Seats Problems of Toyota Highlander - part 1

The contact owns a 2022 Toyota Highlander. The contact received notification of nthsa campaign number: 26v128000 (seats); 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 experience a failure.

See all problems of the 2022 Toyota Highlander 🔎.

Toyota has an open safety recall/campaign for my 2023 Toyota Highlander, but the manufacturer/dealer has failed or is unable to remedy the recall in a timely manner. I am requesting NHTSA review the delay and lack of available remedy/repair.

See all problems of the 2023 Toyota Highlander 🔎.

The contact owns a 2022 Toyota Highlander. The contact stated that while driving 20 mph with a child seated in the rear passenger’s side seat with the seat back adjusted, while going around a roundabout, the vehicle was cut off by another vehicle, and the contact depressed the brake pedal aggressively to stop the vehicle. There was an abnormal clunking sound coming from the passenger’s side second-row seat, and the seat back moved or readjusted from the previous position. The contact slowed down to approximately 5 mph to avoid the crash. The child remained secured in the car seat. There was no injury sustained. The vehicle was included in NHTSA campaign number: 26v128000 (seats). The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but the part was not yet available for the recall repair. The failure mileage was approximately 27,500.

On xxx, I was driving my 2021 Toyota Highlander at approximately 55 mph when a deer entered the roadway and I had to brake suddenly to avoid a collision. My [xxx] daughter was properly seated in the second-row seat and was properly restrained by her seatbelt. During the braking event, the second-row seat unexpectedly folded forward while she was seated in it. As a result, my daughter experienced rib pain and soreness that lasted several days. After the incident, the seat was returned to the upright position and appeared to latch normally. The vehicle is subject to a recall involving the second-row seat. I contacted Toyota customer care on xxx, and Toyota provided a rental vehicle on xxx, while the recall issue is being addressed. I am reporting this incident because the recalled seat failed during an emergency braking event and resulted in injury to a child passenger. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

See all problems of the 2021 Toyota Highlander 🔎.

The contact owns a 2022 Toyota Highlander. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 26v128000 (seats); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The dealer was contacted, and the contact was informed that parts were not yet available for the recall repair. The contact stated that the vehicle was used to transport children, and the unrepaired recall was a safety hazard. The manufacturer was contacted, and a case was filed. The contact had not experienced a failure.

The contact owns a 2023 Toyota Highlander. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 26v128000 (seats) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted and confirmed that the remedy was not yet available. 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.

Received a safety recall stating "seat back reclinging assembly may not securely lock". Based on this information, it goes on to state that "a seat back that has not been secured in a locked position may fail to properly restrain occupants, increasing the risk of injury in the event of a crash at certain speeds. " currently there are no remedies available but it is advised that "no one sit in or use the second-row seats while the vehicle is moving until the remedy is performed on the vehicle. " in speaking to headquarters as well as mutliple dealerships, the only "solution" is to provide a rental car in the amount of $42/day and they would reimburse in 6-8 weeks. There is no current remedy date. That would mean there is an out of pocket cost of $1200+ a month, in which these funds are not available to our family. I am the primary caretaker for two small children who are in car seats and required to utilize the back seat/2nd row. Since I have been advised not to use it, my car is currently unsafe to use for its intended purpose. I have been given no other solutions at this time.

The contact owns a 2023 Toyota Highlander. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 26v128000 (seats); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The vehicle was taken to the dealer but was not diagnosed or repaired. The dealer confirmed that parts were not yet available. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact had not experienced a failure.

The driver’s seat lower cushion in my 2023 Toyota Highlander provided inadequate support during normal driving, particularly on the left side of the seat cushion where support for my left leg and hip area appeared insufficient. This caused uneven seating posture, increased discomfort, pressure, and difficulty maintaining a proper driving position during extended periods of driving. The seat became increasingly uncomfortable during prolonged use and caused pain, numbness, and difficulty maintaining a proper driving position. I am a professional driver and spend many hours operating the vehicle. Over time, the lack of support contributed to left-sided sciatica symptoms that required medical evaluation and physical therapy. Medical records document that prolonged sitting in the vehicle aggravated my condition and limited my ability to sit and drive comfortably. An independent upholstery specialist inspected the seat and determined that additional foam had to be added to the driver’s seat lower cushion to improve support and comfort. After the modification, the seat became significantly more comfortable. This indicates that the original seat cushion support may be inadequate. I believe this condition may affect other vehicles of the same model and should be investigated as a potential safety concern because it can affect driver posture, comfort, concentration, and safe vehicle operation during extended driving.

The contact owns a 2023 Toyota Highlander. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 26v128000 (seats); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted, but the vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure.

My 2023 Toyota Highlander was grounded by the dealership on 4/30/26 due to safety recall 26tb06 (NHTSA campaign 26v128) regarding a defective 2nd row seat back latch. The vehicle has been sitting un-remedied on the dealer lot for over 47 consecutive days. The dealership state they can't return the vehicle due to safety liabilities but have no estimated date for a remedy. Leaving me stranded without my vehicle. The vehicle has been sitting completely idle on an outdoor lot. Per Toyota's manufacturing guidelines, leaving a hybrid vehicle sitting unused for more than 30 days risks severe high-voltage hybrid battery degradation and capacity loss. Because of the delay in remedy , my health of my vehicle is being actively damaged on my paid off hybrid powertrain. As a disabled veteran, Toyota's inability to provide recall safety parts has caused a severe, ongoing physical and financial hardship. By grounding my vehicle for over 47 days, I have been entirely deprived of using my state-issued disabled veteran's license plates. This strips me of critical, legally mandated toll exemptions, parking accommodations, and physical accessibility benefits that I require on a daily basis. Driving an inferior dealer loaner does not adequately remedy this disruption to my veteran benefits.

Second row seats not latching when moved forward. Sliced up multiple finger when trying determine what was causing it not to latch. Put in a couple of stitches in 2 finger and bandage up the remaining 2 fingers.

See all problems of the 2024 Toyota Highlander 🔎.

Vehicle: 2022 Toyota Highlander limited mileage at failure: ~60,000 miles the driver seat began moving rearward without any driver input while the vehicle was being driven. The movement was intermittent and occurred multiple times over several days. In one incident, the seat moved rearward while my wife was driving, causing her to lose proper reach to the brake pedal and nearly lose control of the vehicle. The seat would sometimes move to the full rear position and continue attempting to move past the mechanical stop. The problem also occurred during vehicle startup and shutdown cycles. This condition creates a significant safety risk because the driver’s seating position can change unexpectedly while driving. In attempting to mitigate the problem, I tried to disable the power seat by removing the fuse. However, the power seat fuses on this vehicle are not clearly labeled and are mounted on the side of the interior junction block under the dash, making them inaccessible to the driver without removing interior panels. As a result, the malfunctioning system could not be quickly disabled. The vehicle required replacement of the driver seat control/track assembly at a cost of approximately $1,600. Uncommanded movement of the driver seat while driving appears to be a safety-related defect and should be investigated for potential recall or service campaign.

Recall has been active since 2023. Delarship states there is no fix for issue at time time 2 years later.

The rear hatch door will not close or open and just sit there. And dings, you have to manually close it and open it most times and it never fully sucks up and latches fully and it doesnt notify you on the hood display of the car , so when we were driving down the road, we heard loud hissing and road noise coming from the rear and come to find out the rear hatch had never fully closed or latched itself fully. And it hangs up constantly.

See all problems of the 2020 Toyota Highlander 🔎.

I have captain seats in the middle. Driver side seat has 4 bolts that secure it to the vehicle floor. The front two bolts were ready to fall out. Caused a squeak that only my wife could hear due to my hearing impairment. I tightened that bolts and the squeak is gone. Pretty serious issue if only 2 of the 4 bolts holding the seat in place are tight.

See all problems of the 2019 Toyota Highlander 🔎.

Rear back seat unproper locking system. I have got rear ended while my kids were at back and I found out the rear seat slide a bit about couple inches. Dealership can't do anything of the recall at the moment.

Passager seat burnt up from the heated seats.

See all problems of the 2005 Toyota Highlander 🔎.

My vehicle was rear-ended while stopped by a 2014 Toyota corolla that was estimated to be traveling between 60-70 miles per hour. During the crash, the driver seat failed, resulting in the partially reclining into the second row passenger. The failure mechanism appears to be internal to the seatback, as the seat twisted during the failure, causing me to lean more towards the passenger side of the vehicle.

My Highlander had a strange burning smell and we couldn’t find where it was coming from. We took it to a shop where they checked everything over and suggested that the smell was our brakes. They lubricated the brakes and replaced my tires and struts. When I went to pick up the vehicle I still noticed the strange smell, and I had the mechanic come out and check. He suggested that it was the leather conditioner that our detailer had used. I left and headed for home and in about 5 miles the control for the drivers heated seat started smoking and about 30 seconds later the plastic around the control began to melt and flames were coming out of the area next to the control. I was able to use a fire extinguisher to put the fire out. All of the heated seat components were original and we haven’t had any work done to it. The obvious safety concern here would be fire in the cabin of the vehicle while in motion. The fire and sheriffs departments showed up to the scene and the incident report was filed. The vehicle was towed to a shop where we are awaiting insurance adjuster to look at it. There were not any warning lights or signals of any kind; only the smoke very shortly before the visible flames.

See all problems of the 2015 Toyota Highlander 🔎.

I have a 2015 Toyota Highlander xle. Last winter I began noticing a burning smell which I believed to be electrical inside the vehicle. I was able to determine it was the driver seat heater and the burning smell continued even with the toggle switch turned off. I stopped at a local Toyota dealership, koch Toyota, who refused to show me which plug under the seat to unplug to disconnect power. They tried to insist that I drop the car off and let them check it. Due to past negative experiences with that Toyota dealership I refused. I was able to speak to my own mechanic who instructed me to remove the fuse for the driver's seat heater which I did and the smell stopped however the seat heater is not functioning now. Upon recent research online it appears this is a common problem especially in 2015 Toyota Highlanders. I found a couple other owners of the xle models on a website called Toyota nation who experienced similar problems where their vehicles actually caught fire and melted the center consoles after the burning smell was misdiagnosed. I believe this is a huge safety concern and have recently filed a report with Toyota corporate in hopes to get the issue rectified. There were no warning messages or lights that came on to advise that there was an issue.

Car seats and booster seats for infants and children with the age and weight requirement for seats in a vehicle do not meet safety requirements. The second row and the third row you literally have to pick the car seat up to buckle the seatbelt in appropriately. I have asked on numerous occasions if there is a seatbelt extension that can be purchased and I was told no. My concern is for safety of children/infants. We should not have to pick a car seat or booster seat up after a child is placed in the car seat to be able to buckle the car seat in appropriately or the booster seat appropriately. In the third row, my son literally has to stand behind the hatchback to get the seatbelt for the booster seat in the third row locked in place. This is a safety concern. I brought it up to two dealerships and Toyota’s customer complaint who actually gave me this website.

The 3rd row seating does not come with anchor latches for children. Only latch at the back of the seat in the middle. If there is a shortage of latch they must add as standard equipment for safety to children. Now how can I use my 3rd row space for kids if they did not put a latch? it’s a 50k SUV but did not come with it. Now I reported this because these are not features but should be standard in every SUV with 3rd row seating.

I purchased a new Highlander. When I exit the vehicle, when wearing shorts, the bottom portion of the seam in the seat molding slices my leg open causing bleeding and injury. The dealership tried to fix this by sanding down the uneven protrusion where the seams meet. It still cut my leg. They then wanted corporate to handle it. I set an appointment with Toyota. The field technician specialist failed to meet with me and consequently performed a careless and inaccurate inspection. Toyota based their decision to ignore me on this inadequate inspection. Please see 4 attachments: the seam in the seat molding, an independent invoice to repair the seat, my leg in its final healing state and the Toyota letter. All I am asking is to not cut my leg open. I don't think that is unreasonable.

My rear drivers side seat was not properly bolted down. I have been hearing a squeak for the past few years, that only went away when my child was sitting in the seat. We thought it was the car seat squeaking, but recently removed it since our child had grown big enough to no longer need it. I finally inspected the seat and noticed that the seat was moving when I put pressure on it. I took off the covers to the bolts on the front and noticed that I could literally remove them with my had. There was about a 1/16 to 1/8 inch of play in the seat. This is scary that my child has been riding in the unsafe seat for who knows how long. I do have videos of how loose they were, I could spin the washer freely.

The left rear seat on my 2022 Highlander doesn't stay locked in the first 3 detents. You think it is locked but when you lean back in the seat it slides through the next couple of detents. Toyota mechanic said he couldn't find anything wrong with the seat. I see this as a problem when using child safety seats. Parent's could think the seat is safely locked in position until they get rear ended and the seat slips through the next couple positions.

Ever since I bought this car I have been having an issue where the srs airbag malfunction light comes on and my airbags are off seatbelts don't get recognized as buckled in. I have taken this car to the dealership numerous times to get it checked out but they cant seem to find a problem or solution. This is a major safety issue and I would really like someone to get involved in this issue and help me figure out my next steps because of what they tell me is that they just reset the modue and it never comes back on until 2-3 months from after they chekc it out and reset it. Please help me.

The Toyota Highlander was advertised as a family vehicle that safely fits 7 passengers with the captain chairs. We purchased a brand new 2022 Toyota Highlander for our family of 5. However, you cannot safely install a booster car seat in the third flow as advertised in any position. In every position of the third row the booster car seat covers the buckle not allowing you to secure the seat belt/booster seat. The car manual show on page 58-59 to install the booster seat on the passenger side of the third row but there is not enough space. The second picture shows a car seat in the middle using an anchor bracket that does not work for a booster seat and thus would also obsure other seat buckles thus not allowing the two other seats to be used. Toyota told us to bring the vehicle to a fire station to have the car seats installed. . Read more...

I was vacuuming the second row carpet in my vehicle. I was leaning into my vehicle and pulled the second row seat release to move the seat back. The back of the seat flipped forward hitting me in the right side of my head so hard it resulted in a pinched nerve at c5-c6. It was a substantial blow. I had to stop what I was doing and sit down. I would be very concerned at that amount of force hitting a child. Has Toyota measured the force and done a risk analysis to the vehicle occupant?.

Major issue with airbags July 2021. A warning appeared shortly after passenger sensor malfunction, that stated “check srs airbag system. Have your vehicle checked by dealer immediately. ” dealer did diagnostic. Toyota dealer has tried to fix airbags three times in three weeks but it fails within a day or so and warning comes back on. Toyota has issued a recall for 2012 Highlanders for seats and front airbag that describes the issue this vehicle has however Toyota dealer said our VIN is not included. The recall is under campaign no. 13v014000 report date Jan 16 2013 component seats.

See all problems of the 2012 Toyota Highlander 🔎.

The driver seat started making a motorized noise 2-3 days after I purchased the vehicle. Over the few months from my oil change the noise got louder and louder as we moved the seat back and forth. When I took my vehicle in for its first oil change I addressed it to the dealership as the seat was now no longer able to move forward or backwards. During their inspection they stated there was a lego which was not possible as I had at the time a 1 & 2 year old who would choke on a lego so there is no way I would allow them to play with legos that small, mega blocks okay because those are huge but legos are too small. Anywho the seat was functionable after the inspection which lasted about a month and then went out again. I then brought it up again at the next oil change which they checked it out and it worked a bit then went out again. The last time I took my vehicle in for its last oil change I addressed it, they took it apart and left it that way as it is now but were unable to locate the reason why it was defaulted. I however found that a piece was missing from one side of the track under the seat but they couldn't see that it was the reason for the malfunction. I have tried multiple times at least 5 times and speaking with the 2 service managers but to no avail this driver seat still can not be adjusted which means no one can drive my vehicle aside from myself not even in case of an emergency. There are no warning lights or alerts that come up.

I keep my car very good in my life . Recently my limited Highlander 09 with 42. 000 miles start clunking noise when I make a slow turning right , left to parking lot and every where when I make a turn slowly it have a clunking sound. I think that I can pay the part and Toyota have to have recall and help me to fix it . It is defect from Toyota.

See all problems of the 2009 Toyota Highlander 🔎.

Does not have any side air bag mounted passenger driver seat air bag of the front passenger driver all the row filter in the guide does not have air bag and the seat belts do not work.

See all problems of the 2016 Toyota Highlander 🔎.

The xle front passenger seat sits very high, causing my head to brush up against the ceiling. This is will cause head and possibly neck injuries in the event of a collision. I'm not particularly tall at 5�10�, but anyone taller will have a worse problem. There is no way to lower this seat. I don't want to suffer a head injury just because the seat is very high.

See all problems of the 2018 Toyota Highlander 🔎.

2nd row passenger seat, 60 portion squeak on bumpy roads, issue coming from folding cables mechanism, dealership can't replace the seat due to high cost and also can't figure out a solution to the issue, very annoying noise for an expensive car model xle.