2024 Toyota Grand Highlander Engine Problems

Which parts fail

• Cooling system › Radiator assembly
  1
• Cooling system
  1

Components named in complaints (engine, cooling system, oil leaks, timing chain, exhaust).

Mileage when the problem started

Owner reports

Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2024 Toyota Grand Highlander owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).

The contact owns a 2024 Toyota Grand Highlander. The contact was unable to fill the fuel tank completely. The contact stated that the fuel tank had a 17-gallon capacity; however, the contact was only able to get more than 10 gallons into the tank. Additionally, the contact stated that the Auto START/STOP feature was not functioning as needed. The contact had taken the vehicle to a local dealer, who was unable to determine the cause of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was 16,455.

Vehicle: 2024 Toyota Grand Highlander Hybrid Max The vehicle intermittently experiences a severe hesitation and shudder during acceleration from approximately 0-40 mph. The condition occurs only under specific circumstances: -The vehicle has been parked long enough for the engine, transmission, and related systems to cool to ambient air temperature. -The vehicle is started and driven shortly thereafter. -Engine oil and transmission temperatures are below approximately 160 F. -The air conditioning system is operating at maximum cooling with Eco Air Mode enabled. -The hybrid battery indicator displays approximately three bars of charge. When these precise conditions are present, the vehicle may hesitate, shudder, and fail to respond normally to accelerator pedal input during acceleration. …

The air conditioning system on my 2024 Grand Highlander failed due to a punctured AC condenser caused by road debris passing through the front grille during normal driving. The front fascia has large open apertures with no protective mesh or screening, leaving the condenser, radiator, and other heat exchangers directly exposed to rocks and debris. The condenser face shows multiple debris strikes, with one impact puncturing the core and causing complete refrigerant loss and AC failure at approximately 62,000 miles. The vehicle worked normally when parked and the AC was completely dead one week later due to the slow refrigerant leak from the puncture. Diagnosis was performed by [redacted] Toyota in [redacted], which confirmed the puncture was caused by road debris. …

Several times per week, when I go to accelerate after being at a complete stop, my vehicle hesitates and does not pick up power. It very slowly accelerates and feels as if it's going to stall, then suddenly revs up and accelerates, but revs up higher than it should before finally getting to the appropriate speed/rpm. This is very unsafe as I cannot pull out into traffic, even if I should have time, because I don't know if it is going to accelerate or not. One of these days I am going to get T-boned! I took it to the dealership and they did a software update that was supposed to fix the issue, but it did not. The issue still happens several times per week. There are no warning lights on the dash. The dealership did not run a diagnostic because they told me I would have to pay for it if no codes came up. …

At 5:16 pm, CST. I was stopped at a stop sign headed west on a 25 mph road crossing a 30 mph road (that does not have a stop sign) in Illinois. After waiting for a an appropriate gap in traffic, I attempted to accelerate though the interesting. I released the brake pedal and attempted to accelerate. The vehicle barely accelerated. The engine seemed to minimally climb in RPM and only accelerated minimally out into the cross road. This lasted approximately 1-2 seconds. AT this point I was fully into the first lane of traffic. I then fully depressed the accelerator to try to get the vehicle to respond and after approximately a 0.5 to 1.0 second delay the engine fully responded and I was able to accelerate out of the oncoming cross traffic. This is by no-means the first time this behavior has happened with this vehicle but it is the first time I'm reporting it to the NHTSA.

I've had consistent issues with the vehicle accelerating and shifting. These include sluggish acceleration, loss of power, sputtering, and limp mode. We've almost been hit by other vehicles almost 10 times because the vehicle has failed to accelerate when pulling into a roadway. The vehicle will start to accelerate slowly, then stop, then 5-10 seconds later will surge forward will the engine revs very high and is delayed shifting into 2nd gear. I've told my Toyota dealership about this numerous times but they keep telling me that there's no issue but there clearly is being that many others are experiencing the same exact problems. There's never been a warning lamp or message when this happens. This is a huge safety issue and my family is extremely lucky that we haven't been involved in a serious accident.

I have had 2 intermittent issues since I bought this vehicle brand new. 1) Hard, Jerky shifting from 1-2 or 2-3 gear 2) Huge safety issue regarding loss of power and inability to accelerate from a stop even though the car is on and in drive. This has happened to me multiple times and is very intermittent so it is hard to replicate. This has happened when I am attempted to accelerate from a complete stop and the car begins to move but then does not accelerate at all. Almost as if the powertrain shut off even though it was moving under its own power a fraction of a second ago. This has happened to me multiple times with my entire family in the car as we attempted to enter intersections leaving the car powerless with oncoming traffic. Thankfully we were not hit by another car but could have been.

**Vehicle:** Toyota Grand Highlander Hybrid Max **Issue:** On high-temperature days, when the A/C is running at full capacity, the vehicle occasionally fails to accelerate from a stop. This issue persists even after applying the recommended ECM update. **Safety Concern:** The lack of reliable acceleration poses a significant safety risk, particularly when turning across oncoming traffic or entering a busy street. This situation can leave the vehicle stalled in the path of approaching vehicles, increasing the likelihood of an accident. **Action Taken:** Applied the ECM update that is supposed to resolve the issue, but the problem persists.

Our vehicle loses power after initial startup when you first accelerate. We have had three incidents where we were pulling out from a stop sign or stoplight on a major road and you press the gas and the car shutters and doesn't move at all. All three times a car accident almost occurred. This has been reported to the dealer and they replaced the entire hybrid powertrain. The issue persists at random with no warning messages generated by the car. It also hasn't been replicated for a dealer to see themselves. It's extremely dangerous and has been reported numerous times on forums.

Reported issues of lag in acceleration and harsh shifting into reverse, the vehicle has been brought to the dealership multiple times stemming from shortly after previous, there are no warnings lights on. I requested the dealership provide in writing if the deemed the vehicle safe for operation. They would not do so. I requested a loaner while my vehicle is being reviewed for repurchase and was denied. When my repurchase claim was denied, I requested a reconsideration and again a loaner.

NHTSA investigations

Engine complaints in other Grand Highlander years