2015 Toyota Highlander Complaints

STRUCTURE — Filed 07/21/2026

The paint is severely peeling on the outside. This can likely flake off and damages other vehicles, property, and roadway infrastructure. This is the factory coat of paint. Color is Toyota Blizzard Pearl (070)

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,STRUCTURE — Filed 03/17/2026

The contact owns a 2015 Toyota Highlander. The contact stated that the power liftgate consistently failed halfway through while opening and closing the liftgate. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact became aware of information online about Technical Service Bulletin: SB0023/16, NHTSA ID Number: 10134306 (Structure, Electrical System); and associated the failure with the TSB. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that the vehicle was not covered under warranty, TSB, or a recall. The failure mileage was approximately 133,000.

STEERING,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM — Filed 05/31/2026

The contact owns a 2015 Toyota Highlander. The contact stated that while driving on several occasions at various speeds, the infotainment screen would go blank and the system would turn on inadvertently. This issue became more frequent, occurring approximately every 10 seconds. The power steering warning light also illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an auto parts store where a handheld diagnostic machine did not detect any failures or codes. The contact stated that while driving on several occasions at various speeds, the steering wheel became extremely stiff. On one occasion while his daughter was driving and turning the vehicle on a curved road, the vehicle veered into oncoming traffic. The contact stated that she managed to get the vehicle back to the correct side of the road, then stopped and inspected the vehicle. The vehicle was then taken to an auto parts store where a handheld diagnostic machine was used, but the failure was not detected. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact believes that the steering failure was associated with NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V144 (Steering). The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 99,800.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM — Filed 04/01/2021

Door lock actuators, yes it is available for inspection. Doors cannot be locked or unlocked with a remote key fob or the interior power door locks. Lock defect poses a significant safety hazard in that a single or multiple doors may not lock at any time, whether the vehicle is on or off and despite actions or commands by the driver. The alleged defect is dangerous to passengers as it can cause unintentional door openings while a vehicle is in use, result in inoperable doors during emergency situations, and leave a vehicle and any contents therein more vulnerable to theft. This poses serious safety concerns, for example when vehicles are involved in vehicular accidents because the occupants may become entrapped when the Door Actuator Defect prevents an occupant from unlocking the doors. Furthermore, this defect jeopardizes the safety of vehicle occupants given that not all doors are capable of being manually unlocked from the exterior. Since owning my highlander I've taken it to the dealership several times for this issue. The front door driver and passenger were replaced and a lock switch however dealership claimed they could not recreate the issue for all doors yet the issue continued and is noted several times in service history. Even when under warranty they refused to change the parts despite multiple service notes and verbal compilations due to their claim of not being able to recreate the issue. There were no warning lights or messages or other symptoms prior to failure. I've had this car since 2019 and it's been an issue notably since 2021. I fear the safety of myself, my family and other passengers are compromised every time we enter the vehicle.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER — Filed 03/20/2026

The moon roof in my car completely shattered out of no where while I was driving down the road and fell all into my backseat. If my children were in the car, they would have had glass all over them.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,EXTERIOR LIGHTING — Filed 03/18/2026

Exterior lights continually burn out.

VISIBILITY/WIPER — Filed 02/01/2026

The side mirrors are too large and located in a position that when the driver is turning left the driver's side mirror blocks the ability to see the crosswalk and also the center divider of the lane they are turning into and has almost caused me to strike a center divider and not see a pothole on a freeway on ramp causing damage to the left side strut and alignment. There were other multiple times I almost hit the smaller center dividers in town and the glare in the mirror causes glare that you can't see where you are going. terrible design

STEERING — Filed 12/29/2025

[XXX] battery light appeared on dash. [XXX] on my way to Limestone service station 399 Danbury rd Ridgefield ct ph203-438-8028 a warning appeared on dash stating i will lose steering.Luckily I managed to pull into a parking lot and lost all ability to steer. Thank God i was not on the highway and was not in a catastrophic accident.The dashboard went blank. The engine stayed on as I called Limestone and was told I needed to be towed..As I was calling Allstate for a tow the dashboard came back on and so did the steering. I drove to Limestone. After checking everything I was told they didn't find any codes and there must be a glitch in the system. Battery good, alternator good, serpentine belt good. We also found a recall NHTSA campaign number15V144000 for unexpected loss of electric power steering increasing the risk of a crash for 2015 Toyota Highlander. Jan2 2026 i drove to Brookfield Ct Toyota and was informed by a very helpful service manager Katelyn Hadden that Unbelievably my Vin number was not included in this recall and to come back when it happens again I am a [XXX] grandfather who takes his grandchildren everywhere and will not put their lives in danger in this car until this problem is fixed. I was told by Limestone to stay local and come back when it happens again. I would sincerely appreciate any help in correcting this defect. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

STRUCTURE,UNKNOWN OR OTHER — Filed 12/04/2025

Paint is peeling off my car, This is confirmed by Toyota it was covered by the Consumer Support program which expired in July however the paint did not start peeling off until last week.Toyota said that there wasn't anything they could do. this is clearly a manufacture defect and should be repair by Toyota at no charge to me.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,AIR BAGS,SEAT BELTS — Filed 12/07/2025

When right front pax sits in seat and fastens seatbelt, the airbag indicator correctly says "ON." But after a few minutes, the airbag turns "OFF" and the driver's dash gets an "unfastened seatbelt" warning and a "faulty airbag" warning. All of these occur while the front right pax has remain seated and buckled. If the pax unbuckles and exits the seat, these incorrect warnings all remain the same. The right front pax seat belt buckle has been replaced with no effect. The seat has been recalibrated (seat sensors) with no effect. The wires under the seat have been disconnected, cleaned, and re-connected with no effect. This is a safety issue in that the airbag on that front right side de-activates when a passenger is in that seat. There is a Toyota Recall Campaign for this identical problem, but it does not include my model year (2015). Requesting NHTSA get Toyota to extend their recall to include 2015 models, please.