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10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
1 / 0
Average Mileage:
41,692 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2013 Toyota Highlander miscellaneous problems

miscellaneous problem

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2013 Toyota Highlander Owner Comments

problem #20

Dec 132020

Highlander

  • 75,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Checked oil last week also dealer supposedly changed oil couple days ago yellow triangle light came on it was just bought so unfamiliar with the warning lights tried to look up told me nothing. Today I left a friends house (3miles ) she called and said I left massive oil leak left on her driveway. Sure enough I looked on my driveway and I also had huge oil leak lucky she called me I could have blown the engine or it could have caught fire if I had driven it any farther or she didn't tell me proceeded to look up common Toyota Highlander problems. And there it was saying massive oil leaks from the line exploding also said that the repair Toyota gives to fix the problem has problems too I'm assuming this is what the problem is I'm lucky I was not out on highway having it towed tommorow the picture is at her house she sent after I left. My driveway oil leak is twice that size

- Westminster, CA, USA

problem #19

Sep 012020

Highlander

  • miles
Power sunroof drains into floorboards. From my research this is a well known issue with Highlanders and Toyota needs to address. I just bought this car a week ago. The Toyota dealership said the lines were clogged and blew them out. A week later the floorbards are full of water again.

- Powhatan, VA, USA

problem #18

Jan 012019

Highlander 6-cyl

  • miles
The front passenger door and driver door lock/actuator does not work. The passenger door first happened 1 to 1.5 years ago. I have not fixed it because of the outrageous cost. Now, the driver door actuator/door lock is exhibiting the same symptoms and will soon cease to work. Toyota has no warranty program or recall on this even though it is a known issue with this year and model. I think having your door locks not work is a safety issue and request that this be found to be an issue Toyota must cover as soon as possible.

- Ewa Beach, HI, USA

problem #17

Jan 022020

Highlander 6-cyl

  • 106,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The power hatch back does not work. It is so frequent problem and so many complaints but no solution offered by the Toyota company.

- Delmar, NY, USA

problem #16

Jun 112019

Highlander

  • 49,000 miles
Similar to other complaints I have read via this site, water has collected beneath my floormats from the drainage tubes running from sunroof. The dealership has stated that they have been clogged with dirt and they have "unclogged" them 3 times in 10 months. Following the third visit, they are now saying there's nothing more they can do, this is a flaw in the design of the drainage system. My car now smells of mold to which I am allergic, and Toyota refuses to correct this issue. I was first told to wash my car and blow the drainage holes clear in the sunroof, but I have done so regularly and have had the problem twice in 6 weeks. I was then told that dirt is entering through the underbelly of the car and that no one else seems to be having this issue. There are at least three other complaints about this here and a hundred others online. I have no idea what other issues could be caused as a result of this water (rust, electrical issues, damage to airbags, etc.) or where the tubing begins leaking and water redirects to the floorboard reservoir. I seem to get a different answer each time it is serviced. 3 separate Toyota servicemen have agreed that this is a design flaw but retract that any time I attempt to make my case that this needs to be corrected.

- Spartanburg, SC, USA

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problem #15

Apr 122019

Highlander

  • 68,000 miles
Back door locks and passenger front door locks quit working with unlock/lock switch and remote. I had the front locks replaced before warranty was up. The back passenger door died right after warranty was up. However the front passenger door lock is dead again. The front driver side door lock is on the fritz too. Using the remote or using remoteless(touching the handle on passenger front side) entry doesn't lock or unlock the 3 doors, the lock/unlock button on the 3 doors don't work. From what I had read Toyota has known about these locks since 2004 but continue to use them. The only way to unlock the doors is pushing the lock switch inside the door or using the key that comes with remote entry.** the front doors happened before Toyota warranty was up and were replace. The back passenger door happened right after warranty was up. Then the back driver side happened April 2018. If the doors aren't lock and you push the lock button, it doesn't beep to say it is secured. You have to go lock all the doors manual then set the remote for securing the car.

- Fort Washington, MD, USA

problem #14

Sep 022018

Highlander

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Rain water is funneled into 'gutters' which are internal to the body of the car. If dirt, leaves or other debris get into the gutter system, it can block the flow of water which then comes into the car via the roof and sunroof system. Any movement of the car, once the gutters were flooded, cause water to come from the roof onto the the driver's lap. This water then caused a flooding of the floor of the driver and passenger's side front foot areas. The flooding risk was not shared with me while purchasing the car and the potential resolutions shared once it did happen are unacceptable. The resolution my Toyota dealer shared was (1) park in a garage and (2) bring the car in once a year to have the gutter system flushed.

- Arlington, VA, USA

problem #13

Mar 172019

Highlander

  • 75,000 miles
Driver side window keeps popping off track, will not operate properly

- Midland, NC, USA

problem #12

Jan 092019

Highlander

  • 60,188 miles
The contact owns a 2013 Toyota Highlander. The contact heard an abnormal clunking noise inside the vehicle. The noise was a constant distraction, which made driving difficult. There were no warning indicators illuminated. The contact planned on taking the vehicle to conicelli Toyota (550 ridge pike, conshocken, pa 19428, 877-485-3193) to be diagnosed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 60,188.

- Coothwyn, PA, USA

problem #11

Jul 052018

Highlander

  • 125,000 miles
The power back door hinge on the left side broke. The hinge is no longer attached to the door. The keyless entry will not work.

- Severn, MD, USA

problem #10

Oct 262017

Highlander

  • 95,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Takata recalls

- Montgomery, AL, USA

problem #9

Apr 262017

Highlander

  • 70,999 miles
I have a 2013 Toyota Highlander limited. The actuator on the front passenger and driver side have stopped working. The symptom is that when you approach the driver's side door with the key fob, the driver's door will not open. The door only opens using the bypass key. When inside the car, pressing the lock / unlock button does not lock or unlock front passenger or driver's side doors only the rear passenger doors. Front passenger and driver side door can only be opened by manually pulling the door handle. Toyota got a bunch of bad actuators and they are refusing to classify this problem as a recall.

- Montebello, CA, USA

problem #8

Feb 012016

Highlander 4-cyl

  • 35,000 miles
My problem is with the low tire warning system. My issue is that you cannot manually reset this warning light as with other cars. I have had to take my car to the dealer twice in the last 12 months for them to properly inflate/reset the system. All my tires were properly inflated except for the spare. Myself and Firestone auto care could not get the warning light to go away. Finally, after months of having the warning light on, I was able to take the car to the dealer and they properly reset all the tires including the spare and the warning light finally went off. Seems like a ploy to get you to go to the dealer. The dealer indicated that they have had a lot of those issues due to the changes in the temperature. If all the tires are properly inflated, the warning light can still go off if because your spare tire may be low. This is a safety issue to me as you may not know that you really have a low tire that could affect driving. If the light is already on due to a low spare tire, and a regular tire goes low, one would have no way of knowing as the light is already on.

- Reseda, CA, USA

problem #7

Aug 022016

Highlander

  • 5,000 miles
Vehicle hesitates when accelerating, usually when making a turn from a stop or moving slowly. It is especially hazardous when trying to make a left turn in front of oncoming traffic. Has happened multiple times, not just the date below. The dealer can not duplicate the problem. We bought the car in early 2014 new, and noticed this problem before 5,000 miles. The car now has 22,000 miles and it still does this intermittently.

- Colorado Springs, CO, USA

problem #6

Oct 202015

Highlander

  • 50,000 miles
After pressing the ignition button to turn off the engin when in park, I came back to the car to find it running. This happened several times. I reported it to the dealer who said thay had no information nor were there any builtins fro totota. Parked the car at the phl airport for 5 days, came back to find no gas. Car had been running wile I was gone until it ran out of gas. Saw in the news that a us senator from pa was investigating these events. October 2016

- Long Beach Township, NJ, USA

problem #5

Dec 132013

Highlander

  • 100 miles
Car hesitates upon accelerating from a stop as if it was coasting. It doesn't happen every time but it has occurred from the day I bought it. The hesitation can be from 2-4 seconds. It also happens when turning from a stop. Playing with the gas pedal doesn't seem to help but, curiously, shifting into neutral and then back to drive seem to stop the hesitation. I haven't explored this rigorously; just tried it a couple of times. I complained to the dealer and they have denied it is a problem: Obviously they don't know what to do with it.

- Glenn Dale, MD, USA

problem #4

Jun 202014

Highlander

  • 10,000 miles
The complaint has to do with computer systems on this vehicle. Some of the complaint is convenience, but worrisome because other systems seem to be involved as well. The computer screen has always been slow/hesitent, with various "glitches". vehicle has gps mapping screen which occassionally "disconnects" and resets to blank screen. The bluetooth and other systems have also "disconnected" and couldn't be reset until the vehicle was stopped and turned off. The headlights sometimes do not shut off, day/night doesn't work properly. Have had occassional problems with door locks not working as they should. Never know when and which systems will be affected. I have also filed a complaint about intermitent non-acceleration issues, which maybe related.

- Spanaway, WA, USA

problem #3

Apr 022015

Highlander

  • miles
On April, 2015, my vehicle was parked in my driveway. The leather panel on the door on the drivers' side melted with the sun reflecting on it. I have been living in this house for 33 years and have parked many cars in the same location. It also it not very hot in my area in April. This is clearly a defect in the material. The leather gets so hot with the sun and can easily burn you if touched with your bare skin. I contacted my local dealership, greentree Toyota, brookfield, ct. The manager there was baffled "never saw anything like that before." About 2 weeks later, I contacted him since I heard nothing back. He advised that the district service and parts manager will not replace the leather since it's not a defect in workmanship. Of course no - it's a defect in material! I was told that since there are no other claims of this type, it is not a defect. I then contacted Toyota corporate offices. They advised that they cannot overrule the district service and parts manager in this particular area"????" I'm hoping your company can offer some help in this matter.

- Brewster, NY, USA

problem #2

May 142014

Highlander 6-cyl

  • 4,901 miles
The rear window of the vehicle shattered while it was parked for no apparent reason.

- Cameron, NC, USA

problem #1

Jul 202013

Highlander

  • 4,650 miles
July 20, 2013 I pushed the ignition button to turn off the engine. I exited the vehicle and immediately realized it was still moving. I attempted to get back in the vehicle to stop it. I fell and the back tire ran over my foot/leg. A man came and jumped in the car to stop it after it crossed the street and hit a parked car. I have both a fractured tibia and fibula. The tibia required a screw to stabilize however, my foot was so injured (torn flesh) that I had to wait 5 weeks for the flesh to heal to avoid infection. I have been off of work since July 22 to date (September 5,2013). I realize how fortunate I am in that it appears I have not sustained a permanent disability. I shudder to think how much more tragic this could have been for multiple innocent people. I am unsure of how to give notice to others to prevent further injuries. It was recommended that I report this to NHTSA.

- Lake Jackson, TX, USA

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