What 133 owners told NHTSA about the 2014 Toyota Highlander

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2014 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT AN ABNORMAL SQUEAKING NOISE WAS HEARD COMING FROM THE REAR DRIVER SIDE OF THE VEHICLE. THE NOISE OCCURRED INTERMITTENTLY WHILE MAKING TURNS. THE DEALER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE CONTACT RESEARCHED THE FAILURE ONLINE AND FOUND THAT THE FAILURE WAS DUE TO A DAMAGED REAR SUSPENSION. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 46,000. *TT

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EVERY SINGLE DOOR LOCK ACTUATOR HAS FAILED IN THE VEHICLE CAUSING REMOTE LOCKING AND UNLOCKING TO NOT WORK. DOORS, AFTER FAILING, REQUIRED TO BE MANUALLY LOCKED OR UNLOCKED. THE DRIVER FRONT AND REAR FAILED ABOUT 39 MONTHS AFTER OWNING THE VEHICLE, THEN 3 MONTHS LATER THE RIGHT REAR ONE FAILED, AND NOW THE FOURTH AND FINAL ONE HAS FAILED.

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LIFT GATE GET STUCK IN THE OPEN POSITION. I LIVE IN THE VIRGIN ISLANDS, SO IT'S NOT DUE TO COLD TEMPS. SOMETIME IT TAKE 10 TRIED TO CLOSE THE GATE. IT HAS BEEN HAPPENING MORE TIME LATELY, SO I TRY NOT TO USE THE GATE. PUTTING IT IN A TURNING OFF THE SWITCH IN THE GLOVE COMPARTMENT DOES NOT HELP.

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I WAS T BONED ON PASSENGER SIDE, SIDE IMPACT AIR BAG DID NOT DEPLOY. I WAS PUSHED INTO ONCOMING TRAFFIC, FRONT AIRBAGS DID NOT DEPLOY IN HEAD ON COLLISION. SEAT BELT DID NOT TIGHTEN- I INITIALLY HIT DRIVERS SIDE WINDOW, WHEN T-BONED, THEN WITH FRONT IMPACT HIT STEERING WHEEL, ROOF AND CENTER CONSOLE. *TT *TR

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LIFTGATE GETTING STUCK IN THE OPEN POSITION MAKING IT A HAZARD TO DRIVE, NOT KNOWING WHEN IT WILL OPEN OR CLOSE PROPERLY. POWER WINDOWS BARELY CLOSE- REPORTED TO TOYOTA BUT CLAIMED IT WAS NOT AN ISSUE.

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I HAVE THREE ISSUES WITH THE ELECTRONICS IN MY 2014 HIGHLANDER STARTING IN JUNE 2017 (RIGHT AFTER MY WARRANTEE EXPIRED): 1. THE ELECTRONIC LIFTGATE IS NON-FUNCTIONAL. WHEN OPENING, IT TAKES MULTIPLE (5-10) ATTEMPTS TO GET IT TO OPEN ALL THE WAY UP. SAME WITH CLOSING THE LIFTGATE. VEHICLE IS STATIONARY. 2. THE ELECTRIC PASSENGER WINDOW WILL NOT CLOSE ALL THE WAY UNTIL YOU TRY TO CLOSE IT MULTIPLE (5-10) TIMES. IT GOES UP ABOUT 3/4 OF THE WAY, THEN OPENS AGAIN. I FOUND THAT IT WORKS QUICKER, AFTER 2-3 TIMES IF THE ENGINE IS SHUT OFF. VEHICLE CAN BE STATIONARY OR MOVING. 3. THE BLUETOOTH CONNECTING MY ANDROID PHONE STAYS CONNECTED FOR ABOUT 2 WEEKS AND THEN I HAVE TO INITIALIZE IT AGAIN TO MAKE IT WORK. VEHICLE CAN BE STATIONARY OR MOVING.

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TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2014 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER. WHILE AT THE DEALER TO PURCHASE THE VEHICLE, THE CONTACT NOTICED THAT THE FRONT WINDSHIELD WIPER WAS FRACTURED. THE CONTACT INFORMED THE DEALER (PRIME TOYOTA BOSTON, 1605 VFW PKWY, WEST ROXBURY, MA 02132) AND WAS INSTRUCTED TO BRING IN THE VEHICLE THE FOLLOWING DAY. THE DEALER STATED THAT THE CONTACT HAD TO PAY FOR THE REPAIR BECAUSE IT WAS NOT COVERED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 0.

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LIFT GATE WILL NOT OPEN OR CLOSE IN COLD TEMPERATURES. WE HAVE TAKEN IT TO OUR LOCAL DEALER IN BATTLE CREEK, MICHIGAN SEVERAL TIMES BUT THE ISSUE HAS NOT BEEN RESOLVED. EACH TIME THE PROBLEM HAS OCCURRED THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED. WE DO NOT WISH TO INJURE OURSELVES TRYING TO OPEN OUR BACK DOOR. THIS VEHICLE IS USED IN OUR DELIVERY BUSINESS AND IT IS NECESSARY TO FREQUENTLY USE OUR BACK DOOR.

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POWER LIFT GATE WILL NOT OPEN OR CLOSE AND LOCK WHEN THE OUTDOOR TEMPERATURE IS BELOW 32 DEGREES F. VEHICLE IS STATIONARY AND COLD AS STATED.

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CHROME GRILL IS BUBBLING AND LOOKS LIKE IT'S GETTING READY TO PEEL. MY CAR HAS ALWAYS BEEN GARAGED AND TAKEN CARE OF SINCE I BOUGHT IT BRAND NEW.. THIS IS A DEFECT THAT WILL DEFINITELY LOWER THE VALUE OF MY CAR. MY HUSBAND NOTICED THIS ISSUE JUST RECENTLY WHEN I WAS PULLING INTO THE GARAGE.

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TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2014 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE LIFTGATE SYSTEM FAILED. THE CONTACT WAS UNABLE TO UNLOCK OR CLOSE THE LIFTGATE AUTOMATICALLY. THE CONTACT HAD TO OPEN THE LIFTGATE MANUALLY AND HOLD THE LIFTGATE OPEN MANUALLY. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO A DEALER FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE LIFTGATE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 30,000.

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MY TOYOTA HIGHLANDER 2014 HAS A HUGE SECURITY AND SAFETY ISSUE. ITS STEERING WHEEL JAMMED AND IT BECOME COMPLETELY DISABLED WHILE I WAS DRIVING AND THE ENGINE WONT START AGAIN. IT HAS THE FOLLOWING MESSAGES IN THE DASHBOARD. 1- 'EPS FAILURE. STEERING WHEEL IS HARDER TO TURN'. 2- 'THE ENGINE HAS STOPPED. PLEASE PUT THE SHIFT LEVER TO P'. 3- 'TRAC OFF' 4- 'BRAKE OVERRIDE SYSTEM FAILURE'. MY CAR HAD SAME ISSUE BACK AUG 2017 BUT THE TOYOTA DEALERSHIP CLAIMED THAT THEY DIDN'T SEE SUCH ISSUE AND THE CAR STARTED NORMAL. I DON'T KNOW WHAT KIND OF DIAGNOSTICS THEY PERFORMED BECAUSE I AM HAVING THE SAME ISSUE WHICH HAS SIMILAR SYMPTOM AS THE RECALL ISSUE (NHTSA CAMPAIGN # 15V14000) FOR TOYOTA HIGHLANDER 2015 MODELS. IT IS A VERY DANGEROUS SECURITY FAULT BECAUSE MY CAR WAS IDOL WHILE I WAS DRIVING AND THE STEERING WHEEL JAMMED. ON BOTH OCCASION THE VEHICLE WAS STATIONARY.

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I'VE PURCHASED 2014 HIGHLANDER ON JAN 2014. I HAVE COMPLAINED TO THE DEALERS ABOUT THE REAR NOISE STARTING IN 2014 AND ALL THEY COULD SAID WAS TO MAKE SURE THE JACK TOOL IS SECURED IN THE BACK. THEY COULDN'T IDENTIFIED THE ISSUE. TODAY I FOUND SB0016-16 AND HAD A DEALER CONFIRMED THE TRAILING ARM ISSUE. THIS IS PART OF THE REAR SUSPENSION SYSTEM. I CONTACTED TOYODA WITH CASE #1708260897 AND THEY SAID MINE IS OUT OF WARRANTY AND WON'T PAY FOR THE REPAIR. IT DIDN'T MATTER IF THE ISSUE WAS IDENTIFIED BEFORE THE WARRANTY HAS EXPIRED AND BEFORE THIS BULLETIN SB0016-16 CAME OUT. THE REPAIR COST IS ESTIMATED TO BE $1,200.

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THE LOW BEAM HEADLIGHTS ARE MELTING THE PLASTIC COVER ON THE HEADLIGHT ASSEMBLIES. BOTH SIDES ARE MELTING FROM THE HEAT OF THE LOW BEAM LIGHT BULBS. IT WAS FIRST NOTICED AT 37,000 MILES, AT 3 YEARS OLD. FACTORY INSTALLED PARTS, NO MODIFICATIONS HAVE BEEN DONE TO THE VEHICLE. THE LOW BEAM LIGHTS ARE ONLY OPERATING AT NIGHT, ABOUT 25% OF THE DRIVING TIME ON THE VEHICLE, SO THE MELTING OCCURRED WITHIN APPROXIMATELY 10,000 MILES OF DRIVING TIME. THE VEHICLE WAS OUT OF WARRANTY WHEN IT WAS REPORTED TO TOYOTA, BUT THIS MELTING HAS BEEN OCCURRING SINCE DAY ONE. THIS DEFECT WILL AFFECT THE SAFETY OF NIGHTTIME DRIVING IN THE VEHICLE. WORKED FOR MONTHS WITH DEALERSHIP, UNSATISFACTORY RESOLUTION.

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AFTER NUMEROUS ELECTRIC ISSUES WITH MY 2014 HIGHLANDER NOW THE REAR ELECTRIC LIFT GATE CYLINDERS ARE BAD. TOOK IT TO MY LOCAL TOYOTA DEALER THIS AM AND FOR $1550 THEY WILL REPLACE THEM WITH A TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN UPDATED PART NUMBER AND CYLINDER. AS I HAVE READ I'M NOT THE ONLY PERSON HAVING THIS PROBLEM AND IF THEY HAVE AN UPDATED NEW CYLINDER WHY DON'T THEY THE RIGHT THING AND REPLACE THE BAD DESIGN....UHGG I WANT MY OLD CHEVROLET BACK....

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WHEN USING THE ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL IT MAINTAINS A USER SPECIFIED TRAVELLING DISTANCE BEHIND THE VEHICLE IN FRONT. WHEN THE VEHICLE CHANGES LANES, OR IS TURNING OFF, THE VEHICLE IS BARELY OFF THE LANE, BUT THE ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL STILL REACTS TO THE CAR THAT HAS EXITED THE LANE. THIS CAUSES MY TOYOTA TO REACT TO THE SLOWED VEHICLE THAT HAS JUST EXITED MY LANE BY SLOWING UNNECESSARILY, AND CAUSING VEHICLES BEHIND ME TO HAVE TO SLOW AND SOME TIMES GET IRRITATED BY THIS ACTION. I TOLD TOYOTA ABOUT THIS. I WAS TOLD THERE IS A FIX ON THE WAY, BUT NO ACTION HAS TAKEN PLACE IN THE PAST 3 YEARS. A TECH DROVE THE CAR ON THE ROAD IN FRONT OF THE DEALERSHIP, BUT HE OBVIOUSLY DID NOT DRIVE THE CAR ENOUGH, BECAUSE IF HE HAD, HE SHOULD HAVE NOTICED THIS ODD BEHAVIOR. IT HAPPENS SOME ON THE INTERSTATE, BUT IS MORE PRONOUNCED BEHAVIOR WHEN ON 2 LAND ROADS. THIS BEHAVIOR HAS OCCURRED EVER SINCE WE BOUGHT IT NEW.

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THE ENTUNE RADIO HAS A BUG THAT CAUSES IT TO REBOOT RANDOMLY. I HAVE HAD IT HAPPEN WHILE DRIVING AND RELYING ON THE NAVIGATION SYSTEM FOR DIRECTIONS IN HEAVY TRAFFIC. IT IS ANNOYING, DISTRACTING AND VERY UNSAFE. I HAVE INVESTIGATED THE ISSUE AND IT APPEARS THAT RELOADING OR NEW FIRMWARE DOES NOT WORK WHICH IS WHAT TOYOTA RECOMMENDS. REFER TO THIS LINK FOR OTHER PEOPLE'S COMPLAINTS. HTTP://WWW.LANDERFAN.COM/ARCHIVES/ENTUNE-NAVIGATION-FREEZE-CRASH-REBOOT-FOLLOWUP/

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TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2014 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN BACK TO THE DEALER MORE THAN ONCE BECAUSE IT HESITATED WHEN THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED. THIS WAS A SAFETY CONCERN WHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY OR VARIOUS RATES OF SPEED. THE DEALER WAS UNABLE TO REPLICATE AND DIAGNOSE THE FAILURE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE AND THE CONTACT WAS WAITING TO DETERMINE IF THEY HAD A SERVICE CAMPAIGN OR SOLUTION TO REMEDY THE FAILURE. THE VIN AND FAILURE MILEAGE WERE NOT AVAILABLE.

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SUNROOF EXPLODED SPONTANEOUSLY WHILE DRIVING ON STATE HIGHWAY 19 IN FLORIDA. THE TOYOTA COMPANY DENIED DEFECT AND I HAD TO HAVE REPAIR DONE USING MY INSURANCE. IF THE SUNROOF COVER HAD NOT BEEN CLOSED, PASSENGER COMPARTMENT COULD HAVE HAD LOTS OF GLASS CAUSING INJURY OR AN ACCIDENT

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THE NAVIGATION SYSTEM HAS SO MANY ISSUES IT HARD TO LIST THEM IN THIS SMALL SPACE. IT WILL REBOOT MANY TIMES A DAY, SOMETIMES JUST TURNS IT SELF OFF AND HAVE TO PULL TO THE SIDE TURN OFF ENGINE AND IT WILL COME BACK ON. COMMUNICATION IS EXTREMELY POOR, IT LAGS BEING WHERE I AM, IT POOR AT FINDING ADDRESSES THAT HAVE BEEN AROUND FOR YEARS. TOYOTA NEEDS TO TOTALLY REDO THE SOFTWARE AND OFFER IT FOR FREE ITS SO BAD

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STATIONARY VEHICLE. POWER REAR LIFT GATE WILL OPEN OR CLOSE ON DEMAND ONLY SPORADICALLY. IT MAY BEGIN TO OPEN OR CLOSE AND MOVE JUST SEVERAL INCHES, OR PERHAPS A FOOT. IT THUS REQUIRES THE OPERATOR TO MANUALLY OPEN OR CLOSE THE GATE WHICH IS VERY DIFFICULT TO ACCOMPLISH ESPECIALLY FOR SMALLER OR ELDERLY PEOPLE AS THE RESISTANCE IS SEVERE, REQUIRING AN ENORMOUS AMOUNT OF EFFORT AND RISK OF INJURY. THIS IS AN ONGOING PROBLEM AND OCCURS CONTINUOUSLY.

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MY SUNROOF EXPLODED AS I WAS DRIVING WITH MY KIDS, ON THE HIGHWAY. IT SOUNDED LIKE A GUNSHOT AND THE GLASS FELL ALL OVER ME. *TR

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REAR LIFT DOOR (HATCHBACK) DOES NOT STOP IF AN ARM OR BODY PART IS IN THE WAY ONCE THE BUTTON TO CLOSE IS PUSHED. MY HAIR GOT CAUGHT IN THE LOCK AND THE DOOR WAS CLOSING SO I TRIED TO STOP IT WITH MY ARM AND IT KEPT CLOSING ON MY ARM WITH MY HAIR CAUGHT AND MY ARM IS SEVERELY BRUISED. THE VEHICLE WAS IN PARK AND SHUT OFF IN MY DRIVEWAY

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MY NAVIGATION SYSTEM STOP WORKING ON CITY, AND HIGHWAYS WHILE DRIVING. IT IS GETTING WORSE .I LIVE IN MARTIN TN. WHILE DRIVING TO, AND IN MEMPHIS TN IT STOP OVER TEN TIME ,AND ON THE WAY BACK AT LEAST NINE TIMES. WE WAS RELIEVING ON IT BUT FAILED. WHEN WE NEEDED IT THE MOST.

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2014 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER THE DRIVER SIDE SEAT BELT THREADING DETERIORATED AT THE STITCHING WHERE IT ATTACHES TO THE FLOOR OF THE CAR. IT WAS FIXED BOTH TIMES AT IRA TOYOTA IN DANVERS, MA., ONCE ON JUNE 21, 2016 AND AGAIN ON JULY 26, 2016. THE FIRST TIME THE SEAT BELT BROKE, I WAS STOPPED AT A STOP LIGHT. I PUSHED OFF MY SEAT WITH MY ARMS TO ADJUST HOW I WAS SITTING, TO BE MORE COMFORTABLE, AND THE BELT BROKE. SEE IMAGE ATTACHED. THE SECOND TIME THE BELT BROKE WAS ALMOST IN THE SAME MATTER, EXCEPT I WAS PARKED IN A PARKING LOT.

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