12 of the
365 complaints about the 2020 Toyota Highlander are about the
driver-assist systems — 3% of everything
reported for this model year.
Half of the failures with a mileage on record happened before
21,000 miles.
F
12
Complaints
4
Crashes
0
Fires
3
Injuries
Exactly what failed
Blind Spot Detection
325.0%
Warnings
216.7%
Assist
216.7%
Automatic Emergency Braking
216.7%
Adaptive Cruise Control
18.3%
Camera
18.3%
Warnings
18.3%
Driver Assist & Collision Avoidance across every Toyota Highlander year
The Pre-Collision System with Pedestrian Detection is a good thing, but there's a problem. It stops the car too abruptly on the highway, leading to rear-end collisions. When you release the brake pedal, the car remains stationary. To get it moving, you need to press the accelerator pedal. There have been four instances of the Pre-Collision System with Pedestrian Detection being activated in the last 12 months. Two of them ended in rear-end collisions. In the other two cases, there were no cars behind.
NHTSA complaint #11734587 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
at 153,000 milesLongmeadow, MA
BACK OVER PREVENTION: SENSING SYSTEM: CAMERA
The contact owns a 2020 Toyota Highlander. The contact stated that while reversing, the rear-view camera screen displayed a black screen. The contact stated that the failure was persistent. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The dealer was made aware of the failure. The contact referenced an unknown recall with a similar failure; however, the VIN was not associated. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but provided no assistance. The contact was advised to contact the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 153,000.
NHTSA complaint #11711392 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Seabeck, WACrash1 injured
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS
my wife was pulling into a driveway slowly approximately 5 mph when she went to stop the Toyota Highlander sped up to full speed and smash the tree while my wife was depressing the brake. All airbags were deployed and it looks like they are going to total the Toyota Highlander that has all the maintenance records Very lucky to not have somebody seriously injured.
NHTSA complaint #11628820 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Seabeck, WACrash1 injured
BACK OVER PREVENTION: WARNINGS
my wife was pulling into a driveway slowly approximately 5 mph when she went to stop the Toyota Highlander sped up to full speed and smash the tree while my wife was depressing the brake. All airbags were deployed and it looks like they are going to total the Toyota Highlander that has all the maintenance records Very lucky to not have somebody seriously injured.
NHTSA complaint #11628820 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Jacksonville, FL
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL
There is an open recall which has not been addressed in a timely manner. The below has been open since OCT 26, 2023. I have been advised that I would be notified when a remedy was available but it's been ten months with no solution. My front bumper detached while I was on the interstate causing damage to the front end of my vehicle. The subject vehicles are equipped with a resin front lower bumper cover assembly, connected with mounting tabs. If there is minor impact to the lower front bumper cover assembly that causes the mounting tabs to detach from the vehicle during normal operation, one or more parts of this assembly could detach, which could become a road hazard, increasing the risk of a crash or injury for other road users.
NHTSA complaint #11610814 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Jacksonville, FL
LANE DEPARTURE: BLIND SPOT DETECTION
There is an open recall which has not been addressed in a timely manner. The below has been open since OCT 26, 2023. I have been advised that I would be notified when a remedy was available but it's been ten months with no solution. My front bumper detached while I was on the interstate causing damage to the front end of my vehicle. The subject vehicles are equipped with a resin front lower bumper cover assembly, connected with mounting tabs. If there is minor impact to the lower front bumper cover assembly that causes the mounting tabs to detach from the vehicle during normal operation, one or more parts of this assembly could detach, which could become a road hazard, increasing the risk of a crash or injury for other road users.
NHTSA complaint #11610814 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Manchester, IACrash1 injured
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS
I was pulling into a parking space in a parking garage. As i was pulling in, the car unintentionally had a rapid acceleration event and crashed into a cement pillar causing the car to be a total loss
NHTSA complaint #11594195 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
On numerous occasions when applying the brakes on my vehicle there is a very noticeable "surge" when the vehicle slows to a near stop. It feels like there is a momentary loss of braking before the brakes re-engage. I have had the vehicle since new and it seems like the problem has become more noticeable over time. I have lost some confidence in the safety performance of the vehicle due to this dangerous issue.
NHTSA complaint #11584472 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Belleville, WI
LANE DEPARTURE: ASSIST
When I am using the brakes an a medium rate the vehicle will loose its brakes for a second causing a loss of control on the vehicle. This happens randomly and caused us to almost go off a culvert of a driveway once. It has scared us many times to thinking we were going to hit the car in front of us. It makes my wife sick every time it happens. Smart motors and regional techs from Toyota have looked into this issue and determined this to be a “feeling” and not a safety hazard. This is not the case and needs to be fixed before someone gets hurt. Lane Keeping assist is unusable. When it is turned on it fights with the driver. It will swerve back in forth in its lane and sometimes so bad it feels like the car would roll if it was not turned off and got worse. Every once in a while it will try to take an exit on the highway by itself. Date of incident in questionnaire is approx to the last time it happened. It has happened too many times to count. Vehicle mileage is when we first started really having issues with the brakes. Lane assist is an always thing.
NHTSA complaint #11512616 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
at 21,000 milesPomfret, MD
LANE DEPARTURE: BLIND SPOT DETECTION
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.
NHTSA complaint #11447885 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Murrells Inlet, SC
LANE DEPARTURE: ASSIST
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.
NHTSA complaint #11426238 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
at 4,800 milesAlma, AR
LANE DEPARTURE: BLIND SPOT DETECTION
BLIND SPOT MONITORING IS NOT WORKING. TOOK IT TO DEALERSHIP THY SAID IT NEEDED RE-CALIBRATION BUT IT STILL DOESN'T SEE SEMI TRUCKS. MY WIFE ACCIDENTALLY RAN ANOTHER WOMEN OFF ROAD BECAUSE SHE TRUSTED THIS TOYOTA SYSTEM. SYSTEM IS CURRENTLY STILL WORKING INTERMITTENTLY.
NHTSA complaint #11374846 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.