS A KNOWN ISSUE WITH THE STEERING SHAFT ASSEMBLY. THIS WILL COST APPROXIMATELY 1000 DOLLARS TO FIX. THIS CAN CAUSE MAJOR SAFETY ISSUES IF NOT FIXED!
WHEN TURNING THE STEERING WHEEL ON MY 2012 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER I EXPERIENCE A "POP" IN THE STEERING WHEEL. MY MECHANIC SAYS THIS IS A RECURRING PROBLEM WITH THE INTERMEDIATE STEERING SHAFT BUT IS NOT WARRANTED BY TOYOTA NOTWITHSTANDING THE FACT IT IS A KNOWN AND COMMON PROBLEM WITH THIS YEAR VEHICLE. IF LEFT UNREPAIRED IT COULD CAUSE A SIGNIFICANT SAFETY PROBLEM.
STEERING MAKES NOISE (CLANKS) UNDER TURNING AND ACCELERATION. I SPOKE WITH TOYOTA AND THERE IS A TSB FOR THE STEERING COLUMN WHICH HAS SEVERAL REPORTED FAILURES AND MANY COMPLAINS. THERE IS AN ONGOING NHTSA ENGINEERING INVESTIGATION. TOYOTA DEALERSHIP WANTS AROUND $1000 TO REPAIR.
HEARING A NOISE WHEN TURNING LEFT OR RIGHT AT LOW SPEED. STARTED AROUND WHEN IT WAS AROUND 45000 MILES BUT TOYOTA DEALERSHIP WAS UNABLE TO RECOGNISE IT OR REPRODUCE IT. NOW AT 63000 MILES VEHICLE IS OUT OF WARRANTY AND SERVICE CHARGE FOR REPLACING STEERING SHAFT IS ABOUT $1000, WHICH HAS TO BE SERVICED UNDER WARRANTY WHEN THE ISSUE ARISED. THIS IS A BIG SEVERE FAILURE ON TOYOTA SAFTEY CHECK AND HAS TO BE RECALLED AS MORE AND MORE CUSTOMERS HAVE THE SAME ISSUE.
STEERING WHEEL IS CLUNKING WHEN TURNING LEFT OR RIGHT. SEE A LOT OF PROBLEMS WITH THIS ON THE INTERNET. NOISE DEFINITELY COMING FROM THE STEERING WHEEL ASSEMBLY. *TR
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS EXPERIENCING STEERING FAILURE. FREEDOM TOYOTA OF HARRISBURG (6060 ALLENTOWN BLVD, HARRISBURG, PA 17112, (717) 545-4726) WAS CONTACTED, BUT THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. WHILE DRIVING 20 MPH, THE INTERMEDIATE SHAFT SEPARATED FROM THE STEERING COLUMN. THE VEHICLE WAS PULLED OVER AND TOWED BACK TO THE DEALER TO BE DIAGNOSED. THE MANUFACTURER HAD BEEN CONTACTED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 62,000. *DT*JB
MAKING POPPING NOISE IN STEERING WHEEL WHEN TURNING. TOOK TO DEALERSHIP WHERE I HAVE IT SERVICED AND THEY INFORMED ME IT WAS THE STEERING SHAFT ASSEMBLY. WHICH COST $273 DOLLARS BEFORE LABOR. MY UNDERSTANDING IS THAT THEY HAVE HAD PROBLEMS WITH THE 2008 TO 2013 MODELS. IN MY OPINION THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE AND SHOULD BE COVERED BY TOYOTA.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER. WHILE THE CONTACT WAS BACKING THE VEHICLE OUT OF THE DRIVEWAY, A POPPING NOISE WAS HEARD FROM THE STEERING COLUMN. THE NOISE OCCURRED FOR AT LEAST SIX MONTHS AND WAS BECOMING MORE FREQUENT. THE CONTACT SCHEDULED AN APPOINTMENT WITH THE DEALER (MCGEORGE TOYOTA, 9319 W BROAD STREET, HENRICO, VA 23294) TO HAVE THE VEHICLE DIAGNOSED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 126,987. *TT CONSUMER STATED NOISE WAS DIAGNOSED AS INTERMEDIATE STEERING SHAFT. VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED.*JB
Showing 1-20 of 47 loaded complaints
Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA. A high complaint count may reflect vehicle popularity, not defect severity. Data sourced from NHTSA public records.
NHTSA source checks for this vehicle year
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Vehicle import recorded: Apr 29, 2026. This is the stored import date, not confirmation that every source was successfully refreshed.