Complaint volume
284 consumer-submitted complaints are matched to this model year. Treat the count as a research signal, then read the actual summaries for repeated symptoms.
Complaint records
2020 Toyota Highlander Complaints
284 consumer-submitted complaints on record for the 2020 Toyota Highlander, grouped by component category.
284 Total complaints
12 Crash reports
0 Fire reports
9 Injury reports
Complaint data reflects consumer-submitted reports. A complaint is not proof
of a defect, recall, or manufacturer fault. Enriched severity fields come
from official bulk records when the complaint can be matched by ODI number.
Buyer interpretation
How to use these complaints before buying
Complaint records are most useful when they turn into inspection points, seller questions, and comparison checks against nearby model years.
Pattern to inspect
The most common categories are power train, air bags, unknown or other. Use those categories as a test-drive checklist instead of judging the vehicle from the total count alone.
Severity flags
Enriched records include 12 crash reports, 0 fire reports, 9 injury reports, and 0 fatality reports. These fields come from complaint records and should be read in context.
Mileage clue
Mileage is available on 55 complaints, with an average reported failure mileage of 37,738 miles. Compare that with the mileage on the listing.
Questions to ask the seller
- Have you had any problems related to power train, air bags, unknown or other?
- Can I see recent maintenance and repair records?
- Has the vehicle ever been towed, involved in a crash, or repaired for the same issue twice?
- Can we also check the recall record for this 2020 Toyota Highlander?
Used-car checklist
Use these complaints before the test drive.
Build a buyer checklist to turn these issues into questions and inspection points.
2020 Toyota Highlander
Build buyer checklist Compare with other years Sends year, make, and model to pre-fill your checklist.
How severe are the 2020 Toyota Highlander complaints?
12 Crash
0 Fire
9 Injury
0 Fatality
10 Towed
7 Medical attention
What are the most common 2020 Toyota Highlander complaint categories?
POWER TRAIN 102
AIR BAGS 29
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 28
STRUCTURE 22
SERVICE BRAKES 21
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 13
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 4
SUSPENSION 4
ENGINE 3
POWER TRAIN,ENGINE 3
284 total complaints on record
Latest complaints
| Date | Component | Summary | Severity | Mileage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 2022 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | While driving at approximately 45 MPH on a multi-lane parkway in Virginia, my wife and I heard a loud explosion which I immediately assumed might be a tire blowout. However, the steering system seemed normal as I slowed the car and began a move toward the road's shoulder. Within 10-15 seconds we began to hear the sound of "rushing air" above our heads. To determine why we heard that sound we slowly retracted the interior cabin fabric "head cover" to expose our sunroof; as soon as the "head cover" had retracted an inch or two it was clear that we had a large hole in the sunroof forward panel and that the tempered glass had shattered. We immediately closed the "head cover" and continued forward to our home which was a few miles away. As we drove, more and more "glass shards" were falling to the topside of our head cover. Fortunately, with our fabric head cover closed when the sunroof "failed" we were not showered by glass. However, had we had the sunroof exposed, I believe we would have had small glass pieces fall into the cabin area and on our heads. I have called my insurance company (USAA) and they have processed my claim sending me to SAFELITE which in turn has forwarded my repair work to SUNROOF EXPRESS. I called my Toyota Dealership which told me the sunroof is no longer under warranty. I can only speculate that the failure was caused either by a "micro-defect" in the sunroof which over time and temperature changes (summer heat, interior cool from A/C, winter freeze, etc) caused a sudden failure; or, it's possible a rock/pebble kicked up by a vehicle somewhere in front of us had a trajectory high enough (higher than our front windshield) and then impacted the sunroof at a sufficient angle to cause its failure. Following this incident with my car, I went on-line and discovered that I'm not alone. Apparently many other motorists have experienced what they describe as "explosive" sunroof failures...and some have been showered in glass. Not good! | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2022 | SERVICE BRAKES | I have experienced brake issues, on any slight decline where the braking system will let up as if the braking is not working for a moment, and also, a jerk forward once stopped. This will lead to an accident and potentially, a pedestrian getting hurt if not addressed. I took it to the dealer and they stated they could not replicate the issue, therefore, did not run diagnostics on the vehicle and will do nothing else for me. I have great concern this will lead to an accident and after 30 years of driving, I'm having to constantly think of leaving enough room between myself and other cars to avoid an accident, and adequate room for a brake malfunction. I have another 2020 hybrid Toyota that does not have this issue. So, it is not an issue with all hybrids. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jul 2022 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | Excessive tire wear was noted at 18,000 miles requirement replacement of tires. 25,000 miles later, the same tire wear problem has occurred on a set of tires rated at 65,000 miles. The west is much more predominant on the passengers side. Toyota has been informed and claims there is no problem with the vehicle, despite not inspecting the vehicle for other causes. This is a safety hazard, as with regular checkups, the tires were so low that one is at 0/32nd. Upon showing giving me the printout after measuring, the dealership told me I could drive on the tires a few more months. This is a major safety concern. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jul 2022 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | Sunroof exploded (like the sound of a bomb), without warning, on 7/21/22, while driving the vehicle. The shards traveled upward, and broken tempered glass protrudes towards the sky. Size of hole (largest points) approx. 16" X 9". It was not a rock or any other debris that caused this--it was internal force. I reached out to the dealer on 7/21/22, and today with pictures, who will reach out to Toyota. No damage was done to the vehicle, to the best my knowledge, other than the sunroof. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jun 2022 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | While driving around 60 MPH all the sudden I heard a loud explosion like a shot gun going off and then my sunroof exploding and shattering all over me and the interior of my car. There was no impact from another vehicle, rock, tree, anything. It just exploded into thousands of little pieces out of nowhere. It was terrifying. I was able to safely pull over. There were cuts experienced. | Crash: No Fire: No Injuries: 1 | Unknown |
| Jun 2022 | SERVICE BRAKES | Several times while applying the brake, particularly when braking slowly and often either downhill or turning a corner, there seems to be a gap in the braking. It feels like I have let my foot of the brake, but I have not. It is very brief. I have taken this to the dealer and they indicated they were able to replicate it and tried to fix it, but the problem has continued. For the approximate date asked about below, it has probably happened at least 50 times and it's happened with our two household drivers. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| May 2022 | ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC) | The contact owns a 2020 Toyota Highlander The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V239000 (Electronic Stability Control) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The dealer was made aware of the issue. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| May 2022 | STRUCTURE | In April 2022, the sunroof on our 2020 Highlander Hybrid spontaneously exploded (without impact) while driving on the freeway. It was like a loud shotgun went off in the cab of our SUV. We were showered with glass and small cut to my wife's hand. Thankfully there was no traffic otherwise it could have easily caused an accident, putting us and others at risk. The local Toyota Dealership (where we purchased the car from in 2020) took photos (half the glass broke out, the remaining glass had glass shards pointed upwards like a volcano). The Service representative originally advised us that Toyota would likely pay to replace the sunroof and pay for our rental car (as we had just begun a 2-week trip), but then later refused, stating that the sunroof must have had a chip in it or was impacted (which were absolutely false claims). They stated that I must submit it to my insurance who they billed for $2,410 (sunroof assembly remove & replace, new glass, clean-up detail glass shards, supplies/materials, labor), and $500 of which I would have to pay for a deductible. After many difficult emails and telephone conversations, Toyota Corporate finally agreed to pay my $500 deductible but then later handed me a Goodwill Settlement Agreement to sign, stating the matter is resolved and I would take no further action. I refused to sign it, because I had a $1,900 Car Rental bill (less $450 from my insurance), that Toyota refused to pay. There were no warning messages or symptoms. It is a manufacturing defect that Toyota refuses to acknowledge so that customers and their insurance companies get stuck with all of the bills. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Mar 2022 | STRUCTURE | The front portion of the panoramic sunroof/moonroof blew out with a loud boom while my husband and I were driving on interstate 75 south in Florida. The flying glass could have injured us had the shade not been closed or if it had been raining and possibly caused an accident. I saw that another person had the same experience with a 2018 Toyota Highlander XLE with a panoramic moonroof listed on Toyota Nation on Oct 3, 2019. It has not yet been inspected. Insurance company was notified. No warnings or symptoms of the exploding moonroof occurred prior to the failure. It just happened today about 1 1/2-2hr ago.About 6pm. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Feb 2022 | SERVICE BRAKES | When going downhill and applying the brakes slightly. You keep your foot constant on the brake pedal. Braking some. The car would suddenly release the brakes for a second or two at speed about 35-40 mph. Then it catches up the brakes again. This looks really dangerous when you drive. I don't like this at all. It happens regularly to me. Maybe once a week or so. I started noticing it a while ago. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Feb 2022 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | On several occasions, using the key fob to remote start the car, once unlocking the car, the car doesn't turn off as it should when unlocked or touching the drivers side door. Once in vehicle (car still running), car is unresponsive until shifted from Park, then the engine shuts off and car is disabled for 10-15 minutes. Will not start, unresponsive to touching the push start ignition and dash says "Not ready to Drive." Brake pedal gets very hard. Have been unable to video the actions of the remote start in order to get it to a dealership. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Feb 2022 | FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | Fuel gauge is inaccurate, leading to potential safety issues. The fuel gauge does not show as full, when the car is refueled, and likewise shows as empty when there is enough fuel to drive hundreds of miles. This has led to situations where the fuel light is on, and car is indicating no remaining miles left, but there is plenty of fuel. Toyota knows there is a problem. I started a Lemon Law claim with the Washington State Attorney's General office and notified Toyota. They have offered to replace my vehicle, which is currently in process. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Feb 2022 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | I was driving on the highway at about 65 mph, there were no cars beside me, when there was a loud explosion type noise. I noticed the passenger side mirror had flipped into the window. The cover on the mirror exploded causing damage to the hood and side panel of the vehicle. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jan 2022 | SERVICE BRAKES,LANE DEPARTURE | The contact owns a 2020 Toyota Highlander. The contact stated that upon the depression of the brake pedal, the vehicle would intermittently surge forward without warning. The contact stated that he would shift the vehicle into neutral to stop the vehicle from surging. The contact also stated that the blind spot monitor's unavailable warning message would intermittently appear on the instrument panel. The contact had taken the vehicle to Bayside Toyota and Waldorf Toyota and each dealer was unable to duplicate or diagnose the cause of the failure. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 21,000. | Crash: No Fire: No | 21,000 |
| Dec 2021 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | I was driving on a freeway with no cars in front of me and no debris in the air when our panoramic sunroof spontaneously exploded. The glass blew upwards and the remaining glass around the edges were pointed upwards as if the window had suffered an internal to external impact. Fortunately, the fabric was closed and it could have resulted in a severe accident with glass going everywhere. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Nov 2021 | VISIBILITY | The contact owns a 2020 Toyota Highlander. The contact stated while driving approximately 55 MPH, there was a sudden explosion and the passenger’s side mirror casing dislodged from the vehicle causing damage to the passenger’s side window trim and the hood of the vehicle. The cause of the failure was not determined. The local dealer was notified of the failure. The manufacturer was not yet notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 30,000. | Crash: No Fire: No | 30,000 |
| Nov 2021 | FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | Since purchasing this vehicle I began to notice that the fuel gauge is inaccurate. This issue is sporadic. Often after filling the gas tank completely, the gauge will only register as 3/4 full. Like wise, it is inaccurate when the tank gets low, showing that there is 1/4 tank, when in fact it is nearly empty. The "remaining miles" indicator that displays is likewise inaccurate and often the low fuel indicator light comes on when it shouldn't, and doesn't display when it should. I have had it to the deal 4 times now for repair. Initially they told me nothing was wrong, then indicated that a software update was necessary. When that didn't fix it, I returned the vehicle and they indicated an instrument panel sensor chip needed to be replaced. I waited a month for that to happen and it didn't fix the issue. I then opened a trouble incident with Toyota USA and after several weeks received a call back from the dealer indicating this is a known (presumably still developing) issue and has something to do with a faulty gas tank that causes the readings to be inaccurate. The dealer indicated that they know this will require the gas tank to be replaced but that they don't have parts to do this and will contact me at some point in the future. This is a serious safety issue, as it could lead to the vehicle running out of gas while driving, without any indication that the fuel is low. The only way to have any certainty regarding the fuel level is to do a calculation each time you drive based on the estimated fuel economy and # of miles driven since the last fill up. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Sep 2021 | AIR BAGS | While making a legal left turn on a green arrow, we were struck on the passenger side of our vehicle by a vehicle that did not stop at the red light. | Crash: Yes Fire: No Injuries: 2 Towed | Unknown |
| Aug 2021 | SEATS | The driver seat started making a motorized noise 2-3 days after I purchased the vehicle. Over the few months from my oil change the noise got louder and louder as we moved the seat back and forth. When I took my vehicle in for its first oil change I addressed it to the dealership as the seat was now no longer able to move forward or backwards. During their inspection they stated there was a lego which was not possible as I had at the time a 1 & 2 year old who would choke on a lego so there is no way I would allow them to play with legos that small, mega blocks okay because those are huge but legos are too small. Anywho the seat was functionable after the inspection which lasted about a month and then went out again. I then brought it up again at the next oil change which they Checked it out and it worked a bit then went out again. The last time I took my vehicle in for its last oil change I addressed it, they took it apart and left it that way as it is now but were unable to locate the reason why it was defaulted. I however found that a piece was missing from one side of the track under the seat but they couldn't see that it was the reason for the malfunction. I have tried multiple times at least 5 times and speaking with the 2 service managers but to no avail this driver seat still can not be adjusted which means no one can drive my vehicle aside from myself not even in case of an emergency. There are no warning lights or alerts that come up. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2021 | STRUCTURE,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | Several times pulling out from stop signs I failed to see cars coming from the passenger side. On August 4th 2021 I failed to see a car until it was directly in front of me and I collided with it. Wondering how I could have failed to see it I started doing research on the internet. I discovered others had this same problem also involving an accident. It was brought to my attention the mirrors are large and placed high in regards to the passenger window. I noted others sighted their height as part of the problem. I have a bad back and kept my seat low to ease getting in and out of the vehicle. My vehicle was totaled but the air bags never deployed and no one was injured. | Crash: Yes Fire: No Towed | Unknown |
| Jul 2021 | LANE DEPARTURE | The lane keeping assist does not work properly on my vehicle. The lane keeping assist does not keep my car in the center of the lane as intended. For instance, it very forcefully makes the car drift to the left and right of the lane and frequently pulls it into the other lane. I have reported this to my local dealership - Sparks Toyota in Myrtle Beach, SC and Toyota Corporate. Sparks Toyota service has admitted that there are many customer complaints about this issue. They have stated that there is a software download "fix" in the works, but not yet available. I did not take their word for this and called Toyota Corporate. The only "solution" I have been offered is an offer to show me how to turn the feature off. This is totally unacceptable as the is an important safety feature that does not work properly and in fact, creates an unsafe situation while driving. Since my report of the issue, I have been made aware of an owners Facebook forum that other owners state they are having the same issue and seems to be a widespread problem. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jul 2021 | SERVICE BRAKES | I have a 2020 Highlander hybrid. When I brake my stopping pauses a half second to a second then brakes normally. I am afraid that I can get into an accident due to this happening at the wrong time or if I loan my car to another driver that is not aware of the problem. I took it to the dealer and couldn't reproduce the fault with their computer connected. Though this has been happening about every other day or so. there were no warnings prior, it just happens randomly! Please go to the attached Toyotanation.com link to see other people having the same issues with their Highlander Hybrids. https://www.toyotanation.com/threads/2021-highlander-hybrid-platinum-not-braking-properly.1694783/ | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jun 2021 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | The contact owns a 2020 Toyota Highlander equipped with a Tekonsha Prodigy RF Electronic Brake Control with Bluetooth kits, part number 902501. The contact purchased the unit to use for towing a trailer. The contact purchased the part at an independent mechanic and had the equipment installed by another independent mechanic. When the contact first attempted to use the brake kit, her and her husband had connected the equipment per the instructions and brake kit showed the letter "C" which meant the part was connected. As the contact started driving the vehicle, a NC (not connected) message had appeared on the brake kit. The contact decided to drive the vehicle back to her home and attempted to reconnect the brake system as instructed but the failure persisted. Upon investigation, the contact discovered that the equipment had been placed under NHTSA Campaign Number: 20E033000 (Electrical System). The contact reached out to the independent mechanics, the one who sold the part and the other that installed it, and neither were aware of the recall. The contact also called the manufacturer and had written a letter to obtain the replacement part however, the contact had not heard back from the manufacturer. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 0. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jun 2021 | VISIBILITY | The contact owns a 2020 Toyota Highlander. The contact stated that while his wife was driving 55 mph the sunroof exploded without warning or impact. There were no reported injuries. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified. The failure mileage was 15,600. | Crash: No Fire: No | 15,600 |
| Jun 2021 | SERVICE BRAKES | My Toyota Highlander is a hybrid and there is an ongoing problem with the brakes under certain conditions. When you are slowing the vehicle down, with your foot on the the brakes, there is a point under 10 miles an hour, where the brakes appear to let go and you must quickly exert dramatically more pressure on the brakes to stop the car. Fortunately it has not resulted in an accident because my wife and I are aware of the potential danger. The danger is, this occurs when you are stopping at a stop sign or crosswalk, pulling into a parking space, or around pedestrians, even pulling into our garage. I have own previous Toyota Hybrids and this vehicle behaves very differently. In my opinion the route of the problem may be the regenerative braking. As you step on the brakes the regenerative braking supplies most of the braking power and then at a slower speed the regenerative braking abruptly dis engages. It seem there should be a way to smooth the erratic behavior of the brakes. I have filed my concerns with the Toyota customer experience center in November of 2020 under my name and file number #2011280027. The car is available anytime to demonstrate the problem, there are no open recalls for this VIN#, and I have been told there are no service bulletins for this problem. The problem has occurred the whole time I have owned the vehicle. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |