10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
2 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
259 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.

2021 Toyota Highlander engine problems

engine problem

Find something helpful? Spread the word.
Get notified about new defects, investigations, recalls & lawsuits for the 2021 Toyota Highlander:

Unsubscribe any time. We don't sell/share your email.

2021 Toyota Highlander Owner Comments

problem #14

Feb 082023

Highlander

  • miles

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

Unwanted acceleration happen more the 5 to 6 times. While driving in highway exit ramp my vehicle lurched forward while I was trying to slowdown. Dealership had the vehicle for more than 2 days and unable to duplicate the issue. Currently Toyota dealership informed they don't any know issues or condition like this. I am not very confident in driving this vehicle due to this experience.

- West Bloomfield, MI, USA

problem #13

Nov 222022

Highlander 6-cyl

  • miles
We rented this vehicle from Avis at Detroit Metropolitan Airport on Tuesday, 11/22/22 at approx. 7:50 pm. It was raining, cold and temperature was dropping. We drove approx. 1/8 to 1/4 of a mile from the facility. As we turned left on to a major roadway (Goddard) southbound, I turned on the rear defroster. Suddenly, the engine went into limp mode. I tried to make a U-turn to drive back to the facility. Engine lights flashed (low oil pressure, check engine, etc) and then the engine stopped. We barely had enough power to turn the vehicle out of the turn lane before we would have been struck by a bus. We sat in left northbound lane of Goddard for approx. 2 min without our hazard lights on. The vehicle would not start. I then pressed the defroster again and the engine fired up. We drove back to the facility and demanded a new vehicle. While we waited for a new vehicle to be prepared, I demonstrated to the manager what had happened. Again, after depressing the rear defroster button, the engine shut off and would not restart. Again, after turning off the defroster button, the engine started back up. This engine condition was replicated multiple times. I warned the Avis manager not to rent this vehicle as it was a death trap.

- St. Louis, MO, USA

problem #12

Nov 232022

Highlander

  • miles
Upon starting my 2021 Highlander Platinum with 10,700 miles on it several warning lights repeatedly came across my display including reduced engine power, brake system malfunction, pre collision system malfunction. See your dealer. No codes showed up on their scan but every time they cleared the screen the messages came back. They decided it was a bad knock sensor. Then I received a call that a critter had chewed wires and they might find further damage. I was surprised because I-€™ve been in my house for 45 years and I-€™ve never had a critter in my garage. The service manager said -€œToyotas attract critters because of the covering they use on the wires.-€ I said, -€œSoy"-€ And he said, -€œYes-€. So, isn-€™t this a manufacturing defect? How many times a year is this going to happen" I-€™ve owned Toyotas for 27 years. I-€™ve never had a problem until this car. I-€™m also having problems with the navigation system, 2 visits to the dealership and 45 minutes on the phone with the Toyota Engagement Center.

- Portage, MI, USA

problem #11

Jun 032022

Highlander

  • miles

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

We have owned our 2021 hybrid awd platinum highlander for 8 months and within the past two months (around 16k miles) it has started to do an acceleration upon applying the brake. The car does catch itself and then after hitting the brake harder it does stop. This has happen on 7 different occasions, flat roads, hills, parking spots now. It has happened while my husband drives it and myself. It was brought it for computer recalls around the same time that this issue started. After the recalls were fixed I brought it back in and left it with the dealer for a few days. They cannot replicate it and therefor won-€™t do anything. They tried to tell me that I can-€™t drive with two feet-€¦. Which I don-€™t. I-€™ve seen other reports where Toyota claims it-€™s inexperienced regenerative braking driving. We have owned a 2011 Prius that we had for 6 years and it never did it once. We also had a 2021 Audi e-from which fully relies on regenerative braking. We are not novice when it comes to hybrid driving systems. It has come to the point where I-€™d like to sell the car and get something else rather than worry about a car crash with my babies in the car. I also owned a 2019 awd regular gas highlander that never had any braking issues. So I don-€™t know what the solution is, but this is a very expensive car to be having these kinds of issues.

- Shingle Springs , CA, USA

problem #10

Jul 192022

Highlander

  • miles
On July 19, the car was parked and refused to start. Tried Jump start and the gas was at more than half a tank. The car would operate for 30 seconds, stutter and then stop. On July 20, took the car to ED MARTIN TOYOTA in Noblesville, IN. They could not diagnose the issue. Replaced Fuel Pump system. Evaluated all electrical and no issues observed. Escalated to TOYOTA Regional Engineering to teoubleshoot. The car is still in the shop with no root-cause. If the car was in motion and this issue would have occured, could have resulted in a serious accident.

- Fishers, IN, USA

problem #9

Jun 022022

Highlander

  • miles
When bringing my 2021 Toyota Highlander Hybrid AWD with ~18,000 miles on the odometer to the Toyota dealership for a flat tire and recall, they performed a routine multi point inspection. They found the inverter radiator was punctured and was leaking coolant. They said to fix it would be $1,640. The service representative text me -€œthe technician also noticed that the inverter radiator is leaking coolant, which is a very important and vital part of the hybrid system. It looks to be that a rock from the road was the source of the damage, which since moving down here [AZ] I-€™ve seen happen quite often-€¦.I would strongly advise against driving the vehicle that far (~200 mi) for fear of it overheating and causing more damage. The technician said will end up happening is-€¦the vehicle will overheat and shut down to save the inverter from further damage. This is a very, very important part of the hybrid system. -€œ When I asked the technician how a rock could cause the puncture and cause the coolant to leak without my knowledge, she said -€œit sits right behind the front grill and it-€™s pretty easy to get hit by a rock when you-€™re driving.-€ I told her that sounds like a design flaw and asked if there-€™s a part that can protect this from occurring again. She didn-€™t know of any Toyota parts to reduce this reoccurrence, but suggested I could look online to buy an aftermarket part. What-€™s alarming are the photos of the damage and the coolant spraying out from the leak all over the inverter radiator, how much coolant was lost due to this damage, and that I never had a warning light or notification. The car was driving fine and had no warning lights until I got a flat tire the day before the Toyota dealer found the inverter puncture.

- Phoenix, AZ, USA

problem #8

May 242022

Highlander

  • miles

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

On May 24th I was driving back to work form my lunch break, had to make an additional stop before going back and in the moment I was to make a right suddenly the car would not stop or turn, no light were on at the moment, now the car is a total loss and I went trough the scariest time of my life after running into mangroves

- Key West, FL, USA

problem #7

May 122022

Highlander

  • miles
This is in regards to a 2021 Toyota Platinum AWD with 8500 miles. While cruising at about 40 miles/hour, the car suddenly lost power, and an alpha numeric code popped on the digital display that said -€œChip malfunction-€ and something else I don-€™t recall. It also said to see your dealer immediately. On the dash, the check engine light came on with a message that said -€œreduced engine power-€. This message alternated with another alpha numeric code. I did not write down the actual codes because I thought the car would record them. I was able to roll onto a side street and turn off the car. After 5 min, I restarted the car and took it to the dealer later that day. They not only could not find a code in the record, the entire trip was not recorded, even though it-€™s on my Toyota app. First, they tried to say it couldn-€™t have happened because it was not recorded. Then, they said the recall regarding a power issue was the culprit, but also admitted the -€œfix-€ had nothing to do with, and would not affect, the engine. After insisting more be done to iD the problem and fix it, they agreed to keep the car and run a diagnostic. It turned up nothing except -€œmaybe bad gas-€. Really? We only use premium from reputable sources. I do not feel safe on the car and most certainly do not feel safe putting my child in it. I cannot believe they cannot find the problem.

- Chandler, AZ, USA

problem #6

Feb 122022

Highlander

  • miles
The vehicle's automatic stop-start feature malfunctioned and shut the engine off while I was driving with my 3 children in the car. Our safety was at risk because the car shut off in the middle of the road and we had to wait for an hour for the tow truck to come and give us a jump. There was no prior warning before the car shut off. Afterwards the message "High Power Consumption Partial Limit on AC/Heater Operation" came on I was very nervous for my kids and I safety.

- Far Rockaway, NY, USA

problem #5

Nov 292021

Highlander

  • miles
Recently purchased this Highlander on August 2021. On 11/29/21 at around 8:00 AM, the Check Engine light illuminated resting stop at a red light. Engine still running. Took the vehicle to the dealership at 9:45AM. Vehicle was found to have had misfires as a result of bad gasoline. I have been pumping at the same gas station ever since I bought the vehicle. If it was the bad gas, this issue should have happened sooner. Now, the dealership is telling me to pay for the diagnostic fee which they claimed it was my fault. The vehicle is under warranty. Another non-power/fuel issue that came with the vehicle was a loud wind noise when reaching 40 MPH. The noise is very annoying, like someone whistling into your ear. The dealership is ordering a part to fix this issue. The vehicle is still at the dealership.

- Fresno, CA, USA

problem #4

Nov 252021

Highlander

  • miles

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

Advertisement say make 35 mpg Is lie Car make 16 to 24 mpg ave not more than that I decide buy this car for save gas, and spend more that any v6, Toyota still a lot money and fake advertisement, and also the dealer charge $3,000 more of the price because they say there are not cars, I paid $ 55,000 + taxes super expensive car for lie at the costumers. I went to service to the dealer and they said, that it is not they problem, the car is like that, I hope you can help to return or change the car

- Jersey City, NJ, USA

problem #3

May 142021

Highlander

  • miles
Upon attempting to engage the brakes, it was found that they did not work. Immediately thereafter, the car began an uncommanded full acceleration. The insurance company has totaled the car. Our safety as occupants was obviously at serious risk. The driver chose to take the car off the road rather than jeopardize the lives of others on the same road. The car plowed through boulders and trees, coming to rest upside down wedged between an earthen berm and a tree......suspended about 2 feet above the ground. There were no warnings prior to the incident. The car has been inspected by the insurance company, and has been authorized for inspection by the manufacturer. There were no serious injuries as a result of the accident. We were VERY lucky! Uncommanded acceleration without any control is a frightening event any time....but definitely in the vicinity of other vehicles full of families.

- Chandler, AZ, USA

problem #2

May 172021

Highlander 6-cyl

  • 230 miles
The contact owns a 2021 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER. The contact stated while driving approximately 50 mph, the vehicle stalled without warning. The contact restarted the vehicle and pulled over to the side of the roadway before the vehicle stalled again. The contact was unable to restart the vehicle. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer but was not yet diagnosed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 230. The consumer stated that Sansone Toyota falsely stated bad gas was added to the vehicle. Sansone advised consumer to contact insurance company. Geico investigated the claim and agreed a warranty should be issued. The consumer stated that a new engine is needed and had to pay $2799.03.

- Staten Island, NY, USA

problem #1

Apr 242021

Highlander

  • 3,400 miles
Vehicle has 3400 miles and starting having longer than normal cranking when starting the vehicle. Shortly after that occurred the vehicle began to stall while pulling into traffic. Vehicle was repaired where they installed some fuel sensors. 2 days later the vehicle stalled again while pulling into traffic. Both incidents almost caused an accident. Vehicle was towed a second time back to dealership. They are now replacing the fuel pump. Maybe they need to add this vehicle to recall list

- Cincinnati, OH, USA

Not what you are looking for?