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5.6

fairly significant
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
15,718 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.

2016 Toyota Highlander miscellaneous problems

miscellaneous problem

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2016 Toyota Highlander Owner Comments

problem #20

Jun 042022

Highlander

  • miles

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

While driving down the road the panoramic moonroof section of the sunroof exploded. This included a lout shotgun like sound. The sound, in addition to not having sufficient roof coverage, resulted in a safety issue. Glass shards may have also been thrown to vehicles behind us. The dealer is closed today, but I will be contacting them in the morning to report the issue and to see if it is covered. I understand that this happens relatively frequently, but no recall has been issued. I have reached out to insurance and will likely be filing a claim if Toyota doesn't cover it. No party has inspected at this point. There was no warning to this.

- Lakeland, FL, USA

problem #19

Jan 052022

Highlander

  • miles
UNKNOWN please investigate this vehicle. The recalls we're never addressed. The dealership I purchased the car from, AutoNation Honda Roseville refused to service this car after a maintenance required warning light and tire pressure warning light came on and gasoline averaging 9mpg I complained about on 1-5-2022

- Lodi, CA, USA

problem #18

Oct 302021

Highlander

  • miles
After shopping, we went to open the trunk of our Highlander by pressing the button. As it opened, we heard a crunching sound from the top but the trunk continued to open. It then reached the point where suddenly the top spoiler was dislodged and the back window's glass exploded outward in a thousand small pieces all over my husband. At no point did a safety mechanism turn on to stop the trunk from opening. We had a few prior experiences with the trunk failing to stop if something was in its way, demonstrating that there is an issue with the sensor or there is no sensory system in the car that would prevent it from crushing something or someone. After contacting Toyota, they stated that this was not covered under the warranty of the vehicle.

- Duluth, MN, USA

problem #17

Sep 202020

Highlander 4-cyl

  • miles

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

Has there been any recalls in my vehicle that I haven't addressed or taken care of? I am on the road quite a bit and was noted of several past recalls. Thank you. [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

- Corpus Christi, TX, USA

problem #16

Sep 182020

Highlander

  • 1 miles
My SUV S sunroof shattered while driving on a Suburban street with two kids in car seats behind me. It sounded like an explosion. Glass is all over the car, it has to be towed and I need a rental car and I have to file a claim for my insurance now.

- Saint Charles, IL, USA

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problem #15

May 092020

Highlander 6-cyl

  • miles
The iphone 11 is not compatible which causes you not to be able to drive hands free. Every time I turn on my car and context my phone my car audio disconnects. I confirmed on the Toyota website that the iphone 11 is not compatible with Toyota cars which makes it impossible to drive hands free.

- Alpharetta, GA, USA

problem #14

Jan 152020

Highlander

  • 67,784 miles

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

Headed to work at 5:35 am on Wednesday, January 15, 2020, at 55 mph on my daily commute in my 2016 Toyota Highlander, westbound on I-70 between the central park and 270 exits, and my sunroof exploded. 22 degrees, clear day, moderate traffic with steady flow, no turns or frequent braking, no objects that could have played a role in site, and no warning signs of what was to come. Sound reminiscent of a gunshot occurred, and as I looked around I realized that shards of glass were falling onto me from my panoramic sunroof. The front panel of my sunroof is blown outward. 67,784 miles on the vehicle with no aftermarket parts aside from the led headlights. No other damage to car or myself. After some research, I have learned that this is a known issue with various manufacturers, including Toyota. I have reached out to Toyota and am waiting for a response.

- Denver, CO, USA

problem #13

Dec 262019

Highlander

  • 47,000 miles
Lack of hands free phone calling. Toyota and apple iphone 11's are not syncing and causing a safety issue.

- Kuna, ID, USA

problem #12

Feb 152017

Highlander

  • miles
Windsheld cracked overnight when parked in the garage with no reason. I contacted the company and didn't get a solution from them. This must be something thing related to the company. Finally, I replaced it with my insurance

- Everett, WA, USA

problem #11

May 212019

Highlander

  • 39,000 miles
The rear windshield on our 2016 Toyota Highlander exploded without any provocation. Pulling into an empty parking space upon placing the car in park, the read windshield exploded and shattered into pieces. Nothing hit it. Nothing banged into it. Just exploded for no reason.

- Ellicott City, MD, USA

problem #10

Feb 262019

Highlander

  • 42,350 miles

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

The windshield cracked by the defroster. From the center of the windshield. The break is on the inside going down to the defroster and then across the drivers side of the windshield. The vehicle was parked, the when it was started, the defroster was put on high fan. After a few minutes the crack appeared in the center going down towards the defroster and then across the lower portion of the windshield on the drivers side.

- Northbrook, IL, USA

problem #9

Dec 022018

Highlander

  • 30,000 miles
Vehicle rear windshield exploded for not reason. Vehicle was parked for two days same spot in home fence area and I started it and shut the driver door and immediately heard a sound and looked the rear mirror and it was gone meaning complete shattered in pieces. I have picture to clarify the damage and Toyota courtesy dealer decline to repair it since there is no recall. I usually have my grandchildren with me in the vehicle so you could imaging how desperate it would have been for my family at that moment if they were with me. Please assist me with this issue as soon as possible. There are sometime that this can be expedited when it is a safety hazard and this issue is one of them. Thank you!

- Wimauma, FL, USA

problem #8

Sep 262018

Highlander

  • 35,000 miles
Brakes have a slight vibration when traveling at high speeds in the city and someone is stopped on the freeway. My lights have dimmed dramatically since I first purchased new. The passenger side daytime running light is full of moisture. Most importantly, the temperature sensor and/or ac fan/motor is halfway functioning at 38K! by this, I mean that the ac in the front of the car kicks on and off in the middle of cooling and it blows 50% of what it did when I bought the car. Convenient Toyota?

- Keller, TX, USA

problem #7

Sep 072017

Highlander

  • 12,950 miles
Panoramic sunroof exploded

- The Woodlands, TX, USA

problem #6

Jul 182017

Highlander

  • 30,000 miles
While merging onto the interstate highway the sunroof shattered, it was not struck by anything but shattered with no outside influence causing glass debris.

- Grand Bay, AL, USA

problem #5

Jun 042017

Highlander

  • 5,790 miles
On 6/4/2017 at 7:23 pm, pre-collision system (pcs) beeped and lit up "brake" even though the car in front of me was at least 4 car lengths away and it was traveling faster than my vehicle. This happened twice before in March 2017. The pcs warning came up even though there was no vehicle in front of my moving vehicle. Koons Toyota looked at my car on April 29 and saw an event in my car's computer. A subsequent checkup on May 18 and 19, 2017 revealed nothing more, according to them. I will bring my car in to koons again but they may say they have found nothing significant. I am worried that one day this car will suddenly stop in the middle of the highway and cause a dangerous pile up of crashed cars.

- Annandale, VA, USA

problem #4

Mar 252017

Highlander

  • 4,200 miles
My wife turned off the keyless ignition of our vehicle while the transmission was still in drive. She stepped out of the car and it rolled backwards. Fortunately the garage door was closed otherwise she may would been hit by the car door or the car would have rolled into the street. We live in a cul de sac where children play. I contacted Toyota about this and was told that is how the ignition is supposed to function for the convenience of the driver. I spoke to a Toyota rep who told me that with modern technology and convenience sometimes the vehicle becomes more dangerous. Our other two cars have keyed ignitions and require the transmission to be in park in order to remove the key. I know this is dangerous. It is entirely possible to leave the vehicle in drive or reverse while the engine is off and no one is at the driver's position.

- Broomfield, CO, USA

problem #3

Nov 122016

Highlander

  • 205 miles
When the cruise control is engaged and the vehicle is on a decline the cruise control does not maintain the set speed. I noticed this several times while on the interstate traveling between 65-75 mph. Each time there was a car ahead of me and I narrowly avoided what could have been tragic accidents. The first time it happened I thought it was a fluke so I continued to use the cruise control as I would normally do. After it happened again I decided not to use the cruise control at all which was very frustrating considering the vehicle was less than 2 weeks old and I purchased it just for long family trips. There is also a wind whistling noise coming from the passenger side of the vehicle. I took it to dealership for the noise issue and I waited there for 5 hours only for them to tell me that it's a known issue and there is no fix for it. This has turned out the be the worst car experience I've ever had.

- Porterdale, GA, USA

problem #2

Feb 022016

Highlander

  • 50 miles
I purchased the top of the line limited platinum model in order to get safety features. However, the warning chines for lane departure, back up cross traffic protection etc. Are very faint when compared to other cars that have these features. When the radio plays music they can not be heard at all rendering these protection features useless. Furthermore, the volume of the warning chimes can not be adjusted which was confirmed by both the dealer and Toyota.

- Boynton Beach, FL, USA

problem #1

Dec 282015

Highlander

  • 20 miles
When I purchased this 2016 Toyota Highlander le in mid December, I did not realize until I got it home, there was no interior rear door release. No release button on the dash and no interior door handle. I went back to the dealership, found my salesman and asked him if there was an interior door release. He told me there was not and "that's why they offer the le plus model which has a power rear door with inside release". every vehicle I've owned since 1998 has had an inside trunk or rear door release. It seems like a huge safety issue to me, how would anybody escape from the back in case of fire or other tragedy" aren't passenger vehicles required to be manufactured with an inside release/door handle"

- Prior Lake, MN, USA

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