What 109 owners told NHTSA about the 2016 Toyota Highlander

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

NHTSA ODI 11719673

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.

NHTSA ODI 11715980

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.

NHTSA ODI 11712269

**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

NHTSA ODI 11700493

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.

NHTSA ODI 11695898

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.

NHTSA ODI 11681012

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.

NHTSA ODI 11660748

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.

NHTSA ODI 11635719

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.

NHTSA ODI 11631008

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.

NHTSA ODI 11628348

The contact owns a 2016 Toyota Highlander. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, the trunk power switch failed to function as intended. The contact stated that the trunk power switch was enabled to unlock, however the trunk door did not unlock. The contact stated that the trunk power switch failed to unlatch the trunk door and the trunk door was stuck. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed with battery failure due to a lack of voltage. The contact was informed that the battery needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure reoccurred. The contact stated that the failure reoccurred intermittently. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The contact stated that a Representative provided remedy options over the phone. The contact stated that the failure reoccurred intermittently. The failure mileage was approximately 48,000.

NHTSA ODI 11626493

The driver side rear passenger door can not be opened,either by remote or manually. This poses a threat to the safety of passengers in the rear seat area in the event of a crash. First responders would need to take other measures to tend to any injured passengers.

NHTSA ODI 11610623

The contact owns a 2016 Toyota Highlander. The contact stated that while driving approximately 20 MPH, the front right passenger's side view mirror suddenly fractured. The vehicle had not been taken to the dealer. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 64,000,

NHTSA ODI 11564696

2016 toyota highlander le model v-6 cylinder. The FUEL PUMP runs after engine has been turned off for several hours, even up to as many as 8 hours. This situation can be heard in a closed in garage, in the completely quiet of night time, and at multiple times during the same time period. It happens intermittently with various levels of gas in the tank. The length of time FUEL PUMP can run can be as little as 10 minutes to over 60 minutes.

NHTSA ODI 11561849

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.

NHTSA ODI 11553725

Had cv boot and control arm work at 30k miles caught it in time in 2021 and dealer fixed it. 2 years later same issue if i had bot taken it to dealer and just did oil changes myself cv boot and control arm would break during operation. Seems like they have serious issues with cv boots and control arms at low miles. I only have 50k miles to have a second replacement.

NHTSA ODI 11552727

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.

NHTSA ODI 11540443

brakes did not work in January 13, 2023 when backing out of driveway. Have had numerous dealership look at it multiple times in last 4 years.

NHTSA ODI 11526729

Description of Problem (electrical issue affecting multiple systems): Engine shuts off while driving. All instrument/electronic displays shut off or flicker while driving. Steering wheel locks and vibrates. Liftgate does not open. Vehicle cannot be unlocked with fob. Vehicle does not start. May start after several attempts. Safety: My family's safety was put at risk when car stalled and almost hit by other vehicles while driving on streets and highway. Risk has continued because Toyota has not identified and fixed the problem. Dealer: The problem has been reproduced by dealer. Dealer blamed and replaced battery, but problem continued. Vehicle only inspected by dealer and nobody else. Warning Lamps/Message: No Service lights or warning messaged on.

NHTSA ODI 11512162

DRIVING ON HIGHWAY AND SUNROOF EXPLODED. SOUNDED LIKE A GUN SHOT.

NHTSA ODI 11493625

The tail lights on the back tailgate hatch are leaking and have been leaking. The leaks are getting progressively worse and the lights are filling up with water. The vehicle has been garage kept, has low mileage, and has never been wrecked. I feel like this is a manufacturer defect.

NHTSA ODI 11474921

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.

NHTSA ODI 11469658

Cooper Adventurer P245/60R18 tires. Three of four tires had sidewall separation on both inner and outer sidewalls in same area. A separation could be seen in the outer casing about .25" above the rim line radiating and following the rim line. Tires were also exhibiting constant minor air leakage through the sidewalls. Testing indicated no punctures in the tread areas of the tires. Tires were inspected and found defective and replaced by tire dealer. Dealer took photos of the tires and one was retained for further inspection.

NHTSA ODI 11467747

While driving down the road the panoramic moonroof section of the sunroof exploded. This included a lout shotgun like sound. The sound, in addition to not having sufficient roof coverage, resulted in a safety issue. Glass shards may have also been thrown to vehicles behind us. The dealer is closed today, but I will be contacting them in the morning to report the issue and to see if it is covered. I understand that this happens relatively frequently, but no recall has been issued. I have reached out to insurance and will likely be filing a claim if Toyota doesn't cover it. No party has inspected at this point. There was no warning to this.

NHTSA ODI 11467621

The contact owns a 2016 Toyota Highlander. The contact stated while driving 55 MPH on the highway, the contact pulled over and heard water dripping. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact had the vehicle towed to the residence and then to the dealer where it was diagnosed as the water pump needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 90,000. The contact stated that the failure speed was actually 0 mph and the mileage was 90,723. The manufacturer was also notified of the failure.

NHTSA ODI 11467000