2017 Toyota Highlander problems
NHTSA has received 379 complaints about the 2017 Toyota Highlander, and 20% of them involve drivetrain & axles. After that come engine (13%) and electrical system (12%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 379 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Drivetrain & axles 20% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 35 and 2
- Injuries and deaths
- 38 and 0
- Typical mileage
- 20,000 miles 173 complaints with mileage
Source: NHTSA owner complaints
Where the complaints are
Share of this model year's complaints by the part of the car involved. One complaint can name more than one part, so the shares can add up to more than 100%.
When problems show up
View the numbers
| Mileage | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 0k to 20k miles | 79 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 48 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 25 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 14 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 1 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 4 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 1 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 1 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 0 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 0 |
| 200k+ miles | 0 |
What the data shows
Among the 173 complaints that report mileage, the typical (median) problem appeared at about 20,000 miles. For drivetrain & axles specifically, the median reported mileage is about 20,000 miles (25 complaints with mileage).
Safety-related details: 35 complaints mention a crash; 2 complaints mention a fire; 38 injuries reported.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 2017 ranks 7th most-complained-about out of 24 model years of the Toyota Highlander with enough data (242 complaints in that window). It is also covered by 3 safety recall campaigns.
What owners wrote
A few complaints as filed, shortened and with personal details removed. The first ones are among the most serious reports for this model year; the rest are typical.
Tl* the contact owns a 2017 toyota highlander. While the contact was seated in the front passenger seat, the driver fell asleep behind the wheel. Upon waking up, the driver attempted to depress the brake pedal, but the vehicle failed to stop. As a result, the vehicle crashed into a light pole and the air bags failed to deploy. The driver sustained injuries to the stomach, head, and neck. The contact sustained foot, chest, tongue, and neck injuries.
Tl* the contact owns a 2017 toyota highlander. The contact called on behalf of the driver and stated that another vehicle crashed into the front driver side of the driver's vehicle. The air bags failed to deploy. The driver sustained head injuries that required medical attention. The front passenger sustained leg injuries and the rear passenger also sustained head and neck injuries that required medical attention. The driver of the other vehicle also sustained injuries that required medical attention.
Car stalled has happened more than 5 times at parking lot - gas station - home - restaurant - car wash car has stopped while driving on main street 1 time
Purchased the highlander august 2017. September 2017 (8 weeks later) we returned home from an 35 mile trip and parked. I had to go back out about 30 minutes later. When I tried to start the vehicle I could not get the vehicle to start. Received a "brake power low, stop in a safe place" light. It took my husband 15 minutes to get the brake to release and be able to manually pull it to the up position so we could try to start it. The dealership was unable to recreate this incident.