2024 Toyota Grand Highlander: What to check before buying

Most of these reports are about recall 24V461000. Under that recall, the curtain airbags on both sides may not deploy as intended in certain crashes if the front windows are down. The main complaint is the wait for a fix. Owners describe months with no remedy, and dealers confirmed the parts were not available. One owner was told the recall had been completed when it had not. Separately, one crash report with an injury says the side airbags did not deploy in a T-bone collision.

Power cuts out without warning when pulling away from a stop. The car creeps or stalls for several seconds, then surges with high revs. Some owners also report hard shifts or limp mode. Many describe near collisions while entering traffic, often on hot days with the A/C on high, and no warning lights come on. Software updates under service bulletins have not fixed it for several owners, and dealers often cannot reproduce it. Front CV axles also click when turning under power. Bulletin TSB 0082-24 covers this, and owners report the noise coming back after replacement.

The instrument cluster can go blank, so the driver loses the speed and warning displays. This is covered by recall 25V595000, dealer code 25TA08. Some owners report cars sitting at the dealer for about three months while waiting for the remedy. The center screen also goes black at random and sometimes reboots only after a restart. Radio volume can drop out completely. Other reports cover a fuel gauge that reads empty when the tank takes only about 12 gallons, a phone key that stopped working, and a key fob the car could not detect.

The fuel tank will not take a full fill. Owners say they can pump only about 11 to 12 gallons at empty, against a listed capacity of 17.2 gallons, so the real range per tank falls well short of what they expected. Some report fuel splashing back out when they try to add more. Repeat dealer visits have not fixed it. The second pattern is a strong gasoline vapor smell after driving in hot weather, strong enough to fill a garage. Dealers blame the heat. A few owners also report the car will not accelerate from a stop for about five seconds.

The accelerator goes dead after a stop. Owners describe several seconds with no response and then a sudden surge, which leaves them stranded in intersections or while pulling into traffic. Reports point to hot days, slight inclines, and shifts from reverse to drive. No warning lights or codes appear, and dealers rarely reproduce the problem. A software update did not fix it for at least one owner. Hybrid models show up in many of these reports. One owner reports sudden acceleration while parking, with brakes that did not respond on the first press.

Two problems dominate. First, the front axles pop, click, or knock during turns. Some owners also feel a wobble or vibration near the driver's pedals. Dealers have replaced CV axles as early as 2,162 miles and again around 20,000. Second, owners report a deep, booming bass noise inside the cabin on bumpy roads below about 40 to 50 mph. It causes ear pressure, headaches, and nausea. Dealers sometimes hear it but call it normal for the design. One owner reports the car pulling to one side even after repeated alignments.

The rear edge of the hood near the windshield flutters at speed. The flutter usually starts above 40 to 50 mph and gets worse in wind. The moving metal flickers sunlight into the driver's eyes, and one owner reports being briefly blinded on an interstate. Dealers can reproduce it but call it normal and say there is no fix. Other reports include rear liftgate glass that shattered on its own and a hood support rod hot enough to burn fingers.

Turning left or right causes a loud clicking, popping, or knocking that stops once the wheel is straight. Dealers trace it to the front CV axles under service bulletin T-SB-0082-24 and replace them. For some owners the noise comes back. One report says it got worse by 47k miles, and some owners are on a third set of axles. No warning lights come on. Owners worry that a failed joint could cause loss of control.