2018 Toyota Highlander Complaint Log

Brake Booster did not work. We were almost in 2 wrecks due to it taking longer to stop the vehicle. The dealer finally fixed it after I paid over $1500. They didn't care about how this was a known defect in 2018 Toyota Highlanders and took forever to identify and fix. No one has looked at it since just got it back today. Once the brake light went on the dash board I brought it in. I did wait one day when it went off, but once it came back on again I was going to, but then was scared when it didn't come on and then I could barely stop.

My vehicle has codes C1253 and C1256. These codes are associated with faulty brake actuators, a well documented issue in Highlanders. Faulty brake actuators can cause problems with braking, which can put my safety and the safety of others at risk.

My 2018 Highlander Transmission (8 speed model UA80) began a whine noise characteristic of Customer Support Bulletin POL19-04 when the vehicle hit 101k miles. Toyota performed an inspection on 8/9/2024 and recommends full transmission + transfer case replacement. The dealer confirmed also confirmed the issue is characteristic of POL19-04, but because the vehicle was manufactured 6-months after vehicles bracketed in POL19-04 (based on the transmission serial number) it is not included in the support program therefore not covered. Toyota UA80 transmissions have continued to have this issue (example - T-SB-0008-21 for '21 UA80 transmission). While Toyota acknowledges replacement of transmission is necessary to maintain a safe drivetrain, no customer-facing error messages are evident. Also note - transmission fluid has been maintained only using Toyota's recommended Fluid (Toyota branded WS ATF) at Toyota's specified intervals.

The contact owns a 2018 Toyota Highlander. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, and it was determined that there was low compression in cylinder #1. The contact was informed that the engine was damaged and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, a case was opened, and the contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 61,000.

As I was returning to my house and about to pull into our garage I was driving very slowly, riding the brake in fact. I was going less than 1 mph but as I first entered the garage my car engine suddenly roared very loudly and sped inside. I pressed as hard as I could on the brakes and the car skidded towards the left and slammed into the garage wall. I firmly believe that the only thing that kept my car from traveling farther was the garage door frame. Between my braking and then turning off the engine, I came to a stop. There were skid marks on the pavement at the garage entrance from the hard braking and both the driver's door and the passenger door on that side were severely damaged. The car was now angled to the left and not pointed straight into the garage as it should have been. At no time did I press on the accelerator.

The fuel pump system is malfunctioning. This vehicle needs to be part of the current recall on 2018 Highlanders with fuel pump issues. This is putting me and my family at risk, as well as others. The code is coming back to the fuel pump. The check engine light is currently on.

My vehicle is stalling when driving and other Toyota Highlanders of same model and year were/are having the same issue and have been recalled for the fuel pump. Having my vehicle stall when driving in the busy highways of Texas are very dangerous especially when some speed limits go up to 80mph. The problem has been reproduced and witnessed by a mechanic. The Toyota dealership stated that my VIN is not included in the recall so they could not fix it. There was no warning before the first time my vehicle stalled while driving in the highway. Unsure of how dealerships only stick to just the specific VINs that are effected when other VINs of the same model and year are having the same issue but are not willing to fix the issue.

On a trip to NC on June 27 2024, then on to Hilton Head SC on 6/29, multiple system warning lights suddenly appeared on the dash including ABS, Lane Departure Warning, BSM, notifying me that those safety features were not available on the vehicle. Sometimes the the lights would disappear, especially if the vehicle was stopped and the engine was turned off at a rest area. Because the check engine light was not lit, I continued to our NC destination. We continued our trip on 6/29 to Hilton Head, and the lights continued to appear, sometimes staying on for an hour or more. I called my Binghamton NY Toyota dealer who advised me to have the problem looked. I was able to have the car seen at Savannah Toyota (GA) where they diagnosed the problem as an issue with rust and debris on the left front speed sensor. I had the recommended service performed. The service report says that I requested replacing the ABS sensor, which is totally false, because I had no idea what the problem was, I just wanted it fixed. The part was ordered and replaced the next morning. All the lights were back on the next day when I drove back from Savannah to Hilton Head. I did not have time to go back to the dealer, but did notify the service manager of the situation. I drove the vehicle back to NY with the warning lights on (most of the time). I now have a service appt with my local dealer on 7/9/24 to determine the next step.

The contact owns a 2018 Toyota Highlander. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the accelerator pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed with transmission failure. The contact was informed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but provided no assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 130,000.

Driver side seat belt is difficult to pull out and often does not retract properly. This is a safety issue for the driver. Issue has been seen by local Toyota dealer who can confirm the problem. Stated that it will require a $500 repair, replacing the entire retractable unit of the driver side seatbelt system.

Transaxle/Transmission failed at approx 67000 Miles. Emits a whining sound, very similar to symptoms as other transaxle/transmissions from model yr 2017 covered by the manufacturer for replacement of transaxle/transmission. This vehicle, model year 2018, is not covered by the existing transaxle/transmission replacement program, as explained by the dealership. Yet reviewing many forums, it is said that many of the later 2017/2018 Highlanders received the same transaxle/transmissions as the model year 2017 covered for replacement by the manufacturer, hence they exhibit the same symptoms when they fail. Estimated cost to replace the transaxle/transmission by the dealership $ 8000.00. The manufacturer needs to step up.

Whining noise from transmission on 2018 Toyota Highlander XLE model . Toyota has acknowledged this on large numbers of vehicles manufactured during the same year (TSB-0160-18). They have a voluntary recall for some of these vehicles during this year (2018), but not all of them. The transmission can fail which would cause the vehicle to stop running. On a highway or busy road, this presents a very large danger to both the vehicle occupants and also other people on the road. The vehicle has been inspected by both the dealership an an independent transmission shop and identified as the same transmission issue. Toyota will not correct this issue other than to say the transmission needs to be replaced as it will fail at some point in time. No other warning indicators other than the whining sound from the transmission. The symptoms appeared around 48700 miles on the vehicle.

Driving along [XXX] in Alabama to Mississippi, the Highlander completely shut off - the dash & radio were blank. The steering wheel locked up. Luckily there was no vehicles behind or beside us when this happened. Within seconds, the truck came back on. 15 minutes prior, we were sitting in a parking lot to eat lunch & while in idle, the truck shuddered a few times, like the gas pedal was pressed. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Transmission developed whine at 64,000 miles similar to the whine/issues experienced for customers covered under Toyota's ZJC Customer Support Program. My VIN was not in the range of impacted units, but had the same issue/failure.

The contact owns a 2018 Toyota Highlander. The contact stated while driving at approximately 45 MPH, and later at various speeds, the Forward Collision Avoidance failed to operate properly. The contact was unable to turn off the system. The contact stated that under certain driving conditions, while driving and following a curve in the roadway, the system would activate and start braking the vehicle, even though there was no danger of a frontal collision. The contact stated that the failure was persistent. The contact had not taken the vehicle to a dealer or an independent mechanic. The vehicle had not been repaired. The contact wanted the ability to turn the feature of the Pre-collision System off. The manufacturer was informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 79,000.

The vehicle started having a whining noise in the transmission around 60,000 mi we took it to the Toyota dealership they said they couldn't hear anything He called Toyota itself The customer support program several times they have neglected it and it's getting worse

My son and his friends were involved in a collision and the air bags did not deploy

The contact owns a 2018 Toyota Highlander. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds and attempting to accelerate, the transmission whined abnormally loud. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the transmission needed to be replaced due to internal failures. The vehicle was not repaired because the warranty had expired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure by the local dealer. The failure mileage was approximately 107,000.

The contact owns a 2018 Toyota Highlander. The contact stated while driving 60 MPH, the Brake warning light illuminated, the contact observed a beeping noise coming from the instrument panel. Additionally, the messages "Braking Power Low - Stop in a safe place - See Owner's Manual” were displayed. The contact steered to the side of the vehicle where the vehicle was placed in Park (P) and the beeping ceased. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic to check the brake fluid, which was normal. The contact stated that the failure reoccurred approximately three times. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 77,000.

DRIVING DOWN THE STREET WHEN AN ALARM WENT OFF STATING "BRAKING POWER LOW" AND TO "STOP IMMEDIATELY". VEHICLE TO BE TOWED AND TAKEN TO LOCAL CAR DEALERSHIP. OVER THE PHONE, THE DEALERSHIP CLAIMS NO BRAKING ELEMENT HAS BEEN RECALLED FOR MY PARTICULAR VEHICLE, HOWEVER OTHER HIGHLANDERS FROM THE SAME YEAR MODEL WERE RECALLED FOR BRAKING ISSUES (VACUUM PUMP.) HAVE BEEN HAVING ISSUES WITH THE "START/STOP SYSTEM MALFUNCTION" ALARM GOING OFF AS WELL FOR SEVERAL MONTHS, BUT DEALERSHIP STATES IT WILL NOT AFFECT THE DRIVABILITY OF THE VEHICLE.

I’ve always had issues with my breaks since I purchased my car. Today when I tried to turn on my car I received a message stating breaking power low. I did not have that issue last night nor had I seen it before. My car will not start

My transmission started making a whine sound upon acceleration, and at times hesitation of acceleration (inconsistent). Toyota Service identified the issue in 2018 as a defective part from manufacturing and related in the repair notice to Toyota Service Bulletin TSB-160-18 which states certain Highlanders (my year and model) have an issue with a defective part in the transaxle/transmission. Toyota issued an extended warranty for the problem in 2020 (unlimited miles for coverage). I was then told that it then DIDN'T apply to my VIN, even tho it was the problem diagnosed by a Toyota service technician associated with the TSB above, so they wouldn't cover thru the extended warranty. Told me that I have to pay for a new transmission over $9,000. My understanding (I cannot verify) that the initial service bulletin was expanded to cover more models in 2021, then removed the extended warranty, and did not issue a recall. Apparently Toyota is aware of a serious transmission problem caused by a defective part, and it is wider issue. This needs to be addressed as it is a significant hazard and danger Toyota is aware of, and not the cause of normal and expected wear and tear. I need help addressing this with TOyota and want to be sure the problem gets fixed before injuries occur. Toyota has multiple bulletins in the NHTSA data for this issue from before and after this issued bulletin demonstrating on ongoing issue. I tried to upload the TSB and the repair documentation but your system is not allowing

Transmission, whine rough shifting issues. Yes can be looked at. Tough to hear over the noise, harder to know when its going to change gears and increase speed due to slow/intermittent gear shifts. Yes they have a TSB from Toyota that descript the issue and Toyota has extend some vins warranty's for this issue but not for all affect vehicles apparently. No, not by any of those. Yes DTC have come on for awd system issues. Frist appear at 90K.

The windshield has warps and creates blurry vision. Glass has been replaced 3 times so far from Toyota Dealership and issue continues to be there. Car has been in service for a month now. Glass manufacturer: Pilkington

The contact owns a 2018 Toyota Highlander. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the brake warning light illuminated, and a message was displayed alerting the driver to a fault with the braking system. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who determined that the brake pads and rotors needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was then taken to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed a failure with the brake assist vacuum pump. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related it to NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V211000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic) however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 33,000.

I bought my car used. Only had it for 3years and already had to replace the battery twice. Once I was stopped at light turning left, yield to oncoming traffic, since my foot was on brakes battery just dyed in middle of light, police had to come made sure I didn't get hit. 2nd time car cut off at McDonald's drive thru and battery went dead again. Something is wrong with batteries that make them go bad, n it's unsafe bc I've got stranded twice in not.so good places..

My relatives remembered the 2002-2011 recall of 80,000 Toyotas, 90 deaths due to unintended acceleration and said that seems exactly what happened to me last month. NEAR FATAL COLLISION DUE TO STICKY PEDAL 2018 Toyota Highlander 10/10 Slowly backed out of parking space in large, empty commercial lot: sunny day, 3pm  Tapped pedal into Drive  Car sped off at 50+mph with my foot off pedal  Sped around lot for approximately 3minutes  Holding brake down and down-shifting did nothing except cause sheer terror with my uncontrollable vehicle  Hit pole and vehicle came to a stop after near-complete destruction of passenger-side bumper  No injury except sheer mental terror  No witnesses DO NOT Blame the victim. Dealer says all-weather floormat could never have been or be involved.

10/10 Tapped pedal into Drive: Toyota Highlander 2018 Car sped off at 50mph with my foot on brake for 3 minutes Holding brake down and down-shifting did nothing Vehicle stopped when it hit a pole destroying passenger-side fender and bumper Airbag did not deploy Unintended acceleration/sticky pedal as reported early this century when Toyota recalled 80,000 vehicles. On 11/17/2023 an ER or Black Box four hour test/investigation was performed and I was told I would have results 12/28. Zero! When I telephone to report I was supposed to have EDR test results in 30 days, the operator (not the unreachable quality control personnel) tells me, "Well review of your crash results could take longer than 30 days." need to have a safe car to drive to work but this one has a potentially deadly defect. I have completed the inspection of your vehicle. Inspection report from Bosch to Toyota below: Please find three files attached to this email: 1) EDR FAQ_2.0.PDF "Frequently Asked Questions" related to the information in the Event Data Recorder (the Air Bag Control unit's digital memory). 2) [XXX]_ACM.PDF The Event Data from your vehicle in PDF form, this file will open on your computer. 3) [XXX]_ACM.CDRx This file contains the same information as Item #2, but it is a special format that will not display on your computer. It is sent to you so you will have the raw data for the #2 file above. I am not trained to interpret this data for you. The engineers will interpret this data and respond to you with their findings within 30 business days. 3 Attachments • Scanned by Gmail INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Driving on I75 at 75mph, while trying to adjust the steering wheel, as soon I unlocked steering wheel lock and put the steering all the way to lowest position it just stalled on highway. Lucky enough I was alone and was able to pull over safely. There is seriously something wrong with steering wheel electrical or ignition system or something with else.

These are Toyo Open Country P245/55 R19 tires that have been on my car from 10/23/2020 to now and have 54,600 miles on them. Remaining tire tread depth on this tire was measured using a machinists rule at 6/32" or 4.5 mm deep. The drivers front tire looked fine on my car during a general pre-inspection I did at 6:45 AM as I loaded the car with our luggage for a 7 day drive trip to Florida (app 920 miles). I will advise that I did not look at this tire in great detail during this check - just quick look to see if anything stood out that I needed to be concerned about for the drive. The drivers side front tire went flat after backing straight down a 60' long driveway. I removed the tire with the car in the street and took it to the tire shop where I bought these tires. The tire shop guys found several cracks about 1/2" long or longer in this one spot in the tire sidewall at the start of the tread. They had no idea why it cracked like that and had reported that they had not seen cracks like that in that location before in any tire. I had them pull the tire off the rim and put a plug/patch in it so I could get the car back up the driveway to repack our Florida luggage in the other car. No other tires show this cracking issue. I will replace the tires on 9/11/2023 with new tires. The tire could have blown out on I-10 at speeds of 70-75 MPH due to the almost immediate loss of air pressure due to the crack. There was absolutely no indication of any issues with this tire (or the other 3 tires) prior to backing down the driveway and the tire going flat. I was blessed that the tire lost pressure quickly just backing down the driveway and not on the Interstate highway. I drive the car - no one else. The tires have not been abused during the period they were installed. I rotate the tires every 10,000 miles. I do car PM on a 6 week schedule to avoid any such auto issues. I had just completed a PM about 1 week prior to this tire issue with all found OK.

Three weeks ago, I took my vehicle to Fred Haas Toyota Dealer in Spring, TX and they informed me that my driver axle needed replacement. My service advisor has now given me three ETAs on when the part will be delivered. Today, he mentioned that there is a nationwide back order on the part and suspects that many highlanders are experiencing the same problem

S.R.S malfunction error message due to open circuit in the left front door harness. Active DTC (S) B1697 code which is related to lost communication with side airbag sensor LH is present in the vehicle. Toyota is refusing to address the issue because it is not part of a covered warranty and there are no open recall on this issue. This is a safety issue in that in the event of an accident, the airbag will not deploy which could be catastrophic.

This Toyota Highlander XLE 2018 was bought new in 2018. Lately in 8/23 started seeing on the dash a "BRAKE" light that comes on and off while driving. 2 weeks later, starting seeing a warning sign saying "Braking Power Low" and a message underneath saying"STOP in safe place". Took it to Toyota dealer twice so far and they could not duplicate the issue ( maybe they did not drive it for enough time). They said also that no error history was retrieved, even though I had shown them video and pictures of the errors when happened. This warning signs has been happening intermittently after driving ~7-10 miles or 10-20 minutes on the road. I have searched on line and found some similar issues and even a recalls for the same issue on some 2018 models of Toyota, Lexus, and Highlander. They said some cars were recalled but not all. I serched for recall on my Highlander and found none. Here some search sites: [XXX] [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Was hit in the side in passenger door, which pushed my car off the road and hit a tree head on going approximately 40 mph. NO Airbags deployed anywhere in the car. I took pictures of entire interior and also a video showing no airbag deployment. Police, fire and first responders and completely shocked that no airbags deployed. Injuries occurred, thank fully no life threatening. However had the airbags deployed as they should have, and why we chose to buy this vehicle in the first place, those injuries could have been minimalized. If you need any additional info, please let me know. Toyota needs to be made aware of this.

The contact owns a 2018 Toyota Highlander. The contact stated while driving 65 MPH, the "Brake Power Low" message was displayed. The contact stated that the brake pedal was firm before pulling over to the side of the roadway. The contact shut off the vehicle however, the vehicle failed to restart. The contact had the vehicle jumpstarted. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and the contact was informed that the brake booster and the vacuum pump had malfunctioned. The contact was informed that the brake booster, master cylinder, and vacuum pump needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, and a case was filed. The failure mileage was 29,000.

While traveling down the Rocky Mountains, we experienced a gradual loss of braking. It took extreme pressure on the brake pedal to slow the vehicle. At this point there were no warning lights. Later down the road, the same thing occured again and a BRAKE warning light illuminated. Traffic was light and the incline was slight which prevented an almost certain accident. We limped the vehicle to the dealer. The diagnosis was a Brake Booster failure. This is a 5 year old vehicle with only 57,000 miles! I have never had a booster failure on any vehicle in my life. This booster should be designed to last the life of the vehicle since it is part of such a critical safety system on this vehicle. The failed component was kept by the dealer.

2018 Toyota Highlander braking power low warning light came on twice. Mechanic determined it is the brake vacuum booster pump which can cause the brakes to fail to stop the vehicle. This was a recall on some of the 2018 manufactured Highlanders but not all. Many are now failing like mine. I have had it replaced luckily before a major accident and serious injury. Toyota knows of issues but will not recall without NJTSA direction EVEN THOUGH CRASHES MAY HAPPEN.

I was involved In a rear collision that then pushed me into a front end collision. The airbags and seat belts did not deploy or lock.

I was driving about to merge onto the highway and a warning low brake power light started beeping and appeared on the dashboard.

Hard downshift striking fear!

Braking to stop at a traffic light then all of the sudden the car stalls with Braking Power Low message. The car won't even start for me to pull aside to a safe place. This is the second time this happened within 2 years so I decided to put a complaint in.

The transmission had a growling noise at low speeds. The dealer said that a new transmission is needed. Online complaints show that a badly designed transmission is failing very early in this vehicle and a class action lawsuit was filed because of this transmission.

The windshield in our 2018 Highlander suffered three cracks before we finally had the windshield replaced. According to the company that performed the repair, we are one of many Highlander customers that have had these issues. We know that rocks were the cause, but the number of incidents appear to be higher than normal. To avoid having another problem, we added a protective coating to our windshield at an additional cost of $600. We assume this to be one of many incidents, and want it to be known that this appears to be a defect in glass specification and/or manufacturing.

I was traveling down the road, when a car hit my car in the back passenger door. My car was pushed onto the curb and it hit a tree. My car was totaled and it was a hit and run. The air bags didn't go off and my dad and I were hurt. I reported it to Toyota and the car was put on hold be the insurance company. There were no warning lights and the emergency stop didn't work. the car had 15000 on it and it was inspected in Jan. 2022.

A car hit me on the back passenger door. My car was pushed to the curb where I hit a tree and the air bags didn't go off. My dad was injured bad.

UNKNOWN We have had the vehicle for just over 2 years and out of the blue we get a SRS airbag warning indicator that says visit the dealership. The dealership says that it is $2300 to repair a wiring harness that they Are unsure of the location though. The vehicle has 86,000 miles on it which is 26,000 miles over coverage for that part. In my opinion this is the part that should not fill this early and should still be covered. Much less the SRS components should never fail. We are forced to drive with a warning indicator that comes on every five seconds and blocks all the other information.

The contact owns a 2018 Toyota Highlander. The contact stated that while his wife was driving at an undisclosed speed, the brake pedal was depressed and she experienced a spongy brake pedal. The brake warning light was illuminated and the Power Failure to Brake System message was displayed. Additionally, the vehicle made an abnormal sound while the brake pedal was depressed. The brakes failed to stop the vehicle immediately which nearly caused a collision. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the brake master cylinder needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V211000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic) however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The failure mileage was approximately 27,000.

I have a power steering warning light. Steering is harder than normal. I believe this vehicle is having the same power steering problem that Toyota Tundra and sequoias are having. I want it to be recalled and paid for by the manafacturer. This is ridiculous a well maintained vehicle.

Vehicle will not start. "brake pressure low" message appears on instrument panel. The truck will be sent to the dealer. Brakes worked fine previously and brake fluid is at maximum level.

The contact owns a 2018 Toyota Highlander. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost motive power after coming to a full stop at a traffic light. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and the dealer; however, the mechanic and the dealer were unable to duplicate the failure. The contact related the failure to a faulty Auto Start/Stop feature. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 50,000.