2021 Toyota Highlander Complaint Log

my vehicle showing break power low and indicating all safty feature malfunction

Air bag sensor malfunction alert on the dash. Toyota dealership maintenance determined the issue was sensor in the passenger seat was bad and is aware that the entire system will not work because of one sensor that would cost me almost $2000 to repair. Why would the entire system not work because of one sensor? This is not safe as the vehicle still needs to be driven and Toyota customer care does not care about the safety and well being of the consumer when contacted. Toyota Brand Engagement Center Reference # 230608000511

I was driving 50 mph on 28 E in Pineville, Louisiana when I heard what sound like a gunshot. I pulled over and realized my sunroof exploded.

I came to a stop sign in my neighborhood on Windy Drive and I heard what sounded like a gunshot. I immediately put my vehicle into park and got out and noticed that the sunroof glass was shattered. The best description I can give is the glass looked like a volcano where the broken pieces were facing upward. I then proceeded to my local Toyota dealership located in Alexandria, Louisiana. They told me my car was out of warranty and provided me with a quote of $1,450.00. I believe that this occurred due to a defect from the manufacturing process and I don't think the consumer should be responsible for the cost to fix the sunroof. After researching on the internet, I see several complaints from other Toyota owners that have experienced the same incident and I feel this should be a recall on Toyota's part. I am frustrated that I have to pay $1,450.00 for damage that I know was a manufacturing defect after I researched and found hundreds of other consumers with the same experience.

The contact owns a 2021 Toyota Highlander. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V865000 (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 made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

This occurs occasionally when I brake. I have my foot softly on the brake and the brakes cut out. The car feels like it accelerates/surges forward rather than slowing down. I need to apply the brakes hard to then stop the vehicle. I never know when it will happen. When it occurs and a car is in front of me, I have had near miss accidents. The issue seems to be worse on bumpy roads or downhill road when I tried to hit break to slow down or stop the car. I brought the car into dealer on 5/17 which they connected with diagnostic tool. However it showed everything is normal. The service agent told me there is one case just reported few days ago with same issue. Toyota sent expert to dealer to investigate the issue so I need to come back on same day for further investigation.

While parking, the shifter was inadvertently left in reverse. The engine was turned off while foot was still on the brake. After preparing to exit the car and removing my foot from the brake, the car began rolling forward until I noticed and slammed on the foot brake. We are used to the vehicle parking brake engaging automatically as there is no way to do so manually, that we know of. There was no warning that the shifter was not in park and no audible or noticeable visual notification that the vehicle was not in park. In some cases, on a flat surface when the vehicle wasn't in park, it didn't allow me to shut off or arm the security system. In this case, I was able to stop the vehicle and fortunately there was nothing in front of the vehicle. Since the vehicle was powered off, anti-collision likely would not have stopped a collision.

While in the process of slowing down, especially through roundabouts, the car braking systems seem to fail for a few seconds and actually surge/accelerate forward. It is sporadic but has happened to me more than 10 times in the last 6 month but I worry that it will jet forward into another car. I have notified my Dealer Ed Martin of Noblesville and they have stated this is the hybrid braking system (part of how it works). I understand this system but it should fail while braking. I was dismissed and wanted to report it as I did see on-line of other complaints.

We purchased 2021 highlander in March 2021. Since the day we experienced some vibration in the driver side mirror and we first notice bad vibrations when we drove above 40 to 50 mph. We never bought this up with Toyota or the dealer untill May 5th 2023. When we created a case with Toyota, they directed us to the dealer. Once we scheduled the service they confirmed the vibration and replaced Part Number: 879400E351. After the replacement we noticed that the vibrations are getting bad even during lower speeds now. The mirror is vibrating during idle and any speed higher than 30/ 40mph. We scheduled another appointment with the dealer and the manager did test drive another highlander 2022 model and confirmed that it is also vibrating. It was surprising to see that all the highlanders have these mirror vibrations. They said eventhough theres is vibration, it'd be considered normal. I rive mostly during night. The driver side mirror is blurry, vibrating and is extremly difficult to drive the car and is scary that the image on the mirror is not steady and create confusions to the driver. Changing lanes or entering to highway is really challenging as the mirros are vibrating too much and extremely hard to concentrate. This may even can cause major accidents as the image is not clear. The vibrations (humps, dips, rumble strips) are even translated to driver side vibrations and is very hard to see. The dealer even agreed to it but said that it’s a Toyota flaw in design because all Highlanders have this… and after talking to them, they said the only way Toyota would even look at this issue or have an engineer take a look in to it is if they get enough complaints or see a pattern. This is why I am reporting this to NHTSA. I want to keep Americans road safe and sound to all my fellow humans. They also said Toyota RAV4 also had these issue and Toyota issued a TSB however there is nothing on Highlander. I humbly request NHTSA to seriously look in to this and assist us.

light impact caused bumper to disconnect from my 2021 highlander. The bumper retainer clips came off. The lower valence clips are stuck and cannot be detached without damaging the lower valence.

While driving my 2021 highlander on the road my Driver side mirror shakes alot. It makes my visibility shaky when im trying to switch lanes. I took the car to toyota and newer models are having same issue the toyota dealer told me

When coming to a stop, when I apply the brakes, they stop working and I have to press harder on the petal to stop the car. It feels like the brakes "let go" , it is scary since the brakes stop working. I have searched the web and found the Manufacturer has been sited with an issue on another model. Toyota Camry- NHTSA 21V890 - bad vacuum pumps- "van cap" - many break causes the break to lose brake assist . I am planned to see my dealer for its 35000 mile checkup and plan to report to the dealer this issue- 5/19/2023

What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? Braking system How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? Vehicle braking is unpredictable. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? We can not get the issue to be reproduced, braking variables seem random Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? Inspected by Toyota Dealership Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? No warning lights or computer codes go off Assessment of the incident: When applying the brakes to stop or slow, the brakes will slip for a second then re-engage. This can happen when coming to a slow stop or an abrupt stop. The exact parameters to cause this issue are unknown at this time and is unpredictable. My dealership is aware and has documented the issue but has been unable to reproduce the issue. Never experienced this before with other Toyota hybrids I have owned.

my car experiences intermittent acceleration when applying the breaks. It lunges forward for some reason. It has also not stopped when hitting the breaks hard but lunges as well. I am using the last date that this happened.

Unwanted acceleration happen more the 5 to 6 times. While driving in highway exit ramp my vehicle lurched forward while I was trying to slowdown. Dealership had the vehicle for more than 2 days and unable to duplicate the issue. Currently Toyota dealership informed they don't any know issues or condition like this. I am not very confident in driving this vehicle due to this experience.

Warning lights appeared while driving on city streets.

On Saturday Jan 21, 2023 while driving 70 mph on I75 between Naples and Ft. Lauderdale Florida the lower bumper fell off. We didn't hit anything on the road. I was driving and my wife was in the car and witnessed the incident. We pulled off onto the shoulder of the highway. Our quick response saved not only the lower front bumper from going under the front tires but also avoided a major accident. We had to tie the bumper to the grill and went to the nearest Toyota dealer. He put it up on the lift, showed us how Plastic plugs securing the lower bumper had failed. He secured the bumper with zip ties so we could proceed on our journey.

Brakes temporarily fail at low speed when regenative brakes switch to hydraulic brakes.

In just two years, the four original tires were severely worn and had a mileage of 35Kmiles, which greatly affected safe driving.

Vehicle self drained 12 volt battery, causing hybrid drive system to not start up, leaving vehicle stranded, wife stranded alone at night. Dealership installed new software, 2 days later the hybrid drive system glitched again and this time the 12 volt battery was not drained but the vehicle hybrid system would not go into the ready mode and left the vehicle stranded, again with wife alone at night. Took to the dealer, service dept said "no trouble found". Has not glitched again but no longer trust this vehicle. Warning lights? Just about every light on the dash was flashing. Center screen said "hybrid system failure"

This occurs occasionally when I brake. I have my foot softly on the brake and the brakes cut out. The car feels like it accelerates/surges forward rather than slowing down. I need to apply the brakes hard to then stop the vehicle. I never know when it will happen. When it occurs and a car is in front of me, I have had near miss accidents. I often transport my grandchildren to daycare so I'm not only concerned with my safety, but my passengers as well. I have shared with my dealer and have called to report this to the Toyota corporate office. My dealer has noted this problem on my scheduled service invoice. They have inspected and recalibrated the brakes, but it is still happening. The dealer has checked each service appointment for any recall or notification from Toyota. I have researched online and know there are other Toyota Highlander Hybrid owners who are experiencing this same malfunction. When I called the Toyota national number, they indicated they would give my situation a case number. No one from Toyota has admitted there is a problem, but from my online research many owners have reported this problem. I would assume there are owners that have not reported it. It's truly a safety issue. I love everything else about the vehicle and hope by submitting this malfunction, it will lead to a recall and repair.

Upon starting my 2021 Highlander Platinum with 10,700 miles on it several warning lights repeatedly came across my display including reduced engine power, brake system malfunction, pre collision system malfunction. See your dealer. No codes showed up on their scan but every time they cleared the screen the messages came back. They decided it was a bad knock sensor. Then I received a call that a critter had chewed wires and they might find further damage. I was surprised because I’ve been in my house for 45 years and I’ve never had a critter in my garage. The service manager said “Toyotas attract critters because of the covering they use on the wires.” I said, “Soy?” And he said, “Yes”. So, isn’t this a manufacturing defect? How many times a year is this going to happen? I’ve owned Toyotas for 27 years. I’ve never had a problem until this car. I’m also having problems with the navigation system, 2 visits to the dealership and 45 minutes on the phone with the Toyota Engagement Center.

We rented this vehicle from Avis at Detroit Metropolitan Airport on Tuesday, 11/22/22 at approx. 7:50 pm. It was raining, cold and temperature was dropping. We drove approx. 1/8 to 1/4 of a mile from the facility. As we turned left on to a major roadway (Goddard) southbound, I turned on the rear defroster. Suddenly, the engine went into limp mode. I tried to make a U-turn to drive back to the facility. Engine lights flashed (low oil pressure, check engine, etc) and then the engine stopped. We barely had enough power to turn the vehicle out of the turn lane before we would have been struck by a bus. We sat in left northbound lane of Goddard for approx. 2 min without our hazard lights on. The vehicle would not start. I then pressed the defroster again and the engine fired up. We drove back to the facility and demanded a new vehicle. While we waited for a new vehicle to be prepared, I demonstrated to the manager what had happened. Again, after depressing the rear defroster button, the engine shut off and would not restart. Again, after turning off the defroster button, the engine started back up. This engine condition was replicated multiple times. I warned the Avis manager not to rent this vehicle as it was a death trap.

Visibility for interior windows defroster/defogger is not functioning. Inside windows are fogging up and icing no matter what heating setting is used. This poses significant risk of visibility in all windows. I have had to try to defrost the inside of my windows just to see out of my side windows and see in my rearview mirror. I have not gone to the dealership, but do intent to. No warning messages present.

I have noticed that if I hit a bump in the road while braking, the brakes release momentarily and I have to press harder to continue braking. I have confirmed that this happens consistently, and is more likely to happen when I am braking slowly (i.e. I'm not pushing very hard on the brake pedal, just slowing the car gradually). This indicates that it's the regenerative brakes that are disengaging when I hit a bump or pothole. It has happened 20+ times and continues to happen consistently under these circumstances.

The contact owns a 2021 Toyota Highlander. The contact stated that rainwater leaked into the roof panel into the front driver’s and passenger’s side door panels, causing a mildew odor inside the cabin of the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who discovered mold was present inside the panels of the vehicle. The contact was informed that the interior headliner and headliner clips needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 5.

Driver side mirror vibrates and gets worse on the interstate and windy days. It does not give clear, steady view. Night time all you see is shaking headlights. It’s highly distracting and discomforting to eyes and causes headaches. Taken it to dealership plenty of times. It was replaced one time and still same issue. Dealership contacted Toyota about the issue and still no solution.

The contact owns a 2021 Toyota Highlander. The contact stated while driving at night at approximately 35 MPH, the low-beam headlights appeared to shine directly into the eyes of drivers in the opposite lane. The contact stated that other drivers would flash their high-beam headlights. The contact stated that he had checked at night by observing the low beam lights aiming point and he saw that they appeared to be aimed high. The contact had not taken the vehicle to a local dealer or independent mechanic. The vehicle was not diagnosed and was not repaired. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 20,000.

The contact owned a 2021 Toyota Highlander. The contact stated while driving approximately 50 MPH with a passenger in the rear passenger seat, she heard an abnormal popping sound and the sunroof exploded from the inside-out without warning or impact. The shattered pieces of glass were propelled outside the vehicle. The occupant in the rear passenger seat sustained a cut on the finger but did not seek medical assistance. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer where it was diagnosed that the sunroof glass panel needed to be replaced and it was confirmed that the failure was not due to an impact to the sunroof. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The contact stated that she was concerned about a potential reoccurrence of the failure. As a result, she traded the vehicle. The failure mileage was approximately 7,500.

The headlights on the Toyota Highlander XLE AWD (2021) are set too high. They are constantly bothering vehicles in front of me, they believe I have the high lights and upcoming traffic are constantly putting on their highlights because they are annoyed. My Toyota dealership has not received any complaints but they are legit.

Rear passenger seatbelt has torn in multiple places. I believe something inside may be cutting it when it retracts. The buckle is now stuck in a tear and the seatbelt will not fully retract. Toyota refuses to fix it under warranty because it’s “not usual wear and tear” and there’s no recall. I believe this is a significant safety risk.

On July 19, the car was parked and refused to start. Tried Jump start and the gas was at more than half a tank. The car would operate for 30 seconds, stutter and then stop. On July 20, took the car to ED MARTIN TOYOTA in Noblesville, IN. They could not diagnose the issue. Replaced Fuel Pump system. Evaluated all electrical and no issues observed. Escalated to TOYOTA Regional Engineering to teoubleshoot. The car is still in the shop with no root-cause. If the car was in motion and this issue would have occured, could have resulted in a serious accident.

When braking, often it feels like the brakes are not engaged, not right away, but during the braking process. This causes the vehicle to surge forward like there are no brakes. Immediately you feel like the brakes failed, then you push them again, they work. It is very random with no reference to different speeds, inclines, never know when it may happen. It has caused many near misses for our family whenever this happens.

Several minutes after leaving my vehicle once I parked and shut the engine routinely, it rolls back a hundred feet and crashes into another vehicle. When I come back I became aware of this as I noticed the back of the driver side of my vehicle is lodged into the side of another vehicle. This caused damage to both vehicles.

Vehicle was driving at highway speed, transitioning to off ramp. Warning lights came on stating Braking Power low. Brakes proceeded to fail. Stepping on brakes did nothing but initiate a stuttering response. Vehicle would not slow down. Rolled into dealership that was luckily .5 miles away. It was diagnosed to be a wheel speed sensor. A sensor failing should not cause a vehicle to be unable to brake. Shocked and traumatized over the incident.

My 2021 Toyota Highlander Hybrid braking system has, since about 18 months ago, been intermittently failing. When coming to a stop, with my foot on the break, the break releases (or at least feels like it does) before coming to a full stop and then re-engages a moment later once I press harder. Such, gives one a start and is quit disconcerting. There have been times when I was sure the car was going to drift into an intersection. Also I am concerned that such breaking behavior may put pedestrians, cyclists, etc., at risk. I have on two occations reported this to the dealer. They have not been able to reproduce the problem, which is typical of intermittent problems. Tomorrow, December 11, 2023, they are looking at it again. No warning lights or messages have occured. Neither the manufacturer, insurance company, nor the police have inspected the vehicle.

When braking approaching a stop light or braking while having curved into a designated turn lane the car lurches forward even though the brake peddle is properly engaged. This causes one to react by pressing harder on the brake pedal and the brakes thankfully stop the surge . I could describe it as an acceleration during the middle of braking. This could easily cause me to hit the car in front of me, a pedestrian or fail to stop at the stop sign or stop light. This is very dangerous. The dealership has been unable to reproduce the problem. It has occurred 3 times in 10 weeks (as I just purchased the vehicle). There were no warning lamps or messages prior to all three incidents. I input the most recent date that it occurred even though the dealership was unable to see the third incident on their computer readout. They did find the prior 2 incidents IN ADDITION to one in 2020 prior to my owning the vehicle. I have noticed on an internet forum others have experienced the same issue. One case has this number associated with NHTSA 220314000811. PLEASE help!!!

We have owned our 2021 hybrid awd platinum highlander for 8 months and within the past two months (around 16k miles) it has started to do an acceleration upon applying the brake. The car does catch itself and then after hitting the brake harder it does stop. This has happen on 7 different occasions, flat roads, hills, parking spots now. It has happened while my husband drives it and myself. It was brought it for computer recalls around the same time that this issue started. After the recalls were fixed I brought it back in and left it with the dealer for a few days. They cannot replicate it and therefor won’t do anything. They tried to tell me that I can’t drive with two feet…. Which I don’t. I’ve seen other reports where Toyota claims it’s inexperienced regenerative braking driving. We have owned a 2011 Prius that we had for 6 years and it never did it once. We also had a 2021 Audi e-from which fully relies on regenerative braking. We are not novice when it comes to hybrid driving systems. It has come to the point where I’d like to sell the car and get something else rather than worry about a car crash with my babies in the car. I also owned a 2019 awd regular gas highlander that never had any braking issues. So I don’t know what the solution is, but this is a very expensive car to be having these kinds of issues.

When slowing down, It doesn’t happen all the time, but it’s as if the brakes disengage and the car feels like it is accelerating . After a second or two it will engage after I applied a lot harder because I’m freaking out because it feels like I have complete brake failure. I took the vehicle to Toyota and they told me it is normal to experience this because the breaking system is switching between the electric motors and the break calipers. I have been driving for over 40 years and there is NOTHING normal about this! I have gone into intersections at stop signs and almost rear ended vehicles in front of me as a result of this. Just because Toyota has a problem that they acknowledge, but claim that it isn't a problem, doesn't make it right and it is downright dangerous. This issue has been present since purchasing the vehicle.

When bringing my 2021 Toyota Highlander Hybrid AWD with ~18,000 miles on the odometer to the Toyota dealership for a flat tire and recall, they performed a routine multi point inspection. They found the inverter radiator was punctured and was leaking coolant. They said to fix it would be $1,640. The service representative text me “the technician also noticed that the inverter radiator is leaking coolant, which is a very important and vital part of the hybrid system. It looks to be that a rock from the road was the source of the damage, which since moving down here [AZ] I’ve seen happen quite often….I would strongly advise against driving the vehicle that far (~200 mi) for fear of it overheating and causing more damage. The technician said will end up happening is…the vehicle will overheat and shut down to save the inverter from further damage. This is a very, very important part of the hybrid system. “ When I asked the technician how a rock could cause the puncture and cause the coolant to leak without my knowledge, she said “it sits right behind the front grill and it’s pretty easy to get hit by a rock when you’re driving.” I told her that sounds like a design flaw and asked if there’s a part that can protect this from occurring again. She didn’t know of any Toyota parts to reduce this reoccurrence, but suggested I could look online to buy an aftermarket part. What’s alarming are the photos of the damage and the coolant spraying out from the leak all over the inverter radiator, how much coolant was lost due to this damage, and that I never had a warning light or notification. The car was driving fine and had no warning lights until I got a flat tire the day before the Toyota dealer found the inverter puncture.

The front bumper, with the lower bumper cover, detached from the car while driving in the highway.

On May 24th I was driving back to work form my lunch break, had to make an additional stop before going back and in the moment I was to make a right suddenly the car would not stop or turn, no light were on at the moment, now the car is a total loss and I went trough the scariest time of my life after running into mangroves

This is in regards to a 2021 Toyota Platinum AWD with 8500 miles. While cruising at about 40 miles/hour, the car suddenly lost power, and an alpha numeric code popped on the digital display that said “Chip malfunction” and something else I don’t recall. It also said to see your dealer immediately. On the dash, the check engine light came on with a message that said “reduced engine power”. This message alternated with another alpha numeric code. I did not write down the actual codes because I thought the car would record them. I was able to roll onto a side street and turn off the car. After 5 min, I restarted the car and took it to the dealer later that day. They not only could not find a code in the record, the entire trip was not recorded, even though it’s on my Toyota app. First, they tried to say it couldn’t have happened because it was not recorded. Then, they said the recall regarding a power issue was the culprit, but also admitted the “fix” had nothing to do with, and would not affect, the engine. After insisting more be done to iD the problem and fix it, they agreed to keep the car and run a diagnostic. It turned up nothing except “maybe bad gas”. Really? We only use premium from reputable sources. I do not feel safe on the car and most certainly do not feel safe putting my child in it. I cannot believe they cannot find the problem.

I have a 2021 Toyota Highlander XLE with a panoramic sunroof. on 5/11/2022 I was driving on the road when I heard an extremely loud explosion. I looked around and didn't see any damage, then I pulled off the road to discover that the sunroof had exploded. I called the dealership and they referred me to Safelite. Safelite took my information and called me back 2 days later to inform me that they don't stock the part I have to go to the dealer. I booked an appointment with the dealer (Sheehy), I took the vehicle in, they inspected, and I was told by Sheehy that "they've never heard of such a thing" and they were going to call the manufacturer to see if they will approve my repair under warranty. They called me back about a week later to say my claim for repair costs was denied due to, in their words "outside influences". There were no rocks, debris, etc. found that could have contributed to the moonroof shattering. Fortunately, I had the shades pulled otherwise I would have been covered in broken glass. There was no damage to the shade to indicate an object fell on it. After a quick google search, I saw that other SUV owners had experienced this same phenomenon and were told the same thing- outside influences caused this. Toyota should inform consumers about this issue and fix it no questions asked when this happens rather than try to brush it under the carpet especially when the vehicle is still under warranty. This presents a road safety issue as flying glass could get injure other people.

The rear cross traffic avoidance does not detect a person on a bicycle or motorcycle. The safety sense 2.5 + was advertised and demoed to detect even a pedestrian walking behind the vehicle. The system on my vehicle does not work as advertised and after taking my vehicle to the Dealer was informed by the service manager that the system is "intermittent at best". This is not what Toyota advertises. Dealerships apparently have no signal strength detection equipment to verify proper operation of this system. I have reviewed multiple videos of this system in operation and there were no indications of intermittent failures. I have contacted Toyota Customer support and am being ignored.

Broken latch. The car seat would not unlatch properly. Several occasions it takes more than one person to unlatch. If there was an emergency, I would not be able to get this seat out in a timely manner. The latch broke off and my daughter is only 11 weeks old. Not sure when the latch broke.

Head lights are situated too high and are distracting upcoming vehicles, which may distort upcoming traffic.

Impossible to completely fill the gas tank on the Highlander Hybrid. 17+ gallon tank, yet car will accept at most 12-13 gallons of fuel. Fuel gauge reads between 3/4 and 7/8 full after each fill-up. This issue has persisted since the vehicle was new. Multiple requests to the dealer to fix this problem are largely ignored with them telling me that they aren't aware of any issues, research suggests that many other owners are experiencing the same problem.

The vehicle's automatic stop-start feature malfunctioned and shut the engine off while I was driving with my 3 children in the car. Our safety was at risk because the car shut off in the middle of the road and we had to wait for an hour for the tow truck to come and give us a jump. There was no prior warning before the car shut off. Afterwards the message "High Power Consumption Partial Limit on AC/Heater Operation" came on I was very nervous for my kids and I safety.

Varias veces mientras conduzco en la ruta la velocidad permitida, el carro frena, pierde potencia el motor, el sistema de aceleración no responde, esas veces me salve de accidentes mortales junto a mi familia, reclame a toyota corporación indicar eso y para ellos no paso nada nunca tomaron en serio, mientras que el carro para reparar eso, paso más de 25 días en las veces que se daño xq prácticamente el carro no es seguro para manejar