general problems of the 2014 Toyota Highlander

30 problems related to electrical system have been reported for the 2014 Toyota Highlander. The most recently reported issues are listed below. Please also check out the statistics and reliability analysis of the 2014 Toyota Highlander based on all problems reported for the 2014 Highlander.

1 Electrical System problem

Failure Date: 02/02/2026

The contact owns a 2014 Toyota Highlander. The contact stated that a hybrid system warning alert was displayed. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed and determined that the windshield wiring system had failed and that the windshield needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The mechanic informed the contact that the windshield failure was associated with NHTSA campaign number: 18e107000 (electrical system, visibility). The dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The windshield manufacturer was made aware of the failure; however, the vehicle manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 190,000.

2 Electrical System problem

Failure Date: 11/28/2022

While driving car started singing and message came on dashboard about idling will cause the engine to turn off then the car turned off while I was driving it has happened multiple other times even after taking it to the dealership twice and then doing an update on it.

3 Electrical System problem

Failure Date: 11/11/2022

Steering column locked on several occasions while driving. Electrical systems blink on and off. Exactly as described in NHTSA recall #15v144000 and as far I can tell the exact same part number.

4 Electrical System problem

Failure Date: 05/08/2021

The power rear hatch will not properly open or close. The safety of others are at risk due to several factors. For example, the door will not open properly causing hands, fingers, and other object to get jammed in the doorway when trying to close it manually or when the door closes automatically without warning. It also does not close properly when the hatch is not working properly which could potentially be an issue while traveling where objects could fall out of the vehicle and injure other drivers. There are several articles online reporting the issue and will only be fixed if the vehicle is under warranty. Many of these vehicles are out of warranty due to their age. There was no prior warning other than a beeping noise when the door would not close properly.

5 Electrical System problem

Failure Date: 04/01/2020

The rear door locks do not lock all the time making it possible for the kids in the back seat to open the doors while driving down the road on my 2014 Highlander. It also makes it pretty easy for people to steal stuff from your car. This is a huge safety issue. It is a know issue and the internet forums are full of people with the same issue with zero help from the dealer. New lock mechanisms are 300 dollars. I have already had to replace one at 75k miles,. Now I have to do the other. The vehicle now has 100k.

6 Electrical System problem

Failure Date: 11/20/2019

Entune radio/headunit (hu) reboot itself while in a call. Reboot occurs while vehicle is in motion at any speed, during any driving condition. As the hu reboots, driver is unable to use rear-view camera and any other feature displayed in hu. Road attention is affected since driver is distracted by the screen going black and on again. Also if driver is in a call has to end call from the phone and call again using the phone.

7 Electrical System problem

Failure Date: 06/21/2019

The rear lift gate will often not close correctly on the first try. It beeps as if something is in its way and makes a loud noise. Recently it got stuck in the open position ans it had to forcibly be closed. Now it will not open at all. The vehicle is always stationary and the issue has occurred both while on and off.

8 Electrical System problem

Failure Date: 06/15/2019

We are affected by I am learning very common issue in Toyota Highlander 2014 and later. Power door lock actuators are all failing at around 4-5 years. I have not encountered this on any other cars I owned and it seems something is wrong with these since pretty much everyone I talked to had one or more fail in Toyota Highlander. The car was stationary when this happened, but it is safety concerns because we didn't know that one of the door was being left unlocked. There is no warning that it failed to lock.

9 Electrical System problem

Failure Date: 06/01/2019

Vehicle in motion: radio/entune/navigation system freezes and reboots multiple times. Vehicle stationary: interior cabin light when set to "door" fades on and off continuously. Keyless fob fails to function once car has been started; when motor shut off and door is open, warning light indicates no key detected.

10 Electrical System problem

Failure Date: 06/01/2019

Door lock actuators not working. Can no longer use key fob to unlock/lock doors. Potential safety issue.

11 Electrical System problem

Failure Date: 04/30/2019

Tl the contact owns a 2014 Toyota Highlander. While attempting to open the rear liftgate, it occasionally failed to open. The contact stated that the liftgate had to be closed manually occasionally. The vehicle was taken to chuck patterson Toyota (located at 200 east Ave, chico, CA 95926) where it was diagnosed that the multi liftgate connector or the power unit needed to be repaired. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified. The failure mileage was 58,000.

12 Electrical System problem

Failure Date: 03/25/2019

Tl the contact owns a 2014 Toyota Highlander. While attempting to open the rear gate, it stopped in the middle. The contact manually had to push it up. The contact stated that the gate had been malfunctioning for approximately eight months. The gate would sometimes open or not open, and would occasionally because get stuck in the process. The vehicle was taken to ronnie ward Toyota of ruston (1001 north service rd e, ruston, la 71270), but they were not able to determine the cause of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 136,000.

13 Electrical System problem

Failure Date: 03/15/2019

My complaint concerns the safety of the wellbeing of myself and passengers in my vehicle. The rear automatuc door lock on my passenger side of my Highlander went out first. Then the driver door at any given time may or may not open. Not even with the key. I have to go to the passenger side and climb over and unlock the door and go back around to get in. My concern is being in a wreck and the door not opening. Not being able to get a child out of the carseat in the back because the door won't open. Yes. It may be the actuators and I have read the expensive reviews of getting those fixed only to find it happens again over and over. My other complaint is the bluetooth phone system will freeze up and you have to pull over and restart the car to unfreeze it. The system completely shuts down continuously. I have read reviews on this also and Toyota is aware of both of these complaints but have had no recalls to date. Please help!.

14 Electrical System problem

Failure Date: 12/10/2018

Door actuator - driver side door does not always lock or unlock when using the key fob or button on door.

15 Electrical System problem

Failure Date: 11/02/2018

Toyota entune system , constantly shut down and reboot while driving, losing bluetooth connection, radio, navigation.

16 Electrical System problem

Failure Date: 09/24/2018

Tl- the contact owns a 2014 Toyota Highlander. The contact stated the power door for the rear of the vehicle, the trunk, makes a buzzing noise and is inoperative. The contact referenced the service bulletin sb0023-16, NHTSA id number: 10134306 (structure, electrical system). The contact contacted the dealership (sparks Toyota located at 4855 highway 501, myrtle beach, SC 29526 phone number 888-847-7870) who recognized the service bulletin mentioned above resembled the failure of the vehicle. The dealer informed the contact that it was not a recall. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred the contact top the dealer. The approximate failure mileage was 35,000. Gl.

17 Electrical System problem

Failure Date: 08/04/2018

While driving in houston TX. Using the nav system the screen went blank. In heavy traffic during rush hour about 5 pm. I acutally missed my turn and had to pull into a parking lot. Shut the car off and re started it. Screen blanked out again while parked. I had to resort to my cell phone. I"m new to the area. Toyota tells me this is a common problem with its softwear. I feel this should have been a recall. This could have caused an accident. It was very disturbing while looking for directions and the screen goes blank.

18 Electrical System problem

Failure Date: 08/01/2018

The rear trunk door of my Toyota Highlander is not functioning as expected. The motors that power the actuators of the trunk door are not working and we have to manually open and close the trunk door. Sometimes we do not realize if the trunk is closed or not which creates a significant safety concern. Toyota was having similar problems in the 2008 to 2013 Highlander models but the same issue still persists in the 2014 models also. I took the vehicle to the dealership at irving, TX and they advised me that the motor powering the actuators will need to be replaced and Toyota covers it as part of warranty. Since the vehicle's factory warranty expired in this year they advised me that I will have to bear the cost of repair and parts.

19 Electrical System problem

Failure Date: 04/11/2018

The power lift gate actuators only worked intermittently and caused us to close/open by hand. This occurred while parked. This eventually lead to a leak in the driver side actuator. A review of the NHTSA website showed that of the 54 complaints listed 14 concerned the power lift gates. That is about 25%. I had to have the dealer replace both and they said there was not a recall. They suggested I call Toyota directly. Toyota rep said they could not reimburse me after the repair was complete. No suggestion as to replacing my car while it waited in shop for action from Toyota. However Toyota did pay for half of the repair ($1000) and stated that if a recall occurred at a later date we could revisit the cost of the other actuator. Since there are so many complaints re this problem I hope this notification might lead to other documentation of similar issues and maybe a recall. At this time I would also like to add my complaint re the radio/entune system going black and then turning back on, this seems to be the most frequent complaint.

20 Electrical System problem

Failure Date: 03/02/2018

The door actuators keep going out. The first time it was the two back and passenger front. I had it fixed and less than a year later the two back doors went out again. The dealers ship wants approximately 400. 00 per door to correct.

21 Electrical System problem

Failure Date: 11/23/2017

Every single door lock actuator has failed in the vehicle causing remote locking and unlocking to not work. Doors, after failing, required to be manually locked or unlocked. The driver front and rear failed about 39 months after owning the vehicle, then 3 months later the right rear one failed, and now the fourth and final one has failed.

22 Electrical System problem

Failure Date: 07/08/2017

Door actuators failed in all 4 doors 3 years after purchase and just after warranty was over.

23 Electrical System problem

Failure Date: 06/05/2017

The entune radio has a bug that causes it to reboot randomly. I have had it happen while driving and relying on the navigation system for directions in heavy traffic. It is annoying, distracting and very unsafe. I have investigated the issue and it appears that reloading or new firmware does not work which is what Toyota recommends. Refer to this link for other people's complaints. . Read more...

24 Electrical System problem

Failure Date: 06/01/2017

I have three issues with the electronics in my 2014 Highlander starting in June 2017 (right after my warrantee expired): 1. The electronic liftgate is non-functional. When opening, it takes multiple (5-10) attempts to get it to open all the way up. Same with closing the liftgate. Vehicle is stationary. 2. The electric passenger window will not close all the way until you try to close it multiple (5-10) times. It goes up about 3/4 of the way, then opens again. I found that it works quicker, after 2-3 times if the engine is shut off. Vehicle can be stationary or moving. 3. The bluetooth connecting my android phone stays connected for about 2 weeks and then I have to initialize it again to make it work. Vehicle can be stationary or moving.

25 Electrical System problem

Failure Date: 12/10/2016

Stationary vehicle. Power rear lift gate will open or close on demand only sporadically. It may begin to open or close and move just several inches, or perhaps a foot. It thus requires the operator to manually open or close the gate which is very difficult to accomplish especially for smaller or elderly people as the resistance is severe, requiring an enormous amount of effort and risk of injury. This is an ongoing problem and occurs continuously.

26 Electrical System problem

Failure Date: 08/01/2016

My navigation system stop working on city, and highways while driving. It is getting worse . I live in martin TN. While driving to, and in memphis TN it stop over ten time ,and on the way back at least nine times. We was relieving on it but failed. When we needed it the most.

27 Electrical System problem

Failure Date: 05/16/2016

Vehicle shut off during driving, causing all electrical systems to fail including the electronic steering, which since vehicle also turned off, caused the steering column to lock up. Since the problem occurred at speed and infact while making a turn, a near collision occured. The problem occured multiple times in succession and was also intermittent with much time elapsing between episodes. Two other types of related occurrences during this timeframe were the (1) vehicle also cycling off and on and (2) would also turn on itself if the key was in the vicinity of the vehicle. Toyota of seattle experienced the issues when the vehicle was brought in and diagnosed the issue to be a loose bolted connection of the negative electrical wire from the battery to the frame of the vehicle. Though the vehicle has experienced similar issues since tightening of the negative wire bolts. Ongoing issues include the electrical system cycling off and on while driving including the navigation and front console display. The vehicle was bought in September 2014 and had less than 25k miles as of April 2016. On two prior instances electrical issues were identified and documented to Toyota of seattle and the vehicle was kept for testing. The first electrical issue occured with the adaptive cruise control failing and thereby requiring passenger intervention to avoid collision. This cruise control failure first seemed to occur in December 2015. Toyota of seattle did not find any fault and sent me away. The second prior electrical issue of the battery prematurely failing occurred in March 2016. The readings indicated some odd draws. Toyota of seattle replaced the battery and sent me away without addressing the odd draws. The vehicle's safety remains suspect with ongoing electrical cycling off and on while driving.

28 Electrical System problem

Failure Date: 03/09/2016

Liftgate getting stuck in the open position making it a hazard to drive, not knowing when it will open or close properly. Power windows barely close- reported to Toyota but claimed it was not an issue.

29 Electrical System problem

Failure Date: 01/01/2016

Gps/radio often turns off while driving. Screen completely goes blank and keeps trying to reset itself. Voice commands often don't work while driving or stationary. Blue tooth often doesn't connect while driving or stationary. Tailgate often doesn't close and takes multiple tries to get to working again when stationary. Spongy/broken spring sound coming from the rear of the car as I drove over uneven road. Rear left tail light always foggy and contains moisture even after replacing it. Chirping sound coming from right side of car when driving on highway on windy days. Wheel and car shaking while driving on highway at speed over 60 mph.

30 Electrical System problem

Failure Date: 06/18/2014

Automatic/power liftgate does not close all the way. Starts - then stops half to 90% closed. Requires manually lowering to close. Happens 75% of the time. Toyota dealer reluctantly acknowledged a service bulletin and says they will replace motor but it took some pushing to get past the service desk and tech who say, "we couldn't find anything wrong". I said not good enough answer and, lo and behold, the senior csr looked it up online and confirmed the malfunction is not uncommon and immediately offered to replace the power liftgate motor.


Other Electrical System related problems of the 2014 Toyota Highlander

Electrical System problems
30
Software problems
1

Highlander Service Bulletins
Highlander Safety Recalls
Highlander Defect Investigations