Toyota Highlander 2023

I was involved in a vehicle crash on 7-1-25. I had just pulled out of the gas station and was coming up to a stop sign so I was only going about 8mph I put my foot on the brake and nothing happened. I had my foot all the way down on the brake pedal because I saw a car coming and they were traveling at about 40mph. No automatic braking nothing worked. I had no control. I just prayed that I hope this doesn’t hurt. None of my airbags deployed. My car is now totaled and of course I got the ticket because I did not have control of my vehicle. I strongly believe this has to do with the brakes and how it switches from electric to gas in my hybrid vehicle. Toyota has recalled prior years 2020 to 2022 hybrids for this exact issue. This is a huge safety issue and thankfully I am alive to make this complaint. My husband went to my Toyota dealership where I get all my service and the service manager said yes he has noticed this as a problem that he himself pulled in a Toyota Highlander Hybrid into the garage and had the same thing happen. We have been reading online about others complaining of this same issue.

The vehicle hesitates and stutters upon light to moderate acceleration. This can happen either from a dead stop or while moving in traffic. The concern was present when vehicle was purchased new in Feb 2023. Initially the dealership thought the symptoms were related to the transmission learning algorithm, but this was later determined not to be the case and the dealership was able to reproduce the drivability concern. The dealership was also advised that running 91 octane fuel eliminated the symptoms, however the engine is designed to run on 87 octane. Subsequently, the dealership was advised by Toyota to replace several parts associated with the VVT (variable valve timing) on the exhaust camshaft which did not resolve the concern. Toyota subsequently agreed to replace the vehicle after filing a lemon law complaint with NCDS. This drivability concern is a safety concern as the hesitation and stutter could occur during a traffic maneuver and cause an accident due to the engine not properly responding to driver input. No check engine or other warning lamps present when this occurs, which is most of the time though more pronounced when ambient temperatures are above 75F degrees.

The plastic bumper cover on the front of the vehicle came detached as I was driving 60mph in a construction zone. It got sucked underneath the front of the vehicle and was grinding against the front tires. There is even damage to the driver side bumper from this. I pulled over as soon as we were out of the construction zone, and we pulled the bumper out from under the car. This could have been a much bigger issue! It could have caused an accident that could have injured or killed someone. What if the bumper flew off into another vehicle and caused the driver to lost control? What if the bumper hit the tire just right and caused me to lose control and have an accident? It is my understanding that there IS a safety recall for this very issue. However, I was made known of the safety recall in OCTOBER OF 2023. It is now MARCH OF 2024, and there is still no “official” remedy available. This is unacceptable! I am told by the dealership and the manufacturer that I am just supposed to drive around without my bumper attached for an unknown amount of time until a remedy is available. I am very concerned about the safety issues at hand and I would urge that a remedy be made available for this matter immediately.

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.

2023 Toyota Highlander Hybrid – Safety Recall Number : 26V128 My vehicle has been officially grounded since XXX due to a severe safety recall that renders it unsafe to drive. A permanent remedy or repair part is currently unavailable from the manufacturer, forcing me to drive a loaner vehicle for over two months now. My car sits in uncovered parking lot of the Dealership ( Toyota Rockwall Texas) since XXX under the hot summer temperature of Texas which can cause cumulative damage to my car. . This prolonged delay creates an ongoing safety risk. The manufacturer's inability to provide a timely fix leaves me with no choice but to transport my [XXX] son in a temporary vehicle daily. I am also pregnant with my second child who is due to arrive in 3 weeks who will also be transported using the loaner vehicle if problem is not fixed yet. This situation exposes my family to unpredictable risks, as the safety history, structural integrity, and child seat compatibility of the long-term loaner are not equivalent to my personal vehicle. The manufacturer is failing to resolve a critical safety defect within a reasonable timeframe. I am filing this complaint to urge NHTSA to investigate the manufacturer's unreasonable delay in providing a final remedy for this safety recall. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

There are two problems with our 2023 Toyota Highlander. 1) We only have 25k miles on our vehicle and the brake rotors became warped, to the point of causing severe chatter while downhill braking. Toyota stated that the warranty does not cover brakes. My argument was that the brake rotors should not be failing at 25k miles! They then stated that they would inspect the rotors and resurface them, if necessary. They did find that they needed to resurface the rotors. My contention is that this will be a recurring issue, especially since there is even less metal on the rotors now. I believe the original rotors are faulty to have failed prematurely. 2) We had a receiver hitch installed by a third party, which caused the kick sensor for the back hatch to be inoperable. This is expected and no big deal to us. However, when we put the bike rack in the receiver hitch, the backup warning sensors engage the brakes and cause the vehicle to not back up. The only way to back up with the bike rack on is to disable the backup sensors! Now we have lost that backup safety feature! The backup sensors see the bike rack and engage the brakes. Additionally, this issue also caused all other sensors to malfunction by stating that the sensors were dirty and needed cleaning, with the backup sensor engaged. Toyota inspected the vehicle multiple times and finally reached the conclusion that there is no fix for the sensors to allow our bike rack to be installed. Toyota sells this vehicle with the option of having a hitch and bike rack installed, yet their safety sensors don’t allow this to happen. Now, we are unable to use the bike rack, unless we disable the sensors. The safety features we paid for are now useless!

2023 Toyota Highlander Hybrid Regenerative Brake Transition loss of brake pad pressure resulting in acceleration of the vehicle under downhill conditions. Have momentarily experienced the loss of braking frequently during braking when going downhill. This results in the vehicle gaining speed during this 1 or 2 second period before braking returns. In one case it allowed our car to get dangerously close to the vehicle ahead of us but fortunately I was able to push the brakes harder to prevent an accident but did require aggressive braking. Luckily no one was behind us which may have resulted in the person following us braking hard or possible hitting us. This was a known issue for previous year Toyota Highlander models and Toyota issued service bulletin T-SB-0059-23 which is stated to only be for model years 2020 - 2022. So, Toyota dealers say they do not have a fix that applies to the 2023 model. It has been indicated that the dealer is unaware if any action is being taken by Toyota to address this issue in the 2023 and later models. We have multiple people driving this vehicle and this sudden loss of braking power is very concerning. The loss of braking force occurs upon the transition from regenerative braking to standard hydraulic breaking. Below are words from the Toyota Technical Service notice concerning the problem. "Highlander Hybrid vehicles may be sensitive to the momentary transition from regenerative braking to hydraulic braking under certain driving conditions, such as while driving downhill, or turning with light brake pedal application. The brake actuator control module can be updated to improve brake feeling for this condition. Follow the Repair Procedure in this bulletin to address this condition."

This 2023 Toyota Highlander XLE AWD has a recurring gasoline/fuel odor that began while the vehicle was still within the basic warranty period. The concern was reported to Toyota/dealer multiple times. At first, the odor was intermittent and difficult to duplicate, but the problem continued after repeated dealer visits. The fuel smell was later duplicated/confirmed while the dealer was open, before approximately 60,000 miles, but the vehicle was still not properly repaired. The odor has continued and recently occurred multiple days in a row. The smell has been noticed around/inside the vehicle and creates a safety concern because gasoline odor may indicate fuel vapor leakage or a fuel-system problem. Possible sources could include the fuel tank, fuel pump module or seal, filler neck, fuel lines, EVAP system, charcoal canister, purge valve, injectors, fuel rail, or another related fuel-system component. The vehicle has been inspected by a Toyota dealer multiple times, but the cause has not been identified or corrected. No warning light has clearly identified the source of the problem. The concern is especially serious because it involves fuel odor, possible vapor exposure, possible fire risk, and possible fuel-system failure. Occupants and others could be placed at risk if the odor is caused by a leak or defective fuel-system component. The dealer is now recommending removal/drop of the fuel tank for further diagnosis and quoted approximately $1,500 for that step. My concern is that full fuel-system diagnosis, including tank removal if needed, should have been performed earlier when the complaint was repeatedly made during warranty. The issue is not a new complaint; it is a continuing unresolved fuel odor concern that started during warranty and remained unresolved despite repeated dealer involvement. The vehicle and related components should be available for inspection upon request.