Problems · NHTSA complaints
2025 Toyota Grand Highlander problems
Owners filed 81 complaints about the 2025 Toyota Grand Highlander with NHTSA between Mar 2025 and Oct 2026. The most-cited component is power train (18).
Complaints
81
Filed with NHTSA
Crashes
0
Reported by owners
Fires
0
Reported by owners
Injuries
0
People reported injured
Deaths
0
Reported to NHTSA
Complaints by component
One complaint can cite several components
- Power train18
- Engine13
- Fuel/propulsion system12
- Structure10
- Electrical system6
- Vehicle speed control6
- Suspension3
- Lane departure3
- Service brakes3
- Engine and engine cooling3
- Forward collision avoidance3
- Back over prevention3
- Visibility/wiper3
- Steering2
Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.
Data from NHTSA Complaints API · synced Nov 5, 2026NHTSA vehicle page
When complaints were filed
Does it get worse with age? Complaints per calendar year filed
26
55
View as table
| Model year | Complaints filed per calendar year |
|---|---|
| 2025 | 26 |
| 2026 | 55 |
Mileage at failure isn’t a structured field in NHTSA complaint data, so we don’t chart it. Some owners mention it in their reports below.
Top problems in owners’ words
Verbatim from NHTSA complaints, newest first
Power train
18 reports
“Experienced repeated axle issues, acceleration hesitation, and poor suspension performance. Dealer failed to identify or reproduce the problem despite multiple visits and diagnostic fees. Axles eventually required out-of-pocket replacement due to popping and clicking. Suspected axle defect persists, and the vehicle remains unsafe-feeling and unresolved. Requesting Toyota investigate and provide free repairs.”
Engine
13 reports
“Engine temperature overheated during long idle on an out of town event. The vehicle put in park and engine running in idle with AC running. Vehicle coolant temp reach high mark in the red area. Vehicle temp alarm gave a warning to shutdown. I estimated the car idle time 40 min due to traffic accident ahead. The incident occurred on 9/11/26. The car was taken to dealer 9/17/26 for checkup/diagnose the issue. Dealer stated, they could not duplicate the issue. But they did my find the vehicle computer log, the engine registered high temp.”
Fuel/propulsion system
12 reports
“The vehicle exhibits abnormal fuel system behavior. When the vehicle reaches a low fuel condition (approximately 40–50 miles to empty), the fuel tank only accepts about 12 gallons, even though the listed tank capacity is 17.2 gallons. After refueling, the fuel gauge displays FULL and the “Distance to Empty” reading jumps to over 360 miles, which is inconsistent with the amount of fuel added. A Toyota dealer documented this behavior on a repair order, stating that the tank accepted only 12 gallons from a low fuel condition and immediately displayed a range of 363 miles. A second repair order states that the fuel system was inspected and that the tank supposedly has a “3–5 gallon reserve,” but no technical documentation was provided to support this claim. Toyota’s customer support later provided a written response stating only that mathematically 3–5 gallons must have been in the tank, without offering any engineering explanation for why the gauge reads FULL or why the vehicle reports an inflated driving range after adding only 12 gallons. The dealer also provided documentation explaining the issue using online forums and social media posts rather than Toyota…”
Structure
10 reports
“Driving in city traffic during morning rush hour, sitting at traffic light, when display lights up indicating “Hybrid Malfunction” and “take vehicle to dealer”. Leaving traffic light, the vehicle at first does not move after pressing accelerator, then slowly engages and thugs along. Pull over on closest side street and turn off vehicle, hoping just a fluke. Restart vehicle and drive a few yards. Stop and attempt to resume driving. This time the vehicle does not react at all, neither in drive or reverse. I was able to put in neutral and coast to nearby parking spot so not to block traffic. Had vehicle towed to my hometown Toyota dealer. Upon inspection, they notified me that a small object, probably a rock, had punctured the radiator , that it was not covered under the warranty, and would cost $2500 to fix. The suddenness and abrupt fashion this incident occurred could certainly have resulted in an accident or left be stranded in an unsafe area.”
Electrical system
6 reports1 related recall
“On 9/26 at about 10:15am, my husband and I were fully stopped at a red light with his foot on the brake. Without him touching the gas pedal, the car suddenly surged forward as if it had been accelerated. It stopped for a moment, then surged forward again. Because he was holding the brake, the car didn’t move much, but each surge caused a hard jolt that felt like being rear-ended. No other vehicle hit us.”
Vehicle speed control
6 reports
“I continuously have issues accelerating from stop in my max hybrid. the issue is particularly worse when it is warm out. I press the gas and the RPMs drop really low and I barely move through the intersection for a few seconds. Once it finally registers after a number of seconds, the RPMs rev up over 4000. It is very dangerous trying to proceed through an intersection and the car basically stalls when I press the gas. It especially concerns me that I have my child in the car with me and I worry when it is going to act up. I know others have experienced this issue and there was a TSB for 2024 models that had this issue. I have a 2025 and experience this issue. I have had toyota look at it and they said they cant do the TSB since it's bot for my VIN. A solution needs to be found for the the safety of myself and others.”
Data from NHTSA Complaints API (owner reports, unverified) · synced Nov 5, 2026
Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.