Owners have filed 266 complaints on the Toyota Grand Highlander, covering 2024–2026. The system named most often is Power Train (44 reports). Worst years by volume: 2024, 2025, 2026; cleanest: 2026, 2025, 2024. 6 reports describe a crash, 1 a fire, 1 a death. On average the car was 0.5 years old when the problem happened.
What breaks on Toyota Grand Highlander
Grouped by the system owners named — percentages are shares of all 266 Grand Highlander complaints. Open any row for the full reports in owners' own words.
Power Train 44 Read
I was driving toward the perimeter of my neighborhood, approaching an arterial cross street. When I braked the pedal went straight to the floor. The breaks didn’t work despite pumping them multiple times. I also heard the engine revving. To avoid the intersection and busy street I steered into a yard, hit a retaining…
I am submitting this complaint regarding a serious safety hazard and design flaw with the 2025 Toyota Grand Highlander Hybrid. While driving on a two-lane highway, our vehicle suddenly lost power and warning lights appeared on the dashboard. We were forced to exit the highway immediately (we were less than 0.5 miles…
The vehicle was in PARK and the IGN was in the ON/RUN position and the air conditioning was on. There was no one in the driver's seat but there was an occupant sitting buckled in the front passenger seat. The passenger heard a sound (possibly the ICE turning on) and he felt the vehicle move forward about five inches.…
Air Bags 26 Read
I was just recently in an accident where I was T-boned by another driver. My side air bags did not deploy. There is structural damage and my front passenger tire is laid in this this wasn't a light tap on my car
On February 25, 2025, I took my car into Freeman Toyota dealership in Santa Rosa for a recall on the airbags (24TA09 SAFETY (NONCOMPLIANCE) RECALL 24TA09(Remedy Notice) - Certain 2024 Model Year GrandHighlander and Grand Highlander HV - Curtain ShieldAirbags May Not Deploy As Intended). In the labor notes, they…
There has been a recall impacting the safety of driving this vehicle (air bag related) and the dealer and manufacturer have provided no ETA on when there will be a fix for this or when the vehicle will be safe again to transport our children. In our view we should be refunded in full for this vehicle purchase given…
Structure 20 Read
We were going down the highway in our brand new Grand Highlander yesterday (3500 miles, 3 months old) and it was like a bomb had gone off. The panoramic sunroof exploded up and out. Glass started falling on my daughter whom was in the middle seat. My husband had to quickly pull off the highway to safety. I have never…
While driving at approximately 20-25 mph, the panoramic sunroof glass of my vehicle suddenly shattered without any warning. There was no impact from road debris, no visible chip, and no prior damage to the glass. The glass appeared to explode outward, creating a loud noise and causing shattered glass to fall inside…
While i was closing the trunk Did press area below my license plate to close the trunk, and got a dent below the license playe. Looks like very poor quality of steel being used
Electrical System 20 Read
When I went to turn the car on last Tuesday (3/24.2026), the entire digital dashboard was black. I tried restarting the car a few times with no resolution. Thankfully, the infotainment screen and heads up display (HUD) were on and working fine. If it was not for the HUD, I would of had no idea what my speed was…
The contact owns a 2025 Toyota Grand Highlander. The contact stated while reversing, the back over prevention system failed to function as intended. The contact stated that the image was visible; however, there was no tone alert. Additionally, there was a message indicating that the Adaptive Cruise Control was…
Missing the wire connector for the puddle lamp installation? Although not a safety issue, would like to bring this to attention; wire connectors (and wires) missing on both driver and passenger doors? Not sure if this was a factory oversight, or an error in original wiring diagram of Toyota? If so, there could be…
Fuel/propulsion System 16 Read
Fuel fill-ups averaging 13-14 gallons when vehicle trip computer alerts 0 miles remaining distance to empty. Fuel tank capacity published as 17.8 gallons. Total vehicle range understated, requiring more frequent stops at gas stations to fill. Not a direct safety concern, but a significant nuisance and dealer has…
The car only accepts 11-13 gallons of gas when refueling an empty tank despite the advertised 17.2 gallon capacity. I believe this is a fuel gauge or DTE system problem. I’ve seen many many similiar complaints on the forums. Fuel gauge issue could leave drivers stranded on the road
The entire life of the car from initial purchase the fuel gauge is incorrect. The car has a 17 gallon gas tank and the fuel gauge is calibrated to around 13 gallons. The car thinks it is out of gas around 13 gallons when there is actually 4 more gallons left
Vehicle Speed Control 13 Read
The contact owns a 2024 Toyota Grand Highlander. The contact stated that after driving into the garage and while pressing the brake pedal, the vehicle suddenly experienced unintended acceleration, lurched forward, and crashed into the husband's workbench. During the incident, the brake pedal was forcefully pressed,…
Inconsistently but on numerous occasions, this vehicle has experienced harsh shifting, hesitation, or jerking during low-speed acceleration (e.g., 20-40 mph) or gear engagement. This was a known and reported issue with the 2024 model for which Toyota provided a fix. They have not provided one for the 2025 models. This…
1. Transmission issues with slippage, response. Issues where when going from reverse into drive taking 2-3 seconds to engage. Issues coming from a stop to going as well whereas there’s a hesitation with propulsion. 2. Safety has been at risk numerous times when pulling into heavily trafficked areas. Response to pedal…
Suspension 13 Read
When going over rough or uneven roads, the car produces a strong low-frequency resonance, like a bass-heavy "boom". This causes a very uncomfortable feeling of pressure changing in my ears, gives me a headache and ear pain whenever I drive in local roads, which is the majority of driving in my area. This causes me to…
Transmission slipping, holding high RPM, Jerky shifts, back seat not locking at times, infotainment freezing up
Very loud Popping/clicking noises when turning/accelerating from a stop. Only had 2,162 miles on the vehicle when this happened. While driving, it also felt like my front driver side wheel was wobbling-very unsafe. Called Toyota roadside assistance and had car towed to dealership. Lead service technician was able to…
Engine 10 Read
I purchased this vehicle new from Toyota of madison in Indiana on 3/26/2026. It had 300+ miles on it. Had it for just a week before this warning light came on while idling or driving very slowly..… High Coolant Temp. Pull over in a safe area immediately. My temperature gauge was in the red. I pulled over. Called…
Failed System: Fuel Injector Failure (?) at high speeds, under load (uphill), causing an immediate and life threatening loss of power. While traveling on the highway, going up mountainous areas, the vehicle loses power and shakes violently. During multiple repairs/visits, the dealerships state that it is the failure…
Component: Automatic transmission, 2026 Toyota Grand Highlander Hybrid MAX Platinum AWD. Available for inspection. Purchased new 11/21/2025 at zero miles. Beginning ~2000 miles (est Feb 2026), intermittent transmission malfunction during acceleration: transmission holds gears at elevated RPMs beyond expected shift…
Grand Highlander years to avoid — and the clean ones
Complaints per model year. More reports usually means more cars on the road as well as more trouble, so read the crash and fire columns alongside the count.
| Model year | Complaints | Top system | Crashes | Fires |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Electrical System,lane Departure | — | — | |
| 2025 | Back Over Prevention | — | — | |
| 2024 | Air Bags | 6 | 1 |
The same model year, different builds
Every complaint carries the first 11 characters of the VIN — plant, year, body and engine. That is a production series, and complaints are spread across them very unevenly.
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Distinct production series | 86 |
| Average complaints per series | 3.1 |
| Worst single series | 11 complaints |
| Average age at failure | 0.5 years |
A model average of 3.1 hides a worst series at 11. Enter a VIN above to see the numbers for that exact build instead of the model as a whole.
Owners reported these. Find out if yours is one of them.
- Complaints matched to the exact production run, not just the model
- What the car is worth given what tends to fail on it
- The original window sticker and factory options
- Full research report as a PDF for the pre-purchase inspection
- No ads, on every page
- No ads, no tracking — and much more
How we count
Every figure here comes from complaints owners filed with NHTSA — 1,100,006 of them, covering 1,982 models built between 1981 and 2026.
A complaint is an unverified report: someone wrote down what happened to their car. It is not a confirmed defect and not a recall. What makes the volume useful is the pattern — when thousands of owners of the same build describe the same failure, that is a signal no marketing brochure will give you.
Two things we do that the source does not. First, we compute the age of the car at the moment of failure from the incident date and the model year. Second, we group complaints by the first 11 characters of the VIN — the production series — so a bad plant run does not disappear into a model-wide average.
Frequently asked questions
What are the worst years for the Grand Highlander?
By complaint volume, 2024, 2025, 2026 drew the most owner reports. Bear in mind that popular years put more cars on the road, so check the crash and fire columns too.
Which Grand Highlander years are the cleanest?
2026, 2025, 2024 have the fewest complaints on file. For recent years that can simply mean the cars are young.
How many complaints does the Toyota Grand Highlander have?
266 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, covering 2024–2026. Of those, 6 describe a crash and 1 a fire.
Are these complaints verified?
No. They are unverified reports from owners. NHTSA publishes them as filed and investigates only a fraction. The value is in the pattern, not in any single report.
Can I check complaints for one specific car?
Yes — enter its VIN above. We match the first 11 characters, which identify the plant, year, body and engine, so you get complaints on that exact production series rather than the whole model.