Owners/service Manual Problems of Toyota Highlander

My powered rear tailgate door malfunctions when I attempt to open it. About 80% of the time when I press the button to have it open, it cracks open and then starts beeping. Then to open it, I have to manually open it by hand.

See all problems of the 2014 Toyota Highlander 🔎.

I was out for heading home & my vehicle would not start. I had the brake pedal pressed & pushed the start engine button. The vehicle just made a rapid clicking noise. There was a "braking power low/ stop in a safe place" light on the dashboard. Having been through this before after having the vehicle for 8 wks I waited & tried to get the brake pedal to the up position. Tried starting again;results the same. Called the local dealership,was told to tow it in for a diagnotstic. Again, I tried the brake pedal/ start sequence: no luck. The dash message center light reappeared immediately over-lapped by "depress brake pedal and push engine switch to start"(brake was depressed). Tried one more time to start results the same. Then the "charging system malfunction/ stop in a safe place/ see owner's manual" light appeared in the dash. Finally started 3 hours later: I drove home. Went to local dealer they said it was the battery. Went to my regular dealership. Enroute, the message center on the dash flashed bright red without words(@ 40mph). My regular dealership tested my battery, it was fine. They ran diagnostic; they said the result was a bad computer that needed to be replaced. Was given a loaner vehicle. 2 wks later they called and said after more testing it is the battery, not the computer.

See all problems of the 2017 Toyota Highlander 🔎.

Driver side door lock mechanism worked only intermittently. Had to crawl through passenger side to unlock door manually by pulling on the door handle. Replaced door lock mechanism at dealership. Now the left rear door is starting to malfunction. Sometimes passenger is unable to open door from inside of car and the door has to be opened from the outside.

See all problems of the 2015 Toyota Highlander 🔎.

Power back door just beeps will not open in cold weather. Manually opens,however, it's a struggle to open.

Jbl navigation system does not provide voice guidance and has resulted in several near-miss accidents as the driver is forced to glance at the display. This is an ongoing problem with Toyota and jbl sound system and the dealers say they are aware of the safety problem but have to wait for a software update. This has gone on over 1 year so a software update is not coming. Purchased vehicle in July 2019 and have taken to Toyota dealers in 3 different cities all with no advice to solve the problem. They say there is a bulletin on this safety issue and a manual workaround but no permanent fix.

See all problems of the 2019 Toyota Highlander 🔎.

Back door locks and passenger front door locks quit working with unlock/lock switch and remote. I had the front locks replaced before warranty was up. The back passenger door died right after warranty was up. However the front passenger door lock is dead again. The front driver side door lock is on the fritz too. Using the remote or using remoteless(touching the handle on passenger front side) entry doesn't lock or unlock the 3 doors, the lock/unlock button on the 3 doors don't work. From what I had read Toyota has known about these locks since 2004 but continue to use them. The only way to unlock the doors is pushing the lock switch inside the door or using the key that comes with remote entry. ** the front doors happened before Toyota warranty was up and were replace. The back passenger door happened right after warranty was up. Then the back driver side happened April 2018. If the doors aren't lock and you push the lock button, it doesn't beep to say it is secured. You have to go lock all the doors manual then set the remote for securing the car.

See all problems of the 2013 Toyota Highlander 🔎.

Takata recall. Strange noises and flash green light appear on display, after 1/4 miles from parking lot, the car speed up by itself, the pre-collision system (pcs) is not working, brake assist is failed, the driver cannot manually brakes the car.

Pre collision system as advertised does not function. It does not warn nor self brake for imminent collisions with vehicles nor pedestrians should driver fail to react manually in time. Self tests using large cardboard boxes have verified this. Toyota refuses to remedy problem nor recognize owner test. Non functional since new, 5/2/18. Several dealers and Toyota cust. Service contacted & complaint ignored. All instances vehicle in motion on public roadways. Box test in motion in parking lot.

See all problems of the 2018 Toyota Highlander 🔎.

Soon after warranty ran out the lift gate to the trunk hatch began leaking lubrication and intermittanly would not open all the way, close all the way, or open or close at all. Many times, I would need to manually push the hatch down to close, which required extreme force. The same force would be required to open the hatch at times. Esentially, the lift gate is unreliable to lift or close most of the time. The cost estimate from the dealer exceeded $1,800 for the replacement of both struts.

I have a 2013 Toyota Highlander limited. The actuator on the front passenger and driver side have stopped working. The symptom is that when you approach the driver's side door with the key fob, the driver's door will not open. The door only opens using the bypass key. When inside the car, pressing the lock / unlock button does not lock or unlock front passenger or driver's side doors only the rear passenger doors. Front passenger and driver side door can only be opened by manually pulling the door handle. Toyota got a bunch of bad actuators and they are refusing to classify this problem as a recall.

In late 2012, Toyota issued a TSB related to the rear power lift gate. Instructions were to replace the hinges, motor unit, etc. . . If evidence of failure. Limitations were 3 yr 36,000 mile warranty. Explanations from the dealer were that the hinges for the back hatch were under manufactured for the weight of the door causing them to twist/warp and pull away from the door and/or frame. This also created undue stress on the motor assembly unit often times leading to failure. I had service performed in early 2013 as recommended by the TSB. I am currently experiencing the identical issues as stated above but worse. The door no longer operates by using the power lift feature on the key fob. The door is again warped causing the grinding and clicking noises when you open it manually. The motor has failed and I am afraid my actual door is warped. I have spoken to my dealer and have been told that the work was completed and that there was nothing else they could do for me. This in spite of the fact that the repairs have been proven to be less than effective. I do not feel this is a car mileage issue. It is simply a manufacturing error that has yet to be resolved. Toyota failed to issue a recall on this problem. After researching my problem I have found that there have been very large class action law suits related to this very issue. Many times these doors are not closing at all creating a potentially very dangerous safety issue.

See all problems of the 2010 Toyota Highlander 🔎.

Bought the car certified preowned in 2014 and noticed a problem with the rear door. When trying to close automatically it would jerk to a stop, vibrate and go back up. The dealer agreed to fix it and took it in back for an hour. After that it worked on and off for two years. I started having problems again last year and now it wont close at all or open with the button- I can only open and close it manually. Took it to another dealer two weeks ago and they seemed dumbfounded despite a new notice from Toyota on the matter. I have read this is now a common problem and there is a class action against Toyota on this matter. The dealer has ordered a new motor and I go back next week - although I'm not sure that this will fix the problem. I have read accounts of owners going back 6-8 times and still having problems.

See all problems of the 2012 Toyota Highlander 🔎.

My problem is with the low tire warning system. My issue is that you cannot manually reset this warning light as with other cars. I have had to take my car to the dealer twice in the last 12 months for them to properly inflate/reset the system. All my tires were properly inflated except for the spare. Myself and firestone auto care could not get the warning light to go away. Finally, after months of having the warning light on, I was able to take the car to the dealer and they properly reset all the tires including the spare and the warning light finally went off. Seems like a ploy to get you to go to the dealer. The dealer indicated that they have had a lot of those issues due to the changes in the temperature. If all the tires are properly inflated, the warning light can still go off if because your spare tire may be low. This is a safety issue to me as you may not know that you really have a low tire that could affect driving. If the light is already on due to a low spare tire, and a regular tire goes low, one would have no way of knowing as the light is already on.

Hydraulics and/or electric on rear lift gate faulty. The automatic lift function does not properly align the back lift door upon closure. The hatch must be closed manually.

The tailgate motor unexpectedly malfunctioned and closed the door in an unbalanced way causing the breaking of the tailgate hinges / arms. The tailgate stopped / froze and remained ajar about 1 inch on right passenger side of the door and latching on driver's side of the door. The door would not manually or electronically open back up. Had to have the door physically removed by Toyota dealership and replaced entire tailgate hatch, motor and hinges. Costing me in the neighborhood of $5,000 for parts, labor, and a rental car for 12 days to repair as my insurance with progressive insurance declined coverage under my comprehensive insurance as they related back to wear and tear. Potential severe crushing injury or fatality could have resulted from what occurred. Since the door continued to close after malfunctioning and froze in place (unable to physically open), had someone's hand or body part been caught under could have resulted in being caught / trapped between the door and the latching area. Quick search on the internet shows that this is not the first time that this has occurred. All showing similar cost associated with repair and all with the same life altering or severe injury consequence. Would like to get Toyota to recall the Highlander and fix the faulty motor before someone gets hurt or worse, killed by this default.

See all problems of the 2009 Toyota Highlander 🔎.

Toyota Highlander was crossing intersection with green light and was struck on the middle side by oncoming vehicle running a red light. Toyota Highlander rolled 1. 25 times. Toyota Highlander had second row set up in bench configuration with center console unit stowed as manual indicated under center seat. Center console unit dislodged during impact and/or roll and flew through rear passenger area, striking two children on the head and causing head/brain injury (concussion and loss of consciousness).

I opened the power rear door by depressing the switch next to the steering wheel and the door began to open, made a clunking noise, and closed itself. I exited the vehicle and manually opened the rear door at which time I noticed the liftgate arm (with the screw and washer still attached to the exposed end) had become detached from the door. Despite having 55k+ miles, my Highlander is just over 2 years old and there has not been excessive usage of the power door. I'll be taking it to the nearest dealer for assessment.

Automatic liftgate does not close. Starts to close, stops, then beeps. Requires manual closure. Have had in for repair 5 times, including having the entire assembly replaced. Still malfunctions. While using a loaner car of the same make/model/year, it had the same malfunction.

There are 2 malfunctions happening on this vehicle:1) the door lock on the drivers side stop working with keyless about 4 months ago, it works if you do it manually. 2) both visors-driver's and passengers visor has gotten progressively looser, there are no adjustment screws, what makes this such a hazard, if you hit a bump and you're in speeding traffic sometimes the visor just drops down and blocks your line of sight.

See all problems of the 2005 Toyota Highlander 🔎.

The passenger airbag indicator warning light came on while nobody was even in the passenger seat, while traveling on a California highway. A check of the Toyota owner's manual stated that the entire airbag system would not function if this light came on and stayed on for no reason at all. Since we live no where near a dealer, nearest dealer is 100 miles away, I let it stay that way for awhile. There was also a safety problem with defective headlights on this model, where the always on daylamps melt the front headlights and leave a visible melted bubble, that the dealer refuses to fix because they didn't manufacture the headlights and the vehicle year and mileage is out of warranty- but, we still have the vehicle- they should stand behind their product. Then, most recently, a shuffling sound from behind the instrument panel/ bezel cluster occurred and makes the weird sound for 3 or so minutes sometimes when the car is turned on. It doesn't happen every time, about every 2 times now. The sound used to make a clicking sound for only 1 minute- so, it's getting louder, and longer. We were also told by a mechanic that the suspension/rods/shocks are bad and will need replaced- that is an expensive fix.

See all problems of the 2004 Toyota Highlander 🔎.