2019 Toyota Highlander problems
NHTSA has received 656 complaints about the 2019 Toyota Highlander, and 32% of them involve drivetrain & axles. After that come fuel system (17%) and engine (11%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 656 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Drivetrain & axles 32% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 38 and 1
- Injuries and deaths
- 28 and 0
- Typical mileage
- 10,000 miles 203 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 | 143 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 17 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 12 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 12 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 11 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 1 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 5 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 1 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 1 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 0 |
| 200k+ miles | 0 |
What the data shows
Among the 203 complaints that report mileage, the typical (median) problem appeared at about 10,000 miles. For drivetrain & axles specifically, the median reported mileage is about 59,000 miles (30 complaints with mileage).
Safety-related details: 38 complaints mention a crash; 1 complaint mentions a fire; 28 injuries reported.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 2019 ranks 2nd most-complained-about out of 24 model years of the Toyota Highlander with enough data (396 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.
The contact owns a 2019 Toyota Highlander. The contact stated that while reversing out of a driveway, the vehicle began to jerk without warning. Once the contact reached the base of her driveway, the vehicle accelerated backward into a neighbor's tree. The air bags did not deploy upon impact. The contact called the ambulance where her daughter was transported to a hospital after she suffered a gash to the back of her head due to the accident.
Me and my family were leaving a hotel in tarrytown ny. I parked the car: toyota highlander 2019 outside, helped my wife and 21-month baby into the back seat and had to put something in the trunk but it was locked. In that moment the car was in park with the engine running; the ground was not steep at all: 5-10 degrees the most. I took out the key from ignition to go open the trunk with the button from the remote. Suddenly the car started rolling backwards with my wife and kid in the back seat.
The entire voice guidance system is inoperative on my one week old 2019 highlander hybrid platinum. No audible voice or beeps with navigation assist, no phone assist,, no eyes-free assist, no driver announce to rear cabin voice, no entertainment system voice assist. This is a safety hazard eliminating hands free driving, and no navigation guidance. I was on unfamiliar roads in the dark of night, alone, unable to operate necessary equipment which proved to be unreliable.
Vehicle intermittently chugs and stalls at low speeds. Which results in poor fuel mileage. Vehicle has also stalled 3 other occasions without chugging and not in motion, all 3 times was while at a stop light or while attempting to turn. Looses power without engine mil light dealership indicated the hybrid system has overheated 4 times with no ability to duplicate. Vehicle also has had the stereo flip through numerous screens without being touched.