2020 Toyota Highlander Problems

We have a 2020 Toyota Highlander with 89K miles that we have owned since it was new. I was informed today to not drive it any long distances from the dealer due to an impending failure of the transmission, creating a large safety issue for me and my family. I understand there are related recalls of the UA80 transmission but none for this particular model; there are countless internet reports of failure. I implore the NHTSA to investigate and protect the motoring public.

Transmission stalls in situations where speed is needed. For example when merging into traffic all of a sudden no power then when gear finally engages there a huge thump and feels like being hit from behind.

I was told by oxmoor dealership I had to talk to toyota corporate before I could get my car touched and that I did not need to talk to a lawyer. I called. Prior to the accident, the vehicle had been exhibiting multiple symptoms: an intermittent airbag warning light had illuminated briefly on the dashboard on a few occasions, and the vehicle had begun requiring noticeably longer physical distances to come to a complete stop at traffic signs and lights when not using cruise control. The vehicle was experiencing regular phantom seatbelt warnings—dinging as if a passenger was unbuckled when the seat was completely empty. The phantom seatbelt warnings i didnt think we're a big deal were occurring across multiple seating rows simultaneously in front and back. Directly preceding the crash, while making a turn, the vehicle swerved slightly. When I applied the physical brake pedal, the vehicle did not decelerate normally; instead, it experienced a sudden, abrupt forward acceleration surge into the building. I still haven't gotten my vehicle back or any information on what has been done or when I am getting my car back. I was also charged for an extra day for my rental when I was told to return it on the 16th. I haven't had a rental since then. I keep contacting oxmoor toyota and they said they were waiting on toyota corporate. I haven't had my car for a month. I tried to email. It was returned. My mailbox on my phone has been full of drs and other calls non stop. I texted online on the toyota page for the claim as well. Ive repeatedly asked the toyota dealership what is going on and I get we are waiting on corporate. I called toyota corporate again today and was told they would get back to me. I told the dealership. I am under medical care and in severe pain. Yes my safety was put at risk. Police and fire department were here the night it happened. They said they don't do a police report on private property. There is an insurance claim through state farm.

I am submitting this complaint regarding a serious braking safety issue with my 2020 Toyota Highlander Hybrid Limited, which currently has approximately 70,000 miles. I brought my vehicle to Victory Toyota of Canton (46352 Michigan Ave, Canton, MI 48188) and reported to Service Manager John Maddison that, at low speeds, the vehicle briefly surges or feels as though it accelerates when I press the brake pedal before it actually begins to slow down. This behavior is alarming and creates the impression that the vehicle is moving forward when I am attempting to stop. This is a serious safety concern that could increase the risk of a crash, particularly in parking lots, stop-and-go traffic, or around pedestrians. The issue has become so concerning that my daughter refuses to drive the vehicle because she no longer feels confident that it will stop properly when she applies the brakes. A driver should never have to question whether a vehicle will respond correctly during normal braking. After researching the problem, I discovered that Toyota has already acknowledged this exact condition by issuing Technical Service Bulletin (TSB) TSB-0059-23. The symptoms described in the TSB closely match the behavior my vehicle is experiencing. I therefore requested that the dealership inspect the vehicle and perform the repair outlined in the bulletin. Instead of addressing what appears to be a known braking-related issue, the dealership informed me that I must first pay a $190 diagnostic fee before they would even determine whether the TSB applies. I believe it is unreasonable to require customers to pay to confirm a condition that Toyota has already documented, particularly when it involves the vehicle's braking system and potential safety risks. I am concerned that other owners experiencing the same braking behavior may delay seeking repairs because of the required diagnostic charge, leaving potentially unsafe vehicles on the road.I respectfully request that NHTSA review this issue.

The contact owns a 2022 Toyota Corolla. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, a passing vehicle suddenly attempted to merge lanes and struck the vehicle on the passenger side door at approximately 45 MPH. No warning lights were illuminated. The contact stated that the air bags did not deploy. The contact stated that she sustained pain in her right chest, head, and left arm, and medical attention was sought. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to a local tow lot, where it remained for further investigation. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 89,083.

Taken vehicle at least 6 times to dealer (Corwin Toyota), to enquire about the 23v-865 recall, and each time have been told the repair is not available. Most recently asked December 2025.

While driving on a 75 MPH highway, the lower bumper cover, windscreen, and interior wheel well components spontaneously detached from the vehicle and got stuck under the car. There were no warming lamps, messages, or other symptoms; the vehicle was driving fine before the detachment. The vehicle has never been in a collision and had no visible damage to the bumper prior to the incident. The detachment was very quick and could have caused an accident, as it was quite physically jarring; additionally, the components got between the vehicle and the highway which caused them to smoke/burn as I tried to quickly slow and pull into the shoulder. A prior recall (#23TB12 / 23TA12) was for a very similar situation. The dealership had allegedly performed the recall fix in March 2025. When I took the vehicle back to the dealership, they said this was independent of the recall. The dealership is unwilling to cover the repair, as they have said that the bumper shows signs of impact. The vehicle bumper has never been impacted. The dealer said there were very minor stress cracks in the paint; when I asked if these could have been from the bumper cover rapidly detaching, they said it was possible but would still not cover the repair.

I know there is a recall for my 2020 Highlander. My VIN isn't listed. The front bumper is coming off and can't be pushed back in.

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.

The vehicle is a 2020 Toyota Highlander experiencing a transmission system malfunction, specifically involving the automatic transmission and/or torque converter. Component/System Failure: The transmission produces a noticeable whining noise during acceleration and exhibits abnormal shifting behavior, including hesitation and delayed response when pressing the gas pedal. The issue appears to originate from the internal transmission components. The vehicle is available for inspection upon request. Safety Risk: This condition creates a serious safety concern, as the hesitation and delayed acceleration can impair the driver’s ability to safely merge into traffic, cross intersections, or respond to changing road conditions. The unpredictable response increases the risk of a collision, especially in high-speed or congested traffic environments. Reproducibility / Confirmation: The issue is consistently reproducible and occurs whenever the vehicle is accelerated. The problem has not yet been fully resolved and is in the process of being addressed with a dealership/service center. Inspections: The vehicle is scheduled to be inspected by a Toyota dealership. At this time, it has not yet been inspected by the manufacturer, police, or insurance representatives. Warning Signs / Symptoms: There were no warning lights or dashboard messages prior to or during the issue. The first symptom noticed was the whining noise during acceleration, followed by abnormal shifting behavior and hesitation. These symptoms have progressively become more noticeable over time. This issue appears consistent with reported transmission problems in similar model vehicles, raising concern that this may be a broader defect affecting vehicle safety. I took my vehicle to 3 different mechanics and they told me that my vehicle is not safe to drive long term without a total transmission replacement. Thank you!

I am having fuel pump issues and my VIN was excluded from the recall from Toyota for similar issues. Toyota’s low-pressure fuel pump recall (originally announced Jan 2020, expanded multiple times through Jan 2025) covers vehicles across several model years, where a defective impeller made from inadequate resin material could swell and cause fuel starvation and sudden stalling. Highlander is mentioned as included for selected model years in some recall summaries

I pushed the brake and swerved and the car kept going and a greater speed and surged into a house.

I was told by oxmoor dealership I had to talk to toyota corporate before I could get my car touched and that I did not need to talk to a lawyer. I called. Prior to the accident, the vehicle had been exhibiting multiple symptoms: an intermittent airbag warning light had illuminated briefly on the dashboard on a few occasions, and the vehicle had begun requiring noticeably longer physical distances to come to a complete stop at traffic signs and lights when not using cruise control. The vehicle was experiencing regular phantom seatbelt warnings—dinging as if a passenger was unbuckled when the seat was completely empty. The phantom seatbelt warnings i didnt think we're a big deal were occurring across multiple seating rows simultaneously in front and back. Directly preceding the crash, while making a turn, the vehicle swerved slightly. When I applied the physical brake pedal, the vehicle did not decelerate normally; instead, it experienced a sudden, abrupt forward acceleration surge into the building. I still haven't gotten my vehicle back or any information on what has been done or when I am getting my car back. I was also charged for an extra day for my rental when I was told to return it on the 16th. I haven't had a rental since then. I keep contacting oxmoor toyota and they said they were waiting on toyota corporate. I haven't had my car for a month. I tried to email. It was returned. My mailbox on my phone has been full of drs and other calls non stop. I texted online on the toyota page for the claim as well. Ive repeatedly asked the toyota dealership what is going on and I get we are waiting on corporate. I called toyota corporate again today and was told they would get back to me. I told the dealership. I am under medical care and in severe pain. Yes my safety was put at risk. Police and fire department were here the night it happened. They said they don't do a police report on private property. There is an insurance claim through state farm.

I pushed the brake and swerved and the car kept going and a greater speed and surged into a house.

While on the freeway vehicle stalled when accelerating and engine stopped, I had to pull over to the side of the road to avoid accident. Turned vehicle back on and started making a whinning noise. Vehicle was taken in and found out the transmission is no good at 89k. Also found out that a lot of people that purchased this vehicle are having the same issue.

On September 2, 2025, the vehicle’s Hybrid System shut down on cold start and the vehicle would not start. A dealer inspection reported coolant had entered cylinder #4, allegedly causing the engine block to warp, the cylinder head to crack, and the head gasket to fail. This was a sudden catastrophic engine failure on a five-year-old vehicle with no prior overheating warnings, no dashboard alerts, and no performance issues in the days leading up to the failure. It is highly unlikely for an engine block to warp without sustained overheating, yet the failure occurred on a cold start. The dealership itself described this as a “premature failure” in their service report. At approximately 26,000 miles, the vehicle’s coolant thermostat failed and was replaced under warranty. If the thermostat stuck closed even briefly, the engine could have experienced one or more silent overheat events that never registered on the dashboard. In aluminum blocks, even short bursts of high localized heat can create latent distortion that doesn’t cause immediate problems but can eventually lead to catastrophic failure years later. Safety Risk: – Vehicle became disabled suddenly without warning. – Engine failure occurred without overheating symptoms, creating risk of sudden shutdown during use. Problem Confirmation: – Engine failure confirmed by a Toyota-authorized dealer. – Dealer service report explicitly called this a “premature failure.” Warning Lamps / Symptoms: – A check engine light appeared briefly three days before failure, then cleared on its own. – No overheating warnings or drivability issues were observed prior to failure.

The contact owns a 2020 Toyota Highlander. the contact stated that while driving, the back driver side , the minor child occupant expressed an issue with the seatbelt which began to tighten, The vehicle was stopped to assist the minor child occupant, the seatbelt became tighter and the contact had to go into a store to get scissors to free the minor occupant from the seatbelt. The minor occupant sustained light abrasions from the seatbelt rubbing but no medical treatment was sought. The vehicle was taken to the dealer; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed of repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 59,000.

Currently having issues for my active recall with no remedy available

The side view mirrors are very shaky at all speeds-- and worse over bumps/and/or at highway speeds. It causes a distraction in the peripheral vision of the driver, and does not provide a reliable, clear image in the mirror while the car is underway. The problem is worse on the driver (left) side, but it exists on both sides. This creates an unsafe condition where vision is not clear in the side mirrors.

1. Climate control system failure to defrost windows during cold weather/winter conditions caused all windows to fog resulting 0 visibility while driving. 2. Occupants including myself, spouse, adult child and toddler grandchild , surrounding vehicles and their occupants were for 5 to 10 minutes exposed to potential multi-car crash, injuries and loss of life. 3. Online research revealed this climate control failure has been experienced by other Toyota owners and the issue has been resolved however not been reported to NHTSA. Two days after the occurrence the vehicle was taken to Bud Clary Toyota, Moses Lake, WA for inspection and repair. Note-without the detailed information from my online research the issue/repair/resolution wasn't determined by the Toyota service shop. 4. There are no warnings when this failure occurs. It happens only when outside temperatures drop below 40 degrees and severity increases with quick drops in temperature. The first occurrence was during first winter of ownership, 2020/2021 and reported to the next servicing dealership, Peterson Toyota, Boise, ID. 5. The repairing dealership required customer pay and advised to follow up with Toyota customer service to report and request reimbursement. Follow up completed later in December 2022, Toyota denied warranty reimbursement however the customer service agent requested and obtained repair reimbursement and recommended reporting and requesting recall status to NHSTA.

Both front struts and bearing plates failed at 75k miles. They were leaking oil before that mileage. Approximate date of failure was 1/5/24. No parts were available until now. Parts were on back-order for upwards of a year for this model of Highlander in the FWD configuration, with 18” wheels. Prematurely failure causes a lot of bouncing in the car, therefore making the vehicle unresponsive to quick steering maneuvers. The bounce also made it so that typical driving within the city is dangerous as the bounce makes the car difficult to control. This is an issue that is documented on Toyota forums for FWD models. An accident has not been caused by this failure as of yet. Vehicle will be repaired soon. Mechanic was finally able to get two factory struts and bearing plates. Each strut is $200 and mounting plates are about $150 each. Parts + labor are expensive, but at least now it will be fixed.

It’s been a known issue that Toyota Highlander has transmission problems under 100k miles from 2016-2021 or later (social media sites confirmed such). My vehicle require a trans axle replacement as well as the struts are leaking oil and my vehicle has less than 62k miles and is only 5 years old. This is being covered under my extended warranty but parts are on back order After doing research many owners complain about a whining noise showing acceleration of vehicle . If left unfixed this leads to transmission gears slipping and eventually needing an entire replacement Some owners also complain about leaky struts. My car has an issue with leaky struts and is being fixed under warranty Some owners say they need an entire new transmission and after that is replaced the rear transaxle goes and needs replacement Toyota is not putting a recall on this but it’s a known issue. Owners are asking to have this put out as a recall by toy. All parts are on back order and takes several months before transmission can be repaired or replaced. This tells me there are hundreds if not thousands of Highlander’s having the same issue This is a Toyota problem and is related to building transmission in the factory..recall the older vehicles and do better in the factory

I was in a school line waiting for my children. I went to hit the gas to move and the car said “maintenance required” and then flashed other warning lights “low power steering fluid and engine light.” Then the car turned off and screens were flashing. I tried to restart the car but the steering column was locked and brake pedal was locked. I checked all fluids and they were full. I had someone jump the car and it turned back on. I figured maybe a bad battery. Had AAA come look at the car and all diagnostic testing was normal. Next day, car does it again in the middle of an intersection.

In my 2020 Highlander I approached a stop sign at a "T" intersection behind 4 other cars. After stopping and looking to see road was clear of oncoming traffic, I pulled out and started my left turn. As I was turning into my lane the car engine turned OFF and the steering wheel was LOCKED in the left position. There was no power for the brakes, which left me jamming on the brake pedal as hard as I could only slowing the car slightly. The steering wheel was LOCKED LEFT and I thought I was going to break it trying to force it back. With no ability to move the steering wheel or brake, I braced myself as the Highlander continued turning in the left direction into the other lane. The result was a head on collision with a Mini Cooper, both cars totaled, and injuring both myself and the other driver. Highlander was investigated by forensic company in the employ of the insurance company, but they could not find any error in the cars CDR (Crash Data Retrieval) system.

The rear hatch door will not close or open and just sit there.And dings, you have to manually close it and open it most times and it never fully sucks up and latches fully and it doesnt notify you on the hood display of the car , so when we were driving down the road, we heard loud hissing and road noise coming from the rear and come to find out the rear hatch had never fully closed or latched itself fully.And it hangs up constantly.

The contact owns a 2020 Toyota Highlander. The contact stated that upon turning off the vehicle and locking the vehicle with the key fob, the doors were intermittently unlocked upon returning to the vehicle. The contact stated that over the years, the failure had become more frequent, but had become constant. The contact called two dealers and informed the dealers about the failure and was informed that a callback would be returned; however, the contact had yet to receive the callback. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but offered no assistance. The contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 11,000.

See attached document from complainant

The contact owns a 2020 Toyota Highlander equipped with Bridgestone Tires, Tire line: Alenza Sport, Tire Size: 235/55/R20, DOT Number: 1W28AALA15019. The contact stated that the four tires cracked, due to a discrepancy between the stated weight capacity for the tires and the gross vehicle weight. The contact discovered the failure upon inspection of the vehicle and immediately stopped driving the vehicle. An independent mechanic was notified of the failure. The tire manufacturer was also notified of the failure, and the contact was provided a case number. The vehicle had was not repaired. The tire and vehicle failure mileage were approximately 20,000. The contact stated that their wife drove the vehicle majority of the time on local roads. The contact also expressed fears of the vehicle's tires not being able to support the weight of 7 passengers or being able to tow a boat.

The contact owns a 2020 Toyota Highlander. The contact stated that while driving to the dealer for a service appointment, the vehicle made an abnormally high-pitched sound. The vehicle was diagnosed with a UA80 transmission failure. No further information was available. There was no warning light illuminated. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 71,233.

Case #11497584, All 4 tires Brigestone 235/55R20 102V cracked(DOT 4919, Thread 6/32-7/32). Numerous report of this tires exploding. load index 102 is Max load 1874 Lb at 44 PSI. Manufacturing label is 36 PSI, GAWP RR 3405. At 36 PSI(load inflation table) tire capacity is 1620 Lb which is show that GAWP 3405/2=1702.5 LB is ALREADY OVERLOAD each rear tire by 82.5 LB. If you add 5000 Lb trailer(tongue load 10%=500 Lb) then rear tire will be overloaded 82.5+500/2=332.5 Lb. This is 332.5/1874=17.7% All Toyota Highlander 4th generation LIMITED & PLATINUM should be removed from the road an emergency. The contact stated that their wife drives the vehicle majority of the time. The contact also expressed concerns about the tires not being able to support the weight of all 7 passengers or the weight of towing their boat.