2024 Toyota Grand Highlander

The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) received a Petition dated July 20, 2026. The Petition requests an investigation of road debris / rocks damaging the heat exchangers in model year (MY) 2024-2026 Toyota Grand Highlander vehicles. The Petition contends that the Grand Highlander’s front-end grill has large, open apertures and no protective screen between the grill and the vehicle’s heat exchangers. The Petition further alleges that as a result, during normal driving, the damage to heat exchangers results in coolant leakage and sudden loss of propulsion. The Petitioner cites thirteen (13) complaints received by ODI alleging this failure, which, when added to the petitioner’s own complaint, bring the total under consideration at this time to fourteen (14). ODI will evaluate these complaints to determine if they are related to the failure cited in the Petition and conduct a technical review under 49 CFR Part 552. This Defect Petition is being opened to evaluate whether to grant or deny the petition. The petition can be reviewed at NHTSA.gov under ODI number 11754975.

The air conditioning system on my 2024 Grand Highlander failed due to a punctured AC condenser caused by road debris passing through the front grille during normal driving. The front fascia has large open apertures with no protective mesh or screening, leaving the condenser, radiator, and other heat exchangers directly exposed to rocks and debris. The condenser face shows multiple debris strikes, with one impact puncturing the core and causing complete refrigerant loss and AC failure at approximately 62,000 miles. The vehicle worked normally when parked and the AC was completely dead one week later due to the slow refrigerant leak from the puncture. Diagnosis was performed by [XXX] Toyota in [XXX], which confirmed the puncture was caused by road debris. The repair is not covered under warranty or my extended service contract because it is classified as outside damage, leaving owners to pay out of pocket for a design vulnerability. This is the same failure mode described in open ODI Defect Petition No. XXX covering 2024-2026 Grand Highlander vehicles. The same unprotected grille openings expose the engine radiator, meaning the identical debris path can puncture the radiator and cause coolant loss, engine overheating, and sudden loss of propulsion in traffic. The grille design leaves critical cooling components unreasonably vulnerable to everyday road debris. Photos of the punctured condenser and the dealer's written diagnosis are available. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID

11766783

Incident

Sep 15, 2026

I own a 2024 Toyota Grand Highlander Hybrid MAX Platinum, purchased brand new in February 2024 and now with approximately 30,400 miles. Since the first few weeks, the vehicle has had an ongoing fuel tank/range issue. The fuel tank is rated at approximately 17 gallons, but the gas pump consistently shuts off after only 10–12 gallons, even when the vehicle indicates 0 miles to empty. It accepts approximately the same amount whether I refuel with 80, 20, or 0 miles remaining. After filling, the vehicle reports the tank as full and but generally shows only 270–290 miles of estimated range. The actual miles driven before requiring fill up is 230-250 miles. Toyota issued T-SB-0060-25 (Low Fuel Warning Light Logic Enhancement), which a Toyota dealer reluctantly performed on my vehicle. It initially improved the displayed range by only about 10 miles, but did not resolve the problem, and the condition is now worsening. The dealer solution was to tell me I can drive another 60-100 miles past empty but I do not believe that is a reasonable or safe workaround. This is because the driver cannot reliably determine the remaining usable fuel or how far the vehicle can safely travel. The condition remains unresolved and is a known issue with other Toyota Grand Highlander Hybrid Max owners.

NHTSA ID

11763866

Incident

Feb 1, 2024

2024 Toyota Grand Highlander XLE FWD. At approximately 38,000 miles I began hearing a roaring/humming noise that varied with vehicle speed. The condition initially progressed slowly but then became much worse within several days. At 41,510 miles a Toyota dealer diagnosed and replaced the right rear hub/wheel bearing assembly. I was advised that the failed bearing was nearly seized when removed. After replacement the noise was reduced but remained present. The dealer was uncertain whether another bearing was failing and initially believed the remaining noise could be tire noise, advising me to monitor it. The noise again deteriorated rapidly and became severe enough that I considered the vehicle unsafe to drive. At 42,223 miles the same dealer diagnosed and replaced the left rear hub/wheel bearing assembly. The noise disappeared after replacement. Both rear wheel bearings therefore failed at approximately 40,000–42,000 miles within about 700 miles of each other. The vehicle has no known accident or suspension damage and the dealer identified no other condition causing the failures. I am concerned that rapid deterioration or seizure of a wheel bearing while driving could result in loss of vehicle control.

NHTSA ID

11762946

Incident

Aug 7, 2026

400lb animal strike, no warning lamps on, sensors was replaced from Toyota Ashland KY last year. My wife and 14 year old daughter was in the front seats. Traveling speeds was 55mph zone was traveling approx 45mph.

NHTSA ID

11762670

Incident

Sep 8, 2026

If my car has been sitting for a while, especially in the heat, and occasionally at random times, when you get in the car and press the gas, the car will not move. This happened twice where I was almost put in a very bad accident. There is a very hard intersection near my son’s school. I have to take a left hand turn- and you have to be quick because there is no light. I turned left and my car would not go- I was stuck in oncoming traffic and the car would not move whatsoever. It was very dangerous and very scary. This has happened where it almost caused a very bad accident becuase the gas pedal would not move the car. The dealership couldn’t replicate and said it wasn’t an issue. But it is continuing to happen, and it is very dangerous. Maybe it has something to do with the battery getting hot and somehow power doesn’t get to the gas/engine e

NHTSA ID

11762268

Incident

Aug 4, 2026

When ambient temperature are over ~90 the vehicle will lose power during acceleration. This happens typically in the speed range of ~20-35mph. The vehicle’s rpm will spike high but lose the ability to increase speed or shift gears. This occurs ~ 40-50% of the time when over 90 degrees. On several occasions we were forced to abandon merging onto the highway because the vehicle wasn’t safely able to accelerate to match the speed of vehicles on the highway. We reported this issue to our local Toyota dealer September 2025. After reviewing the vehicle they said nothing was wrong. We had them drive it longer and they agreed the vehicle had these issues. The dealership spoke with Toyota and they confirmed there was an issue for our vehicle and a lot of others and they had no fix for it. That was September 30, 2025; Toyota Brand Engagement Center Reference # 250923001413. There has been no communication from Toyota or our dealer since then. The safety issue with the vehicle is a major concern in operation of the vehicle and with the hot climate we live in, is putting our occupants and others on the road at risk and we feel Toyota needs to be held accountable for finding the issue(s) and correcting them.

NHTSA ID

11762145

Incident

Sep 3, 2026

At 5:16 pm, CST. I was stopped at a stop sign headed west on a 25 mph road crossing a 30 mph road (that does not have a stop sign) in Illinois. After waiting for a an appropriate gap in traffic, I attempted to accelerate though the interesting. I released the brake pedal and attempted to accelerate. The vehicle barely accelerated. The engine seemed to minimally climb in RPM and only accelerated minimally out into the cross road. This lasted approximately 1-2 seconds. AT this point I was fully into the first lane of traffic. I then fully depressed the accelerator to try to get the vehicle to respond and after approximately a 0.5 to 1.0 second delay the engine fully responded and I was able to accelerate out of the oncoming cross traffic. This is by no-means the first time this behavior has happened with this vehicle but it is the first time I'm reporting it to the NHTSA.

NHTSA ID

11761276

Incident

Aug 31, 2026

Horrible gas smell on the interior and exterier of vehicle after fueling up.

NHTSA ID

11760569

Incident

Aug 28, 2026

OBSOLETE NOTICE April 17, 2026: This bulletin is now obsolete. Please see T-SB-0028-26

Some 2024 Grand Highlander and Grand Highlander Hybrid vehicles may exhibit a rotational clicking noise from one or both front drive shaft assemblies when accelerating while making turns. This condition may occur without a grease leak present on the front drive shaft assemblies. An updated front drive shaft assembly is available to resolve this condition.

Some 2005 – 2026 Toyota vehicles that have undergone water intrusion may exhibit a condition in which a musty odor is present. Follow the procedures in this bulletin to remediate the odor and address this condition. The purpose of this Service Bulletin is to provide general guidelines and procedures for odor remediation. This Service Bulletin provides a guide on how to prepare and treat the interior of the vehicle for odor remediation. Refer to the applicable model and model year Repair Manual and the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) website for the most up-to-date safety and precautionary guidelines.

Some 2024 – 2025 model year Grand Highlander and Grand Highlander Hybrid vehicles may exhibit an abnormal fluttering and/or vibration across the rear-center section of the hood. This phenomenon is most notable on darker color vehicles. However, this condition may be noticed on the subject vehicles regardless of the paint color.

The air conditioning dye injection tool kit has been developed to aid in identifying the location of air conditioning refrigerant leaks. The procedures outlined in this Service Bulletin aid in locating, inspecting, and repairing refrigerant leaks.

Some 2024 – 2025 model year Grand Highlander and Grand Highlander Hybrid vehicles may exhibit a condition where the Blind Spot Monitor (BSM) system is inoperative, there is a BSM malfunction message on the multi-information display (MID), or the driving assist information indicator is illuminated, along with one or more of the following Diagnostic Trouble Codes (DTCs) present: •C1AB413 – Outer Mirror Indicator (Module "B" Side) Circuit Open •C1AB513 – Outer Mirror Indicator (Module "A" Side) Circuit Open The BSM sensor software has been updated to reduce the possibility of these conditions.