2016 Toyota Highlander Complaints

SEAT BELTS — Filed 09/28/2026

The component involved was the vehicle's seat belt/restraint system. While my daughter was wearing the seat belt, it became stuck around her waist/abdomen and became extremely tight. The belt continued to tighten and would not loosen or release normally. The seat belt had to be cut in an emergency to free my daughter. My daughter was sitting in the second row to the right. The seat belt became stuck and extremely tight around her waist/abdomen. After she moved the shoulder portion of the seat belt behind her shoulder and then unbuckled the seat belt. Even after she unbuckled it, the belt did not loosen or release. Instead, belt continued retracting/tightening and pulled her body upward toward the seat-belt anchor point. It pulled her upward until her stomach/abdomen was near the point where the seat belt comes out of the vehicle. Her neck/head became pressed against the vehicle roof, her feet remained on the seat, leaving her body hanging from the belt. She was screaming that she could not breathe. We had to cut the seat belt off to free her then took her to ER Due to visible bruises. The problem has NOT been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center. I contacted IRA Toyota dealer @ Danvers Mass and specifically requested that they inspect the seat belt, but they refused. I also contacted Toyota Corporate and requested an inspection, but they refused because the vehicle is outside of its warranty period. The vehicle/component has NOT been inspected by the manufacturer, dealer, police, or insurance company, to my knowledge. Toyota Corporate and the dealer were notified of the incident but did not inspect the seat belt. There were no warning messages that I noticed before the incident. The first symptom was when the seat belt became stuck and began tightening around my daughter's waist/abdomen. The belt continued to tighten and could not be released normally. UNKNOWN as to what caused the seat belt to malfunction.

EXTERIOR LIGHTING — Filed 09/04/2026

The contact owns a 2016 Toyota Highlander. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, the rear taillight covers cracked due to the high outdoor temperatures, and there was condensation inside the taillight housing. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was determined that the rear taillight covers needed to be replaced. The vehicle was then taken to an independent mechanic, where it was determined that the rear taillight covers needed to be replaced. The failure mileage was 70,200.

STEERING — Filed 06/03/2025

Steering column can become worn prematurely causing loose steering and possibly loose control

STEERING — Filed 02/05/2026

I was on Hwy 27 headed south bound at Bellecita Rd in Davenpoerrt, Fl. This is a busy four way intersection. I moved into the left hand turn lane. When the left turn green light came on I began my U-Turn to head north bound. The steering wheel would not respond to my input and the vehicle kept going straight into oncoming traffic. It took a great deal of bodily force to get the vehicle to respond. When it did respond there was loud popping noise. I had noticed in the past, that when Iwas turning or changing lanes on the hwy, the steering had a small glitch before it centered. I thought this was strange but figured this was normal for this vehicle. This incident left me badly shaken. I thought for the grace of God that I was not involved in a serious , possibly deadly accident. I've lost my confidence in the vehicle and the brand. I will be taking it to a Toyota dealer to get it diagnosed the first chance I get.

POWER TRAIN,WHEELS — Filed 01/17/2026

I was driving on a 2-lane road early in the morning with light snowfall. There was about 1" of snow on the road, with the roads not yet plowed or treated as it was the beginning of the snowfall. About 15 minutes into my trip, I was on a relatively flat and straight stretch of the road and let up on the gas paddle to avoid going too fast -- was probably traveling ~35 mph. Although the road was straight and flat at that point, my car suddenly started fishtailing, slowly turned 180 degrees and sliding to the other side of the road, ending up on the opposite edge of the road. When it hit the edge of the road, it tipped over on its right side, as apparently the dirt at the edge of the road was not as slippery as the road, and the SUV having a high center of gravity. Since my car was an AWD hybrid vehicle, I believe that the triggering event was the vehicle shutting down the gas engine and switching to EV mode when I started coasting (that usually happens when I'm driving <40 mph and the vehicle is sufficiently warm). But I did not look at the dashboard to see if the EV mode switched on at that point. In addition, while I did not sense any skidding prior to this event, it's possible that there may have been a slick spot right at that point in the road. But it seemed to me that when the power to the front wheels was reduced from the gas engine shutting down (as I believe was the case), the transition to electric motors taking over the front drive created some perceived traction issues which triggered the electric motors in the back to try to compensate for the perceived traction issues in the front. But the rear drive ended up creating a significant differential where the right rear wheel was driving much harder than the left rear wheel, creating the car spin and slide, which the traction control did not correct. I did not apply the brakes nor gas once the car started skidding. The car was 10 years old and was a total loss as a result of tipping on its side.

TIRES — Filed 09/18/2025

**Nature of Safety Defect Within 13,000 miles of normal mixed highway and light off-road use on a Toyota Highland, one tire developed a sidewall bubble and all four tires exhibited extreme and uneven tread wear—far below the advertised 50,000-mile treadwear warranty. The remaining tread depth on all four tires is already under 2/32" in multiple locations, with severe cupping and feathering that makes the vehicle vibrate violently above 50 mph and causes unpredictable handling, especially in wet & snowconditions. These conditions render the tires objectively dangerous and unfit for continued highway or street use. Manufacturer Response Pirelli warranty claim #2194927 was summarily denied as “impact damage” with no physical inspection. Pirelli has refused any prorated adjustment, replacement, or refund, and has kept possession of the failed tire. On November 17, 2025, Pirelli Consumer Affairs closed the case stating: “Pirelli considers this claim to be closed and will not take any further action regarding the claim or the subject tires.” Request to NHTSA I am asking the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to open a formal defect investigation into the Pirelli Scorpion All Terrain Plus line for: Premature and excessive tread wear (tires effectively worn out in under 13,000 miles vs. 50,000-mile rating) Widespread reports of sidewall bubbles and sudden structural failures Potential violation of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards relating to tire strength, endurance, and treadwear labeling (49 CFR Part 571.139 and Part 575) These tires present a clear safety hazard—severe uneven wear and structural defects can lead to loss of vehicle control, hydroplaning, or catastrophic blowouts. Hundreds of owners have posted identical failures online in the past 18–24 months. Please investigate this tire model for possible safety recall or enforcement action. I am happy to provide the tires, in

AIR BAGS,UNKNOWN OR OTHER — Filed 10/21/2025

I was traveling on an interstate going home from work. My speed was approximately 65mph. I noticed traffic slowing up ahead. I began to drop my speed (cost down), as I was approaching the traffic the car in front of me was applying their brakes; I had already began to apply mine. I was applying more pressure to my brakes to slow down more as the person in front of me began to slow more quickly. The person in front of me then had to slam their brakes on and I was not able to stop in time to avoid collision with the car in front of me. That driver did not come in contact with any other vehicle. The impact was at approximately 50mph. I was then very quickly hit from behind by the car behind me. The vehicle behind me hit of center and more on the right back corner of my car. My vehicle sustained significant front-end damage; the hood was folded, the grill was gone, the radiator was pushed back. As I looked up after the impact and saw my hood folded I then noticed that my air bag had not gone off. How could the air bag have not gone off in an impact such as that. My safety was compromised by the possibility of hitting the steering wheel or worse such as impacting the windshield if the crash had been worse. I do not remember if my vehicle had side curtain air bags as well. NO air bags deployed. Law enforcement was called by the driver of the car I rear ended as we agreed that she would. The driver of the vehicle that hit me I believe also called 911. Highway Patrol responded along with state incident response vehicles to protect the scene. I have filed a claim with my insurance, and the vehicle was looked at and deemed a total loss. It is not available for inspection and was taken to a salvage yard per the insurance company. I did not notice any lights on on the dash after. I also did not encounter any issues before this. I had the vehicle just over a year.

TIRES — Filed 08/15/2025

P245/55R19 103T Nitto Crosstek2 BW. Vehicle pulls to different directions when the tires are cross swapped. I have taken the vehicle to 4 to 5 wheel alignments within 3 months and 3 different shops after the purchase of the tire. Recently I took the vehicle Big O Tires and they _verified the tires have "Radial Pull" / Tire Conicity due to Manufacturing Defect of the a belt separation within the tire's structure. _The shop also verified that the alignment is performed correctly. I believe those tire are unsafe and they could fail suddenly causing crash.

FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE — Filed 05/09/2025

On multiple (3-5), but not all, occasions at the same location my pre collision warning and automatic breaking appear to have been triggered as I approached an expansion plate at the edge of a bridge. The pre collision warning sounded, then the brakes were automatically applied. After a few seconds the braking stopped and my car proceeded normally. If a car had been following closely I may have been struck in the rear.

TIRES — Filed 01/05/2025

The contact owns a 2016 Toyota Highlander equipped with Cooper Tires, Tire Line: Evolution H/T, Tire Size: 245/55/R19, DOT Number: UPPIILE. The contact stated that while his wife was driving approximately 55-65 MPH, the rear driver's side tire unexpectedly had a blowout. The contact's wife pulled over to the side of the road. The contact arrived on the scene and replaced the rear driver's side tire with the spare tire. The vehicle was taken to a tire retailer, where it was determined that the tire blowout was caused by a road hazard. The tire was not replaced. The tire manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The tire failure mileage was 30,000. The vehicle failure mileage was 61,000. The VIN was unavailable.

ENGINE — Filed 12/03/2024

The water pump on my 2016 Toyota Highlander XLE disintegrated while I was driving in heavy traffic. The pulley came loose from the water pump shaft. I have the water pump. Our safety was at risk because this happen in heavy traffic and it could have effected my control of the vehicle if it had came off completely. The pulley was wedge between the wheel well and fame. I sent a claim to Toyota and it was rejected due to the vehicle be out of warranty. I'm saying this is a manufacturing defect. No warning before it happen.

SERVICE BRAKES — Filed 11/11/2024

The contact owned a 2016 Toyota Highlander. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed low speeds on a decline, the brake pedal depressed all the way to the floorboard. As a result, the vehicle rolled downhill into a busy intersection and was struck by another vehicle on the passenger side door. The air bags did not deploy. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to a tow yard and deemed at total lose by the contacts insurance provider. A police report was filed with no injuries reported. The manufacturer was notified of the failure; a case was opened, and the contact was referred to the NHTSA hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 62,000.

VISIBILITY/WIPER — Filed 08/07/2023

The side view mirrors are positioned in a way that completely blocks visibility on the sides of the car, especially when making a left-hand turn. After owing the vehicle for several weeks, I collided with another car when making a left-hand turn. I couldn't see the car when turning until it was too late. I've been driving for 30+ years and have never had an accident before. I had another close call several weeks ago, and my husband almost didn't see a pedestrian because of the visibility issue. I looked up the problem online and see that many other have had this same problem. Please look into it. I called Toyota but they don't have a recall and said they couldn't help. I plan to change out my side view mirrors but wanted to bring this to your attention so that no one gets hurt by this issue. Thank you.

AIR BAGS,SERVICE BRAKES,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE — Filed 11/19/2022

I have had problems with the brakes since I bought the vehicle new in 2016. I have the brakes checked every year and when I had problems but they never found the problem why the brakes do not work. The worse accident was on November 19, 2022 when my wife was using the car. She was in the car alone. She went to brake and the brakes did not engage, she slammed on the brakes 4 times and the car did not even slow down and she rear-ended the car in front of her. The air bags did not engage and she was injured. The brakes do not always work, I have gone through stop signs and red lights but the dealership says there is no problem.

SERVICE BRAKES — Filed 08/10/2019

2 years ago I pulled my car, that was backed into the driveway out to turn it around to face in to the garage. As I pulled forward going very slowly I pressed on the brakes and the rubber pad on the pedal came off and caused my foot to come off of the pedal. I hit my wife's car and caused some slight damage to my car and to hers. I contacted Toyota and they had my car inspected and gave me a report that the brakes worked fine. I have not replaced the rubber pad, because I am afraid the cover will come off again in a similar matter. I explained this to Toyota but they closed the case of my complaint. I believe this is a danger that can cause an accident.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM — Filed 04/17/2022

I had bought my vehicle 5 months ago in an authorized Toyota dealer, on Easter Day we got on the vehicle drove 15 minutes from home to the park, parked my vehicle, turn it off and went to the park are next to where my vehicle was parked, from where i was sitting i was able to see my vehicle and we wasn't that far, not even 5 minutes after that i walked near the vehicle and notice it was on fire. No light was on in the dashboard, everything was working fine, the vehicle just had an oil change at the begging March 2022 and now in April 2022 it caught fire. This was my dream vehicle and i worked hard to get it. Fire fighters arrived at the scene, police department as well, the police gave me a report number, also a fire department investigator was called to the scene where he certified it was a short circuit and gave me a report number as well.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM — Filed 01/23/2020

THE LIFTGATE HIT MY 73 YEAR OLD MOTHER IN THE HEAD KNOCKING HER BACKWARDS WITHOUT ANY SAFETY FEATURE STOPPING OR REVERSING THE DOOR AS IT CLOSED.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM — Filed 05/07/2019

PARKING SENSORS AND PARK ASSIST RANDOMLY TURNS ITSELF OFF. WILL NOTICE THE SENSORS NOT DETECTING WHILE BACKING UP AND NOTICE DASH LIGHT IS NOT ILLUMINATED. NOT FUNCTIONING WHEN BACKING AND PARKING.

SERVICE BRAKES — Filed 09/03/2018

WHILE PARKING IN A PUBLIC PARKING LOT, AT IDLE SPEED, THE BRAKES DID NOT STOP FORWARD PROGRESS. CAR STRUCK THE CURBING, CLIMBED ONTO THE DIVIDER, CROSSED THE DIVIDER AND BUMPED A PARKED CAR ON THE OTHER SIDE. WHILE THE CAR WAS IN MOTION, I PUMPED THE BRAKES, AND PUSHED THE GEAR SHIFT LEVER INTO THE PARK POSITION. AFTER VEHICLE STOPPED, I REVERSED CAREFULLY, WHEN THE VEHICLE CAME OFF THE DIVIDER, I SET THE FOOT BRAKE. AFTER TURNING OFF THE ENGINE, I OPENED THE HOOD AND MY SON AND I CHECKED THE BRAKE FLUID IN THE MASTER CYLINDER. IT WAS FULL. RESTARTED THE VEHICLE, PRESSED THE BRAKE PEDAL AND HAD MY SON CHECK THE DISTANCE OF THE PEDAL TO THE FLOOR OF THE VEHICLE. IT WAS ALMOST ON THE FLOOR. I CALLED AAA AND HAD THE VEHICLE TOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP. HAVE CONTACTED TOYOTA AND FILED A CLAIM WITH TOYOTA.

AIR BAGS,SERVICE BRAKES — Filed 09/27/2017

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2016 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 20 MPH, THE BRAKES MALFUNCTIONED AND THE CONTACT'S VEHICLE REAR ENDED ANOTHER VEHICLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE FAILED TO STOP WHEN THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED. THE CONTACT'S VEHICLE SUSTAINED SIGNIFICANT FRONT END DAMAGE, BUT THE AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. THE FRONT PASSENGER SUSTAINED CHEST INJURIES THAT DID NOT REQUIRE MEDICAL ATTENTION. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED FROM THE SCENE. THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE LOCAL DEALER (KENNY KENT TOYOTA IN EVANSVILLE, IN) WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 6,600.

STRUCTURE,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,SERVICE BRAKES — Filed 06/26/2017

I WAS IN A PARKING LOT TRYING TO PARK MY CAR I PUT MY FOOT ON THE BREAK TO STOP THE CAR AND PUT INTO REVERSE AND THE CAR ACCELERATED INSTEAD OF STOPPING. THE HARDER I PUSHED THE BREAKS THE FASTER IT ACCELERATED AND HIT THE CAR PARKED IN FRONT OF ME.

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,SERVICE BRAKES — Filed 01/31/2017

MY WIFE WAS DRIVING WITH OUR TWO DAUGHTERS (AGES 12 AND 14). IT HAD JUST STARTED TO SNOW AND MY WIFE SAID THE ROAD WAS SLIPPERY SHE PUT THE CAR INTO LOW GEAR AND TRAVELED SLOWLY. SHE WAS RIGHT AROUND THE CORNER FROM OUR HOUSE WHEN SHE COULD NO LONGER CONTROL THE VEHICLE. SHE HIT A TREE, A FENCE, AND THEN TWO MORE TREES, TRAVELING MORE THAN 600 FEET. EVEN THOUGH SHE WAS TRAVELING DOWNHILL SHE SAID THE BRAKES DID NOT ENGAGE THE ABS AND THEN TOWARD THE END OF THE CRASH, BEFORE HITTING THE THIRD TREE THE CAR ACCELERATED ON ITS OWN. UPON HITTING THE THIRD TREE ALL AIR BAGS DEPLOYED AND FIRE, POLICE, AND AMBULANCE ARRIVED AT THE SCENE AND TOOK THEM ALL TO THE HOSPITAL. THEY HAD X-RAYS AND THERE WERE NO BROKEN BONES. OUR YOUNGER DAUGHTER WAS VERY TRAUMATIZED AND EVERYONE HAD BRUISES AND SMALL CUTS FROM SEAT BELTS BUT ALL WERE GENERALLY OKAY. THE STRANGE THING ABOUT THIS ACCIDENT IS HOW FAR THE CAR TRAVELED DESPITE MY WIFE'S EFFORTS TO STOP THE CAR. SHE HAD ALREADY PLACED THE CAR IN LOW GEAR YET THE BRAKES DID NOT WORK AND SHE SAYS THE CAR INCREASED SPEED (NOT JUST DUE TO THE SLOPE DOWNWARD). OUR FAMILY HAS LIVED IN THIS AREA FOR YEARS AND DRIVEN THROUGH COUNTLESS SNOW STORMS. THIS WAS NOT EVEN A STORM BUT JUST SOME LIGHT SNOW. IT WAS SLIPPERY ACCORDING TO MY WIFE BUT THE FACT THAT SHE COULD NOT STOP THE VEHICLE OVER SUCH A LONG DISTANCE DOES NOT MAKE SENSE AND SHE FEELS THAT THE CAR FAILED IN MULTIPLE WAYS. PLEASE SEE ATTACHED CRASH REPORT. THANK YOU. UPDATED 03/07/17*LJ *CN

AIR BAGS — Filed 10/23/2016

I HAD AN ACCIDENT ON MY CAR GOING 50 TO 60 MPH I THE ROAD CURVED AND I DID NOT I WENT INTO THE TOP OF THE DITCH HIT FRONT END AND WENT AIRBORN 30 TO 50 FEET IN THE AIR OVER THE PERSONS DRIVWAY. I LANDED ON MY BACK BUMPER WHICH THEN PROPELLED ME BACK INTO THE AIR AND I FLIPPED END OVER END LANDED ON MY TIRES. NOT ONE OF THE AIRBAGS DEPLOYED IN THIS ACCIDENT. THE OFFICER AT THE SCENE WAS SHOCKED. I HIT MY HEAD ON THE STEERING WHEEL THE HEAD REST BROKE I HET IT SO HARD AND THE B PILLAR OF THE CAR. I WAS ON A HIGHWAY.

AIR BAGS — Filed 10/23/2016

I OWN A 2016 HIGHLANDER LIMITED PLATINUM AND AFTER A MAJOR ACCIDENT I HAVE A SERIOUS CONCERN ABOUT THE SAFETY CLAIMS. YESTERDAY MY WIFE WAS IN A ROLLOVER (2 FULL ROTATIONS) ACCIDENT IN HER 2016 HIGHLANDER PLATINUM. CAR WAS DESTROYED, HER HEAD HIT BOTH THE STEERING WHEEL AND THE B-PILLAR, BOTH HAVE AIRBAGS. NOT A SINGLE AIRBAG WAS DEPLOYED. DRIVER AND FRONT PASSENGER SEAT-MOUNTED SIDE AIRBAGS, DRIVER KNEE AIRBAG, FRONT PASSENGER SEAT-CUSHION AIRBAG AND ALL-ROW ROLL-SENSING SIDE CURTAIN AIRBAGS = ALL A TOTAL FAIL, NONE OF THAT WORKED. THE ONSTAR LADY DID HOWEVER SENSE THE ACCIDENT AND DISPATCH AN AMBULANCE AND POLICE, THAT WAS EXCELLENT. WHATEVER CAR I GET AS A REPLACEMENT WILL DEFIANTLY HAVE THAT. NOT REAL HAPPY ABOUT THE SAFETY ON THIS VEHICLE. ONE OF THE REASONS THAT WE PURCHASED THIS VEHICLE WAS THE IIHS RATING ON THE VEHICLE. RIGHT ON THERE SITE IT TALKS ABOUT THE SAFETY AND THE AIRBAG ROLL SYSTEM BUT THE REALITY IS IN A ROLLOVER THIS DID NOT WORK I WILL HAVE THE ACCIDENT SCENE PICTURE LATER TODAY. I CURRENTLY ONLY HAVE SOME OF THE VEHICLE AFTER IT WAS TOWED.

AIR BAGS — Filed 01/25/2016

AIRBAGS DEPLOYED DURING AN ACCIDENT WHERE THE 2016 HIGHLANDER HIT THE REAR OF THE CAR IN FRONT OF IT THAT HAD SLOWED FOR A TRAFFIC LIGHT. THIS ACCIDENT HAPPENED ON 1-25-16 AND THE CAR WAS TRANSPORTED TO A TOYOTA AUTO BODY SHOP ON THE 26TH. SINCE THEN HIGHLANDER HAS BEEN TOTALLY REPAIRED EXCEPT FOR THE SIDE AIRBAGS. TOYOTA MOTOR IN CA HAS NO IDEA WHEN AIRBAGS WILL BE RELEASED FOR USE IN PARTS ON 2016 MODEL. IT IS NOW 3/21/16.