2019 Toyota Highlander: What to check before buying

Transmission failure dominates these reports. A whining or grinding noise under acceleration, which fades off the throttle, often comes first. Rough shifts from Park to Drive, slipping, or high revs with little movement may also come first. Many cars then refuse to go into gear and must be towed, sometimes from busy intersections. Failures cluster between roughly 79,000 and 133,000 miles, often with no warning light beforehand. Dealers typically recommend a full replacement, quoted at $9,000 to over $11,000, and several owners say replacement transmissions are on restricted order.

Sudden loss of power is the core complaint. The engine either stalls or keeps running while the car will not accelerate. Warnings for check engine, AWD, pre-collision and the hybrid system may appear, often on highways or mid-turn. Dealers usually trace it to the fuel pump, which a recall covers for some VINs but not others. Several owners say stalling continued after the recall pump was installed, and some cases come from cars with very low mileage. Other complaints include replaced fuel injectors, fuel spilling at the pump after the recall repair, and an inaccurate fuel gauge.

Most entries concern the fuel pump recall rather than new failures. Owners report receiving recall notices only to learn that dealers had no parts, and several say the wait exceeded a reasonable time. When failures do occur, the car jerks, loses power and stalls, sometimes at highway speed and sometimes with a check engine light. It then restarts after a pause. A few owners say the problem returned after the pump was replaced, and others seek reimbursement for repairs.

Stalling and sudden power loss lead this group. The car stops accelerating in traffic or at intersections, a string of warnings appears (hybrid system malfunction, pre-collision, check engine, ABS), and steering can turn heavy. Three crashes involve surging at parking speeds where braking reportedly did not stop the car. The startup speaker screech returns here, with flashing SOS lights, and the outcome is DCM replacement or backordered parts. Owners also report dead 12V batteries, random shutoffs, a resetting radio head unit, and door locks that stop working.

Many entries here describe transmission or fuel-pump faults filed under the engine. Transmission cases show the familiar whining under acceleration, revving with little movement, and loss of drive and reverse, between about 80,000 and 110,000 miles. Fuel-related cases involve stalling in traffic with check engine and hybrid system warnings, fuel pressure codes such as P0087 and P107B, and fuel pump replacement. Smaller groups cite high idle that makes the SUV lurch off the brake, a dead zone in the accelerator pedal, repeated battery drain, and one low-speed surge into a garage railing.

The main concern is airbags that fail to deploy in frontal and side impacts. Eight of these reports involve crashes at speeds around 25 to 45 mph, including T-bone collisions and a rollover. Injuries include a concussion and head trauma. Several cars show an SRS airbag malfunction warning with no crash history, and one owner reports seatbelts not registering as buckled. Dealers often reset the module without a lasting fix. One report describes a rear airbag deploying while driving with no impact.

Sunroof glass shattering at speeds from 30 to 65 mph is the most repeated problem, with no object striking it. In several cases a closed sunshade kept glass off occupants. Loud wind noise at speed is another theme, and owners say dealers called it a design flaw with no working fix. Other reports cover water leaking into the cabin near electrical components, a front bumper that keeps popping loose, and doors unlocking when the tailgate opens. Three crash reports describe the SUV rolling away or lunging forward, and one rollaway dragged and injured the driver.

The most serious pattern is power steering that stops assisting. Reports describe an EPS failure warning with a wheel that will not turn, steering that briefly resists at low speed, and a wheel that seizes when the engine stalls. All of these come from low-mileage cars. Other owners cite constant drift to the left despite repeated alignments and unpredictable response during highway lane changes. In one crash, the car stopped abruptly in a parking lot with a blown tire and a wheel at an odd angle, injuring the driver.

The most common complaint is hesitation when pulling away. The SUV lags from a stop or after slowing for a corner, which makes merging and crossing traffic risky. In one case the lag comes with stalling and hybrid system and pre-collision warnings. Two crash reports describe sudden acceleration at parking speed, both with injuries, and one is blamed on the pedal catching the floor mat. Owners also report adaptive cruise control accelerating toward a car ahead in snow before warning that the front sensor was not working.