2013 Toyota Highlander Problems

Steering column cracks, no help from Dealer. Many complaints on internet. Remedy requires expensive new steering column. Defective spindle type bearing defective. The noise is ongoing. It feels like its going to break. Very scary...ongoing doesn't stop. Dealer says wont break just replace if you want to... Toyota Service bulletin #T-SB-0034-13 details steering column replacement fix issued on this. I have it. Dealer denies simple joint grease kit maintenance option.

When I turn the steering faster than a certain speed, it will lock up for a moment, either turning right or left. Sometimes a light indicating a steering fault lights up on the dash cluster, sometimes not. When the turning of the wheel stops and locks up I cannot turn any more in that direction. I can turn the other way. This has been a problem for sometime and is becoming now worse. Aside from the locking up, justing turning slowly, there is a bit of a whine or low level grind sound in the sound of the steering column. This is a mechanical noise, not the typical whine of the steering pump.

I purchased the car in 2020 with 73K miles on it. It has sporadically had incidents of unintended acceleration. I happens when I slow for a stop sign, red light, or crosswalk. My foot is on the brake when this occurs, the engine then goes into high gear and no amount of pressure on the brake will stop it. I put the car in park and turn the key off. There are no warning lights. It has happened more frequently in 2024. On [XXX], I tried to come to a stop at a crosswalk in Plymouth MA. The UA occurred, putting the folks in the crosswalk and myself in danger. The next day I contacted the dealer and Toyota. The upshot - they said the car is fine, it must be my mats or shoes or something that is not their fault. I've been driving Toyotas for 40 years, I've never had a mat or shoe problem. There is something faulty with the acceleration/braking system. The last occurrence was [XXX] in Plympton MA. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

The issue started when the car was over 84,000 miles. The engine burns excessive oil. I have to add oil every 2200 miles. When I press on the gas pedal to rev the car, oil come out of the tail pipe. When I went to the dealer that they are aware of the issue but they did not make any recommendations. Online several owner of this model have changed the engine or replaced pistons. I have never gotten the check light on even when no oil is on the dip stick. I have to check the oil every time I fill up my gas tank as a precaution. My concern is that I could be stranded or the car overheat and cause a fire.

AS I BEGIN DRIVING AND COME TO STOP IT TENDS TO REV UP AND THEN DROPS BACK TO NORMAL. IT FEELS LIKE VEHICLE REVS UP A LITTLE WHILE YOU ARE TRYING TO STOP IT BY PRESSING THE BRAKE PEDAL.IT FEELS LIKE VEHICLE DOES NOT WANT TO STOP AND YOU HAVE THE FEELINGS TO PRESS THE BRAKE EVEN HARDER.

THE DOOR LOCKS STOPPED WORKING AND I WAS FORCED TO PAY TO REPAIR THEM AFTER OWNING CAR FOR LESS THAN 6 MONTHS. THE POWER WINDOWS FAIL TO OPERATE AT RANDOM TIMES. THERE WAS A SIMILAR PROBLEM WITH THE 2010 TOYOTA YARIS WINDOW PANEL. THE CAR JUMPS OR SKIPS WHILE ACCELERATING.

THE FRONT PASSENGER DOOR AND DRIVER DOOR LOCK/ACTUATOR DOES NOT WORK. THE PASSENGER DOOR FIRST HAPPENED 1 TO 1.5 YEARS AGO. I HAVE NOT FIXED IT BECAUSE OF THE OUTRAGEOUS COST. NOW, THE DRIVER DOOR ACTUATOR/DOOR LOCK IS EXHIBITING THE SAME SYMPTOMS AND WILL SOON CEASE TO WORK. TOYOTA HAS NO WARRANTY PROGRAM OR RECALL ON THIS EVEN THOUGH IT IS A KNOWN ISSUE WITH THIS YEAR AND MODEL. I THINK HAVING YOUR DOOR LOCKS NOT WORK IS A SAFETY ISSUE AND REQUEST THAT THIS BE FOUND TO BE AN ISSUE TOYOTA MUST COVER AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. *TR

FRONT PASSENGER SIDE DOOR LOCK ACTUATOR DOES NOT WORK, MAKING LOCK INEFFECTIVE AND NOT WORKABLE. TOYOTA CLAIMS THIS IS NOT A SAFETY ISSUE. UNSURE HOW INEFFECTIVE LOCKS ARE NOT A SAFETY ISSUE, ESPECIALLY ON A CAR THAT IS NOT THAT OLD. *TR

The contact owns a 2013 Toyota Highlander. The contact stated while the vehicle was parked, the contact discovered that the paint on the top of the vehicle was peeling. The contact did research and was made aware of the Customer Support Program: ZKG however, the VIN was not included. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 99,000.

The contact owns a 2013 Toyota Highlander. The contact stated while attempting to close the liftgate, the contact was unable to close the liftgate. The contact had not activated the power assist liftgate motor. The contact used force to close the liftgate. The contact stated that the failure had first been intermittent; however, the failure had become more frequent. The contact stated that the vehicle was equipped with an on/off switch for the liftgate power assist however, he had turned the assist feature off. The contact had previously had the liftgate motor replaced by a dealer under a manufacturer’s extended warranty program. The contact had taken the vehicle back to the same dealer to have the failure addressed. The dealer diagnosed the failure and determined that the liftgate motor needed to be replaced. The vehicle not been repaired. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000.

Driver side airbags (curtain and left seat) spontaneously deployed while I was parking the car. I did not hit anything. I was not injured but my safety was put at risk because I likely would have crashed if it had happened while I was driving. I contacted Toyota and they sent an investigator to inspect the car. He found no issues in the data he collected and could not give a reason for the airbags deployment. I received a letter saying they were not going to help in any way. There were no warnings lights or indicators that could have warned me of the airbags deploying prior to the incident.

The contact owns a 2013 Toyota Highlander. The contact stated that while driving in negative 10-degree weather at 75 MPH, the driver's and passenger’s side curtain air bags deployed without warning or impact. The local dealer was contacted, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 124,000. The VIN was not available.

After a hard braking session because of a car that pulled quickly in front of me the ABS light and check engine light came on with a code of C1391 - Abnormal leak in Accumulator. A warning message came on the info center saying I needed to take it to the dealer to have the brake system checked for a serious issue. Went to the dealership and they replaced the Brake Actuator and Brake Booster Pump and bled the system. This all happened in Febuary of 2025. This put everyone at risk because it could have resulted in a total brake system failure. There were no issues or lights before this incident.

Multiple ABS related(ABS, TRACTION, BRAKES) warning lights/messages making driving my Highlander dangerous to me and others. Warning lights appeared 9/30/2024. No symptoms or warning lights appeared prior. Vehicle was then inspected by Toyota of Plano. Code 1391indicating an internal leak in the ABS. Confirmed by service dept of Toyota of Plano, Tx indicating the need for replacement of ABS Module Assembly. This as an acknowledged Toyota problem that was with a Service Bulletin that expired last year. Plano Toyota advised me to ask Toyota Brand Engagement for help but they declined. Toyota Brand Engagement declined to extend the prior Bulletin or assist in any way.. The Toyota case file is under my name and #241008000770. Any assistance from NHTSA would be appreciated.

A persistent smell of fuel occurred while in slow moving traffic and after vehicle was parked after use. Upon close inspection, the fuel injector fuel rail end cap exhibited a slow fuel leak. This component caused a recall for year model highlanders for 2014 production year describing the same type of component failure. The component has faulty end cap weldment that fails, causing the same failure mode being observed in my highlander. This is a fire hazard! Fuel rails should not be failing like this. A replacement fuel rail assembly has been order from Salinas Toyota. The original component can be made available for inspection/testing. I will also take a video of the leak and provide file upon request.

I purchased the car in 2020 with 73K miles on it. It has sporadically had incidents of unintended acceleration. I happens when I slow for a stop sign, red light, or crosswalk. My foot is on the brake when this occurs, the engine then goes into high gear and no amount of pressure on the brake will stop it. I put the car in park and turn the key off. There are no warning lights. It has happened more frequently in 2024. On [XXX], I tried to come to a stop at a crosswalk in Plymouth MA. The UA occurred, putting the folks in the crosswalk and myself in danger. The next day I contacted the dealer and Toyota. The upshot - they said the car is fine, it must be my mats or shoes or something that is not their fault. I've been driving Toyotas for 40 years, I've never had a mat or shoe problem. There is something faulty with the acceleration/braking system. The last occurrence was [XXX] in Plympton MA. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

AS I BEGIN DRIVING AND COME TO STOP IT TENDS TO REV UP AND THEN DROPS BACK TO NORMAL. IT FEELS LIKE VEHICLE REVS UP A LITTLE WHILE YOU ARE TRYING TO STOP IT BY PRESSING THE BRAKE PEDAL.IT FEELS LIKE VEHICLE DOES NOT WANT TO STOP AND YOU HAVE THE FEELINGS TO PRESS THE BRAKE EVEN HARDER.

HEAD GASKET LEAKED CAR LESS THAN 100K MILES AND LESS THAN 5 YEARS. GOOGLE SEARCH SHOWED SIMILAR PROBLEMS WITH OTHER HIGHLANDERS.

THE RIGHT MIDDLE SEAT DOES NOT LOCK IN PLACE WHEN IT IS AT THE FURTHEST FRONT POSITION,

BACK SEAT IS STUCK IN FOLDING POSITION. RAIL IS STUCK

The contact owns a 2013 Toyota Highlander. The contact stated that while driving approximately 60 MPH, there was an abnormal boom and wind detected on top of the vehicle. Upon opening the sunroof, the contact noticed that the sunroof had shattered. The sunroof was bubbling upwards. There were no reported injuries. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer however, the vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was unknown.

The contact owns a 2013 Toyota Highlander. The contact stated while his wife was driving 60 MPH, she heard an abnormally loud sound coming from the vehicle. The driver veered to the side of the road and inspected the vehicle but found no issue with the vehicle. She re-entered the vehicle and opened the sunroof and shards of broken glass fell inside the vehicle from the sunroof. The driver stated that no object had struck the sunroof glass to cause the sunroof glass to shatter. The vehicle was restarted and driven to the residence. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 186,000.

WHEN I TURN THE SIGNAL LEFT BOTH FLASHERS BLINKS. WHEN I TURN THE SIGNAL RIGHT BOTH FLASHERS BLINKS. I CHECKED HAZARDS LIGHT BUTTON AND IT IS NOT PRESSED. BOTH SIGNALS FLASHERS ARE BLINKING AT SAME TIME.

THE DOOR OPEN ALERT AND ALERT BEEPING CAME ON AS WELL AS ALL OF THE INTERIOR LIGHTING AS I WAS DRIVING. IT SHOWS GLASS DOOR ON THE DISPLAY. I CHECKED ALL DOORS AND NONE OF THE DOORS ARE OPEN. IT WAS VERY DISTRACTING AND DANGEROUS TO BE DRIVING AT NIGHT ON THE HIGHWAY WITH ALL INTERIOR LIGHTS ON. THEY KEEP GOING ON AND OFF AND THE ALERT KEEPS BEEPING. AS FAR AS I CAN FIND OUT, THERE IS NO WAY TO TURN OFF THE INTERIOR LIGHTS. MY CAR IS OUT OF WARRANTY BY 300 MILES. I JUST HAD IT IN FOR THE 35,000 MILE SERVICE. I FIND NUMEROUS ACCOUNTS OF THIS KNOWN ISSUE ON SEVERAL WEBSITES/DISCUSSION FORUMS. I CALLED TOYOTA AND WAS INFORMED THERE IS NO RECALL HOWEVER I FOUND THERE WAS A TSB? SENT OUT ON THE BACK LATCHES. I CALLED JIM NORTON TOYOTA IN TULSA, OK AND WAS INFORMED THEY WANT A $110 DIAGNOSTIC FEE TO SEE WHAT THE ISSUE IS. SEEMS LIKE WITH ALL OF THE SAME ISSUES THAT TOYOTA WOULD LOOK INTO THIS ISSUE AND RESOLVE. TOYOTA SAID THEY COULD NOT WAIVE THE DIAGNOSTIC FEE. HOPING I CAN FIND A QUICK FIX OR SOMEONE WILLING TO RESOLVE THIS ISSUE INEXPENSIVELY OR BETTER YET, TOYOTA COULD STEP UP AND RESOLVE THE ISSUE THEMSELVES AS A CUSTOMER SERVICE STAND. *TR

Driver side airbags (curtain and left seat) spontaneously deployed while I was parking the car. I did not hit anything. I was not injured but my safety was put at risk because I likely would have crashed if it had happened while I was driving. I contacted Toyota and they sent an investigator to inspect the car. He found no issues in the data he collected and could not give a reason for the airbags deployment. I received a letter saying they were not going to help in any way. There were no warnings lights or indicators that could have warned me of the airbags deploying prior to the incident.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER, THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 35 MPH AND SWERVED TO AVOID A CAT, IT RESULTED IN CRASHING INTO A METAL TELEPHONE POLE. THE AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. ADDITIONALLY, THE SEAT BELT FAILED TO RETRACT. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO LARRY H. MILLER LEXUS SPOKANE1030 W 3RD AVE, SPOKANE, WA 99201: (509) 293-6074 BUT WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE DRIVER STRUCK THE STEERING WHEEL WITH HER CHEST AND MEDICAL ATTENTION WAS PROVIDED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC. THERE WAS NO REPORTED FIRE. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE.THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 148,000.

TL-THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT 50 MPH, THE VEHICLE WHEELS HYDOPLANNED CAUSING THE CONTACT TO LOSS CONTROL AND CRASH INTO A CENTER CONCRETE WALL. NO AIRBAG DEPLOYED. THE CONTACT SUSTAINED INJURIES TO THE CHEST. THE CONTACT DID GO TO THE HOSPITAL COUPLE OF HOURS LATER TO TREAT INJURIES TO THE RIBS WHICH WERE FRACTURED. THE CONTACT DID NOT STAY OVERNIGHT. NO POLICE REPORT WAS MADE. NO MEDICAL ATTENTION WAS CONTACTED. THE VEHICLE WAS STILL DRIVEABLE THE CONTACT MANAGED TO DRIVE THE VEHICLE TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC LOT WHERE AT THIS TIME THE VEHICLE IS SITTING. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. NO INSURANCE COMPANY WAS CONTACTED. NO DEALER WAS CONTACTED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 35,000.CK *BF THE CONSUMER PROVIDED PHOTOS.

I GOT HIT BY A DRUNK DRIVER WHILE I WAS AT AN INTERSECTION STATIONARY. I WAS WAITING TO MAKE A LEFT TURN AND AN ONCOMING CAR GOING 35 MPH CROSSED LANES AND CRASHED INTO ME. IT WAS A BAD ACCIDENT, BOTH CARS INVOLVED TOTALLED.I HAD 4 OTHER PASSENGERS IN THE CAR, AND NO AIRBAGS WENT OFF. I RECEIVED HEAD INJURIES (A LOT OF DIZZINESS), NECK AND BACK INJURIES. *DT*JB

Michelin Defender LTX M/S Tire 245/55R19 While driving on the freeway at 70 mph, the tire below and tread separated causing significant damage to vehicle. The tread appears to have separated from the tire, which caused the tire to hit the sidewall and rear of vehicle, which tore off the rear bumper and damaged rear quarter panel. It appears that both steel belts and polyester carcass piles failed The tire separation occurred, unprovoked as there was no impact from debris and the vehicle had been in operation/ driving for over 30 minutes. Incident was witnessed by Highway Patrol, who appeared very surprised to see such an event occur. Costco tire, flagged the issue as it appeared out of the ordinary and shipped the tire for review to Michelin.

MY PROBLEM IS WITH THE LOW TIRE WARNING SYSTEM. MY ISSUE IS THAT YOU CANNOT MANUALLY RESET THIS WARNING LIGHT AS WITH OTHER CARS. I HAVE HAD TO TAKE MY CAR TO THE DEALER TWICE IN THE LAST 12 MONTHS FOR THEM TO PROPERLY INFLATE/RESET THE SYSTEM. ALL MY TIRES WERE PROPERLY INFLATED EXCEPT FOR THE SPARE. MYSELF AND FIRESTONE AUTO CARE COULD NOT GET THE WARNING LIGHT TO GO AWAY. FINALLY, AFTER MONTHS OF HAVING THE WARNING LIGHT ON, I WAS ABLE TO TAKE THE CAR TO THE DEALER AND THEY PROPERLY RESET ALL THE TIRES INCLUDING THE SPARE AND THE WARNING LIGHT FINALLY WENT OFF. SEEMS LIKE A PLOY TO GET YOU TO GO TO THE DEALER. THE DEALER INDICATED THAT THEY HAVE HAD A LOT OF THOSE ISSUES DUE TO THE CHANGES IN THE TEMPERATURE. IF ALL THE TIRES ARE PROPERLY INFLATED, THE WARNING LIGHT CAN STILL GO OFF IF BECAUSE YOUR SPARE TIRE MAY BE LOW. THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE TO ME AS YOU MAY NOT KNOW THAT YOU REALLY HAVE A LOW TIRE THAT COULD AFFECT DRIVING. IF THE LIGHT IS ALREADY ON DUE TO A LOW SPARE TIRE, AND A REGULAR TIRE GOES LOW, ONE WOULD HAVE NO WAY OF KNOWING AS THE LIGHT IS ALREADY ON. *TR

Unable to align vehicle correct due to driver's side rear camber. Caused uneven tire wear and costly replacement for tires for 6 years.

VEHICLE WAS PROCEEDING THROUGH AN INTERSECTION UNDER A GREEN LIGHT. A VEHICLE TRAVELING THE CROSS ROAD PROCEEDED THROUGH THEIR RED LIGHT AND IMPACTED MY VEHICLE AT FULL SPEED. THE RESULT WAS A "T-BONE" ACCIDENT INTO THE DRIVER'S SIDE DOOR. THE FORCE OF THE COLLISION WAS SUCH THAT MY VEHICLE WAS TURNED 90 DEGREES. THE DRIVER'S HEAD IMPACTED THE DRIVER'S SIDE WINDOW SHATTERING THAT WINDOW. THE SIDE CURTAIN AIR BAG DID NOT DEPLOY. AIR BAGS IN THE OTHER VEHICLE DID DEPLOY. HAD THE AIR BAG OPERATED PROPERLY IT WOULD HAVE PROTECTED THE DRIVER'S HEAD FROM IMPACTING AND SHATTERING THE WINDOW. SINCE THE SIDE CURTAIN AIRBAG DID NOT DEPLOY IN WHAT APPEARS TO BE AN OBVIOUS SITUATION, I AM NOW CONCERNED THAT NONE OF THE AIRBAGS IN THAT VEHICLE WILL DEPLOY UPON IMPACT AND I AM DRIVING AN UNSAFE VEHICLE.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER. WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED, THE CONTACT DISCOVERED THAT THE CARPET WAS SOAKED WITH WATER. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE AIR CONDITIONING DRAIN WAS CLOGGED AND NEEDED TO BE FLUSHED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED IN NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 13V442000 (AIR BAGS, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, EQUIPMENT). THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 23,000.