Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (accelerator pedal, throttle, sudden acceleration, cruise control).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2005 Toyota Highlander owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
Unexplained vehicle acceleration with inability to stop before hitting vehicle in front of me. Pulled off of road behind truck to park. Lifted foot from gas pedal to put on brake so as to put vehicle into park. There was then an extreme vehicle acceleration which was uncontrollable with brake. Slammed into truck. Toyota corp claims no errors logged in computer system, and that if foot would have been on brake pedal, the filament would have broken. I can't be certain the braking happened before the accident-it was very fast. I am certain foot was on brake and not on gas!! There has been a previous denial of a petition to investigate numerous instances of this identical situation with other Toyota's-(NHTSA action # dp05002). NHTSA please investigate this!! There are too many complaints of this happening-do something before there are deaths! Is Toyota immune from safety recalls? …
My car was decelerating in the far right turn lane of a busy intersection. The brake had been applied approximately 1000 ft from the intersection as there were 3 vehicles stopped ahead of me. I was traveling at 10 MPH and I increased the pressure to the brake pedal as the car approached a stopped vehicle approximately 100 feet ahead of my vehicle. The engine revved to the highest RPM reading and lurched forward as I continued to apply full pressure to the brake pedal by adding my left foot to the already stationary right foot. I steered the vehicle to the right and drove on the sidewalk and grass between a burger king and autozone parking lots to avoid hitting the cars in front of me. I shifted the gear shift to neutral and the accelerator did not disengage. I was nearly standing on brake as the car continued to accelerate with the engine screaming from the high rpms. …
On Saturday, May 30th at approximately 8:30 I was moving our 2005 Highlander from the street into our reserved parking space within our complex. As I was starting my right hand turn into the complex the car accelerator stuck. I hit the curb on the driver's/left side causing the vehicle to veer to the right. As the car continued to accelerate I hit a tree and knocked over one of the community's posted signage. The impact made the car bounce backward partially into the drive, damaging the front passenger's side, drive shaft broke, front end part flew all over and a small fire occurred. Police were call and report taken. They estimated the speed at 20-30 miles per hour. The report taken was not filed since the accident took place on private property. The tow truck driver started the vehicle to get it on the truck. He had a difficult time for he could not get the wheels to turn. …
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 Toyota Highlander. While driving 2-3 MPH in reverse, the vehicle abnormally accelerated. The contact attempted to brake but to no avail as the vehicle crashed into her garage. The air bags did not deploy but the contact was not injured and there was minimal damage to the vehicle and moderate damage to the contacts home. The vehicle was taken to the dealer yet the dealer was unable to duplicate the failure. There were three additional occurrences of the failure and the vehicle was taken back to the dealer where repairs were made to the floor mat and the brake covers. The contact stated that she was still afraid to drive the vehicle. She later received notification of NHTSA campaign id number: 11V112000 (vehicle speed control:accelerator pedal) and the recall repair was performed on the vehicle. The failure mileage was 2,000 and the current mileage was 20,000.
I drove up hill, slowed, turned, and pulled behind truck to park off the side of the road. This was also uphill. The car was stopped, I went to put my foot on the brake to shift into park, and the car for some reason accelerated wildly (loud roaring of engine). It then lurched forward very fast and slammed into the truck that was in front of me. I had no power to stop it. This incident was completely out of my control. I have had problems in the past with this vehicle with severe hesitation. I have also had a hesitation, followed by extreme acceleration. I did file a complaint previously. This is a very dangerous condition. It could have been a child I hit instead of a truck!. The dealer says they can't find a problem with my car. This is a sporadic occurrence, but it shouldn't happen at all.
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 Toyota Highlander. The contact stated she was parking the vehicle in her garage at a relatively low speed. Her foot was on the brake and the vehicle was shifted to park when the vehicle abnormally accelerated and crashed into the garage wall. The contact was not injured. The vehicle sustained moderate front end damage. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer where an investigator was sent to further inspect the vehicle. The investigator advised the results would be available within thirty days. The contact was awaiting the results of the investigation. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and current mileages were 62,600.
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 Toyota Highlander. The contact stated that while driving at approx 65 MPH, she pressed down on the accelerator and when she took her foot off, the pedal did not release from the depressed position. She kept pumping the pedal but it continued to stick to the floor until she crashed into the wall of someone's home. The contact was injured as a result of the crash (broken ribs and head injuries). A police report was taken at the scene. The vehicle was totaled. She called the manufacturer and they did not offer any assistance. The current and failure mileages were approximately 97,000.
Tl contact owns a 2005 Toyota Highlander. The contact stated that while attempting to park, the vehicle suddenly accelerated and crashed into a tree. The air bags did not deploy. There were no injuries. The vehicle was destroyed. The contact called the manufacturer who stated that they would inspect the vehicle. After the failure, the contact received a recall notice for recall 06V253000 (vehicle speed control: accelerator pedal). The failure mileage was 44,200. Updated 01/31/11/ updated 04/20/11
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 Toyota Highlander. While entering a parking space, just before applying the brake, the vehicle accelerated into a concrete step. No one was injured during the crash but the vehicle suffered damage to the front end. He called the manufacturer and they collected all the information regarding the incident. However his vehicle was excluded from recall 09V388000 (vehicle speed control:accelerator pedal). The current and failure mileages were 40,892.
Tl contact owns a 2005 Toyota Highlander. The contact stated that idling at a stop sign, when she took her foot off the brake pedal, the vehicle suddenly surged forward and crashed into the vehicle in front. The contact noticed no prior problems with surging. There were no injuries. A police report was being filed at the time of the complaint. The manufacturer had not been notified. The VIN was unavailable. The current and failure mileages were approximately 53,000.
Related recalls
Vehicle speed control › Accelerator pedal
Toyota is recalling certain model year 2004-2006 highlander, highlander hybrid, and model year 2004-2007 Lexus rx330, rx350, and rx400h vehicles. If the forward retention clip used to secure the floor carpet cover, which is located in front of the center console, is not installed properly the cover May lean toward the…
Remedy: Dealers will replace the floor carpet cover with a newly designed one free or charge. The safety recall is expected to begin during March 2011. Owners May contact Toyota at 1-800-331-4331.
Vehicle speed control › Accelerator pedal
On certain sport utility and hybrid vehicles, the two retaining clips for the driver's side forward center console can become loose. If both clips separate from the floor carpet cover, the cover May lean toward the accelerator pedal, causing interference with the accelerator pedal rod.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the two floor carpet cover retaining clips free of charge. The recall began on July 24, 2006, and should be completed by early September 2006.
Acceleration complaints in other Highlander years
Frequently asked questions
How common are acceleration problems on the 2005 Toyota Highlander?
NHTSA has 39 complaints about the speed control & acceleration of the 2005 Toyota Highlander, 17% of the model year's 224 complaints. The component named most often is accelerator pedal (5 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2005 Toyota Highlander acceleration problems?
Yes — NHTSA recall 11V-112 (accelerator pedal, Feb 24, 2011); NHTSA recall 06V-253 (accelerator pedal, Jul 13, 2006). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
At what mileage do 2005 Toyota Highlander acceleration problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 44,000 miles, and 24% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 18 crashes, 1 fire and 5 injuries to speed control & acceleration problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.