2005 Toyota Highlander Engine Problems

My 2025 Acura MDX (under 10,000 miles) has failed to restart after the automatic idle stop engaged at stoplights and drive-thru lines at least 7 separate times. When I release the brake, the engine often remains off and the vehicle will not move, leaving me stopped in traffic. I have not yet required a jump start, but on several occasions the vehicle came very close to not restarting at all. This most recently occurred at a sandwich shop drive-thru. These incidents occurred in normal drive mode and in normal weather conditions. No abnormal driving conditions were present when the failures happened. Other owners online report the same problem, with some needing to carry jumper cables. I believe this is a serious safety risk because the vehicle can stall unexpectedly in intersections and traffic when the auto stop-start system activates. I am now concerned about relying on this vehicle in traffic because I cannot trust it to restart when stopped.

NHTSA ID

11716569

Incident

Feb 8, 2026

ENGINE SLUDGE

NHTSA ID

11064712

Incident

Dec 31, 2017

Mileage

137,000 mi

I'M THE ORIGINAL OWNER & SOLE DRIVER OF THE VEHICLE & EVER SINCE I TEST DROVE IT THE DAY I PURCHASED IT THIS CAR'S HAD ISSUES WITH "JERKY/DELAYED" ACCELERATION. DURING THE TEST DRIVE I WAS TOLD THAT THE CAR ADJUSTS TO HOW I DRIVE & IT'LL GET BETTER. THIS HAPPENS PRETTY MUCH EVERY TIME I ACCELERATE THE VEHICLE AFTER IT'S BEEN STOPPED OR THE SPEED SLOWED SUBSTANTIALLY. EACH & EVERY TIME I TRY TO GENTLY ACCELERATE THE VEHICLE FROM A STOP, THERE'S A TINY DELAY IN VEHICLE RESPONSE FROM WHAT I AM INPUTTING TO THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL. THEN AFTER THE DELAY, IT'S LIKE THE VEHICLE TRIES TO SUDDENLY CATCH UP WITH WHERE IT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE IN THE ACCELERATION PROCESS & SUDDENLY JERKS FORWARD WITH A LOT OF ACCELERATION. THIS POSES A SAFETY PROBLEM WHEN TRYING TO PULL OUT INTO TRAFFIC & NEEDING THE VEHICLE TO RESPOND TO THE GAS PEDAL INPUTS THAT I'M GIVING IT IMMEDIATELY AS I'M GIVING THEM & NOT WITH EVEN A SMALL DELAY. THAT DELAY IN RESPONSE BY THE VEHICLE'S ACCELERATION HAS CAUSED SEVERAL NEAR-MISSES WITH OTHER TRAFFIC. I HAVE TRIED TAKING IT INTO MY DEALER AT LEAST A COUPLE TIMES TO HAVE THE ISSUE ADDRESSED BUT THE TECHNICIANS JUST WANTED TO BRUSH IT OFF SAYING THEY DIDN'T NOTICE IT OR BLAME IT ON THE TRANSMISSION & WHEN I TOLD THEM THIS ISN'T A TRANSMISSION PROBLEM THEY JUST BLEW ME OFF TREATING ME LIKE A DUMB FEMALE WHO DIDN'T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT CARS, NOT KNOWING THAT I'M AN ENGINEER. BOTH OF THESE TIMES WERE WITHIN MY WARRANTY PERIOD, BUT IT'S OBVIOUS THEY DIDN'T WANT TO SPEND THE TIME & EFFORT TO DIAGNOSE THIS ISSUE. MY SAFETY WAS CLEARLY NOT IMPORTANT TO THE PEOPLE AT MY LOCAL TOYOTA DEALERSHIP. SO I CONTINUE TO HAVE THIS PROBLEM EVERY SINGLE TIME I ACCELERATE FROM A STOP AND MOST TIMES I RE-ACCELERATE AFTER HAVING SLOWED DOWN SUBSTANTIALLY. AFTER HAVING THIS ISSUE FOR THE PAST 9 YEARS, THE JERKINESS OF THE ACCELERATION PROBABLY HAS CAUSED OTHER PROBLEMS WITH THE VEHICLE. *TR

NHTSA ID

10661116

Incident

Mar 31, 2005

Mileage

6 mi

I AM THE ORIGINAL OWNER OF THE VEHICLE AND THROUGHOUT MY OWNERSHIP SINCE 2/2005 WHEN IT WAS BOUGHT THIS CAR HAS ISSUES WITH ACCELERATION. IT USUALLY OCCURS WHEN YOU ARE SITTING AT A STOP AND TRY TO ACCELERATE THE VEHICLE. THE CAR DOES NOT RECOGNIZE WHEN YOU ARE PUSHING THE ACCELERATION PEDAL AND HAS A DELAY WHEN IT FINALLY RESPONDS. THERE HAVE BEEN NUMEROUS INCIDENTS WHERE I HAVE TRIED TO CROSS A BUSY INTERSECTION OR PULL OUT INTO TRAFFIC AND THE VEHICLE HESITATES WHEN TRYING TO ACCELERATE, ENDING WITH A JERK OF THE VEHICLE. I HAVE ALMOST BEEN T-BONED A FEW TIMES TRYING TO CROSS BUSY INTERSECTIONS AND THE CAR DOESN'T WANT TO MOVE. I HAVE BROUGHT THIS TO THE DEALERSHIP NUMEROUS TIMES AND THE ONLY RESPONSE THEY HAVE IS THAT THE CAR ADJUSTS TO DIFFERENT DRIVERS AND IT THEN PROGRAMS ITSELF BASED OFF YOUR DRIVING HABITS, SO THEY RESET THE CODING ON IT. STILL HAVE THE ISSUE, DIDN'T FIX ANYTHING AND NOW I AM READING WHERE OTHERS HAVE HAD ISSUES, I JUST THINK THEY BRUSHED IT UNDER THE RUG TO NOT HAVE TO HONOR MY WARRANTY THAT WAS IN PLACE ON THE VEHICLE. I HAVE ALSO HAVE HAD ISSUES FROM DAY 1 ON THIS CAR WITH THE TRANSMISSION PAN LEAKING, THEY HAVE HAD TO REPLACE THE TRANSMISSION PAN GASKET NUMEROUS TIMES ON THE VEHICLE; CLAIMING IT JUST WENT BAD. REALLY, THAT MANY TIMES IT JUST GOES BAD, I DON'T THINK SO. *TR

NHTSA ID

10648518

Incident

Sep 6, 2007

Mileage

25,000 mi

MY WIFE WAS DRIVING OUR 2005 TOYOTA WITHIN THE CITY LIMITS AT A LOW RATE OF SPEED AND NOTICED SMOKE COMING OUT OF THE FRONT ENGINE HOOD AREA. THERE WERE NO TROUBLE LIGHTS SHOWING FOR THE ENGINE AT THE TIME, NOR WAS THE TEMPERATURE GAUGE SHOWING A HIGH TEMPERATURE. SHE PULLED OVER AND FOUND THE GRILL AREA AND FRONT ENGINE HOOD WERE MELTING AND SCORTCHED. SHE CALLED POLICE / FIRE TO RESPOND TO THE SCENE. THE FIRE DEPARTMENT WAS UNABLE TO OPEN THE FRONT HOOD, SINCE IT APPEARED THAT THE RELEASE CABLE HAD MELTED FROM THE EXTREME HEAT. THEY BENT THE HOOD UP TO GAIN ACCESS TO THE FIRE, AND THEN EXTINGUISHED THE FIRE. VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A LOCAL REPAIR FACILITY. *TR

NHTSA ID

10555272

Incident

Dec 8, 2013

Mileage

145,000 mi

ENGINE/TRANSMISSION IS VERY JERKY AND ON AGAIN OFF AGAIN WITH ACCELERATION AND DECELERATION. THIS HAS ALMOST CAUSED ME TO HAVE SEVERAL ACCIDENTS, AND I AM CONSIDERING GETTING RID OF THE CAR. IT SEEMS THAT TOYOTA HAS KNOWN ABOUT THIS PROBLEM WITH HIGHLANDER FOR SOME PERIOD OF TIME. AND I FEEL THAT THEY SHOULD HONOR THE HARD WORKING CITIZENS THAT BUY THEIR VEHICLES AND PROVIDE A RECALL TO REPAIR THE AFORE MENTIONED PROBLEMS. *TR

NHTSA ID

10546872

Incident

Jul 2, 2013

2005 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARDS TO VEHICLE RECALL NOTICE *TGW THE CONSUMER STATED ON TWO SEPARATE OCCASIONS, WHEN HE ARRIVED AT THE DEALER TO HAVE THE RECALL PERFORMED, HE WAS ADVISED THE PARTS WERE NOT AVAILABLE. *JB

NHTSA ID

10456238

Incident

Apr 2, 2012

WHILE DRIVING TO SCHOOL TO PICK UP KIDS, THE ENGINE GOT OVERHEATED. COOLANT IS FULL IN THE RADIATOR. NOTHING WRONG WITH THE BRAKES. *TR

NHTSA ID

10449108

Incident

Feb 23, 2012

Mileage

103,979 mi

2005 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER, CAR WILL ACCELERATE FROM A DEAD STOP ON ITS OWN. CHANGE TRANSMISSION FROM PARK TO DRIVE AND LET OFF BRAKE AND CAR WILL ACCELERATE WITHOUT TOUCHING GAS PEDAL FAST ENOUGH TO CHANGE GEARS AND CONTINUE. HAVE REACHED A SPEED OF 30 MPH BEFORE BRAKING. THE TACHOMETER DOES NOT SHOW THAT THE ENGINE IS REVVING HIGHER THAN A NORMAL IDLE WHEN IN PARK CHANGING INTO DRIVE SO IT SEEMS LIKE AN ELECTRONIC PROBLEM, ETC. ISSUE IS INTERMITTENT. THE CAR HAS BEEN TO 2 DEALERS OVER THE TIME IT HAS BEEN OWNED AND WE WERE TOLD THE ISSUE COULD NOT BE DUPLICATED SO NOTHING COULD BE DONE. I CALLED THE SAME DAY THIS EMAIL WAS SENT AND WAS TOLD THE SAME THING BY THE LOCAL TOYOTA DEALERSHIP. WELL, THE RECALLED GAS PEDALS DON'T STICK ALL THE TIME SO THEY ARE INTERMITTENT PROBLEMS SO WHERE IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THEIR CARS AND OURS! I HAVE TRIED EVERY CONTACT NUMBER FOR TOYOTA AND CANNOT GET ANYWHERE!!!!!! *TR

NHTSA ID

10306408

Incident

Jan 7, 2010

Mileage

30,000 mi

ON NUMEROUS OCCASIONS THIS VEHICLE STUTTERS WHEN MERGING ON TO TRAFFIC. ON THIS SPECIFIC INSTANCE I WAS MERGING FROM TURN IN LANE. THE THROTTLE WAS SLOW TO RESPOND AFTER DEPRESSING THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL 3/4 OF THE WAY. THEN IT JUMPED/LURCHED FORWARD. I WAS NEARLY HIT BUT THE TRAFFIC COMING UP FROM BEHIND. THIS HAS OCCURRED ON MULTIPLE OCCASSIONS IN THE PAST, BEGINNING WITH 20000 MILES ON THE CAR. HAD BROUGHT IT TO THE DEALERS ATTENTION IN THE PAST AND WAS TOLD THAT THIS IS A "DESIGN FEATURE" OF THE ELECTRONIC THROTTLE. THEY SEEMED TO BE AWARE OF THE PROBLEM BUT COULD NOT OFFER ANY SOLUTION. THE ECM WAS REPROGRAMMED ONCE UNDER WARRANTY BUT THAT ALSO DID NOT SOLVE THE PROBLEM. *TR

NHTSA ID

10304671

Incident

Jan 18, 2010

Mileage

95,000 mi

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING 2 MPH TOWARDS A STOP, THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT ACCELERATE. THERE WERE NO WARNING SIGNALS PRIOR TO THE INCIDENT. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE SERVICE DEALER WHO PERFORMED DIAGNOSTIC TESTING AND TEMPORARILY RECALIBRATED THE ECM ENGINE. ADDITIONALLY, THE SERVICE DEALER WAS UNABLE TO DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT CONTACTED. *AK

NHTSA ID

10170377

Incident

Feb 1, 2005

Mileage

5,000 mi

WHEN I ACCELERATE FROM A VERY SLOW SPEED (ALMOST STOP) MY 2005 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER WILL SURGE. I HAVE EXPERIENCE THIS WHEN TRY TO PASS OR WHEN SLOWED TO TAKE A TURN BUT WITH NOT COMING TO A COMPLETE STOP. THE DEALER HAS NOT BEEN ABLE TO CORRECT IT. I GET THE FEELING THAT THEY THINK IT IS NORMAL OR OK. *NM

NHTSA ID

10164539

Incident

Jul 5, 2006

CONSUMER 2005 HIGHLANDER HAS EXPERIENCED HESITATION DURING ACCELERATIONS AND SOMETIMES DECELERATION. *TS THE DEALER RECALIBRATED THE ECM WHICH IMPROVED THE HESITATION PROBLEM WHILE SHIFTING BUT ALSO REDUCED THE GAS MILEAGE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO ANOTHER DEALER AND THEIR COMPUTER INDICATED THAT EVERYTHING WAS FINE. *NM

NHTSA ID

10145366

Incident

Oct 1, 2005

INTERMITTENT PROBLEM: WHILE TRAVELING APPROX 30 MPH (OR CRUISING SPEED), ATTEMPTED TO PASS ANOTHER VEHICLE. THE ACCELERATOR WAS PRESSED TO THE FLOOR AND THE VEHICLE REFUSED TO ACCELERATE FOR A PERIOD OF APPROXIMATELY 2 SECONDS. ACCELERATION RESUMED AFTER THIS PERIOD. CONTACTED TOYOTA. TOYOTA SAID THIS IS A NORMAL PHENOMENON IN THEIR DRIVE-BY-WIRE SYSTEMS.

NHTSA ID

10120592

Incident

May 1, 2005

Mileage

1,905 mi