2017 Toyota Highlander Fuel System Problems

Leaking fuel line due to deterioration of plastic liner in fuel line.

Today (8/26/2025) my wife experienced the engine light kicked on and that the AWD system needed to be checked. After fueling up it made knocking noises and difficulty starting, and took two times to start up. Ran an OBD scan and this is what it says, which is related to fuel pump low pressure. P117B - Fuel Pressure Sensor Circuit Range/Performance Severity - High Description - Indicates a problem with the fuel pressure sensor circuit, where the sensor's output signal is outside the expected range or performance criteria, leading to potential issues with fuel delivery or engine performance. P0174 - System Too Lean (Bank 2) Severity - High Description - Your engine is getting too much air and/or not enough fuel, this is known as a "Lean" condition. Excess oxygen is getting into your engine, which makes the combustion process less efficient. This could be caused by many different factors. Consequences of Continued Driving - Reduced power, Engine knocking, Rough idle

The contact owns a 2017 Toyota Highlander. The contact stated that while his wife was driving approximately 35 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power with several warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that an image with the brake pedal depressed was displayed. The contact was informed by his wife that the vehicle then stalled. The driver was unable to restart the vehicle and assistance was provided to push the vehicle to the side of the roadway. The driver was able to restart the vehicle after several attempts. The contact stated that the failure had reoccurred, and the vehicle was towed to a local dealer however, the dealer was unable to duplicate the failure. The contact stated that the failure reoccurred. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The contact researched online and related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 20V682000 (Fuel System, Gasoline); however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The failure mileage was approximately 110,000.

I just bought this car and I noticed when the car is sitting and idling it has a strong smell of raw gas in the passenger compartment. I took it to the fire department and they smelled it as soon as they opened the door. They also said this is not safe and I shouldn't be smelling a strong odor of gas in the passenger compartment.

The contact owns a 2017 Toyota Highlander. The contact stated that while driving 50 MPH, the vehicle started jerking, the RPM decreased, and the vehicle started losing motive power. The message "Reduced Engine Power" was displayed. The contact stated that she came to a complete stop at a traffic light. The contact stated that while attempting to drive from a complete top, the vehicle stalled. The contact was able to restart the vehicle; however, the vehicle jerked increasingly while driving. The contact veered to the side of the road, where she remained. The contact stated that the failure had been occurring for months. The vehicle was previously taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the low-pressure fuel pump had failed. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 20V682000 (Fuel System, Gasoline) however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that they could not assist because the VIN was not included in the recall. The failure mileage was approximately 125,000.

Car started to not start after getting fuel. Come to find out the purge valve was remaining stuck open. Dealer told me that this was concerning as it was allowing vapor to gather in my engine. Vehicle was confirmed by two different Toyota dealerships to have faulty purge valve. The purge valve would cause all the warning lights to come on in the Highlander, telling you your AWD system was bad to other warning lights. In doing research this seems to be a problem in various years of Toyota Highlanders. Concerning that something related to controlling fuel vapor could be this common and leading to a build up that could cause something more serious to happen.

I was driving to work when my car didn't want to accelerate and then stalled. I had it towed to Toyota dealership in battle creek mi. They called me today and said my low pressure fuel pump needed to be replaced. I checked online and saw Toyota had done a recall in 2020 for this part on the 2017-2019 Highlander and I have the 2017 Highlander. When I had the vin # checked it does not show my car as one to be recalled. My question is why not? when it shows this is a part that people are having problems with . I thankfully was not pulling out in traffic when it went out!

Car refused to start. Multiple cranking that had to be stopped by turning car off. Car was not receiving fuel. Waited one day and tried again. Car started on third time but ran very rough, with smoke and odor until it evened out. Drove with initial engine hesitation episodes to dealer. Asked for fuel pump replacement under Customer Support Program but dealer refuses because they cannot duplicate the problem. I am afraid to drive this car because I feel it’s unsafe. I am afraid the car will stall while driving causing an accident. I transport by grandchildren daily so a safe car is imperative. Called Toyota twice to resolve this but if the dealer doesn’t experience the same issue they will not replace my fuel pump even though this is a known issue. My car is not on the recall list yet. Looking back I have had hesitation issues upon acceleration for years. I feel the pump is to blame and should be replaced.

My fuel pump has started going out causing my engine to slightly knock and my fuel gauge and range to read improperly

The contact owns a 2017 Toyota Highlander. The contact stated that while driving approximately 50 MPH, the check engine warning light illuminated before the vehicle suddenly lost motive power and stalled. The vehicle failed to restart. The vehicle was towed to a local mechanic who diagnosed that the fuel pump was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and the contact was informed that the vehicle was not included in the NHTSA Campaign Number: 20V682000 (Fuel System, Gasoline). The contact stated that the vehicle had experienced the failure listed in the recall. The failure mileage was 101,000. The contact stated that they repaired the vehicle themselves and no longer wishes to continue with this complaint.

I’m not sure why this recall does not show up for my car & we’ve never been notified by Toyota. I have a video of the noise my makes when it’s off on the driveway…I can provide an alternate way as your online system does not allow video. Thank you.

Car is very slow to start and has a faulty fuel pump.

Vehicle stalled while attempting to cross a 4 lane divided road (on or about 9/3/20). Engine sputtered and completely loss power. Vehicle was pushed out of busy traffic by a Sherriff's Officer to a side road. Vehicle was then towed to the dealership. Messages on screen displayed “check AWD system, check BMS system, pre-collision malfunction, EPS failure “. Battery was replaced and codes were cleared and rescanned reporting no problems. On 9/16/2020 vehicle again began sputtering shortly after starting engine and while driving on a busy road. I was able to drive into a nearby parking lot with reduced power. Engine completely stalled and the display panel showed the engine warning light and to see dealer. Vehicle was towed again to the dealership. Technician performed diagnostic health check on vehicle and found that the fuel pump was not sending any fuel to the engine (0 PSI). They tested and checked all wiring and connectors. Inspected wiring and grounds for the fuel pump and ECU. Technician isolated issue coming from fuel pump relay. They replaced relay and rechecked system, test drove vehicle with no further issues noted. On 6/11/2021 vehicle stalled again shortly after start-up while attempting to leave a shopping mall. Vehicle was again sputtering and losing power. I was able to park vehicle in same mall. Messages displayed on panel: “traction control turned off, check engine, reduced engine power, visit your dealer, check AWD system”. Engine then completely stalled. Called for tow service and waited for three hours but tow truck never arrived. Was able to restart engine and drove vehicle to dealer. Dealer replaced fuel pump and assembly after a week of testing. On 6/19/21 after paying dealer for the repairs the vehicle sputtered and stalled once again while attempting to leave the dealer’s parking lot. Same display messages seen as described above. Vehicle now in dealer’s garage awaiting further diagnosis.

The contact owns a 2017 Toyota Highlander. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 20V682000 (Fuel System, Gasoline). The vehicle was taken to the dealer for the recall repair. After the recall repair, the check engine warning light remained illuminated. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer and the fault code reader indicated that there was a failure with cylinder 3. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be taken apart to be diagnosed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and informed the contact that the VIN was not under recall. The approximate failure mileage was 68,000.

The contact owns a 2017 Toyota Highlander. The contact stated that the fuel pump failed. The contact stated that when the fuel tank was full, the vehicle failed to start-up. The vehicle was taken to a dealer however, the dealer had not performed a diagnostic test. The dealer cleaned the fuel injection system however, the repair did not correct the failure. The manufacturer informed the contact that the vehicle was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 20V682000 (Fuel System, Gasoline). The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 75,000.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2017 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 20V682000 (FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE) HOWEVER, THE PART TO DO THE RECALL REPAIR WAS NOT YET AVAILABLE. THE LOCAL DEALER AUTONATION TOYOTA LOCATED AT 18700 STUDEBAKER RD, CERRITOS, CA 90703 WAS CONTACTED AND IT WAS CONFIRMED THAT THE PART WAS NOT YET AVAILABLE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT 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. VIN TOOL CONFIRMS PARTS NOT AVAILABLE.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2017 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 20V682000 (FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE) HOWEVER, THE PART TO DO THE RECALL REPAIR WAS UNAVAILABLE. THE CONTACT CALLED PASSPORT TOYOTA (5001 AUTH WAY, CAMP SPRINGS, MD 20746, (301)899-6000) AND IT WAS CONFIRMED THAT THE PART WAS NOT YET AVAILABLE. 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.

INTERMITTEN FUEL PUMP PROBLEM, CHECK ENGINE LIGHT APPEARS SUV STALLS AND WILL NOT START

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2017 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE VEHICLE HESITATED WHILE DEPRESSING THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL. THERE WAS NO WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 20V012000 (FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE) HOWEVER, THE PART TO DO THE RECALL REPAIR WAS UNAVAILABLE. FRED ANDERSON TOYOTA OF CHARLESTON (2100 SAVANNAH HWY, CHARLESTON, SC 29414, (843) 203-9032) WAS CONTACTED AND IT WAS CONFIRMED THAT PARTS WERE NOT YET AVAILABLE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE ISSUE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 50,000. VIN TOOL CONFIRMS PARTS NOT AVAILABLE.

ON FOUR SEPARATE OCCASIONS WHILE DRIVING DOWN A MAJOR HIGHWAY OUR HIGHLANDER HAS TOTALLY LOST ENGINE POWER; PUSHING THE ACCELERATOR WOULD CAUSE THE ENGINE TO COUGH AN SPUTTER; AND WE HAD TO GET OFF OF THE ROAD AND KILL THE ENGINE. AFTER A FEW MINUTES THE ENGINE WOULD RESTART. ONLY ONCE WAS THE DEALER ABLE TO PICK-UP ANY CODE OR REASON AND IT WAS NOTED TO HAVE BEEN AN ENGINE MISS, AND THE TECHNICIAN SAID IT MAY HAVE BEEN A BAD FUEL ISSUE. I AM SEEING RECALLS FOR 2018 & 2019 TOYOTA AND LEXUS VEHICLES DUE TO A FUEL PUMP ISSUE AND I AM WRITING BECAUSE I BELIEVE OUR 2017 HIGHLANDER MAY HAVE THE SAME ISSUE. ONE STRANGE CIRCUMSTANCE WITH ALL 4 TIMES IS THAT WE WERE CHANGING LANES TO THE LEFT, THERE WOULD BE A SHORT BEEP AND THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WOULD COME ON AND I AM ALSO WONDERING IF THE ISSUE COULD BE CAUSED BY ONE OF THE NEW SAFETY SENSORS. OUR LANE CHANGE SENSOR WAS NEVER ON, BUT OUR BLIND SPOT MONITOR (BSM) WAS ON AND AT ONE TIME THERE WAS A NOTICE TO A BSM ISSUE, BUT THE DEALER CANNOT FIND ANY ISSUES IN THE DIAGNOSTICS. THE FIRST 3 TIMES THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WOULD NOT COME BACK ON AFTER THE CAR RESTARTED AND THE DEALER COULD NOT FIND ANY CODES, BUT THE LAST TIME THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT STAYED ON FOR 2 DAYS AND THAT IS WHEN THE DEALER DIAGNOSED AN ENGINE MISS. THIS LAST TIME MY WIFE HAD 18 WHEELERS ON BOTH SIDES OF HER AND ONE BEHIND HER. THANK GOD THE DRIVER BEHIND HER WAS PAYING ATTENTION.