Complaint volume
154 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
2023 Toyota Highlander Complaints
154 consumer-submitted complaints on record for the 2023 Toyota Highlander, grouped by component category.
154 Total complaints
11 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 unknown or other, structure, service brakes. Use those categories as a test-drive checklist instead of judging the vehicle from the total count alone.
Severity flags
Enriched records include 11 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 18 complaints, with an average reported failure mileage of 58,486 miles. Compare that with the mileage on the listing.
Questions to ask the seller
- Have you had any problems related to unknown or other, structure, service brakes?
- 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 2023 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.
2023 Toyota Highlander
Build buyer checklist Compare with other years Sends year, make, and model to pre-fill your checklist.
How severe are the 2023 Toyota Highlander complaints?
11 Crash
0 Fire
9 Injury
0 Fatality
9 Towed
9 Medical attention
What are the most common 2023 Toyota Highlander complaint categories?
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 27
STRUCTURE 25
SERVICE BRAKES 9
ENGINE 8
AIR BAGS 6
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 6
SEATS 5
TIRES 5
POWER TRAIN 4
POWER TRAIN,ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 4
154 total complaints on record
Latest complaints
| Date | Component | Summary | Severity | Mileage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 2025 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | INSTRUMENT CLUSTER | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jul 2025 | SERVICE BRAKES,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | I was involved in a vehicle crash on 7-1-25. I had just pulled out of the gas station and was coming up to a stop sign so I was only going about 8mph I put my foot on the brake and nothing happened. I had my foot all the way down on the brake pedal because I saw a car coming and they were traveling at about 40mph. No automatic braking nothing worked. I had no control. I just prayed that I hope this doesn’t hurt. None of my airbags deployed. My car is now totaled and of course I got the ticket because I did not have control of my vehicle. I strongly believe this has to do with the brakes and how it switches from electric to gas in my hybrid vehicle. Toyota has recalled prior years 2020 to 2022 hybrids for this exact issue. This is a huge safety issue and thankfully I am alive to make this complaint. My husband went to my Toyota dealership where I get all my service and the service manager said yes he has noticed this as a problem that he himself pulled in a Toyota Highlander Hybrid into the garage and had the same thing happen. We have been reading online about others complaining of this same issue. | Crash: Yes Fire: No Injuries: 1 Towed Medical attention | Unknown |
| Jun 2025 | STRUCTURE,SERVICE BRAKES,ENGINE | weather conditions were severe due to a snowstorm, causing ice buildup on the road, low visibility, and slippery pavement. Despite driving cautiously, I lost control of the vehicle, which resulted in going off the road, down an embankment, and crashing into a tree. Immediately after the impact, I called 911 emergency services for assistance. I attempted to exit the vehicle, but the driver’s door was blocked due to the position of the tree. I remained inside the vehicle until a passerby stopped and helped me get out. As a result of the impact, my vehicle sustained significant damage The shocking thing about it all is that the vehicle did not activate the airbags and that is worrying to me because it could have been unfortunate. | Crash: Yes Fire: No Injuries: 1 Towed Medical attention | Unknown |
| May 2025 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE | We live on a farm so the fact there is rodents is no surprise. However strangest thing is the knock sensor harness has been chewed completely off two times in last two months.. when this happens it causes power loss. With the extra shielding the wire has tells me it gives off a low frequency that would irritate most animals and me at this point since the part is never available. If it actually gives off a frequency, it is absolutely unnecessary and a complete nuisance. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| May 2025 | STRUCTURE,ENGINE | There’s a noticeable lag in the engine, especially when starting or turning. Sometimes, it’s almost a full second, which is quite alarming. When I asked the mechanics at a few dealerships about this, they all said it’s normal for these new “Green” type engines with four cylinders and a turbo. However, I feel that the turbo is functioning poorly as the mileage increases. I’ve owned the car for almost three years and it only has 20k miles! Another issue is the wind noise. At speeds exceeding 40 mph on the highway, the wind noise can become quite annoying. I’ve addressed this issue at two different dealerships, and both acknowledged the problem and admitted it. However, they both claimed that it’s inherent in the car’s design and advised me to wait for a potential recall from the manufacturer. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Apr 2025 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | The seat belt alarm goes off for no reason while driving, is loud and distracting and the only way to reset it is to turn off the car and restart it. Luckily, I was on a local street and was able to safely pull over. I've had this vehicle for 18 months and the alarm has gone off over 6 times now. P.S. I'm not the only one. [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6) | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Mar 2025 | AIR BAGS | The contact owned a 2023 Toyota Highlander Hybrid. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 40 MPH on a heavy snow weather condition, the vehicle lost traction, causing the contact to lose control of the vehicle and crash into a tree, where the vehicle came to a stop. No warning lights were illuminated. No air bags deployed. The contact sustained injuries to his neck, chest, and shoulder. The contact sought medical attention. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed by the insurance provided for further investigation. The local dealer was contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 50,000. | Crash: Yes Fire: No Injuries: 1 Towed Medical attention | 50,000 |
| Mar 2025 | TIRES | 2023 Toyota Highlander XLE, Bridgestone Alenza Sport A/S 235/65R18. This is the 2nd time we had a side wall tire blow out. First incident 08/2023 and today 03/06/2025 happened again with 3 slit/cracks/holes(not sure how describe it, attached picture) in the side wall. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Feb 2025 | VISIBILITY | Driver's side mirror has been vibrating since vehicle purchase. The issues causes vibration / shaking of the driver's side rearview mirror creating blurry traffic (in the mirror) at highway speed and is a serious safety concern. Dealership claims it is due to attachment of a blind spot mirror on my vehicle. However there are hundreds of posts online of other people discussing / complaining about this exact same issue on Toyota Highlanders and Rav4. Other people are also reporting dealers claiming there is no fix. The issue can be fixed quiet easily by using a glue / tacky adhesive (or double sided tape) between the rearview mirror glass assembly and the backing plate of the mirror motor. Toyota should issue a recall since the issue is obviously prevalent and poses a safety hazard. Here are some links to other people complaining about the same issue since 2020: [XXX] [XXX] [XXX] [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6) | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jan 2025 | AIR BAGS | Vehicle was hit all the way around and was totalled with 4,000 miles. None of the airbags deployed. | Crash: Yes Fire: No Injuries: 2 Towed Medical attention | Unknown |
| Jan 2025 | TIRES | -Tire Sidewalls are cracked within 2 years of use and more than half of tread is unused -Cracking sidewalls leads to blowouts as complained about by prior consumers -Went to goodyear service center for inspection as requested for warranty claim -No warning lamps | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Dec 2024 | Chest Clip, Buckle, Harness | My daughter is 20 months old and I thought it was a fluke but not she 100% know how to unbuckle the chest clip. We will be driving down the road and she will undo the chest clip and wiggle out of her seat. I have reached out to Evenflo and got no help. Yesterday alone we were in the car for 2 hours and she continuously would unbuckle and try climbing out while driving. She isn't old enough to understand not to do that or comprehend why | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Dec 2024 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | Unable to clear a screen on the navigation/media center. It has a pop-up for Drive Connect(a monthly fee based service from Toyota) that covers the screen about every 10 minutes while driving. It requires at least 2 touches to the screen to clear, but comes back in a few minutes. It's very distracting while driving especially when using the map function from my phone. I called Toyota support and they said the pop-up cannot be disabled if you dont buy the service. I asked if there was a firmware update and they said no. This is Ransomware. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Nov 2024 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | THE MULTIMEDIA CENTER KEEPS POPING UP "EXPERIENCE DRIVE CONNECT". This covers up the map and to try and remove the ad you have to take your eyes off the road push multiple buttons on the screen to return to the map. This is dangerous at any speed. The dealer states this ad is part of a subscription service and cannot be removed. This will cause wrecks. The multimedia screen is a disaster. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Nov 2024 | POWER TRAIN,ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | Acceleration Issues, engine lag, poor response time and bucking when accelerated is pressed. Dangerous to drive not enough power to merge with traffic and hesitates to go at stop lights. Bought as a family suv and don’t feel safe with them in the car. RPMs jump when at idle. The car struggles to shift gears especially 2nd gear. Does not preform well under normal circumstances not sure how this car would ever be able to tow anything. I feel very mislead by Toyota and its reputation as this vehicle vehicle is lacking safety and performance. Reached out to Toyota about problems and have not received a remedy for the situation. A special campaign was issued but has not helped the problem. Very disappointed with this purchase as I paid over 50k for the vehicle brand new and don’t feel safe in the car as it bucks on acceleration and lacks the power to flow with traffic. This suv will cause negative impacts if safety measures aren’t started quickly. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Oct 2024 | POWER TRAIN,ENGINE | On 10/21 the vehicle accelerated on its own. At a stoplight behind another automobile, when I only slightly lifted my foot from the brake, the car lurched forward and the auto safety stop system lit up. I never touched the accelerator pedal. I pushed back down on the brake. This was not the first time this happened. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Oct 2024 | TIRES | I am writing to bring to your attention a serious issue regarding my Toyota vehicle, which is still under warranty. While my wife was driving to work, the front passenger tire exploded unexpectedly, without any warning lights or messages. This is particularly alarming as the car is new, purchased just 11 months ago, and has only 7,000 miles on it. After contacting AAA for assistance to replace the damaged tire with the spare one, I reached out to Toyota customer service. They advised me to visit the dealership for an inspection. However, upon arrival, the service advisor refused to honor the warranty and informed me that they did not have the tire brand and or model in stock, requesting a full payment of $370 to replace the damaged tire with a new one from a different brand. Concerned for my family’s safety, I opted to replace all four tires at America’s Tires, incurring the expense myself. I believe the original tires may have been defective and pose a risk if such an incident were to occur again. I did report the issue to Micheline without any resolution yet. I kindly request your assistance in addressing this matter. Thank you for your prompt attention to this critical issue. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Oct 2024 | FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE | The contact owns a 2023 Toyota Highlander. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the odor of gasoline was present inside and outside of the vehicle. The contact indicated that the failure had occurred intermittently after refueling the vehicle on extremely hot days. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who was unable to duplicate the failure and the cause of the failure was not determined. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 40,000. | Crash: No Fire: No | 40,000 |
| Oct 2024 | FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | Vehicle smells like gas/fuel sometimes. I brought it to the dealership and was advised that they cannot duplicate my concerns since they can't smell anything when I dropped it off. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Sep 2024 | AIR BAGS | The contact owned a 2023 Toyota Highlander. The contact stated that while his friend was driving at 45 MPH, he failed to yield when exiting the interstate at an exit ramp. As a result, the driver t-boned the passenger side of another vehicle. The air bags did not deploy. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to a tow yard and deemed a total loss by the contacts insurance provider. A police report was filed and injuries were reported. The contact transported himself to his physical therapist and was treated for a nondescript injury to his left shoulder. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 26,000. | Crash: Yes Fire: No Injuries: 1 Towed Medical attention | 26,000 |
| Sep 2024 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | I am writing to complain about the app called experience Drive connect. It is a push ad for a subscription that I do not want it interferes all the time, and is a safety issue. I can be using a navigation app like Waze and this blue ad will pop up, taking the place of my Waze app. It will also pop up if I am listening to a podcast and want to make a change. I always have to delete it to make it go away, but then it comes back again within a minute or so. It is driving me crazy And making me hate Toyota since there doesn’t seem to be anyway to get rid of it. Please help as this is a dangerous safety issue. I have reported it to the branding service at Toyota and encouraged other people to also report it. Thank you for your help Aloha, [XXX] . INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6) | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Sep 2024 | FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | On hot days the evap system does not function properly. You can visibly see gas fumes spewing from the filler neck area. The smell of gas inside and outside of the vehicle is horrible. It has caused headaches, nausea and dizziness to the passengers inside of the vehicle. It is extremely unsafe and Toyota doesn't know how to fix it. They are aware of the problem but refuse to remedy it. I personally know of 3 other highlanders doing the same thing. Not only is it a personal safety concern, it's also an environmental issue. This problem is with 2023 and newer highlanders and grand highlanders. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Sep 2024 | VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,ENGINE | The vehicle has erratic acceleration. It will either be extremely slow and jerky or it will jump forward with great speed and force. This is dangerous and may cause an accident. You have no control when it comes to acceleration whether you are leaving a stop light or trying to avoid an accident. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Sep 2024 | POWER TRAIN,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | Vehicle is sluggish and will not accelerate from a dead stop for several seconds. The gas pedal often has to be pushed much farther down than usual so then when the vehicle actually starts moving it lurches. It often seem like it can't find the proper gear so it will buck and stutter while driving. The shifting is not smooth at all and you never know how the vehicle will respond making for a very unpredictable driving experience. This all started shortly after reaching the 2000 mile mark. The cruise control has issues reaching and maintaining the speed that is set. I found the Toyota service bulletin, T-SB-0087-23 and have made an appointment with my local dealer to hopefully fix the issue. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Sep 2024 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | Toyota gave me one FOB Key when I purchased the vehicle. I should be receiving 2 FOB keys. The dealer told me TOYOTA will send me a letter when the second key will be available. I called the TOYOTA Hot Line last Feb. 2024. I was told it will be available June 2024. I called last June 2024. I was told it will be available July 202. I called last July 2024. I was told it will be available August 2024. On Sept 9, 2024, I ordered a FOB key from Burien, Washington Toyota dealer. I paid a total of $400.20. This expense would have been avoided if Toyota sent me the FOB key as promised. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |