Owner-reported complaints naming the fuel system system, filed with NHTSA
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Reports naming fuel storage or delivery — tanks, pumps, lines, injectors and fuel leaks. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 2024 Toyota Grand Highlander submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 29 reports on file name it.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
The 25 most recent of 29, in the owner's own words
Vehicle intermittently fails to accelerate when accelerator pedal is depressed after stopping. Vehicle may move extremely slowly for several seconds and then suddenly regain power. This has occurred while entering/intersecting traffic and has resulted in near-collision situations. Dealer cannot duplicate the problem.
I've had consistent issues with the vehicle accelerating and shifting. These include sluggish acceleration, loss of power and sputtering when we've come to a complete stop and starting to move again. We've almost been hit by other vehicles at least over 20 times because the vehicle has failed to accelerate when pulling into a roadway. The car hesitates during acceleration regardless of how much I push the gas. Once it starts to go, it feels as though the car can't shift from 1st to 2nd gear, The RPMs get extremely high while the car is going 25-40 mph and remain there for a few seconds up to ~20 seconds. I am fearful of getting t-boned when my car hesitates while turning at an intersection, going through an intersection or pulling out from a parking lot. I have been stuck in several intersections when traffic was coming toward me, but thankfully those cars had patience and avoided us. I've also found that this issue always happens when the hybrid battery shows that it only has a charge of 3 bars. It seems that the engine, transmission and hybrid battery don't know how to communicate when the battery charge gets that low. This has been happening since Dec 2023 when I bought the vehicle and the dealer has never been able to duplicate or find any error code, they are refusing to fix a known issue when many others are experiencing the same issue. There are Toyota Technical Service Bulletins (TSBs) out there regarding this problem but my dealer told me they won't do anything as it could label my vehicle a lemon. This is creating an unnecessary safety risk for me and my family.
On a recent road trip I experience loss of acceleration twice. I was at a stop sign making a left hand turn. I step on the accelerator it start forward but then stop suddenly leaving me in the 1st lane of on coming traffic. I smashed on the accelerator several time before the vehicle finally responded. I took the vehicle to the dealer on 6/30 told the dealer what had happen along with my google findings acceleration hesitation and sudden lurching in the Toyota Grand Highlander Hybrid MAX Technical Service Bulletins (TSBs), including T-SB-0017-24. The dealer could not duplicate or find any error code, they are refusing to fix a known issue. They are creating an unnecessary safety risk for me and my family.
While driving my 2024 Toyota Grand Highlander Hybrid AWD at highway speed with only 16,755 miles on the vehicle, multiple warning messages suddenly appeared, including warnings related to the engine, hybrid system, AWD system, and other vehicle functions. The vehicle instructed me to pull over immediately and significantly reduced power output, making it difficult to maintain highway speed and safely maneuver through traffic. I was able to reach the shoulder and had the vehicle towed to a Toyota dealership. The dealer diagnosed a punctured radiator caused by a rock or similar road debris that allegedly passed through the front grille and struck the radiator. The dealer confirmed that coolant loss from the puncture triggered the vehicle's protective reduced-power mode. This failure created a significant safety risk. A sudden loss of power while traveling at highway speed increases the risk of rear-end collisions and other accidents, particularly in heavy traffic where drivers may not expect a vehicle to rapidly decelerate. There were no warning lights, messages, leaks, drivability concerns, or other symptoms before the incident. All warnings appeared suddenly at the time of failure. Toyota has declined warranty coverage, classifying the damage as a road hazard. However, I believe this may indicate a design defect. I have identified numerous reports from other GH owners describing nearly identical failures involving rocks penetrating the radiator through the front grille, often at relatively low mileage. These reports suggest the radiator may be inadequately protected from ordinary roadway debris. My concern is not simply radiator damage, but that a small piece of road debris encountered during normal driving can disable a critical component and cause the vehicle to enter a severe reduced-power mode at highway speed. I request that NHTSA investigate whether the front grille and radiator protection design of the Grand Highlander creates an unreasonable safety risk
The incidents most often occur when I try to accelerate after vehicle is stopped at an intersection. The car hesitates during acceleration regardless of how much I push the gas. Once it starts to go, it feels as though the car can't shift from 1st to 2nd gear. The RPMs get up 4500 while the car is going 25-40 mph and remain there for a few seconds up to ~20 seconds. I am fearful of getting t-boned when my car hesitates while turning at an intersection, going through an intersection or pulling out from a parking lot. I have been stuck in several intersections when traffic was coming toward me, but thankfully those cars were able to avoid hitting me. I have reported the problem every time I take the car to the dealer for a service. The problem has been happening since I purchased the car in November 2024 and occurs randomly--sometimes every couple of months, sometimes days in a row. The dealer can't reproduce it, but they were able to pull a code from the transmission and found it had an acceleration error. They updated the software from a TSB, but that didn't help.
I am submitting this complaint regarding a catalytic converter failure on my vehicle and the manufacturer’s refusal to honor the warranty. My vehicle is a Toyota that is approximately two years old and currently has about 31,000 miles. The catalytic converter has failed well before what would normally be expected for this component. When I brought the vehicle to the dealership for repair under warranty, Toyota declined to cover the repair. They stated the failure was due to “contaminated fuel,” but they did not provide any evidence or test results showing that contaminated fuel was present in the vehicle. I have not been provided with documentation, diagnostic data, or fuel analysis supporting this claim. The denial appears to be based on assumption rather than proof. Because catalytic converters are emissions components that are typically expected to last much longer and are often covered by extended emissions warranties, I am concerned this may represent a broader issue affecting consumers. Vehicle details and service documentation can be provided upon request. I am requesting that this matter be reviewed and that the manufacturer be required to provide evidence supporting their claim or honor the warranty repair. Thank you for your time and consideration.
Description of Issue: We have experienced multiple episodes of violent shaking in our 2024 Toyota Grand Highlander while stopped at red lights or in intersections. Both my wife and I have had this happen independently, around two to three times each. Most incidents occurred while our young children were in the vehicle. The most recent incident occurred today, when my wife experienced it twice in a row while stopped at an intersection. Our children were not in the vehicle during today’s event. Component or system involved: UNKNOWN at this time. We suspect a major mechanical or drivetrain-related failure. The entire vehicle shakes violently and feels unstable. We are willing to make the vehicle available for inspection upon request. Safety risk: The severity of the shaking is extreme and it feels as though the car may explode or fall apart. We have had to put the car in park, shut it off immediately, and in some cases, exit the vehicle in the middle of intersections or while stopped at a red light. This places everyone in the vehicle at serious risk, especially our children, and could result in a crash or secondary accident due to the abrupt stop and unexpected behavior in active traffic. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or service center? The issue has not yet been reproduced by the dealership. We brought the vehicle to Toyota of Escondido after a previous incident. They inspected it but stated they could not find anything wrong. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by others? The vehicle was only inspected by the dealership (Toyota of Escondido). It has not been reviewed by any other parties such as law enforcement or insurance representatives. Warning lamps, messages, or other symptoms prior to the issue: There were no warning lights, error messages, or abnormal behavior prior to the onset of the violent shaking. The issue occurred suddenly each time, without warning.
Ever since I got my car, sometimes it smells like gas on the right side of the vehicle. By driver side and right passenger side in the back. I assumed it was because I topped my gas off, but even when I stopped doing that, it still has a strong gas smell when the car is running and after turning it off. Not ever day, but ever so often.
Numerous times now the vehicle will not accelerate from a stop for about five seconds after the gas is pressed. It always seems to be on hot days with high air conditioner demand.
Shortly after starting my vehicle and driving out of my neighborhood, there are a series of stop signs. The roadway is at a slight incline. When attempting to press the gas pedal after stopping at the first stop sign, my vehicle hesitates or does not accelerate. This lasts anywhere from 1-5 seconds. This occasionally also occurs again at the second stop sign a few hundred yards later as well. The best I can describe this is as an unresponsive gas pedal or limp mode. I cannot stress how incredibly dangerous this issue is. Someone is going to get seriously injured or killed if this isn’t acknowledged by Toyota or NHTSA. All it takes is for this to occur when someone is making a right hand turn into a roadway. I am fully aware that this is not an isolated incident with my vehicle and other vehicle owners of Toyota Hybrid Max Platinums report this same issue.
Intermittently, my vehicle will hesitate to accelerate or will move only marginally (disproportionately to the depressing of the gas pedal) from a complete stop. When it occurs, it often does so for a number of seconds. This has been incredibly dangerous given I live off a busy street and I cannot trust that when I press the gas pedal to accelerate to turn onto the street, that my vehicle will be caught in oncoming traffic and hit.
The contact owns a 2024 Toyota Grand Highlander. The contact was unable to fill the fuel tank completely. The contact stated that the fuel tank had a 17-gallon capacity; however, the contact was only able to get more than 10 gallons into the tank. Additionally, the contact stated that the Auto START/STOP feature was not functioning as needed. The contact had taken the vehicle to a local dealer, who was unable to determine the cause of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was 16,455.
After driving over 15k miles in approximately one year, my 2024 Toyota Grand Highlander Hybrid fuel tank has never been filled with more than 12 gallons of gas, even when the Low Fuel light is on and the miles to empty are less than 10. The MPG for individual trips can be as low as 10.3 MPG; the overall average MPG has been 21 MPG or less. The advertised fuel tank size is 17 gallons and the MPG is 26/27. The Toyota dealership said that there are 3-5 gallons remaining in the tank when there are as few as 5 miles to empty. Actual miles to a tank are around 280-300 when driven in Eco mode; advertised is 450 miles when driven normally. Inaccurate fuel level sensing is a safety issue. 10.3 MPG for a Hybrid that is advertised to get 27 MPG is false advertising. This is a known issue since at least November 2023, as evidenced by the Manufacturer Communication Tech Tip T-TT-0742-23 on NHTSA.GOV.
Since we purchased the 2024 Grand Highlander Hybrid Limited in April 2024, there has been an issue filling the fuel tank completely when the vehicle is on empty. The stated fuel tank capacity from the owner’s manual is 17.8 gal, however the maximum amount of fuel that can be pumped into the tank using auto fill at the gas station is 12 gal before the pump “kicks off”. After this, the fuel gauge on the dash reads full, however fuel range shown is 330 mi (at 30 mpg average gas mileage) when it should be closer to 500 mi with specified fuel tank capacity of 17 gal and 30 mpg. Shortly after filling the fuel tank, the fuel gauge and range will quickly decrease while driving. From researching and reading dozens of online forums about this issue, I tested filling the tank manually at the pump, extremely slowly, not using the auto fill lever. Two times doing this test, I was able to pump 14.5 gal into the tank before the pump “kicked off”. After these fill ups, the fuel gauge showed full and did not quickly decrease when driving. Also, the range now showed 450+ mi remaining. Both times after what appears to be an actual full tank fill up, the vehicle recorded over 400 miles before the fuel low light turned on, while previous max miles was in 300 range. It seems as if the fuel tank design does not allow the fuel to enter and settle in the tank quickly enough when filling, causing the pump to “kick off” prematurely and not actually fill up the tank. This issue causes the vehicle to not reach the full mileage range with advertised MPG and tank capacity, causing more frequent and inconvenient trips to the gas station. We have taken the vehicle to a Toyota Service center and they documented the issue but were told by Toyota Corporate that they do not have a fix for it at this time. Tech Tip T-TT-0742-23 exists on NHTSA.GOV website related to this issue from November 2023.
This vehicle is supposed to have a 17.8 gallon tank but each time at fill up when the vehicle is on empty you can only put about 13.5 to 14 gallon of gas in the tank. Several owners are experiencing the same issues. Toyota Dealerships are aware and no action is being taken to resolve this issue. The mileage to empty is not aligning with the amount per gallon as advertised per TOYOTA manufacturer.
After shutting engine off, there is a gasoline smell coming from the vehicle. This repeatedly happens. I took the vehicle to the dealer who did a variety of tests but could not diagnose or fix the cause. The result is I cannot safely park the vehicle in my garage. I have requested that the complaint be sent to Toyota on January 15. No response or acknowledgment as yet.
Vehicle does fill gas tank to capacity of 17.2 gallons. It only fills about 12 gallons. It has a 2.6 gallon reserve so only fills about 14.5-15 gallons. The reserve is not included in range est on dash. Vehicle gets 230-270 miles per tank. You have to pull gas nozzle half way out to even get this 12.9 gallons - gas almost overflows to get this done. If your est millage left is 44 miles you can only get about 10 gallons in. The gas overflowing when trying to get more gas in the car is common. Many complaints online. This is a safety issue and known by Toyota and dealerships.
I live in Arizona and the car has bad gas smell after drive a while(usually between 10-30 minutes) in a hot day (usually afternoon). I took the car to dealership and they replicated the issue and the dealership said Toyota told them it’s due to excessive heat and told us to use better quality gas which we are already getting gas from Chevron and Costco. Seems this is known problem because I saw other grand Highlander owners complained the same issue but Toyota is not doing anything to fix it. They can’t blame on the heat since they are selling the vehicles in AZ/NV. After drive the vehicle during a hot day, park the car in garage and the garage smells like gasoline.
Since purchasing this vehicle when I have driven the vehicle and come home the vehicle smells of gas vapor/fumes. It's so bad the entire garage will fill with the vapor. Im afraid the garage will explode. I have to leave the vehicle parked outside for several hours until the smell is gone. This is a known issue for this car as others have complained about the same thing. Dealership has confirmed it is a known problem. They tried o tell me the first time I took it in that it was due to extreme heat in Las Vegas. I explained that our other vehicle and our friends vehicles don't do this and that is merely an excuse. After researching online I found that several other others in other states have the dame issue. When I recently took the vehicle in for software/radio issue as well as the gas vapor they did confirm it is a known issue. This is a safety issue as it could cause an explosion in small spaces where parked. We have an air conditioner for our garage but even at that it's extremely dangerous. This has happened on several occasions. Most recent is listed below.
I have a 2024 Grand Highlander and when I get to empty the most I can put in it is 10 1/2 gallons of gas. Toyota said I had a 17.2 gallon gas tank. I’ve called Toyota. They set up a appointment. They were going to pull the gas tank and check the sensor. The dealership said oh no you have a 5 gallon plus reserve in that we have the same problem with the RAV4, the problem is because on trips you have to keep stopping for gas when I get 325 to 340 miles it tells me I’m empty when I fill up it says I can go 520 to 540 miles the most I’ve ever been able to put in it was 12 gallons and that was going down beyond empty and driving it for another 50 miles. It doesn’t make sense to have 5 gallons 6 gallons 7 gallons of gas sitting in my truck that I’m carrying that weight and not getting to use it this just doesn’t seem like Toyota‘s way of fixing things. I did recall Toyota and now they tell me I have to get the dealership to do something about it. They don’t do repairs on their vehicles. Only the dealership can do that.
Published 2024 Toyota Hybrid Grand Highlander (TGH) specifications, the TGH owners manual and dealer information provided indicated the vehicle has a 17.2 gallon fuel tank. However, the most fuel I am able to get in the tank is between 11 and 11.5 gallons. I've had the vehicle in to fix the defect on three occasions; 2023-11-27, 2024-3-11, & 2024-8-13 to no avail. On the second service, Toyota's technician said the tank had 16.8 gallons remaining when I picked it up, I had filled it the previous day and driven approximately 15 miles. Once the gauge showed near empty with only a few miles left of fuel, I filled the tank and was only able to get 11.4 gallons in the tank. There appears to be six gallons of fuel that I am carrying in the tank that the fuel system cannot access. I have searched on-line and found that a number of other TGH owners are experiencing a similar defect.
Sometimes the vehicle will be very sluggish when accelerating from a stop, it is hard to replicate, and inconsistent.
while the engine has not warmed up, when its hot and air conditioning is on high, vehicle does not respond to the gas pedal while trying to accelerate from a stop. vehicle hesitates on acceleration. i feel this is a safety problem, because i need the car to merge quickly onto the road from a stop. this hesitation could cause a bad accident. i feel like the hesitation, is the car trying to find the gear.
When accelerating from a stop, there is a hesitation or lack of power when stepping on the accelerator. Releasing the accelerator and depressing it again will get the car going. The engine also revs high at low speeds before dropping to the next gear.
Starting off from a stop or at low speeds the vehicle loses all power. Engine stumbles and does not respond, when it happens it almost feels like the engine may stall. Pressing the accelerator and the vehicle will not move, then suddenly will start to go seconds later. This has almost resulted in a crash since the vehicle loses all propulsion unexpectedly. No warning lights. Took to the dealer twice and everything is “normal” no codes stored.
Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.
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