2021 Toyota Highlander: What to check before buying

A high-pitched whine from the 8-speed automatic is the main complaint. Owners hear it when accelerating and sometimes when slowing. It usually shows up after the 60,000-mile warranty ends, with reports from about 60,000 to 127,000 miles. Dealers typically call for a full transmission replacement, with quotes up to $11,000. Many reports cite Toyota bulletin T-SB-0008-21, which links the noise to worn pinion shafts in the front carrier. Slipping, harsh shifts, and hesitation also come up. Two crash reports describe the SUV rolling away after the engine was shut off without the transmission in park.

On hybrid models, braking briefly fades and the SUV surges forward before the brakes catch again. Drivers notice it most when braking lightly downhill, in turns, through roundabouts, and in stop-and-go traffic. Dealers often can't reproduce the surge or call it normal hybrid behavior. Toyota bulletin T-SB-0059-23 provides a brake actuator software update, but some owners say recalibration did not fix it for good. Two crash reports describe brakes failing during unwanted acceleration. Brake shudder traced to the rotors appears as early as 12,000 miles.

Most complaints concern recall 23V865000, which warns that the front passenger air bag may not deploy in a crash. The recall opened in December 2023. Owners report waiting more than a year, some 21 months, because dealers have no parts. Many say they worry about carrying passengers while they wait. Separately, several crash reports say the air bags did not deploy, and four people were injured across the four crash reports. One of those drivers saw an air bag system malfunction warning during the collision.

Water leaks in through roof rack seals into the A-pillars and headliner. One report found mold in the air bags and floorboards, and owners cite bulletin T-SB-0040-24. The front bumper can come loose or fall off while driving. Recall 23V720000 covers this, though some owners report waiting on parts. The power liftgate often stalls, won't close in cold weather, or stops working, and owners report repair quotes near $1,600. Other reports include moonroof glass exploding, rear A/C lines leaking, and cracks growing in the doors.

Hybrid owners say the 17.1-gallon tank only takes about 10 to 14 gallons before the pump shuts off. That caps the displayed range near 420 to 490 miles, short of the advertised 598. Several can't tell whether the gauge is wrong or the tank won't fill. Others say the low-fuel light comes on with only about 10 miles left. Service campaign 21TC05 reprogrammed the warning, but at least one owner saw no change. A few gauges stay stuck on full.

Warning messages tend to arrive in clusters: reduced engine power, brake system malfunction, and pre-collision faults. Some are traced to sensors or to critters chewing the wiring. One owner lost braking after a wheel speed sensor failed. Others report power windows, the dashboard, and the parking brake failing after rain, and the start/stop system leaving the car stuck at a stop. Power liftgate struts also fail. One vehicle caught fire on a dealer test drive after repeated check engine lights.

Most of these reports actually describe the transmission whine, slipping, and hesitation covered under power train. They appear at 60,000 to 80,000 miles, with replacement quotes near $11,000. Engine-specific reports include stalling while driving or pulling into traffic on very new vehicles, in one case leading to a fuel pump replacement. The start/stop system can also shut the engine off and fail to restart it. On one hybrid, a rock punctured the inverter radiator and caused a coolant leak.

Reports are few and scattered across different problems. The lane-keeping system follows false road markings and pulls the wheel toward the wrong lane. One driver saw a 'steering power low' warning, then the engine died and the steering stopped working in a busy intersection. Others describe the rear end swaying, repeated wheel alignments, and a crash where the air bags did not deploy. One crash involved a whine, rapid acceleration, and no brakes, and three people were injured.