*Median odometer reading when the problem happened, where owners gave one. One complaint can name several problem areas.
Service brakesCrash1 injury
Summary: While turning into my driveway, the vehicle surged forward unexpectedly as I moved my foot from the accelerator to the brake pedal. The brake pedal felt normal, and none of the vehicleâs safety systems appeared to activate. The vehicle struck my husbandâs parked car and then my garage door, damaging both, and I sustained minor injuries. Details: On 10/8/26, at approximately 5:58PM, I was driving home from work and turning into my two-car driveway. I normally park to the left of my husbandâs vehicle, which was parked in the driveway. As I turned in, I took my foot off the accelerator and moved it to the brake pedal, as I normally do. The brake pedal felt normal. Instead of…
Oct 8, 2026Fuel/propulsion system
The vehicleâs fuel system is allowing a large amount of gas fumes to escape. The gas fumes are more noticeable on the driver side and in hotter weather. The vehicle has a significantly low MPG than advertised with some trip readings showing 11 MPG. The issue has been reported twice to the dealership and they stated that they cannot duplicate the problem but stated that they have received multiple reports from other vehicle owners of similar issues. The fuel system leak presents a risk of fire or explosion when the vehicle is stored in a confined space such as a garage. We first noticed the issue back in August or early September. I parked the vehicle in the garage and the space quickly…
Aug 20, 2026Unknown or other
The seal around my moon roof keeps coming out & now when it rains, it's coming through my car and ruining my seats. my seats are always soaked when it rains.
Oct 22, 2026Seats
Back pockets of the driver and passenger seats were torn at all 4 corners. Did not realize this when the car was purchased because I do not sit in the back seat and my kids have never put anything in the pockets. Obviously by just looking at the pockets you can see that it is a manufacturer defect. Toyota is blaming children or putting things to heavy in the pockets. Poor workmanship. Basically, saying that if they were to say this was poor workmanship, they would have to pay to fix. This was a purchased brand-new car. I have seen other complaints about this situation online.
Feb 27, 2026Power train
I have had my 2026 Grand Highlander Max Hybrid for only 3 months. Shortly after buying it I started noticing issues with how it shifted. It was hard for me to explain at first, but as the issue happened more it became more apparent. Periodically when driving I will be stopped at a red light or stop sign and attempt to accelerate and there is an obvious delay for a couple seconds followed by a surge of acceleration to high RPM. My foot is in a general form for acceleration at about 25 mph. This is concerning because if I pull in front of traffic timing when based on the expected acceleration, you can imagine that this is scary if I have this delay and oncoming traffic hits me. This issue is…
Aug 24, 2026Electrical system
I am reporting a serious safety concern involving the right rear passenger door of my 2026 Toyota Grand Highlander Hybrid, which has approximately 11,000 miles. My [XXX] daughter attempted to exit the vehicle from the rear passenger seat but was unable to open the door from inside. I immediately attempted to open the door from outside to assist her, but the exterior handle also failed to release the door. After approximately seven attempts, the door finally opened. This is extremely concerning because my child was effectively trapped inside the vehicle, and I was unable to open the door to assist her. In the event of an accident, vehicle fire, or other emergency, this malfunction could…
Oct 19, 2026Electrical system
My Toyota Grand Highlander Hybrid Limited has 16000 miles. Yesterday, 5 vehicle alerts appeared simultaneously: Check Engine, AWD system, Drive-Start control system, Intelligent clearance Sonar, and Hybrid system. The vehicle has reduced power and check engine light is illuminated. I towed the vehicle to dealership. They found damage to inverter radiator causing a leak of coolant. Dealership mentioned that this could be because of flying debris hitting the vent. I am requesting a goodwill technical review and repair of the same. Referencing to the NHTSA defect petition DP26006 where people have encountered similar issues with the grand highlanders from 2024-2026.
Oct 12, 2026Power train
Vehicle is experiencing hesitation, stuttering, and almost stalling at low speeds when the engine is running (it is a hybrid). Sometimes when pressing the accelerator when the vehicle experiences this hesitation, the vehicle does not move forward and bogs down, almost stalling out. This has happened twice when trying to quickly pull into traffic, and has almost resulted in an accident, since the vehicle failed to move forward when commanded. The dealership was able to reproduce the issue but said there is no fix available. There are no warning lamps or messages associated with this condition.
Sep 15, 2026
Owner complaints are submitted to NHTSA by the public and are not verified. Shown as filed (NHTSA removes personal details); long reports are shortened.
