Body Problems of Toyota Highlander - part 1

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.

See all problems of the 2021 Toyota Highlander 🔎.

The front bumper assembly has come off our 2023 Highlander twice since purchase 2 years ago, the first time the entire bumper was pulled off while on the freeway(terrified my wife) and we had to pull it off and put it in the back on the Highlander and bring it to the dealership. Courtesy Toyota of brandon . This was supposedly fixed with Toyota recall campaign 23ta12 . Approximately one year later we noticed it was coming off once again, this time I tried to push it back myself but was unable to hook it up correctly and brought into the dealership. While they do recognize the vehicle is unsafe , and that there was a recall for this issue , they say it is not covered in the safety recall. I believe this is incorrect, and the recall either does not properly rectify the issue or this is a new safety concern.

See all problems of the 2023 Toyota Highlander 🔎.

Went to close the right rear passenger door and heard splashing. Door is leaking from somewhere and running down to the bottom of the door filling it with water on the inside.

See all problems of the 2020 Toyota Highlander 🔎.

The grill of the vehicle is too big. There is nothing to stop the condenser from being damaged. There should be a plate for airflow but also stop the damage being done to the condenser. Shouldn't have to file an insurance claim, pay out of pocket and warranty doesn't cover. Recurring problem something should be done.

See all problems of the 2022 Toyota Highlander 🔎.

In reference to NHTSA recall no. 23v-720 I have made several attempts to have the recall remedied at a certified dealer, dealership is 4hrs away, round trip. On 3 separate occasions I made appointments online for maintenance plus recall. In between 2nd and 3rd remedy attempt lower bumper detached on the highway into traffic. My own vehicle ran it over, several cars swerved on the roadway to avoid the obstacle, some successful and some hit it head on sending it across multiple lanes, it was lastly struck by a semi truck and unrecoverable. On the 3rd attempted I questioned why the recall was not being completed. I was told recalls need to be on a separate appointment. 4th attempt was for the only recall and was turned away because of damage on the upper bumper. Damage was chipped paint and a slight crease near the fog lamp hole. Damage was caused by the upper bumper flapping in the wind while driving since it was no longer braced by lower bumper. I was provided a flow chart by the maintenance manager stating that I needed to repair my bumper before the safety recall could be performed. I showed my recall notice that stated if damage was found on the upper bumper, both upper and lower would be replaced. I asked if my vehicle was going to be evaluated and was told no. A few days later I received a voicemail(missed the call) that my parts had arrived and an appointment had been made for me. I did not ask them to order the parts, I did not plan on returning to them because of their flippant attitude towards my safety. I felt obligated and trapped to return to them since they ordered the parts. I replaced my bumper but did not paint it yet. I figured since the chipped paint was a deciding factor to my safety it would be better not to have it in case other paint damage occurred. (why does paint matter on a safety recall?) went to 5th attempt and was turned away because my upper bumper was unpainted. I have made appt with new dealer. This is not a reasonable time-frame.

The paint is malfunction , and is available for inspection upon request.

See all problems of the 2012 Toyota Highlander 🔎.

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.

The component that failed is the roof rail clips that hold the roof rack to the vehicle (Toyota service bulletin t-sb-0040-24). The clips under the rail fail and cause water to leak into the headliner and down the a-pillars on both sides of the vehicle. It presents itself by causing water staining where the headliner meets the a-pillar cover. This issue presented itself in January of 2023, a few months after we bought the vehicle. Toyota bountiful (utah) tried to tell us that it is the sunroof drain lines that are clogged and required a $100 service to clear them which is an annual service. After some push back they found the problem with the roof rack clips. However, they only replaced the passenger side and neglected to repair both sides. April of 2025 the driverside failed and Toyota bountiful once again confirmed that the driverside clips failed. This creates a danger to the front occupants of the vehicle by allowing a possible mold issue within the cabin. Secondly, it allows water into the front curtain airbags of the vehicle.

I was driving around a corner and the driver's door popped open into the ajar position (not fully open, just ajar) and safety alarms went off. Confirmed that the doors were locked at the time this happened.

It’s been a known issue that Toyota Highlander has transmission problems under 100k miles from 2016-2021 or later (social media sites confirmed such). My vehicle require a trans axle replacement as well as the struts are leaking oil and my vehicle has less than 62k miles and is only 5 years old. This is being covered under my extended warranty but parts are on back order after doing research many owners complain about a whining noise showing acceleration of vehicle . If left unfixed this leads to transmission gears slipping and eventually needing an entire replacement some owners also complain about leaky struts. My car has an issue with leaky struts and is being fixed under warranty some owners say they need an entire new transmission and after that is replaced the rear transaxle goes and needs replacement Toyota is not putting a recall on this but it’s a known issue. Owners are asking to have this put out as a recall by toy. All parts are on back order and takes several months before transmission can be repaired or replaced. This tells me there are hundreds if not thousands of Highlander’s having the same issue this is a Toyota problem and is related to building transmission in the factory. . Recall the older vehicles and do better in the factory.

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.

Weather conditions were severe due to a snowstorm, causing ice buildup on the road, low visibility, and slippery pavement. Despite driving cautiously, I lost control of the vehicle, which resulted in going off the road, down an embankment, and crashing into a tree. Immediately after the impact, I called 911 emergency services for assistance. I attempted to exit the vehicle, but the driver’s door was blocked due to the position of the tree. I remained inside the vehicle until a passerby stopped and helped me get out. As a result of the impact, my vehicle sustained significant damage the shocking thing about it all is that the vehicle did not activate the airbags and that is worrying to me because it could have been unfortunate.

While driving on a highway, with little traffic around, our sunroof exploded, sending shards of glass down. It produced a sound of a gunshot and quite possibly could have resulted in such a distraction to cause a wreck. The vehicle has not been inspected but insurance agents has been contacted. There were no warnings at all.

The vehicle is painted in blizzard pearl, which has a known peeling issue. Toyota never sent us any notification of an issue with the paint. A patch of the paint has peeled off of the top of the vehicle and has continued to grow larger. When we contacted Toyota, we were informed the period to fix this issue has closed and we would have to repair out of pocket. Our vehicle was mostly garage kept and didn't suffer the immediate failure of the paint. Blizzard pearl is a color with an additional cost and has the most complaints for failure. Toyota has acknowledged the problem but did very little to ensure customers were notified, did not take into account blizzard pearl painted vehicles would fail at different times due to climate/storage of vehicles, and only provided a narrow window to their customers for this issue. The peeled paint has exposed the body of the vehicle to the elements, which will cause it to rust.

See all problems of the 2014 Toyota Highlander 🔎.

Unknown-tailgate failure keeps beeping will not automatically go up or down not sure why?.

See all problems of the 2015 Toyota Highlander 🔎.

The driver side rear passenger door can not be opened,either by remote or manually. This poses a threat to the safety of passengers in the rear seat area in the event of a crash. First responders would need to take other measures to tend to any injured passengers.

See all problems of the 2016 Toyota Highlander 🔎.

My car is leaking into my interior. It has come out of the electrical component areas. I worry it has infiltrated airbags & what could happen if they get wet (go off due to damage or not go off when supposed to). Have taken to dealership 3 times with no resolution.

See all problems of the 2019 Toyota Highlander 🔎.

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).

While driving at 60 mph the lower front bumper assembly came off and detached from the vehicle and lodged under the car causing an emergency stop in the middle of the highway. When lithia Toyota was asked to repair the damage they have refused stating that it must go thru my insurance since it was an accident.

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.

R 2022 Toyota Highlander was involved in a motor vehicle incident wherein the vehicle stability control (vsc) and front airbags may not have functioned as expected.

Recall has been out for 6 months still no remedy. Manufacturer recall number 23tb12 NHTSA recall number 23v720 can't sell vehicle with open recall, and need to sell.

Front bumper has been falling off. We are on our 4th repair now in 1. 5 years. Toyota claims that we aren't part of the recall but having issue with it staying in place. They might need to extend it further.

We were driving at around 70 mph on lane #3 on wb I-80 near auburn CA at around 11:30 am on 2/19/2024 with 2 passengers and some baggage in the trunk. No baggage were on the roof rack. Traffic was light and no vehicle was directly ahead of us at the time. Weather was cloudy. Suddenly we heard a loud bang above us, like a gun going off. I opened the sunroof cover and found the sunroof glass shattered. After exiting the freeway and parking, we found only the sunroof glass was damaged. The glass was shattered but still intact. There was no damage to the roof or roof racks.

The fact that the dealership was able to sell this car with a recall on is crazy, yes I have blame for not looking as well but now we are having issues with the front bumper hitting the tires when you turn and making a grinding noise. We were told that there’s nothing they could do as of yet but as I see this recall has been open for a while now? this is a big concern to us what if they don’t find anything wrong or so they say and something happens? they need to speed up the process to find a solutions loosing a front bumper while your on the highway is a big risk.

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.

Unknown.