2013 Toyota Highlander Complaint Log

THE CAR HAS BURNED 1 QT OF OIL EVERY 1500 MILLES OR SO SINCE DAY1... TOYOTA WILL DO NOTHING TO REPAIR THE INTERNAL ENGINE PROBLEM AS THEY SAY IT IS ACCEPTABLE PER THEM TO BURN 1 QT EVERY 1200??

AT TOTALLY RANDOM TIMES, AFTER A FEW MILES OF DRIVING OR FROM A SLOW SPEED, VEHICLE HESITATES WHEN ACCELERATING. MOST ANNOYING AND DANGEROUS IS THE WAY IT DOESN'T RESPOND TO THE ACCELERATOR FOR A FEW SECONDS AFTER STOPPING AT A STOP SIGN OR STOP LIGHT OR WHEN GOING SLOWLY AS IN ENTERING THE FREEWAY. TOOK VEHICLE TO TOYOTA DEALERSHIP AND OF COURSE VEHICLE RAN FINE FOR THE TIME THEY DROVE IT. TECH CHECKED FOR ANY TROUBLE CODES AND NONE WERE FOUND. THIS PROBLEM SEEMS LIKE AN ACCIDENT WAITING TO HAPPEN. HAVE GOTTEN NOTHING BUT THE RUN-AROUND AND DENIAL FROM THE NATIONAL TOYOTA "CASE MANAGER". (AT FIRST I THOUGHT THIS HESITATION OCCURRED BECAUSE THE VEHICLE WAS NEW, BUT AFTER 5,000 MILES, I AM STILL EXPERIENCING THE SAME ISSUE AT RANDOM TIMES.) *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS, THE VEHICLE EXHIBITED UNINTENDED ACCELERATION. ADDITIONALLY, THE VEHICLE WOULD VIBRATE EXCESSIVELY WHEN STATIONARY WITH THE ENGINE ON. THE VIBRATIONS WOULD CAUSE EAR PAIN TO THE CONTACT. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED AND NO SOLUTION WAS OFFERED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 11,000.

PURCHASED 2013 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER 11/24/12; TRANSMISSION HAS MALFUNCTIONED APPROXIMATELY 16 TIMES SINCE DATE OF PURCHASE. WHEN REDUCING SPEED TO APPROXIMATELY 30 TO10 M.P.H. AND THEN TRY TO ACCELERATE, THE TRANSMISSION APPEARS TO GO INTO NEUTRAL; THE DRIVE STICK REMAINS IN DRIVE! WHEN THIS HAPPENS, I SHIFT DRIVE STICK TO NEUTRAL AND THEN BACK TO DRIVE AND THEN TRANSMISSION CONTINUES TO WORK FINE. I DON'T THINK YOU HAVE TO EXTEND YOUR IMAGINATION TOO FAR TO REALIZE THE POSSIBILITY OF SERIOUS INJURY OR DEATH WHEN MAKING A TURN OR TRYING TO PASS SOMEONE! DEALER WILL NOT ACKNOWLEDGE THERE IS A PROBLEM WITH TRANSMISSION. THE INITIAL RESPONSE FROM DEALER WAS THE TRANSMISSION HAS TO ADJUST TO MY DRIVING HABITS? IF YOU CHECK CARCOMPLAINTS.COM OR EDMONDS.COM, YOU WILL SEE I AM NOT THE ONLY ONE WITH THIS PROBLEM. IT APPEARS THIS PROBLEM HAS EXISTED SINCE 2004. IT WOULD BE INTERESTING TO REVIEW PAST HEAD ON COLLISIONS AND TURN ACCIDENTS TO CONSIDER IF IT WAS "DRIVER ERROR" VS "TRANSMISSION FAILURE" I WOULD LIKE TO BE CONTACTED TO HAVE FURTHER DISCUSSION ON THIS PROBLEM. THANK YOU *TR UPDATED 02/20/2015 *JS

I PURCHASED THE TOYOTA HIGHLANDER IN DECEMBER OF 2012. IMMEDIATELY WE KNEW SOMETHING WAS WRONG WITH THE HEADLIGHTS. THEY ARE FOCUSED DOWN TOWARD THE ROAD AND HAVE A LINE OF "SHADE" ABOVE. THE HIGHLANDER LIGHTS ARE SO DIM, WE DON'T KNOW IF THEY ARE WORKING. WE ARE "OVERDRIVING" OUR VISIBILITY AT NIGHT AND WE CANNOT SEE ANY ROAD SIGNS BECAUSE THE LIGHTS ARE FOCUSED TO FAR DOWN THEY DO NOT ILLUMINATE SIGNS ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. IN ADDITION, IN HILLY AREAS, THEY ONLY ILLUMINATE THE BOTTOM OF THE HILL (AND THE SHADED PART IS ABOVE) SO YOU CANNOT SEE WHERE YOU ARE HEADED.THE TOPS OF THE HILLS ARE COMPLETELY BLOCKED BY THE "SHADED" PART. THIS IS A VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION! ALSO, THEY DO NOT GET WARM, SO THE SNOW AND ICE ACCUMULATES ON THESE LIGHTS AND OBSCURES VISIBILITY EVEN FURTHER! I HAVE OWNED MANY MANY CARS, INCLUDING SEVERAL TOYOTA'S AND HAVE NEVER HAD A HEADLIGHT PROBLEM. I DO NOT KNOW WHAT TO DO WITH THIS CAR AS I CANNOT DRIVE IT AT NIGHT. *TR

AT TOTALLY RANDOM TIMES, AFTER A FEW MILES OF DRIVING OR 100 MILES, VEHICLE HESITATES WHEN ACCELERATING. MOST ANNOYING AND DANGEROUS IS THE WAY IT DOESN'T RESPOND TO THE ACCELERATOR FOR A FEW SECONDS AFTER STOPPING AT A STOP SIGN OR STOP LIGHT. TOOK VEHICLE TO TOYOTA DEALERSHIP AND OF COURSE VEHICLE RAN FINE FOR THE 4 MILES THEY DROVE IT. TECH CHECKED FOR ANY TROUBLE CODES AND NONE WERE FOUND. THIS SEEMS LIKE A REAR-END ACCIDENT WAITING TO HAPPEN. FOR TEN DAYS WE HAVE GOTTEN NOTHING BUT THE RUN-AROUND FROM THE NATIONAL TOYOTA "CASE MANAGER". (AT FIRST WE THOUGHT THIS HESITATION OCCURRED BECAUSE THE VEHICLE WAS NEW, BUT AFTER 8,000 MILES, WE ARE STILL EXPERIENCING THE SAME ISSUE.) *TR

WHILE DRIVING TO MICHIGAN FROM ILLINOIS WHILE USING VEHICLE BUILD IN JBL NAVIGATION UNIT ON A NEWLY PURCHASED 2013 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER LIMITED WITH ONLY 300 MILES AT THE TIME, IN THE MIDDLE OF THE TRIP NAVIGATION UNIT REBOOTED/CRASHED AFTER COMING BACK UP THE PROGRAMMED DIRECTIONS WERE LOST, SINCE THIS NAVIGATION UNIT HAS A PROGRAMMED SAFETY FEATURE THE DESTINATION CANNOT BE RE-PROGRAMMED WHILE DRIVING, WE HAVE TO EXIT THE HIGHWAY AND STOP TO REPROGRAM THE DESTINATION AGAIN, ALSO THE SAME ISSUE HAPPENED ON THE WAY BACK. TOYOTA CUSTOMER SERVICE HAS BEEN CONTACTED AND THE CASE WAS OPEN (#1308280087) THEY ADVISE ME TO TAKE THE VEHICLE TO A DEALER, SO THE DEALER CAN CONTACT TOYOTA TECHNICIAN AND TRY TO ISOLATE AN ISSUE. SERVICE MANAGER CONTACTED THE TECHNICIAN WHO STATED THE PROBLEM HAS TO BE REPRODUCED; OTHERWISE THERE IS NOTHING THEY CAN DO. LOOKS LIKE THIS ISSUE ONLY HAPPENS ON LONG TRIPS, WHICH IS IMPOSSIBLE FOR THE DEALER TO REPRODUCE USING MY VEHICLE. TOYOTA CUSTOMER SERVICE HAS BEEN CONTACTED AGAIN ABOUT THE ISSUE; TOYOTA IS IGNORING THE PROBLEM THAT HAS BEEN REPORTED ON MULTIPLE FORUM SIDES AND UNWILLING TO WORK OUT A RESOLUTION BY DUPLICATING THE ISSUE IN-HOUSE. ALSO THE NAVIGATION UNIT DOES HAVE AN OUTDATED MAPS (HALF OF THE ADDRESSES THAT I HAVE ENTERED COULD NOT BE LOCATED) AND UPDATE IS NOT BEEN OFFERED AFTER THE COMPLAINT. JBL NAVIGATION SOFTWARE VERSION: 2.2.0 NAV ID: NQNA2011Q4. *TR

2013 Toyota Highlander Limited sunroof drains continue to back up and dump water into the front and rear cabin, causing electrical issues and mold if not addressed immediately. Also the factory-installed roof rack mounting holes allow water to enter the cabin, causing damage to the headliner, which could fall down while driving. Water also collects in the floorboards in both the front and rear and the third row. This water damage causes rust of metal parts on the seats and inside the cabin, which impacts the seat belts and seat hinge points. Toyota refuses to recall models with this issue and lets owners pay out of pocket for repairs while the issue continues to affect the electrical, braking, mold, rust, unprotected metal seat components, and more. This vehicle has been in the shop 4 times for this same issue in 2025 alone.