Owners have filed 33 complaints with NHTSA about this car, most about the transmission, body and structure, and fuel system. The 9 checks below target those problems, in the order you would do them at the car.
2025Tick items off on your phone at the car, or print it. Ticks stay on this device.
0/9 checked
2025 Toyota Grand Highlander: inspection sheet
Before you go, or before you touch the car0/3
Engine off, key in hand0/2
Ask the seller not to warm the car up first0/1
At least 20 minutes, with some highway0/3
These checks are specific to this model year. For tires, body panels, fluids, and the other basics every used car needs, use the general inspection guide.
Nearby years usually share most parts, so their problems are worth checking on this car too.
Worth adding to your 2025 checks
EPA figures for each version of the 2025 Toyota Grand Highlander. Use them to confirm you are looking at the version that was advertised, and as a yardstick on the test drive.
| Version | Drive | EPA rating |
|---|---|---|
| 2.4L 4-cylGas | AWD, FWD | 23–24 mpg |
| 2.4L 4-cylHybrid | AWD | 27 mpg |
| 2.5L 4-cylHybrid | AWD, FWD | 34–36 mpg |
NHTSA complaints for the 2025 Toyota Grand Highlander, grouped by the part owners named. Open a row to read what goes wrong.
Hesitation and power loss lead the reports. Drivers describe stuttering, lurching, and violent shaking at a stop, a few seconds with no acceleration when pulling away, and rough shifts out of first gear. One hybrid lost power on a highway and went into limp mode, and in another report the engine shut off. Dealers often cannot duplicate the fault, and a firmware update has not always cured it. Separate complaints cite a clicking front drive shaft on low-speed turns and a front axle failure. One parked car crept forward about five inches with nobody in the driver's seat.
Hood flutter at highway speed comes up in two of the four reports. The vibration sits right in the driver's line of sight, and dealers have not found a repair. One owner says a dealer refused to apply a 2024 hood service bulletin to the 2025, even though the part number is the same. A sunroof also burst outward at 55 mph with under 9k miles, and coverage was denied. A separate leak drips water from the top of the windshield onto the steering wheel and dashboard and continues after dealer visits.
The fuel gauge reads empty while several gallons remain in the tank. All three reports describe fill-ups of roughly 11 to 14 gallons when distance to empty shows 0 miles, against a published capacity of about 17 gallons. That cuts usable range to 350-365 miles per tank in one case and means more stops for gas. A dealer called this normal and said there is no fix. Owners worry the misleading gauge could strand a driver, but none report running out of fuel.
Driver-assist faults come up in one report. The rear camera image shows but the back-over warning tone stays silent, adaptive cruise control shows as unavailable, and automatic braking engages on its own more than once. The dealer could not duplicate the problem, and the instrument cluster had been replaced shortly before. The other report covers missing puddle lamp wire connectors in both front doors, which the owner does not consider a safety issue. With only 2 complaints, no broad pattern is visible.
Excerpts from complaints Grand Highlander owners filed with NHTSA, as written. Listen for the same symptoms on your test drive.
The car was running perfect, 9 months after I bought this car, before 20,000 miles Front Left Axle become defective, and therefore, the dealer promised to reemplaced it, but I am still waiting from the dealer. It is a big risk to runs the car like that.
Filed with NHTSA, February 2026
Poor acceleration from 0 to 40. Vehicle will start shuttering at a dead stop. The engine has shut off once with this issue. It happened around 4800 miles.
Filed with NHTSA, October 2025
On 11/02/2025 with the cruise at 55mph all glass closed. Heater on with no vehicles around, the sunroof exploded. It pushed up from the inside. With less than 9k miles on the vehicle. It took my dealer 8 days to look at it then Toyota denied the warranty. Then Quoted me over $2,100 to replace. This vehicle isn't safe to drive as told to me from the dealer.
Filed with NHTSA, November 2025
The 2024 and 2025 Toyota Grand Highlander has excessive hood shaking and vibration at the rear of the vehicle. It is directly under the projection area of the windshield and directs your attention to the movement. At highway speeds the shaking is excessive. Toyota has not been able to find a repair for this issue.
Filed with NHTSA, March 2025
The car only accepts 11-13 gallons of gas when refueling an empty tank despite the advertised 17.2 gallon capacity. I believe this is a fuel gauge or DTE system problem. I’ve seen many many similiar complaints on the forums. Fuel gauge issue could leave drivers stranded on the road.
Filed with NHTSA, August 2025
The entire life of the car from initial purchase the fuel gauge is incorrect. The car has a 17 gallon gas tank and the fuel gauge is calibrated to around 13 gallons. The car thinks it is out of gas around 13 gallons when there is actually 4 more gallons left.
Filed with NHTSA, January 2026
Missing the wire connector for the puddle lamp installation? although not a safety issue, would like to bring this to attention; wire connectors (and wires) missing on both driver and passenger doors? Not sure if this was a factory oversight, or an error in original wiring diagram of Toyota? If so, there could be other wires missing in the vehicle as well. Hopefully Toyota will look into this and propose a fix for their customers. Thank you
Filed with NHTSA, June 2025
Complaints for this year next to the average for the other model years, area by area.
The 2025 has the fewest owner complaints of the 2 Grand Highlander years we cover, well under the average of the others. Newer years have had less time to collect complaints, so compare like with like.
Recall repairs are free at any Toyota dealer, but the seller may never have had them done. Check each campaign number against the VIN.
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2022-2026 Toyota, Lexus, and Subaru Solterra vehicles equipped with a Panoramic View Monitor (PVM) system. Please see the recall report for a complete list of models. A software error may cause the rearview camera to freeze or display a blank screen when the vehicle is in reverse. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 111, "Rear Visibility.".
Risk: A rearview camera that fails to display an image can reduce the driver's view behind the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will update the parking assist software, free of charge. Owner letters were mailed January 2, 2026. Owners may contact Toyota's customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's numbers for this recall are 25TB13 and 25LB06. Subaru's number for this recall is WRE25.
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2023-2024 Toyota Venza, 2023-2025 RAV4 Prime, RAV4, Highlander, GR Corolla, Crown, 2024-2025 Lexus TX, LS, Toyota Tacoma, Grand Highlander, and 2025 Lexus RX, Toyota Crown Signia, Camry, RAV 4 Plug-in Hybrid (PHEV), and 4 Runner vehicles. Due to an error in the instrument panel software at vehicle startup, the instrument panel may fail to display vehicle speed, brake system, and tire pressure warning lights.
Risk: An instrument panel display that does not show critical information can increase the risk of a crash or injury.
Fix: Dealers will update the instrument panel software for non-PHEV vehicles, free of charge. For PHEV vehicles, dealers will inspect the instrument panel assembly, and either replace it, or update the software, free of charge. Owner letters were mailed December 5, 2025. Owners may contact Toyota's customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's numbers for this recall are 25TB08 and 25TA08. Lexus' numbers for this recall are 25LB05 and 25LA05.
Cars shoppers compare with the Toyota Grand Highlander, with their own 2025 checklists.
2025 owner complaints, side by side
