2023 Toyota Highlander Reliability Report

The digital instrument panel goes black or white while driving and hides speed and warning lights. Federal recall 25V595000 covers it, but owners report the recall parts are not yet available. Other complaints include a power liftgate that grinds and opens only a few inches at a time, repeated check engine and secondary brake warnings, hesitation under acceleration, and hybrid brake surges. Rodents chewing the knock sensor harness can cause a loss of power. One owner waited months for a second key fob before buying one.

On hybrids, braking briefly lets go and the car lunges forward before the brakes grab again. This happens most often downhill, while slowing for turns, and while parking. Owners link it to the switch from regenerative to friction braking. Service bulletin T-SB-0059-23 addresses this on earlier years but leaves out 2023, so dealers often say there is no fix. One injury crash describes the brakes not stopping the car at about 8 mph. Other complaints describe the steering wheel and pedal shaking under braking, and rotors warped by 25k miles.

When the gas is pressed, the engine hesitates, then bucks or surges. Owners report delays of up to 3-5 seconds from a stop, and stuttering when passing. Symptoms show up early, often by 3,500 miles, and several owners describe near misses while pulling into traffic. Dealers often call it turbo lag or normal operation because no fault codes appear. In one case the dealer replaced variable valve timing parts. Some owners say 91 octane fuel hides the symptoms. Separate reports describe high coolant temperature warnings in 90-degree heat that dealers could not trace.

Airbags fail to deploy in serious crashes, including collisions at 44 and 45 mph, a deer strike at about 55 mph, and impacts that totaled the vehicle. There are 5 crash-related reports with 6 injuries in total. In one case the event data recorder showed no crash at all. Two short filings only list recall 23TA08 and a related campaign.

Acceleration is erratic. The car is slow and jerky, or it jumps forward hard, and engine speed bounces around. Owners say it gets worse on 87 octane fuel, in warm weather with the air conditioning on, and under load, and that 93 octane helps. One owner says an engine computer reprogram cured the problem. Other reports describe a dashboard display that goes completely blank, hybrids that surge forward under braking at 20,000 miles, and a misfire with warning lights that a dealer blamed on engine sludge.

Tire sidewalls crack, split, or blow out at normal speeds with no pressure warning beforehand. One car had its first blowout at 7,000 miles, and another owner reports two sidewall failures on the factory Bridgestone Alenza Sport A/S 235/65R18 tires. Owners also describe warranty disputes and dealers without replacement tires in stock. A tire recall, 24V419000, exists, but some owners report the parts are not yet available.

A belt can lock fully retracted or stop retracting at all. One third-row passenger belt arrived from the dealer stuck in the retracted position and could not be used. A driver belt stopped retracting and fell between the seat and the driver. Parents also say the second- and third-row buckles are hard to reach once a child seat or booster is installed. There are only 3 complaints in this category.