The best-selling midsize SUV from Toyota, the Highlander has seen a major update with the 2020 model year. Along with the fancy gadgetry and styling, this SUV has inadvertently brought in a new set of complaints and recalls for this year. Though the official numbers do see a significant drop from the previous generation, the number of recalls stands at 2 while complaint numbers stay at 33 for the 2020 model year. Generally, Toyotas are known to be mechanically sorted and that mostly stays true here, but the implementation of complicated tech has affected the overall reliability of the vehicle as most issues raised here find their roots linked to something electronic. With new generation SUVs like the Ford Explorer, the Honda Pilot, and the Hyundai Palisade bringing in tough competition, does the new Toyota Highlander, with its niggles, have what it takes to hold up to its base asking price of $34,600? This article should give you an insight into it.
2020 Toyota Highlander User Complaints and Problems
Mechanical Complaints
- Engine- Unexpected engine stalls and random loss of throttle response have been some major issues that 2020 Toyota Highlander owners have been facing. The engine does not restart after the SUV comes to a stop sign or bogs down when trying to accelerate from a standstill. The steering assist also turns off when this happens and a handful of owners even complained about the steering locking itself. The issue was traced to be with the start/stop system software that Toyota employed in these vehicles which were later rectified under the recall (NHTSA ID 20V162000).
- Service Brakes- Multiple owners have complained about the service brakes malfunctioning intermittently, causing a loss of braking force at random instances. This primary happens at low vehicle speeds, where the brakes let go automatically for a second and then lock up again, even though the operator has the pedal pressed the entire time. Resolution to this issue is currently unavailable as the dealers could not replicate it. No service bulletins have been released on this issue despite the dealer being aware of this complaint.
Electric System complaints
- Fuel gauge- Faulty fuel gauge is one common issue reported by many owners on the 2020 Toyota Highlander as per the NHTSA. This has led to inconsistencies in distance to empty figures, which did leave drivers puzzled about the actual range. Also, owners have complained about the fuel tank accepting only 13 gallons of fuel although the automaker advertises the tank capacity to be around 17 gallons. Even though the dealer is made aware of these issues, there seems to be no response from them on a fix to this.
- Steering- Multiple owners have complained about the steering getting locked in a certain position when starting to move from a standstill. This is also accompanied by an “electronic steering assist” malfunction indicator in most cases. This problem was later diagnosed to be related to the issues with the start/stop system software that caused engine stalls, which inadvertently caused the steering assist unit to respond as if the vehicle was switched off.
- Transmission- “Park” function on theToyota Highlander does not work as intended for some owners. They complain about the SUV rolling back even though the vehicle was switched off and left in park mode. One injury has been recorded in this case officially by the NHTSA. Owners also raise a concern about a free-roll as the vehicle allows itself to be turned off, without shifting the gear lever into ‘park’ mode.
Structural Complaints
- Moon roof- At least two instances where the moon roof on the Toyota Highlander exploded without any specific cause have been recorded by the NHTSA. According to the owners, the glass panel exploded while driving even though it was set in its closed position. Affected owners were denied warranty replacements on these as the dealerships suspect physical damage to the unit which might have caused the catastrophic failure.
Safety Complaints
- Driver-assist system- Faults have been recognized with the lane-departure warning on the 2020 Toyota Highlander. The system forcefully makes the SUV drift to either side of the lane when ideally it should be keeping track in the center. The blind-spot warning system also goes out intermittently, leaving A “blind-spot monitor unavailable” warning sign on the dashboard. Even though the system was recalibrated by the dealer, the issue still does persist for some owners. One crash has been officially registered by NHTSA against the faulty blind-spot system.
2020 Toyota Highlander Recalls
|
S. No |
Date |
NHTSA ID |
Issues Noticed |
Additional Remarks |
Remedy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1 |
14th October 2020 |
20V633000 |
Seat trim can interfere with airbag deployment. |
Incorrect seat trim covers on both front seats prevent the seat-mounted airbags from deploying properly, increasing the risk of injury in the event of a crash. |
Dealers will inspect the front seats and replace the seat trim covers as necessary, free of charge. The recall began on December 11, 2020. |
|
2 |
19th March 2020 |
20V162000 |
ECU Error may cause the vehicle to stall |
Due to programming errors in the ECU, the fuel may not be correctly delivered to the engine when using the start/stop function, resulting in an engine stall and increasing the risk of a crash. |
The dealers will reprogram the ECU, free of charge. The recall began on May 15, 2020. |
Should you buy a used Toyota Highlander?
Selling over 200,000 vehicles a year is no small feat and the Toyota Highlander has been one midsize SUV that has been pulling it off for quite some time now. With so many units rolling down the production line in such a short time, minor niggles are expected to pop up sometime in the vehicle’s life. Being completely new for this year, as usual, the Toyota Highlander has accumulated 5 recalls and 33 complaints, the latter seeing a significant drop from the previous long-running generation, surprisingly. We are not the ones who advise buying a brand new generation of a vehicle which is in its first running model year usually, but given that Toyota has sold so many of these, we expect troubleshooting of problems/complaints to be quicker and more diligent from the automaker’s end for this SUV. Also, with one of the best post-sales service records in the industry, we wouldn’t hesitate to recommend the 2020 Toyota Highlander as a used purchase.
