2022 Toyota Highlander Reliability Report

Several unrelated problems appear here. The driver's mirror vibrates at highway speed and blurs the view, and replacing it does not always help. Panoramic moonroofs shatter without impact, sometimes while driving. Unsealed roof rail clips let water into the cabin. Other reports cover a power liftgate that will not close, with parts on backorder, a hood that sits unevenly and moves at speed, and the bumper cover recall, including slow reimbursement for earlier repairs. Some owners also report the car surging forward during braking.

Front impacts often end with no deployment at all, according to most crash reports. Some say the automatic braking or stability control also did not respond. These reports include 7 crashes and 8 injuries. A separate, common pattern is a warning light for the restraint system that comes on at startup after the car sits in the sun for 30 minutes or more, sometimes along with pre-collision and camera warnings. A restart clears it. Leaking roof rail clips also let water run down the A-pillars, a problem covered by bulletin T-SB-0040-24.

Failures range from minor annoyances to sudden loss of power at speed. The power liftgate stops partway, will not latch, or quits altogether, and the center screen goes blank or glitches. Several reports describe a wave of driver-assist and brake warnings on the highway, and some cars shut off at 70 mph. The heated steering wheel can overheat and smoke. In cold weather, the throttle plate ices up and puts the car in limp mode, which a software update addresses. Most of these surfaced at low mileage.

The driver's side mirror shakes at speed and over bumps, which blurs the view during lane changes and makes headlights flicker at night. Owners say Toyota knows about the problem but has offered no fix for this model. Other reports describe windshields that chip and crack easily or develop a spreading internal defect. Windows also fog and frost over in freezing weather even with the defroster running, and wipers have stopped working in the rain.

The low beams are aimed too high from the factory, so oncoming drivers flash their brights or leave them on. Owners say the problem has been present since delivery, and one dealer refused to adjust the headlights under warranty. A smaller pattern is a headlight system malfunction warning at startup, sometimes with a pre-collision warning, that goes away after a restart.

The car accelerates on its own while the brake pedal is pressed. This happens at stoplights, at 45 mph, and once while reversing, which ended with the car hitting a tree. Dealers usually cannot find a cause, and the failures are reported at 13,000 and 36,000 miles. A separate report describes the car repeatedly skidding sideways at constant speed on snow with no warning lights. Another describes rodents chewing through the wiring harness.

The fuel tank stops accepting gas at about 12 to 14 gallons, well short of the advertised capacity. The gauge reads full, but range to empty comes in low and drivers risk running out of fuel sooner than expected. One report in this group repeats the transmission pattern: a whine during acceleration at 73,000 miles, a replacement quote of $8,291, and a months-long backorder.