Complaint volume
299 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
299 consumer-submitted complaints on record for the 2020 Toyota Highlander, grouped by component category.
299 Total complaints
13 Crash reports
0 Fire reports
11 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 13 crash reports, 0 fire reports, 11 injury reports, and 0 fatality reports. These fields come from complaint records and should be read in context.
Mileage clue
Mileage is available on 57 complaints, with an average reported failure mileage of 38,699 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?
13 Crash
0 Fire
11 Injury
0 Fatality
11 Towed
8 Medical attention
What are the most common 2020 Toyota Highlander complaint categories?
POWER TRAIN 112
AIR BAGS 29
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 29
STRUCTURE 23
SERVICE BRAKES 21
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 13
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 5
SEAT BELTS 4
SUSPENSION 4
ENGINE 3
299 total complaints on record
Latest complaints
| Date | Component | Summary | Severity | Mileage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 2024 | STRUCTURE | The contact owns a 2020 Toyota Highlander. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V720000 (Structure), however, the part to repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable time to remedy the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Mar 2024 | STRUCTURE | The contact owns a 2020 Toyota Highlander. The contact was informed by an independent mechanic that the front bumper had begun to detach from the vehicle on the driver's and passenger’s side ends of the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to a dealer but was later referred to an independent body shop for service. The contact then discovered that the vehicle was included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V720000 (Structure) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The failure mileage was unknown. VIN tool confirms parts not available. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Feb 2024 | STRUCTURE | We were driving at around 70 mph on lane #3 on [XXX] near Auburn CA at around [XXX] on [XXX] with 2 passengers and some baggage in the trunk. No baggage were on the roof rack. Traffic was light and no vehicle was directly ahead of us at the time. Weather was cloudy. Suddenly we heard a loud bang above us, like a gun going off. I opened the sunroof cover and found the sunroof glass shattered. After exiting the freeway and parking, we found only the sunroof glass was damaged. The glass was shattered but still intact. There was no damage to the roof or roof racks. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6) | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Feb 2024 | SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC | The contact owns a 2020 Toyota Highlander. The contact stated while driving approximately 60 MPH, the contact depressed the brake pedal to slow for traffic. The contact stated that the vehicle was vibrating and as he depressed the brake pedal the pedal stiffened and required more pressure to depress. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that the brake pedal failure occurred only between driving 60 to 70 MPH. The contact had not taken the vehicle to a local dealer or independent mechanic. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 87,000. | Crash: No Fire: No | 87,000 |
| Feb 2024 | VISIBILITY/WIPER | The side view mirrors are very shaky at all speeds-- and worse over bumps/and/or at highway speeds. It causes a distraction in the peripheral vision of the driver, and does not provide a reliable, clear image in the mirror while the car is underway. The problem is worse on the driver (left) side, but it exists on both sides. This creates an unsafe condition where vision is not clear in the side mirrors. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Feb 2024 | STRUCTURE | The contact owns a 2020 Toyota Highlander. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V720000 (Structure) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jan 2024 | SERVICE BRAKES,ENGINE | The contact owns a 2020 Toyota Highlander. The contact stated that while the vehicle was idling or parked, the engine would suddenly seize. The failure occurred intermittently. The check engine warning light illuminated with a message that the brakes were enabled. The contact restarted the vehicle several times before the vehicle operated as needed. The vehicle had been taken to the dealer 3 times however, the dealer was unable to diagnose the vehicle. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and opened a case. The approximate failure mileage was 45,600. | Crash: No Fire: No | 45,600 |
| Jan 2024 | AIR BAGS | The contact owns a 2020 Toyota Highlander. The contact discovered online that the VIN was included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V865000 (Air Bags) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was made not aware of the issue. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Dec 2023 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | Nav Search and Voice message dictate disabled. Highlander 4th Generation (2020+) Has anyone experienced a DCM failure? My 2020 Highlander LTD hit 70K and 3yr mark; all of a sudden my Nav won't search while driving and I cannot dictate a response to a msg. Other forums suggest, reset the DCM by disconnecting the battery for a minimum of 30 minutes. This can be problematic. NO hands free driving capability. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Dec 2023 | POWER TRAIN | The contact owns a 2020 Toyota Highlander. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed and attempting to accelerate, he heard an abnormal sound coming from the engine compartment. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, and it was determined that the sound was coming from the transmission however, the dealer was unable to provide a cause for the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but did not assist. The failure mileage was 100,100. | Crash: No Fire: No | 100,100 |
| Nov 2023 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | The contact owns a 2020 Toyota Highlander. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle lost motive power and stalled. The contact was able to jumpstart the vehicle and the vehicle operated normally. The contact had taken to the vehicle to a certified mechanic who tested the battery and alternator but found no failure. The vehicle had not been diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 57,000. | Crash: No Fire: No | 57,000 |
| Nov 2023 | POWER TRAIN | The car is barely 3 years old with 74000 miles to it. The is a humming noise coming from the transmission which the dealer said I may want to replace it. It’s not cheap to do so and I don’t expect it to happen to a new car. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Oct 2023 | SERVICE BRAKES | On more than 50 occasions while coming to a stop or slowing down I have experienced a surge forward while applying the brakes. It has happened at stop signs, stop lights, going downhill. I cannot duplicate on demand. Several times it has surged me past a stop sign/stop light while I still had my foot on the brake. Also, when the surge happens, I have to push harder on the brake pedal to stop the vehicle. I took it to the dealership on 9/2023 and was told it was not a problem that could be replicated and it has happened several times since then. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Oct 2023 | EQUIPMENT | See attached document from complainant | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Oct 2023 | SERVICE BRAKES | Was following a truck that was pulling a utility trailer. We had just stopped and started moving again when when he suddenly stopped. I had just sped up maybe going 10 to 15 mph when I applied my brake, the brakes did not engage until after I hit the trailer in front of me and jammed it into truck it was being pulled by.I had front end damage and radiator damage and the car was not drivable. I had noticed previous to this that at times at low speeds the brakes would not engage and would need to be double tapped to get them to engage. Could go weeks without it happening or could happen multiple times in a day. No consistency to the issue. | Crash: Yes Fire: No Towed | Unknown |
| Sep 2023 | VISIBILITY/WIPER | 1. Climate control system failure to defrost windows during cold weather/winter conditions caused all windows to fog resulting 0 visibility while driving. 2. Occupants including myself, spouse, adult child and toddler grandchild , surrounding vehicles and their occupants were for 5 to 10 minutes exposed to potential multi-car crash, injuries and loss of life. 3. Online research revealed this climate control failure has been experienced by other Toyota owners and the issue has been resolved however not been reported to NHTSA. Two days after the occurrence the vehicle was taken to Bud Clary Toyota, Moses Lake, WA for inspection and repair. Note-without the detailed information from my online research the issue/repair/resolution wasn't determined by the Toyota service shop. 4. There are no warnings when this failure occurs. It happens only when outside temperatures drop below 40 degrees and severity increases with quick drops in temperature. The first occurrence was during first winter of ownership, 2020/2021 and reported to the next servicing dealership, Peterson Toyota, Boise, ID. 5. The repairing dealership required customer pay and advised to follow up with Toyota customer service to report and request reimbursement. Follow up completed later in December 2022, Toyota denied warranty reimbursement however the customer service agent requested and obtained repair reimbursement and recommended reporting and requesting recall status to NHSTA. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Sep 2023 | STRUCTURE,ENGINE | About once or twice a week as I'm slowly braking to make a turn or stop, the car will surge forward. I have to depress the brake harder, and it does stop or keep slowing. I'm very concerned that if this happens as I'm stopping at a cross walk, someone could be hurt. I took it to the dealer who couldn't replicate it, so said it wasn't a safety issue. There are lots of forums that describe this with highlanders. My partner can feel it happen too. I'm not sure if it's the braking system or engine. My guess is engine because it seems to be a power surge. It's inconsistent, and happens in all kinds of weather, hot/cold, dry/wet. No warning lights, or messages. Happens a lot, but I'm using the example of earlier this week. You're welcome to inspect if you want. It is a hybrid and one of my friends said it might be switching systems, but our other car is also a hybrid and doesn't have anything like this happening. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Sep 2023 | SERVICE BRAKES | On several occasions while coming to a stop or slowing down I have experienced a surge forward while applying the brakes. It has happened at stop signs, stop lights, going downhill. I cannot duplicate on demand. Several times it has surged me past a stop sign while I still had my foot on the brake. Also, when the surge happens, I have to push harder on the brake pedal to stop the vehicle. I have had the hub replaced as well as the wheel censer and I still have the problem. I took it to the dealership on 8/15/22 and it has happened several times since then. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Sep 2023 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER,SERVICE BRAKES | Random loss of braking feeling and jolting forward when stopping due to regenerative braking letting off. Happened randomly since purchase. Happens around 20mph mark | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2023 | SERVICE BRAKES | it does occasionally when coming to a complete stop sign to seems to jolt forward . I have taken it to the local Toyota dealer as a safety concern and was told after they analyized the computer data couldn’t find any problem . Yet it seems to keep happening | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2023 | STRUCTURE | Driving at highway speeds of 75 mph (posted speed), front bumper fell off of car. Outside temperature was 107 degrees. Bumper was lodged under car and all insulation peeled off of wheels. Had to pull all parts from under car and around wheel openings and was able to continue to destination. No accident occurred as the result of this as I was able to safely pull over to side of road. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jul 2023 | VISIBILITY/WIPER | A rock hit my windshield and it got a crack in it several feet long. A few days later a rock hit the other side of my windshield and it cracked there about six inches. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| May 2023 | VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | The contact owns a 2020 Toyota Highlander. The contact stated that after slowing down to come to a stop, the vehicle would inadvertently surged forward. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who was unable to determine the cause of the failure. The vehicle had not been repaired. The failure had since become more frequent. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage is 36,009. | Crash: No Fire: No | 36,009 |
| May 2023 | SERVICE BRAKES | UNKNOWN. Brakes have temporary failure midway through braking. The pedal feels like it drops and the car ceases to brake. You press down hard quickly, and it takes a second for the car to then brake again. Naturally the car jerks, at time throwing people forward and locking seatbelts. This happens most frequently going downhill, and happens at a variety of different speeds. Dealership says there is no issue. It happens multiple times a week, if not multiple times a day. While I typically drive with adequate space for this failure, I cannot control other drivers. I almost rear ended a person who cut in front of me from the right lane when the braking failure occurred. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| May 2023 | SERVICE BRAKES | My car frequently accelerates suddenly when I am actively braking. I will begin braking, start to slow down, then the car will accelerate, jolt forward, then start braking again. This puts me at risk for having an accident at stop lights and any time I should be braking. I have an appointment to take it to the dealer. It does not happen every time I am braking and it is not easily reproducible, however it has started happening more often. I have no warnings. An independent auto shop has looked at it and they believe there is a problem when my car is switching from regenerative to hydraulic braking. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |