77 of the
433 complaints filed about the Toyota Grand Highlander
are about the other systems —
18% of everything owners reported.
The worst model year for it is 2024.
Road debris from normal driving on paved roads (perhaps related to a trip from Flagstaff to Phoenix on [XXX] in April 2026- in Phoenix the AC took a very long time to cool down the car), road debris punctured the ac condenser. The AC stopped working entirely in July of 2026, so it was taken to Findlay Toyota Flagstaff for review. They noted all refrigerant had leaked from the system, and that road debris had punctured the condenser. The warranty claim was denied, and I paid about $1450 out of pocket for a new condenser and system recharge. I have the estimate from the dealer along with the receipt for the actual repair; however, the file upload functionality of this app is not working. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
NHTSA complaint #11758722 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
A rock went through the grill and pierced the AC condenser. The result left us with no AC. Toyota of Grand Rapids charged us $2300 to replace it. The holes in the grill are massive. Toyota of Grand Rapids has a video on file documenting the issue.
NHTSA complaint #11758738 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
My wife was driving and a small rock passed through the front grill puncturing the radiator and causing her check engine light to come on. Within 5 minutes the coolant leaked out and the car was undrivable. We took it to Bredemann Toyota in Park Ridge who replaced it.
NHTSA complaint #11758770 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
I was driving down [XXX] at approximately [XXX] this morning and heard a loud bang, then an air sound like window not fully closed, then heard crumbling glass falling into Sunroof shade. Initially I thought I had a tire blowout or someone on the access road fired a pistol. When I stopped and took a picture of the sunroof I saw the front sunroof glass bulging upward and the whole window was cracked with glass lying in the sunroof shade. If I had the sunroof shade open the glass would have been all over my head. I reported the incident to Orr Toyota in Hot Springs, ar. and they informed me that Toyota claims that something impacted the window. There was no impact to the window as it would have caused the window to bulge inward if that occurred. They evidently ignored my original picture so I don't see how they could make a determination of impact after I'd driven the vehicle more than 50 miles to get to their location (The event occurred in Bryant, ar). INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
NHTSA complaint #11756523 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Bought the vehicle in October 2025 everything was going fine. I went away for a few days came back and the A/C was not working. I took it to the dealership where I purchased it and was told outside influence and they refused to repair unless I pay $1900. I have bumper to bumper coverage for 5 years, My point is for a SUV that is costing over $50,000. If the condenser is such a sensitive piece of equipment it shouldn't not be placed in front of the vehicle unprotected. This is a design flaw because the SUV is made to be driven on the highway.
NHTSA complaint #11745755 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? I was driving when I heard a loud boom, it almost sounded like a gunshot. Not noticing anything I continued driving. After a short distance I started hearing wind whistling. It was at this point I pulled over and saw my sunroof had shattered and there was a big hole. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? If I had not have the shade closed glass would have fallen into the car. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? Yes, I brought the car to the Toyota dealership. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? I did call my insurance company but I am not sure if they actually inspected the damage. They have been dealing directly with the Toyota dealership service department. Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? No, that's why I continued to drive until I heard the wind whistling
NHTSA complaint #11741021 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
My 2024 Used Toyota Grand Highlander Hybrid Platinum Max was at a slight decline stopped at a stop sign in Echo mode. The whole car began to violently shake and lurching forward. No one was in front of me and my foot was on the brake or I probably would have run into a car in front of me. The dashboard then flashed a warning about the hybrid system overheating. The only way to stop it was to turn off the engine, then turn it back on. The car then began driving normally. I have also had an issue with hesitation felt while accelerating 0-40 mph with study throttle. Upon researching both issues, they should be resolved with TSB calibrations to my car of T-SB-0028-25 and T-SB-0017-24. This is not an error that would come up when doing a diagnostic check on my car's computer per research I have done. I took my car to get the updates at Toyota of Redlands, CA, and they refused to do them unless they could recreate them themselves. I called Toyota to report this, and they said that each Toyota dealership/service is privately owned at their own discretion. I was basically told to return if I experience it again. I do not want to experience this again and they wouldn't take my word on it anyways. I feel like next time I could injure myself or someone else if this glitch happened again. I therefore would like to implore to make this a mandatory preventative TSB calibration for cars that have had this reported/models/year which mine has. This goes for any TSB calibrations should be done preventatively, but especially ones that can cause a potential accident like T-SB-0028-25 and T-SB-0017-24. Here is information on why this would not show up on a diagnostic test: Your Toyota didn't generate an error code because the shudder is a software calibration issue rather than a component failure. The onboard computer (ECU) only triggers a check engine light or throws a Diagnostic Trouble Code (DTC) when sensors detect a hard mechanical or electrical failure.
NHTSA complaint #11740395 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Component that failed: Sunroof How was safety at risk: I was driving my 2025 Grand Highlander on Sunday, [XXX} in the morning. While I was driving, my sunroof exploded, causing a loud noise and a blowout in the front part of the sunroof (pictures included). There was no debris on the road or any other reason for the sunroof to have exploded. This was extremely shocking and concerning - if we had not kept the sunroof shade closed, the glass from the sunroof would have fallen directly on myself and my wife as we were driving, potentially causing an extremely dangerous situation. The sunroof blew outward, NOT inward as would have been expected if something had hit it and caused it to shatter. I also found multiple forums where I discovered that this is a common problem: [XXX] [XXX] [XXX] The problem is widespread enough across models that there is an ongoing lawsuit regarding panoramic sunroofs: [XXX] The dealer and Toyota are claiming that it had to be an external source, but again, there was no debris in the area or any other reason to cause the blowout. The vehicle has been inspected by the manufacturer's field service technicians. It is currently still at the dealer, awaiting final decision on coverage for the blowout. There were no warnings. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
NHTSA complaint #11739910 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Moon roof exploded while driving on highway. This is most likely due the to temperate glass used for the moon roof. No collision happened, no debris flying from somewhere else hit the glass, there was no cause for it shatter, the glass just exploded almost causing my family to get injured from glass shards falling down. Thankfully the cover was there and the moon roof wasn’t open.
NHTSA complaint #11735572 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
There is an ongoing problem with Android connectivity. I have brought this to the dealer’s attention multiple times, but they continue to claim that my phone is not compatible. However, this same phone connects flawlessly and consistently in my other vehicles, so compatibility does not appear to be the issue.
NHTSA complaint #11734380 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The 2025 Grand Highlander XLS front sun roof exploded. Will be taken to dealer upon appointment. Had the interior cover not been closed, we would have been showered with glass particles. According to many articles this is a known defect by Toyota. Lemberg Law phenom. Vehicle will be inspected by Toyoto dealer on Apr 29, 2026. There were no warnings. Outside temp was 64 degrees F. Traveling at 45 mph at 2:30 EDT, Apr 27, 2026. Massive exploding sound, like a gunshot. Pulled over to check vehicle and noticed front sun roof center blown outward and rest of glass fractured.
NHTSA complaint #11734096 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
My 2026 Toyota Grand Highlander Hybrid sunroof shattered spontaneously while driving - no impact, no prior damage. I was driving at 20-25 mph on a feeder way, approaching a signal
NHTSA complaint #11732819 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Due to the design of the grill located at the front end of the 2025 toyota grand highlander the vehicle poses vulnerability for multiple debris items to fly up into exposed air conditioning condensor. The damage caused by the debris is not covered by the warranty because it is considered an outside occurrence. However the design creates the vulnerability for the ac to become damaged. It is also sitting below the radiator posing an additonal risk for damage and should have additonal protection to help prevent damage. I am currently having to dispute the refusal to cover the damage to my own ac condensor done by a rock flying into the grill space causing damage and losing freon, because they state it is an outside occurrence regardless of the fact that the design is faulty. There are multiple people who have experienced this happening to their vehicles some not even at the 2000 mile mark and are responsible for the financial cost. Upon doing research the 2026 toyota grand highlander model was created with an even lower setting bumper that provides better coverage and protection for the air conditioning condensor and all other important mechanical components. Suggesting that Toyota is aware of the issue if they created an additonal part to help protect that area from damage. I am literally at risk each time I drive my car just for the fact that rocks are on every road way as well as other debris. I have called the customer relations department with no resolution given only to be told I am responsible for the cost of the repair. I believe this is something that needs to be addressed as well as fixed for the sake of the buyer and the already large cost of owning and maintaining a vehicle. If it happens more than a few times its not bad luck, it's a flaw in the creation of the product and consumers should not have to be held financially responsible for someone else mistake, whether individual or corporate entity. I have previously owned 4 other toyotas with no issues!
NHTSA complaint #11726754 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Driving when it sounded like a gunshot went off in the car. I looked to the back of my car to see what was around me (nothing), and saw no damage to any windows. I could hear glass cracking so I went to open my moonroof screen to check the glass and I could hear glass on the screen so I closed it right back. I pulled over and was able to confirm the sunroof had busted across the back of the glass. It did not look like it was hit by anything, but like it blew out then spidered across the remainder of the glass.
NHTSA complaint #11724589 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
This is regarding recalls for my 2024 Toyota Grand Highlander Hybrid Platinum Max. The vehicle has been in the possession of Koons Tysons Toyota since December 23, 2025 (80 days as of 3/11/26), for repair of Safety Recall #25TA13 and #25TB13 NHTSA 25V744) involving the Panoramic View Monitor System/Parking Assist ECU. The dealership has explicitly informed me that the vehicle is unsafe to operate and have therefore kept it. Toyota and its authorized dealer have made three (3) repair attempts to correct this safety defect. Two separate replacement components were ordered and installed without resolving the issue. A third required component is currently on backorder with no definitive ETA or repair completion date, as the date keeps getting pushed. We are not being updated and are not receiving information from the dealership and Corporate about the details about the problem and nature of the delay. Toyota has obligations under federal recall law administered by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to remedy safety defects within a reasonable time and at no charge to the consumer. An indefinite inability to complete a safety recall repair due to parts unavailability raises serious concerns under those obligations. Furthermore, a previous recall #25TA08 (NHTSA 25V595) which was supposedly completed on October 14, 2025 by the same dealership is showing as INCOMPLETE in the vehicle record with NHTSA.
NHTSA complaint #11723563 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Sunroof spontaneously exploded leaving an 8” hole and a completely shattered sunroof. The sunroof is flexed upwards like it was under extreme pressure. The high temperature was 70 degrees in Tuscaloosa today with cloudy skies and misty rain. So there shouldn’t have been any concerns from heat or cold. This left shattered glass every above the sunshade. Fortunately the shade was closed to catch most of the shattered glass.
NHTSA complaint #11722846 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Front windshield cracked on its own. Car was parked in driveway and there was nothing affecting the crack. It cracked on its own. This is brand new car Grand Highlander 2026 and owned for only 1 month. The front windshield shod not crack like that on its own out of nowhere. I read many other reviews from other owners facing the same issues. Most of them mentioning that this has happened because of the poor installation and some mentioning that even after replacing the windshield it has cracked again. Toyota should address this as a recall asap. For a car that costs $60,000.00 and not being able to install a proper front windshield is very sad to hear it from Toyota. That was number one reason I went to buy the Grand Highlander Limited 2026 thinking that there wont be any issues but the stress started already to accumulate. What could be next?
NHTSA complaint #11722133 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.