2017 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER Electrical System Problems

Formal Complaint to NHTSA – Summary I am submitting this formal complaint regarding repeated mechanical and electrical failures involving my 2017 Toyota Highlander, purchased as a Toyota Gold-Certified vehicle with an extended Platinum Warranty. Despite strictly following Toyota’s maintenance guidelines and using only certified dealerships for all services, the vehicle has become inoperable multiple times, requiring five separate tows and resulting in repair costs exceeding $10,000. In June 2025, a Toyota dealership replaced the engine after diagnosing a warped head due to water pump failure. Following this, the vehicle began experiencing repeated charging system failures and electrical malfunctions. Multiple components—including the alternator, battery, and sensors—were replaced at another Toyota dealership based on ongoing issues, but the problems persisted. On September 2, 2025, a Toyota technician identified a missing ground wire nut as the likely root cause of these electrical failures. He confirmed the issue originated during the engine installation and that the unsecured ground caused system malfunctions. After repairs, the vehicle was again returned with a loud engine knocking noise, later traced to an improperly secured component from a prior repair. These events have raised significant concerns for the safety of myself and my family. Improper installation of major components and misdiagnosis by certified service providers have led to hazardous driving conditions, unexpected vehicle shutdowns, and unnecessary costs. I am requesting that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration investigate this matter for potential safety defects related to improper engine installation, grounding failures, and faulty electrical diagnosis by certified Toyota service centers. Documentation, invoices, and repair records are available upon request. Thank you for your attention to this critical safety issue.

After getting gas, the vehicle will not start. It will crank and crank but not turn over, like it is starving for gas. Then after 10-15 minutes it will start barely and to keep it running I have to floor the accelerator. Any other time it starts just fine. There are also no codes causing a check engine light.

Car is shaking heavily when stopped. Several misfires while engaging the brakes. Mechanic is telling me that he has seen many vehicles of this model with faulty purge valves.

With 22k miles on vehicle, car won’t start due to Brake power low fault. Battery was replaced in attempt to rectify problem with no success, vehicle will need to be towed in for repair.

As the electronic back hitch was closing, I pressed the Start Engine button and the vehicle dashboard lit up but would not start. Then I pressed the button again and it said the Ignition is On. Pressed again to shut off. Vehicle made a bunch of clicking noises but would not start. Disconnected battery to “re boot” electrical system… but a charger on battery and then the vehicle started. BUT the ! And Check Engine light was now on… saying take to your dealer… Check AWD. Drove vehicle at lunch time… and warning light and check engine light just went off! So weird!

2017 Highlander with the Auto Start/Stop. It will sometimes go completely dead when idling, like at a stop light. Completely dead meaning zero electricity - no lights. This will last a couple of seconds. But one day, the car died at a stop light right. No power. Completely dead. Couldn’t turn on my hazard lights Gears were stuck. Couldn’t shift gears.

While accelerating onto highways, my Toyota Highlander suddenly misfires, causing rough engine and a natural response to decelerate instead of continuing to accelerate. The ignition coil was blamed, I replace and then a week later it happens again while trying to accelerate on the highway. Another replacement and then it happens again a third time. There was a known issue under Toyota’s TSB 0148-19, where engine computers were reprogrammed and all coils replaced. My vehicle model year and engine model but doesn’t show this TSB. I am aware TSBs are not recalls, but the sudden repeat engine misfires, all in a year, while accelerating to highway speeds, is a concern.

Hi- i have always upkeep the maintenance on my vehicle and take pride taking care of it . But now out of nowhere my vehicle throttle was loose the mechanics can’t explain why and now the transmission is not working i have explained to them them driving the car does seem to stop them feels like it wasn’t to accelerate while driving. I don’t know if anyone else have reported this issue but it doesn’t make sense that for a vehicle le that’s been greatly taken care of the transmission is went out .

While braked at a red light, my vehicle completely turned off. The engine would not restart, and all electrical panel light indicators did not come back on. I could not even turn on my hazards. The whole car was dead. After about a minute, I was able to restart the vehicle, but it took 5 attempts. I changed my battery two months ago, and just had my car checked by a mechanic and nothing was found to be the problem. No warning lamps or other messages were displayed. About 6 months ago, my car did something similar to this and stalled on the freeway in bumper to bumper traffic. However, this time the electrical panel light indicators came back on. No warning messages displayed. The car restarted after only one try. This is really dangerous to have a vehicle loose all power and completely die out!

I had my battery replaced about 3 days ago at the Toyota dealership . Yesterday, I was stopped at a red light and when I attempted to drive, the vehicle stalled. “Braking power low” message on the dashboard and the car would not restart. I was able to jump start it after about 30 minutes. I got towed to a local repair shop who could not identify or duplicate the issue. I had no warning indicators other than failing to start the morning of getting the battery replaced 3 days ago.

This is the SECOND incident with this vehicle in the past 4 months. When going to start my vehicle, it would not start. It gave me this error message: Braking power low, Stop in a Safe Place, See owners manual. There is NOTHING about this in the owners manual. The first time I thought it was battery related and after 3 different chargers on my vehicle, it finally started. Tonight I proceeded to push the button without the foot pedal and the radio came on, so it is definitely not the battery. I've tried several times to start and to no avail. Problem has not been reproduced as i cannot drive my vehicle at this time. No inspection as of yet. No warnings or symptoms prior to failure. Research shows it may have to do with a fuel pump pressure issue. I have paperwork on this issue under a customer support program 23TE01. Hoping this can become a recall and i can get this fixed .

On Aug 28 2023 I drove my car to Cumberland’s for a coffee (.9miles/3m away) on my way back at a stop sign, before turning left onto 129, my car shut off. I pushed the engine button, it restarted & I made it back to my house. Since owning this car this same situation has happened randomly several times, brought it to the dealers attention, not happening at the time, cannot be replicated, nothing was done. I remember being on a hill on 129 at a red light & the car shutting off loading control thinking I was going to roll into the car behind me I pulled the e rake since this was a repeated issue, the car started when I pushed the ignition, another time this happened at a red light not on a hill as well as the highway off ramp in stopped traffic. We eventually replaced the battery clearly that’s not the issue since it has continued to happen. Sometimes my radio will randomly shut off, sometimes it reboots & i get nervous & prepared for my car to stall or shut off which creates a distraction driving. I may have a video of one of these times that I took to show my husband. I do have a video of the radio shutting off that I can provide an alternate way as your system does not except video files.

The contact owns a 2017 Toyota Highlander. The contact stated while his wife was driving inside the parking lot of a gas station, the steering wheel seized and then the vehicle stalled. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was not drivable. The contact stated that a bystander assisted with jumpstarting the vehicle. The contact drove the vehicle to a nearby Walmart and was informed that the battery needed to be replaced. The contact purchased and replaced the battery. The contact called and made the local dealer aware of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 106,000.

Mileage: 106,000

When stopped at a stop light and using the auto off feature the Highlander stalls. The automatic shutoff repeatedly keeps draining the battery unless I manually turn the automatic shutoff feature off so it does not shut off when the vehicle is stopped. This has continued to happen over the last year and a half.

Braking power low message on the dashboard and the car won’t start

Within 6 months of purchasing this car used at a Toyota dealership, the check engine, exclamation light, and "Go to dealership/check AWD" lights came on. I took it to the dealership who told me it would cost $250 just to check the lights. I took it to a car parts store who said "it's throwing a bunch of old codes". The dealership also suggested during oil change about $800 worth of work needing to be done and said my warranty I purchased would not cover it so I left. I had the fuel system flush done somewhere else.The lights went off for about a week and then came back on. About a month later.... While driving down the highway at a speed of approximately 60 mph, the rpm's and speedometer went haywire - jiggling and then decreased (and a weird sound like the car revving) even though foot was on gas, the car rapidly lost power and had to pull over on side of highway at night - this is of course very unsafe. Had to pull over and turn off car. Would not start right away but did after a few minutes. Took to mechanic - they could not find anything wrong. Could not reproduce. A few days later, after getting gas, car would not start. Had to wait an hour and then it did. Took back to mechanic, discovered water on spark plugs so had spark plugs replaced. Four days later, all the warning lights back on and car running roughly (like maybe lightly missing?). Component or system failure cause still unknown and yes it is available for inspection. Very frustrated and frankly a bit terrified to drive this very expensive vehicle.

Car shut down multiple times while driving. Car lost steering and all power then somehow came back to life without me touching anything. It’s as if the car decides to shut down when All Wheel Drive kicks in. First the entertainment system shuts down and then the entire car shuts down.

My Highlander was off and parked in my driveway. I was inside my home and I heard what sounded like a car alarm that was cutting out. I went outside to find out it was my car. However, it wasn't the alarm. It's a completely different pitch/tone that the car horn or the panic button. I proceeded to unlock the car, turned the car on and off a couple times, honked the horn, opened and closed the hood, etc and whatever sound was going off continued to go off even while the car was on. Whatever it was sounded like it had a short in it. Even my neighbors came out of their home. The sound eventually stopped and I went inside. 20 minutes later the sound started again. After it stopped, it happened again, for a short period. It was on a Saturday after dealerships were closed. The next day it happened again in the evening. It stopped right as I got outside. It's a nusiance to myself and my neighbors, it's loud, it's embarrassing, and the fact it continues to sound when my car is on concerns me because if it starts sounding while I'm in traffic or on the highway, it could cause major safety issues. No lights on the dash, battery tested good, literally no explanation.

When the vehicle was ~1.5 years old following its 10,000 mile maintenance, substantial thumping generated from the rear of the vehicle. Each time, the dealership attempted to resolve the problem finding issues with struts; however, it only went away in late March after having the vehicle in the shop for weeks at a time on 5 different occasions Nov 2018 - Mar 2019. I engaged Toyota HQ (800-331-4331) - filing report #1901092572 - requesting an exchange of the vehicle. This was denied and I was offered a 8 year warranty. *Due to COVID, I rarely drove this vehicle through 2020 and most of 2021, where to date, I have only ~34,000 miles on the vehicle. -On 21 Oct 2021, my wife was stopped at a gas station and attempted to start the vehicle. The vehicle would not start and the following lights came on without previous warning: 1)Braking Power Low, 2)Maintenance needed soon, & 3)Orange yellow triangle lit up with exclamation mark. My wife was stranded for 3 hours and the vehicle had to be towed. The dealership informed me that Toyota installed a generic battery into the vehicle (when being sold) that was only to have 4-5 years of life; however, my concern was that this vehicle had just completed maintenance and there was no warning of this upcoming issue. When repaired, I had to pay for the name brand (True Start) battery. -On 16 Jan 2022, after having driven the Highlander for 25 minutes, I started the engine while in a parking lot. While moving forward and the engine still going, the brakes and power steering went out. On the dashboard, the same lights that came on in Oct 2021, did so again. I had to let the vehicle coast (having no control) with my wife and child in the car through the parking lot. It came to a stop at the concrete parking curb stop at a store front. Toyota stated that since there was no check engine light that there was no code and they could not duplicate the problem. The vehicle was sent back to me with no resolution or explanation.

2017 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER VIN: [XXX] I purchased my Highlander new in 2017 and I have had consistent electrical issues. The radio has consistently fluctuated between bass, treble, and off for no apparent reason. I have taken my vehicle to the dealer 4 times and still no change. I have replaced the battery 3 times although I only have 25,000 miles on 55,000mile tires, the tire treads are wearing quickly. I rarely go anywhere and when I do it is on smooth surfaced, well-maintained roads. All maintenance is completed at the dealership, including rotation and balancing. I really so annoyed and I see by the comments that I am not alone in these issues. I'm not even going to get into the plastic chrometek wheels. However, Toyota states there are no problems. INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

I purchased my Highlander new in 2017 and I have had consistent electrical issues. I the radio has consistently fluctuated between bass, treble, and off for no apparent reason. I have taken my vehicle to the dealer 4 times and still no change. I have replaced the battery 3 times although I only have 25,000 miles on 55,000mile tires, the tire treads are wearing quickly. I rarely go anywhere and when I do it is on smooth surfaced, well-maintained roads. All maintenance is completed at the dealership, including rotation and balancing. I really so annoyed and I see by the comments that I am not alone in these issues. I'm not even going to get into the plastic chrometek wheels. However, Toyota states there are no problems.

I was driving home and a warning brake light came on which said breaking power low stop in a safe place, BSM not available. Car won’t start again, ABS light, traction control light, all wheel drive system, engine brake light, antilock brake system. All of these alerts are on the dashboard.

The vehicle simply would not start after I returned to my car from shopping. It had power but when I pressed the break and pushed ignition button multiple error messages came up that said "Charging system malfunction" then "Braking power low" then "SBS Airbag System Malfunction". The lights on the dash flickered, so i turned it off. When i turned it back on (before pressing the brake and pushing the ignition button to start) there was power, but the engine didn't turn over. My child and I were stranded at the grocery store waiting for the tow truck for over an hour, and then for a ride home. If this had happened while traveling further this would have put us in a real bind, and if it would happen while driving could be extremely unsafe. The car was towed to the Dealer (Russ Darrow in West Bend) who is claiming the battery needs to be replaced (i bought this vehicle 10 months ago- he said the cold cranking amps were at 520-540 at that time and were now at 297), he confirmed the alternator was healthy. As of now it looks like they will just be replacing the battery, so yes the vehicle system should be available for inspection upon request. My fear is that this could happen again after replacing the battery just like many other Toyotas that have had this exact same issue. There was no warning light that the battery was low. No indication of an upcoming maintenance issue. It happened abruptly.

The hands free calling feature has a serious echo when calling to the driver while on the road making it useless to use. It is California law states that calls made while driving must be hands free. This problem has existed since the car was purchased new. It forces the driver to handle incoming calls using a cell phone without the hands free while driving. My wife and I want Toyota to repair our car free of charge . My wife and I researched this problem on line and apparently this is a ongoing issue with Toyota’s 2019 and older. We want it fixed or we shall move forward with the lemon lemon law.

Left work on 10/4 to go to the bank, grab lunch, and the carwash. Went to the bank and grabbed lunch. Went to Mikes carwash to vaccuum out and wash my car. After vacuuming the car I went to start it and got nothing. A message of low braking power please pull to a safe location and check AWD system popped up. I sat there for over 30 mins trying to get the vehicle to start. It never started. It had to be towed to the Toyota dealership. The Toyota diagnostic revealed that I needed a new battery. Took $150 to figure that out, ok. Purchased a $200 battery and had it installed. Four days later went to get into the car and it would not start once again. Upon starting a whole bunch of lights flashed on the dash but the message that came up was low braking power, check AWD system. At this point the car would not start without a jump. I jumped the car using a jump pack. Drove the car to the shop (a different one this time) to have a diagnostic done. The diagnostic revealed no issue. At this point I have only had this vehicle 5 months and I am not impressed. As a matter of fact im thoroughly frustrated and disappointed. This vehicle has 44,200 miles on it but the amount of time, issues, effort, and funds I have had to contribute to this phantom problem is very disturbing. Like I literally get into the car and have to pray that it will start. And to get on here and see that this is a huge problem experienced by many others is even more frustrating to me.

It being 4 time that the car shut off by itself while My wife driving in the middle of road and it won’t start the first time happer last year,second tine around April or may, third time yesterday 8/31/21,and today 9/01/21

What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? Transmission failure & power steering control replacement. Yes available to inspect How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? We were on a family trip with two young kids in the mountains and going very low speeds... maybe 10 miles per hour. Our car stopped working. In the middle of a rush hour in heat at the top of the mountain, we had to get from the far left lane to the far right to stop. While trying to get over, the car jerked, revved, and we almost got into accidents because I just couldn't get the car to go without delayed reactions and then jerked to a fast motion. VERY UNSAFE! At the same time, check engine light, ABD, and sensor lights flashed on. I got on the side to turn the car off and on again and tried to go a little at a snail pace speed and still the same thing happened. We had to get towed over 100 miles away to our home with young kids. When we got it looked at, the transmission company let me know we had to replace it and we had a unsalvageable transmission and we needed to purchase a new one. He also ,mentioned he was suspicious because he doesnt regularly get my type of car but coincidentally he has seen at least 3 with the same make model and even color in his shop in the last couple of months. The sensor lights were a completely separate problem that happened at the same exact time, very suspicious. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? yes on both issues Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? only transmission company and certified Toyota servicer Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? Both warning lights appeared after the first jerking and dangerous switching lanes event. once we got over, all lights came on

My 2017 Toyota Highlander just stop working all of sudden, I can’t start the engine at all it says in the dashboard boaster power low/ park in the side in safe place. I was trying to start the engine it since it’s 102 outside and I have my baby with me. I search it online and find out that toyota has recall for the same problem but only for 2018 Toyota Highlander. I can’t even drive my car to the dealer/mechanic since I can’t even start it all. Driving with this type of vehicle with same problem is really danger. The toyota should check inspect all their vehicle first for safely of everyone.

When turning on the car the emergency hybrid system states to put in P and take foot off brake. Car will not stop. When in car wash on neutral car would not go into drive and rolled out and was able to find spot but couldn’t turn off and back on. Has occurred multiple times. Multiple Warning lights on dash light up when it occurs.

FIVE DIFFERENT TIMES FAILURE TO START THE ENGINE AND BATTERY APPEARS DRAINED WITH APPROX. 30K MILES. EACH TIME THE VEHICLE WAS STATIONARY AND EITHER IN MY GARAGE OR PARKED. JUMPER CABLES USED TO START THE CAR DID THE JOB THE FIRST TWO TIMES, THEN A POWERFUL PORTABLE BATTERY JUMPER WAS NEEDED THE NEXT TWO TIMES AND THE BATTERY WAS REPLACED BY AAA - TOLD ME THE OE BATTERY FAILED (NOT UNDER WARRANTY, SO IT COST ME OUT OF POCKET. NOW, THE 5TH TIME I AM WAITING FOR AAA AGAIN. THEIR BATTERY IS STILL UNDER FREE REPLACEMENT WARRANTY. THIS IS VERY POOR PERFORMANCE FOR A (I BOUGHT NEW) CAR THAT HAS JUST OVER 35K MILES AND LESS THAN 39 MONTHS OLD. ALSO, SEEING ALL THE ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS AND A RECALL FOR THE 2020 SAME MODEL, LEADS ME TO BELIEVE TOYOTA IS NOT AS RELIABLE AS THEY ONCE WERE.

Mileage: 35,000

ON 3/8/21 I WAS DRIVING MY 2017 TOYOTA HIGHLAND APPROX. 13 MILES AWAY FROM MY HOME. I BEGAN TO SMELL SMOKE AS I WAS DRIVING AND THROUGH FURTHER INVESTIGATION I FOUND THE SMOKE TO BE COMING FROM THE CHARGING PORT AT THE BOTTOM OF THE MIDDLE ARM REST. THERE IS A FUNCTIONAL CAP ON THIS PORT TO KEEP DEBRIS FROM FALLING INTO IT. I DID NOT SEE ANY DEBRIS IN IT AT THE TIME OF THE INCIDENT. BUT WHILE CHECKING FOR THE SOURCE OF SMOKE I FELT HEAT COMING FROM THE PORT AND THEN IT MELTED TO THE FLOOR. ONCE THIS HAPPENED I PULLED OVER TURNED THE TRUCK OFF AND EXITED.

Mileage: 13

I WAS OUT FOR HEADING HOME & MY VEHICLE WOULD NOT START. I HAD THE BRAKE PEDAL PRESSED & PUSHED THE START ENGINE BUTTON. THE VEHICLE JUST MADE A RAPID CLICKING NOISE. THERE WAS A "BRAKING POWER LOW/ STOP IN A SAFE PLACE" LIGHT ON THE DASHBOARD. HAVING BEEN THROUGH THIS BEFORE AFTER HAVING THE VEHICLE FOR 8 WKS I WAITED & TRIED TO GET THE BRAKE PEDAL TO THE UP POSITION. TRIED STARTING AGAIN;RESULTS THE SAME. CALLED THE LOCAL DEALERSHIP,WAS TOLD TO TOW IT IN FOR A DIAGNOTSTIC. AGAIN, I TRIED THE BRAKE PEDAL/ START SEQUENCE: NO LUCK. THE DASH MESSAGE CENTER LIGHT REAPPEARED IMMEDIATELY OVER-LAPPED BY "DEPRESS BRAKE PEDAL AND PUSH ENGINE SWITCH TO START"(BRAKE WAS DEPRESSED). TRIED ONE MORE TIME TO START RESULTS THE SAME. THEN THE "CHARGING SYSTEM MALFUNCTION/ STOP IN A SAFE PLACE/ SEE OWNER'S MANUAL" LIGHT APPEARED IN THE DASH. FINALLY STARTED 3 HOURS LATER: I DROVE HOME. WENT TO LOCAL DEALER THEY SAID IT WAS THE BATTERY. WENT TO MY REGULAR DEALERSHIP. ENROUTE, THE MESSAGE CENTER ON THE DASH FLASHED BRIGHT RED WITHOUT WORDS(@ 40MPH). MY REGULAR DEALERSHIP TESTED MY BATTERY, IT WAS FINE. THEY RAN DIAGNOSTIC; THEY SAID THE RESULT WAS A BAD COMPUTER THAT NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. WAS GIVEN A LOANER VEHICLE. 2 WKS LATER THEY CALLED AND SAID AFTER MORE TESTING IT IS THE BATTERY, NOT THE COMPUTER.

Mileage: 44,832

AUTO STOP/START MALFUNCTION. IT WILL STOP THE ENGINE WHILE TURNING, AND WON'T START THE ENGINE WHILE RELEASE BREAK. IT HAPPENED OCCASIONALLY AT THE BEGINNING, NOW SEEMS GETTING WORSE. THE MECHANICS COULDN'T FIGURED OUT THE PROBLEM. I SEE THERE IS A RECALL IN 2020 MODEL, BUT MY 2017 HIGHLANDER HAS SAME ISSUE.

Mileage: 36,000

WHILE PRESSING ON BRAKE AND PUSHING POWER BUTTON TO TURN ON VEHICLE, A CLICKING NOISE SOUNDED AS IF THE BATTERY WAS MALFUNCTIONED. WHEN LOOKING AT THE SCREEN, IT ALERTED LOW BRAKING POWER. UNABLE TO TURN ON VEHICLE BECAUSE OF THIS. THE VEHICLE WAS STATIONARY WHEN THIS OCCURRED.

2017 WITH JUST UNDER 20K MILES. VEHICLE STALLED FROM STOP WHILE AT A A RED LIGHT. WOULD NOT RESTART. ONLY CLICKS FROM START BUTTON. MULTIPLE WARNING LIGHTS. HAD BEEN DRIVEN ON CITY STREETS 5 MILES OF 6 MILE COMMUTE. CAR ALSO REQUIRED JUMP START TWICE IN PAST WEEK. DEALER EVALUATION ONE DAY PRIOR TO STALL " BATTERY CHECKS OUT FINE". I'M AFRAID THERE'S SOMETHING MORE SERIOUS GOING ON.

Mileage: 19,800

1 WEEK AGO, 7-26-20, MY CAR STALLED SLIGHTLY AND THEN AN ENGINE ICON APPEARED. A MESSAGE APPEARED FOR ME TO VISIT MY DEALER. I TOOK IT TO THE TOYOTA DEALER. THE LIGHT WENT OFF AS I ARRIVED THERE. I HAD TO PAY FOR A DIAGNOSTIC CHECK AND THEY COULDN'T FIND ANYTHING WRONG. I WAS TOLD TO MAKE SURE I WAS USING A GOOD GRADE OF GAS. LATER IN THE WEEK I GOT GAS AT A SHELL STATION. THE CAR WOULDN'T CRANK AT THE PUMP. IT KEPT TRYING TO TURN OVER. I GOT A MESSAGE TO DEPRESS THE BRAKE AND PUSH IGNITION. THEN IT SAID LOW BRAKE PRESSURE. I SAT THERE A FEW MINUTES AND TRIED AGAIN. I FINALLY GOT IT TO STAY ON. THE NEXT DAY I DROVE AROUND FINE FOR A WHILE WITH NO PROBLEM. THEN I TRIED TO GO BACK OUT AND IT WOULDN'T CRANK. IT WAS FULL OF GOOD GAS. THE ENGINE ICON CAME BACK ON. THEN THE MESSAGE ABOUT BEING HARDER TO STEER CAME UP. IT KEPT SAYING DEPRESS THE BRAKE AND PUSH IGNITION. I TRIED A FEW MORE TIMES AND GOT THE MESSAGE ABOUT PROBLEMS WITH THE SMART KEY SYSTEM. I CHECKED THE RECALLS FOR 2017 HIGHLANDERS AND NOTICED THERE ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS. I BOUGHT THIS CAR USED IN MARCH 2020.

Mileage: 40,000

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2017 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER. CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT VARIOUS SPEEDS, WITHOUT WARNING THE VEHICLE WOULD VIOLENTLY SHAKE INTERMITTENTLY, LURCH AND ACCELERATE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING IN A PARKING LOT THE VEHICLE INADVERTENTLY ACCELERATED WHILE DRIVING THROUGH A CROSSWALK. THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED TO STOP THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT STATED DUE TO THE VEHICLE LURCHING AND SHAKING, SHE HAS SUSTAINED INJURIES TO HER TONGUE, NECK AND BACK. NO MEDICAL ATTENTION WAS NEEDED. THE CONTACTED STATED THAT VARIOUS WARNING LIGHTS WOULD ILLUMINATE, THE MOON ROOF WOULD RANDOMLY OPEN AND CLOSE, AS WELL AS THE VEHICLE WOULD SHIFT GEARS VIOLENTLY. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO DEALER WHOM PERFORMED A SOFTWARE UPDATE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THESE WERE ONGOING FAILURES. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO TOYOTA OF GREENSBURG (4964 US-30, GREENSBURG, PA 15601 (724) 552-2761) WHERE THE FAILURE COULD NOT BE DUPLICATED AND DIAGNOSTIC TESTING RESULTS FOUND NO FAILURE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT AN INSPECTOR FROM THE MANUFACTURER TOYOTA WAS TO INSPECT THE VEHICLE HOWEVER, NO FINAL REPORTS HAVE BEEN COMPLETED. THE CONTACT MENTIONED THAT THE INSPECTOR STATED THAT HE WAS UNABLE TO DUPLICATE THE FAILURE. THE CONTACT WAS AWAITING CALL BACK FROM THE MANUFACTURER. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 23,000.

Mileage: 23,000

THE BATTERY FAILED AFTER WE OWNED THE CAR FOR 2 YRS AND 11 MONTHS (MILEAGE ~44,000). THE REPLACEMENT BATTERY COST ABOUT $450 INCLUDING INSTALLATION. THIS IS EXCESSIVELY EARLY FAILURE, AND WE ARE OUT A LARGE AMOUNT OF MONEY FOR SOMETHING THAT SHOULD NOT HAVE HAPPENED WITH THIS NEW OF A VEHICLE. IT TOOK 1 MONTH TO GET THE REPLACEMENT BATTERY. ALSO EXCESSIVE.

Mileage: 44,000

THE VEHICLE STALLED TWICE ON ME AT A RED LIGHT. NO POWER TO STEER. THIS BOTH HAPPENED AT A CITY NEAR WASHINGTON DC. HAD MY BATTERY AND ALTERNATOR CHECKED . BOTH CAME BACK AS IN GREAT CONDITION. ALMOST GOT HIT TWICE FROM BEHIND CAUSE OF THE STALLING.

Mileage: 71,000

MY TOYOTA HIGHLANDER WOULD NOT GO INTO PARK. THE SUV LUNGED FORWARD OVER CURBING AND INTO BUILDING. THEN WENT VIOLENTLY INTO REVERSE AND INTO A UNCONTROLLABLE SPIN. THEN THE SUV WENT VIOLENTLY INTO DRIVE AND JUMPING OVER A CURBING AND INTO A DITCH AND WAS SITTING ON TOP OF A NATURAL GAS LINE. DURING THIS WHOLE TIME I WAS PRESSING THE BRAKE AND PUSHING THE IGNITION SWITCH TRYING TO TURN OFF THE ENGINE. THIS WAS DONE IN A PARKING LOT AS I WAS TRYING TO PARK. *DT *TR

Mileage: 37,516

CAR STALLED HAS HAPPENED MORE THAN 5 TIMES AT PARKING LOT - GAS STATION - HOME - RESTAURANT - CAR WASH CAR HAS STOPPED WHILE DRIVING ON MAIN STREET 1 TIME

Mileage: 41,000

I WAS DRIVING ON AN INTERSTATE WITH DYNAMIC SPEED CONTROL ON. THE CAR SLOWED APPROPRIATELY TO MATCH THE SPEED OF THE THE VEHICLE AHEAD OF ME. SUDDENLY SEVERAL WARNING LIGHTS AND MESSAGES APPEARED: MASTER WARNING LIGHT, CHECK ENGINE, CHECK AWD, GO TO TOYOTA DEALER, ENGINE POWER LOSS.THE CAR SLOWED TO ABOUT 35 MILES AN HOUR (IN A 65 MPH AREA) WHILE TRAFFIC IN FRONT OF ME WAS AT (OR ABOVE) THE SPEED LIMIT. I WAS ABLE TO SAFELY GET TO THE SHOULDER AND TURN THE CAR OFF. I TOOK A FEW MINUTES TO USE MY SMARTPHONE TO FIND THE NEAREST DEALER AND PLANNED TO GO OFF THE EXIT (WHICH WAS JUST A FEW YARD AHEAD) AND TRY TO MAKE IT TO THE DEALER ON SIDE ROADS. WHEN I RESTARTED THE CAR ALL LIGHTS AND WARNINGS WERE OFF AND THE CAR DROVE WITHOUT INCIDENT UNTIL I REACHED THE DEALER NEAR MY RESIDENCE, ABOUT 100 MILES AWAY. THE SERVICE REP AT THE DEALER ADVISED I HAD TRAVELED TOO FAR SINCE THE INCIDENT FOR THEIR COMPUTER ANALYSIS TO WORK AND HE HAD NO ADVICE EXCEPT TO GO TO THE NEAREST DEALER IF IT EVER HAPPENED AGAIN. I WOULD LIKE TO HAVE SOME INFO ON HOW TO AVOID SUCH AN INCIDENT AGAIN.

Mileage: 27,800

WHILE DRIVING ON INTERSTATE ON CRUISE CONTROL AT 75 MPH, WITHOUT WARNING, ALERTS WENT OFF AND VEHICLE SLOWED TO ABOUT 40 MPH AND WOULD NOT LET ME GO ANY FASTER. THE AWD FAILURE ALERT SIGN CAME ON AS DID SYSTEM ENGINE FAILURE ALERT CAME ON. I WAS ABLE DRIVE AT THAT SLOW SPEED FOR APPROXIMATELY 4 MILES ON INTERSTATE RAMP WITH FLASHERS ON. MY SON ADVISED ME TO TURN ENGINE OFF FOR ONE MINUTE AND RESTART, WHICH IT DID WITHOUT ALERTS. THEN ABLE TO DRIVE THE 2O MILES HOME. NEXT DAY TOOK IT DEALERSHIP WHERE IT'S BEEN GOING ON 3 RD DAY. EXTREMELY BAD POSSIBLE OUTCOME COULD HAVE OCCURRED ON THE INTERSTATE BEING REAR-ENDED OR IF HAD BEEN TRYING TO PASS SOMEONE OR VICE VERSE. CAR PRESENTLY AT DEALERSHIP SO DO NOT HAVE VIN. OR ACTUAL MULES

Mileage: 25,000

DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 72 MPH WHEN VEHICLE DIED CAUSING A POTENTIALLY VERY HAZARDOUS SITUATION - CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON, MASTER WARNING LIGHT CAME ON, SEE DEALER FOR REPAIR MESSAGE DISPLAYED. WAS ABLE TO LIMP TO SIDE OF ROAD AND HAD VEHICLE TOWED TO DEALERSHIP. AFTER 2 DAYS OF DIAGNOSTIC TESTING THE ENGINE CONTROL MODULE (ECM) WAS REPLACED UNDER WARRANTY (LESS THAN 12,000 MILES ON VEHICLE). THE VEHICLE IS RUNNING, HOWEVER, NOW NOTICE A DECREASE IN GAS MILEAGE AND DIFFERENCE IN TRANSMISSION SHIFTING SINCE REPLACEMENT.

Mileage: 11,980

MANY ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS, FUSES REPEATEDLY BLOWING OUT, POWER LIFT GATE NOT CLOSING, MANY DIFFERENT ERROR MESSAGE APPEARING ON THE SCREEN FOR NO REASON, VEHICLE WENT INTO ACCESSORY MODE WHILE DRIVING RESULTING IN A LOSS OF POWER. *TR

Mileage: 3,150