Body problems of the 2021 Toyota Highlander

Power back door (pbd) will not open or close and/or stops moving while opening or closing. Problem seems to be in the motor controls of the strut assemblies on both sides of rear hatch. Vehicle is off warranty, but should be covered by Toyota due to faulty factory installed equipment. . . Instead, they want to charge us $1600 to repair. On the Toyota forums, many people are complaining of the same exact problem! Toyota needs to have a recall and repair at the cost of the manufacturer.

Trunk has stopped working. It loudly beeps and will not open on its own. Trunk has to be manually opened and shut with great force to be used.

Failed seals on roof rack that allowed water to enter the a pillars. Unknown potential damage to air bag system, and electrical wiring. Smaller leaks can go undetected and damage components over time without owners knowledge. Dealer confirmed water intrusion, Toyota refused to repair the defect. Toyota is aware of the problem and had issued a service bulletin on April 22, 2024 (t-sb-0040-24) with a range of 2020-2023 Highlander vehicles affected. This defect may also affect components within the b pillars, and more.

During rain, the a-pillar and headliner show evidence of a leak. Open source research found this is likely due to faulty or poor quality components used in the roof rail system. My vehicle is completely stock with no additions or installations on the roof, just the factory rails.

Dull popping noise from rear bar under seat of 3rd row.

Roof rails leak and allow water to enter the head liner and the air bags in the support arms of the cabin. Toyota has a Toyota service bulletin related to this but they and their dealers will not fix this. It would seem to be an issue if the air bags do not function as intended due to Toyota ignoring a manufacturing defect on their vehicles.

I purchased a 2021 Toyota Highlander hybrid brand new. This vehicle was manufactured during covid (production date of 10/2020) with significant mfg defects that have surfaced after several years of ownership. Both the passenger and driver’s side doors have growing cracks/defects which has slowly caused the doors/windows to bow out. A collision company estimates the repairs to be at least $11,000 and after confirming that I had no accidents or work done on the vehicle to cause this problem, agreed that this is a manufacturing defect. Toyota has additionally refused to acknowledge that the vehicle is most likely a safety hazard to drive with the window now so bowed out on the passenger window, that it is exposed to the elements. The corporation has refused to remedy the mfg defects citing that it has been 4 years and too many miles later, even though I have a nearly 4 year history with them of meticulously taking my vehicle in to get serviced etc. Ultimately they know that this defect was a hidden/growing problem, but because of the extent of the damage involved, they have refused to take ownership.

I bought this vehicle used on 04/23/2024 with 18,596 miles on the odometer. When I was inspecting the vehicle prior to delivery at the dealership, I noticed a crack low on the windshield. The dealership replace the windshield prior to my taking delivery of the vehicle. In the spring of 2025 I had a crack develop in the windshield and had to have it replaced. Another crack has since developed (it is now 2/25/26), and I will, once again, have to have the windshield replaced. I have not driven on any freeways recently, so no high-speed travel. I have been driving for over 40 years and have never had this frequency of windshield failures. I have become aware that this issue is discussed by numerous newer model year (2021, 2022, 2023, etc) Toyota Highlander owners. Some have replaced their windshield multiple times like me. It would appear that there may be an issue in the design/aerodynamics of the front/windshield or a defect in the structure of the body that supports the windshield, that leads to this increased frailty of the windshield. I would very much like to see the NHTSA look into this issue and to force Toyota to look carefully at the high number of windshield failure incidents in these vehicles.

Windshield side beveled trim driver’s side snapped and flew off on the highway into oncoming traffic and the passenger side is also loss and almost coming off.

The liftgate has had issues from the moment I purchased this vehicle. It had 30,000 miles and we purchased all extended warranty options. The liftgate often fails to close, especially in cold weather. There have been times I have to manually push the liftgate closed certain instances. This would not even work, and I unknowingly started driving my vehicle while the liftgate was still open about an inch or two essentially, the liftgate seems to have a mind of its own sometimes it will work just fine more more often often than not it malfunctions. This is dangerous because it could easily cause a head injury or trap a child or a family member inside the car if it will not open or closed properly. We took the car to our dealership to have it repaired while under warranty. My car care technician reported that there was dust/dirt which voided my warranty coverage. I paid a lot for the warranties and for this woman to report dirt on my vehicle’s backend and that then causing my warranty coverage to not be valid was just ridiculous. We fought for an exception to be filed and they never spoke of this again. Dishonest and untrustworthy, this is how I would define my Toyota dealership. The issue was noted immediately to dealership/technicians. We had them provide us with a repair quote that was very costly and so we would not let them do the work. There is a massive amount of information for this problem and it is a common occurrence. Toyota is facing a class action lawsuit alleging that some of its “highlander suvs contain defective power-door components. This problem allegedly prevents the automatic open/close feature on the back door, also known as the “liftgate,” from working properly and has already cost some car owners thousands of dollars in repairs. According to the suit, Toyota knew about the defect and hid this information from the public. ” thus, the tech noted “dirt” to conceal a much bigger problem, make $$ off a loyal customer, revealing dishonest practices.

I noticed in March of 2024 that the lower part of my bumper was starting to detach. So I brought my car in to get inspected while I was getting my car serviced. Their was a recall issues in 2023. When the dealership looked at my car they said their was no remedy for the recall that I would have to wait until their is one. They said they can not fix the car even though the lower bumper was already starting to detached. Now July 27, 2024. While driving the bumper fully detached and now I’m dragging the bumper underneath my car. Had to take it to a mechanic to get it removed and then saw my dealership to get it fixed because of the recall. Now my bumper got fully detached and I suffered because of this recall problem. Dealership said they can’t fix the problem that it was because of a collision that happened from a previous owner of the car that got into a collision in 2021. Where I bought the car in 2023 where the bumper was not detached and now I’m suffering because the dealership said Toyota corporate won’t fix the car under the recall. Now I’m stuck with fixing a bumper where I never got into an accident and could of been injured because of this bumper falling while drive and I have to pay out of pocket to fix it.

Our Highlander has a recall for the clips on the front bumper. A few weeks ago, my wife was driving behind a truck pulling a trailer. My wife that it was a set of caster wheels that flew out from the trailer and made contact with her front bumper. Upon inspection the impact from that debris put a crack in the upper front bumper. No other visible damage was present. Later that day while my wife was driving 75 on the interstate, the defective clips from the recall gave way and the lower front bumper gave way and started to drag on the ground. Luckily it stayed in tack enough that the vehicle did not run it over causing my wife to wreck or even worse having other vehicles needing to avoid it on the interstate. We paid for a tow truck to safely take it off the interstate so we could tie wrap the lower bumper up and take it to the dealer. Toyota recall does warn that light impact to the bumper could result in the bumper falling. It also goes on to say that if the clips cannot be changed out, they will replace both the lower and upper bumpers. I took the car to the local dealer, and they confirmed that the clips could not be replaced due to the damage that had been done. I showed the dealer the recall notification on the internet, and they stated they could not do anything as they were not a body shop. So, I opened a complaint with Toyota customer care [xxx] ) and stated my case. They in turn notified a local dealer to address the issue. I have called customer care twice not without the dealer even trying to contact me. Due to there faulty part, my wife could have been in a much more serious accident. I would like your assistance in have Toyota make good on their commitment to replace both the lower and upper bumper as a result of the light contact that created this situation. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

Vista Toyota in casper wy refused to preform the repair for recall 23v720 due to a scratch on the bumper. I contacted Toyota corporate they did not respond.

Undershield came loose and was dragging on the ground.

Water leaking into the a pillar where airbags are located due to faulty seals in roof rails.

Premature ac refrigerant leak and failure in system in the 2021 Toyota Highlander due to corroded/defective rear ac lines located near the exhaust/spare tire, observed at very low mileage and upon official inspection at the nearest Toyota dealership. Noticed early in ownership and decided to have the vehicle scanned when air being released only continued to grow warmer in the sweltering summer months. Reporting due to advice from friends and owners in my exact situation with the very same issue as well as the pricey three-thousand dollars and upwards quote to have this work done from curry Toyota, 3026 e main st, cortlandt, NY 10567. Vehicle purchased new to avoid these very issues.

This is a supplemental complaint to add more detail to a prior submission. I am the original owner of a 2021 Toyota Highlander with 10,000 miles at the time of the issue worsening to the point that I finally broke down and was forced to pay the Toyota dealership's hefty diagnostic fee. The air conditioning system has failed due to a refrigerant leak in the rear a/c lines, specifically near the exhaust area under the vehicle. The dealership diagnosed the issue and quoted me over $3,000 to replace “all necessary components in the rear. ” they offered no coverage or goodwill repair despite the vehicle’s age and mileage. Upon researching the issue for longer than a year at this point, I discovered far too many similar complaints from other Highlander owners (years 2019–2021) describing identical failures — typically rear a/c lines corroding, cracking, or leaking prematurely. In some cases, customers were told Toyota is aware of the issue but not issuing a TSB or recall. In other cases, dealers said no permanent fix exists. These repairs are prohibitively expensive and, in some reports, recurring due to poor line placement or dissimilar metal corrosion near heat sources. This significantly impacts safety in several ways: impaired visibility: the ac system is integral to effective defogging and defrosting of the windshield, especially in humid or cold conditions. Without it, visibility is severely compromised, increasing the risk of an accident. Driver impairment: in extreme temperatures, lack of climate control can lead to driver fatigue, distraction, and reduced concentration, posing an indirect safety risk. I am reporting it to request NHTSA monitor the trend. This seems to reflect a possible engineering or design flaw, and the number of similar owner reports suggests it may warrant further review by Toyota and NHTSA. Customers should not be facing multi-thousand-dollar repairs on near-new vehicles with basic systems failing. Thank you for tracking this issue.

Recall has been open for a long time and I am preparing for a military pcs move and must have this fixed.

Front lower and upper bumper covers. While driving the covers become detached from each other placing the vehicle at risk and other drivers at risk as the components will separate from the car potentially causing damage to the vehicle/tires/etc. Or other vehicles in proximity to the car. The dealer has acknowledged this is a known issue but indicates they have no solution. The vehicle was purchase from pat lobb Toyota of mckinney texas on 1/22/2024 and delivery taken on 1/23/2024. They indicate that they inspected the vehicle and found no risk. There are no warnings when this is happening.

The sunroof on my 2021 Toyota Highlander spontaneously exploded. I was merging onto a highway but just started to accelerate normally - was going approximately 20-30 mph. The entrance ramp was a merge lane, and there was a semi truck with no load, so intentionally accelerated slowly to allow the truck driver easy access to the highway. The temperature outside was approximately 80 degrees, clear skies, no construction around me. No object from the truck in front flew backwards to hit my Highlander. It sounded like a gunshot, but felt no impact to the Highlander. I slightly opened the sunroof liner, because the loud noise seem to come from directly overhead. I saw that the sunroof was shattered, so quickly closed the sunroof liner to prevent any glass from falling down. I exited the first exit and drove to the dealership. Ironically, I already had an appointment for routine maintenance. When I arrived at the dealer - I saw that an approximate 6" x 2" section of glass was missing, and the rest of the sunroof was completely shattered. There is no visible damage to any other part of the Highlander. The service advisor looked and it looked like the glass looked like it was pushed up, in his words "looked like it was pressure induced from the inside". My friend searched - and found this is a common problem in 2020-2021 Toyota Highlanders.

I was driving on the highway when suddenly I heard a terrible sound like a shot, I thought that we were shot or had an accident. But the sunroof glass was broken. There wasn't anything causing impact I you can see this incident is outward like something exploded from inside via stress.

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.

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.

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

Recently purchased this Highlander on August 2021. On 11/29/21 at around 8:00 am, the check engine light illuminated resting stop at a red light. Engine still running. Took the vehicle to the dealership at 9:45am. Vehicle was found to have had misfires as a result of bad gasoline. I have been pumping at the same gas station ever since I bought the vehicle. If it was the bad gas, this issue should have happened sooner. Now, the dealership is telling me to pay for the diagnostic fee which they claimed it was my fault. The vehicle is under warranty. Another non-power/fuel issue that came with the vehicle was a loud wind noise when reaching 40 mph. The noise is very annoying, like someone whistling into your ear. The dealership is ordering a part to fix this issue. The vehicle is still at the dealership.

The contact owns a 2021 Toyota Highlander. The contact stated while driving approximately 60 mph, there was a flat tire sound coming from the vehicle the vehicle was steered to the side of the road where the contact observed the undercarriage sticking out from under the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the undercarriage and additional unknown parts needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 4,000.

About 15 minutes prior to the incident, the interior shade cover was closed beneath the moonroof. Mostly sunny day about 85° f, about 55mph, the moonroof exploded. The sound was that of a shotgun, followed by wind noise and tinkling noises of shattered glass just beyond the shade cover. Upon external examination, 100% of the glass sliding moonroof was shattered, approximately 30% of the glass had departed the vehicle from a forward and central portion of the glass area. The remaining glass was bowed outward. The roof aft of the moonroof displayed 1-3 millimeter length flags of clear coat paint where the glass shards had etched the painted surface and the rear spoiler fairing panel over the aft hatch had gouges in the plastic composition along the upper surface of said fairing. All components on the vehicle were factory installed. Vehicle had 10,000 miles and was in service just over 5 months. There were no indications of an impeding problem. The moonroof was secured with tape and cardboard to prevent shards of glass from departing the vehicle. The dealership body shop estimates repairs at $4319. Safety threat: if shade were open at the time of explosive incident, shards of glass would fall onto driver and passengers, which might create a loss of control from panic (explosion was very loud and disconcerting) glass in facial area (between eyes and sunglasses) or falling into clothing at the neck area and creating a painful bloody situation at highway speeds. Shards of glass departing incident vehicle might reach a following vehicle (motorcyclist) depending upon upward trajectory of glass and forward speed. Might affect vehicles traveling in opposite direction. Driver following incident with window down might be exposed to shards of glass slip streaming into that vehicle.

Vehicle has had excessive wind noise since new. This was brought to the dealership's attention at the 5,000 mile service, and again at the 10,000 mile service. At the 5,000 mile service nothing was checked or done. At the 10,000 mile service the noise level was measured with a decibel meter and was at 79db at 55mph. The service tech then drove another 2021 Toyota Highlander that was on the lot and it registered the same decibel level at the same speed. The service tech said that he heard excessive wind noise, but since it was the same on both cars, there is no defect in our car. According to the cdc, noise above 70db over a prolonged period of time may start to damage hearing. The Toyota service manager said that Toyota's acceptable noise limit is 100db, therefore there is no problem, he is not going to attempt to fix the issue. According to cdc 100db is equivalent to a car horn at 16 feet, and cause hearing loss after 15 minutes. This is a dangerous noise level for the inside of a vehicle with the windows up and radio off.

After leaving my hotel in san diego in the early dense foggy morning. I pulled over to help a kid who looked like he was just hit by a car or something. I put my 2021 less than 1500 miles at the time Highlander in park. The kid walked up to my rig, I being a single female, cracked down the window, and asked if he was ok. At that point he just opened my driver's door and I started to panic as I thought the door was still locked. I grabbed the door a closed it and tried to lock it but not before he was able to open the back passenger door and get in. I really freaked out. Without thinking I got out of my rig and as he was closing the door I grabbed it and told him no get out. I have never felt so unsafe in my own vehicle before because even in park while I was still in the car the door's were all locked and no stranger's could just walk up an get in. This is a serious life threatening situation. I made a video right after but, this doesn't take videos. Also, there were 3 other witnesses or more and the sdp of CA didn't even come a ask us any information. But, the fire and rescue, and ambulance came for the kid age 16-21, whom I tried to help and was only wearing his underwear. And was bleeding from head to toe. But, he scared the heck out of me as he 2as also at least 5'9-6'. Big kid I know. But, still a kid. And I was still in danger because my door's were not locked and I could not access the sos. The cover would not open, or I was so scared I couldn't get it to open. Nonetheless, a new system is needed for emergencies just like that. Not all emergencies are about a crash.

Both of the front door lock actuators went out, so the vehicle won’t lock at all & I can’t use my Toyota app that I pay for. The left back door/hatch rail that lifts up the door is making a loud sound upon opening & getting stuck when opening. Have to push the open button several times or open it manually to get it to open at all. Have taken it to the Toyota dealer to inspect both & both are costly to repair. Can’t find either of the parts anywhere, so I’m guessing a lot of others are having these issues as well.