2011 Toyota Highlander owner complaints

The glass on the driver side window is off the rails and would come off the window at an angle when its being raised. Currently we cannot roll the window glass up and down. Similar symptons are being seen on the passenger side window now . I have owned cars in the past and this is the first time I am seeing this kind of an issue and Toyota refuses to consider this as a quality issue. When I go online, I have seen multiple users having similar issue with Toyota highlander and it surprises me that a company like Toyota wont do anything to help the customer.

I pressed the rear hatch button to close it from driver's seat, hatch arm broke and spewed plastic and metal parts while parked, onto mall parking lot. Toyota states "rod has fallen off of motor connect...t-sb-0038-15 power back door does not close properly...big gap on driver side hinge for back hatch."Toyota sold me $2299 service contract w/portfolio elite protection plan which says will not cover it. Diagnosis from Toyota in uploaded file.

The auto liftgate for the rear door would not go up and down. Toyota has refused to fix this problem even though a service bulletin has gone out for this defect! *tr

The automatic latch of the liftgate started to fail. The liftgate not longer opens automatically. I was told it is probably the motor and the parts cost alone is over $1,200. I cannot afford this and am doing without that feature, but annoyed! *tr

Rear lift gate stopped opening and closing with button on dash. Hydraulic arm popped off. Was able to reattach, but Toyota dealer said it would keep happening because the hinges of the door were separating from the door and to get that repaired I would need to send it to the body shop. The arm has since snapped in half and the door can only be opened/closed manually, but Toyota warned me that the hinges will continue to bend. I am fearful as I have two small children and do not trust the door to be safe. Toyota dealer will not repair at their expense even though there have been lawsuits and are so many documented cases.

The open rear automatic door failed, immediately closing on my wife's back as she was removing a bag from the rear cargo area. The failure happened without warning and came down hard. As the vehicle is out of warranty, Toyota would not replace at their cost. *tr

Intermediate shaft issues. Had one intermediate shaft replaced under warranty a year or two after purchase. Intermediate shaft issues returned in the last year. Toyota dealership wants $500 to replace a shaft they know has been defective for years leading up to this model. This is the primary vehicle for my wife and children. I am concerned about there safety with this matter. This issue should have been recalled years ago. This issue shouldn't have to come to the point of someone getting injured or dying to have this matter addressed.

Tl* the contact owns a 2011 Toyota highlander. When the contact moved the steering wheel, it made a loud abnormal popping noise. The noise grew louder when the vehicle was being driven at different speeds. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer or independent mechanic for diagnostic testing or repairs. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was unknown.

Clicking in steering column light comes on dash for power steering then hard to make turn then well go back off then able to make turns with ease again

In the last 30 days, the steering has begun to feel "loose", as if I am driving on ice. At first it was barely perceptable. There has been more "play" in the steering. During the last 2 days, the car is now making a thud when I am steering right. I have an appointment for a mechanic to look at it. The car is a 2011 Highlander, AWD, with 89,000 miles on it. I feel the steering issue could be very dangerous at some point.

The power steering is clunky, locks in position when backing out of a parking spot, is clunky and unreliable at slow speeds. I can feel the steering column get far tighter feeling when turning at slow speed (3-10 mph)

Sun visor will no longer go up all the way. It is stuck partially up and has resistance. It is now only down and blocking my view of driving. *tr

The driver side sun visor spring broke preventing the visor from either folding back up or coming down completely, causing a visibility problem and a safety hazard. *tr

Left side sun visor failed, visor drops down in front of driver. *tr

I was driving in the coastal hills of the san francisco peninsula when I noticed that the car started vibrating severely when applying the brakes on downward slopes. I realized that this was due to the brake discs overheating. For the remained of the trip I used the gearshift to slow down the car when driving along downward sloping roads by selecting 2nd gear in the automatic gearshift. By avoiding use of the brakes, I avoided the vibration and was able to get home safely. I subsequently brought the car to the dealership for maintenance. The technical staff confirmed that the brake discs showed signs of overheating but did not replace them under warranty. This same problem presented itself earlier, too, at approximately 15,000 miles, during a trip in the sierra nevada. On this previous

I was driving in the sierra nevada when I noticed that the car started vibrating severely when applying the brakes on downward slopes. I realized that this was due to the brake discs overheating. For the remained of the trip I used the gearshift to slow down the car when driving along downward sloping roads by selecting 2nd gear in the automatic gearshift. By avoiding use of the brakes, I avoided the vibration and was able to get home safely. I subsequently brought the car to the dealership for maintenance. The technical staff confirmed that the brake discs showed signs of overheating and replaced them under warranty. However, this does not solve the underlying problem: undersized discs, unable to dissipate the heat generated by the brakes when driving downhill. This same problem has pr

Heater/ac assembly is leaking onto a control module under the dash which I believe the the airbag module and soaking the front drivers and passengers carpets and padding. Checked for blockage in drain tube. None, used compressed air to blow out drain tube just in case. Did not solve issue. Removed passengers side panel and found that the factory seam of the ac/heater assembly was leaking water when the ac is on. (I have video) the design of the assembly is poor in that the seam splits the assembly left and right rather than top and bottom. Repair of the unit would have required complete removal of dash, steering, etc. To solve this, I placed 3m glass setting butyl tape over the seam such that the seam in the unit was sealed above the condensation drain. This resolved the issue.

Tl* the contact owns a 2011 Toyota highlander. The contact stated that the vehicle abnormally accelerated without her depressing the accelerator pedal. The vehicle crashed into a barn. There were no injuries but the vehicle had extensive damages to the front bumper and sides. The police were contacted and called to the scene to assist. The vehicle was towed to an auto center for repairs. The manufacturer was notified who filed a claim on behalf of the contact. The failure mileage was 9,000.

Driving on a city street at about 35 miles per hour I was heading home with my kids (5 y.o. And 7 y.o.) when the vehicle decelerated and lost power while I was driving in traffic, I was fortunate that the care rolled long enough to pull over to a safe spot with my children and call for a tow. Lights that came on check hybrid system, check brake system, check 4wd system, and the check engine light came on. After the vehicle was inspected at Toyota of cerritos I was informed that the master mechanic had to place a ticket with Toyota motor company to figure out the issue due to all the codes that were logged after the diagnostic. Toyota motor informed mechanic it was hybrid inverter failure. This could of been a horrible situation had I been driving on the freeway and my car suddenly stopped

Tl* the contact owned a 2011 Toyota highlander. While driving on the highway, the vehicle hydroplaned around a corner and went into a small embankment. The vehicle t-boned the center barrier of the freeway. None of the air bags deployed. Most of the front end was crashed in and the driver's side was severely damaged. The engine and radiator were pushed far back from their original positions. The vehicle was towed and inspected by the insurance company then by an independent mechanic. The consensus was that the vehicle would be deemed destroyed. A police report was filed and there were no injuries. The dealer and manufacturer were not contacted. The cause of the failure was unknown. The failure mileage was 150,000.