2014 Toyota HIGHLANDER

Problems, Recalls & Reliability Report

Below Average

Quick Summary

The 2014 Toyota HIGHLANDER has 158 owner complaints filed with NHTSA — that's 2.0x the segment average of 80. The most common issue is electrical problems (22% of all complaints), specifically: our 2014 toyota highlander limited was purchased new with 18 miles on february 25, 2014. on march 7, 2014 while driving on city streets another driver failed to stop at a red light so i pressed the horn to alert the driver while i swerved out of his path. the horn did not work so the driver was no. ⚠️ 1 fire report filed.

1 fire report 5 crash reports 7 injuries

158

Total Complaints

Recalls Issued

—/5

Safety Stars

2.0x

vs Segment Avg

Known Problems

ELECTRICAL

35 complaints

22%

• OUR 2014 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER LIMITED WAS PURCHASED NEW WITH 18 MILES ON FEBRUARY 25, 2014. ON MARCH 7, 2014 WHILE DRIVING ON CITY STREETS ANOTHER DRIVER FAILED TO STOP AT A RED LIGHT SO I PRESSED THE HORN TO ALERT THE DRIVER WHILE I SWERVED OUT OF HIS PATH. THE HORN DID NOT WORK SO THE DRIVER WAS NO
• OUR 2014 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER LIMITED WAS PURCHASED NEW WITH 18 MILES ON FEBRUARY 25, 2014. ON MARCH 7, 2014 WHILE DRIVING ON CITY STREETS ANOTHER DRIVER FAILED TO STOP AT A RED LIGHT SO I PRESSED THE HORN TO ALERT THE DRIVER WHILE I SWERVED OUT OF HIS PATH. THE HORN DID NOT WORK SO THE DRIVER WAS NO
• TO SELECT AN OPTION ON THE MAP MODE SCREEN (TURN LIST, FREE-WAY EXIT LIST ,INTER-SECTION SCREEN OR THE TURN-BY-TURN SCREEN) VEHICLE HAS TO IN MOTION. DRIVER HAS TO TAKE EYES OFF ROAD AND FOCUS ON THE SCREEN AND THEN FIND THE OPTION HE WANTS AND THEN SELECT IT. ALL THIS WHILE VEHICLE IS IN MOTION.

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500🔥 1 fire reports

“OUR 2014 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER LIMITED WAS PURCHASED NEW WITH 18 MILES ON FEBRUARY 25, 2014. ON MARCH 7, 2014 WHILE DRIVING ON CITY STREETS ANOTHER DRIVER FAILED TO STOP AT A RED LIGHT SO I PRESSED THE HORN TO ALERT THE DRIVER WHILE I SWERVED OUT OF HIS PATH. THE HORN DID NOT WORK SO THE DRIVER WAS NO”

— NHTSA complaint filing

OTHER

34 complaints

22%

• FACTORY INSTALLED GPS SYSTEM WHEN SET TO A DESTINATION WILL TAKE YOU OFF THE MAIN ROAD JUST PRIOR TO YOUR DESTINATION AND DIRECT YOU IN CIRCLES THEN TELL YOU TO GET BACK ON THE MAIN ROAD THAT YOU JUST GOT OFF OF. THIS CREATES AN ISSUE AS ONE TIME IT TOOK US IN A UNDESIRABLE NEIGHBORHOOD; BUT MORE OF
• PURCHASED NEW 2014 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER IN MAY 2014, AFTER APPROXIMATELY 30 DAYS OF OWNERSHIP A FOUL ODOR BEGAN TO EMIT FROM A/C UNIT WHENEVER VEHICLE WAS STARTED. AFTER 3 TRIPS TO SELLING DEALER TO CORRECT THE PROBLEM I WAS GIVEN TOYOTA T-SB-0142-13 WHICH INFORMS ME THAT THERE ARE 23 TOYOTA VEHICLES
• WHEN DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY THERE IS LOUD WIND NOISE WITH WINDOW SHUT. ALSO IF ONE WINDOW IS DOWN THERE IS A AWFUL NOISE THAT HURTS THE EARS.

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500

“FACTORY INSTALLED GPS SYSTEM WHEN SET TO A DESTINATION WILL TAKE YOU OFF THE MAIN ROAD JUST PRIOR TO YOUR DESTINATION AND DIRECT YOU IN CIRCLES THEN TELL YOU TO GET BACK ON THE MAIN ROAD THAT YOU JUST GOT OFF OF. THIS CREATES AN ISSUE AS ONE TIME IT TOOK US IN A UNDESIRABLE NEIGHBORHOOD; BUT MORE OF”

— NHTSA complaint filing

BODY/STRUCTURE

34 complaints

22%

• REAR LIFTGATE SQUEALS TERRIBLY WHEN LEFT OPEN FOR A FEW MINUTES, SEEMS 'STICKY.' WORKS FINE WHEN OPENED AND CLOSED QUICKLY. FEELS FAULTY AND THAT STICKY SQUEALING WILL LEAD TO PREMATURE FAILURE. *TR
• AUTOMATIC LIFTGATE DOES NOT CLOSE. STARTS TO CLOSE, STOPS, THEN BEEPS. REQUIRES MANUAL CLOSURE. HAVE HAD IN FOR REPAIR 5 TIMES, INCLUDING HAVING THE ENTIRE ASSEMBLY REPLACED. STILL MALFUNCTIONS. WHILE USING A LOANER CAR OF THE SAME MAKE/MODEL/YEAR, IT HAD THE SAME MALFUNCTION. *TR
• A 2014 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER WAS PURCHASED IN 2/2014.THE CUSTOMER NOTICED WATER COMING INSIDE THE VEHICLE THROUGH THE SEAT BELT A-FRAME PANEL CAUSING THE INTERIOR FLOOR TO BECOME WET WITH STANDING WATER.UPON DEALERSHIP INSPECTION IN 2/2015, BLACK MOLD WAS FOUND FROM THE PASSENGER SIDE EXTENDING TO THE T

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500💥 1 crashes

“REAR LIFTGATE SQUEALS TERRIBLY WHEN LEFT OPEN FOR A FEW MINUTES, SEEMS 'STICKY.' WORKS FINE WHEN OPENED AND CLOSED QUICKLY. FEELS FAULTY AND THAT STICKY SQUEALING WILL LEAD TO PREMATURE FAILURE. *TR”

— NHTSA complaint filing

VISIBILITY

9 complaints

• THE SAFETY FILM ON THE WINDSHIELD IS NOT PROPERLY SEALED. *TR
• MY SUNROOF EXPLODED AS I WAS DRIVING WITH MY KIDS, ON THE HIGHWAY. IT SOUNDED LIKE A GUNSHOT AND THE GLASS FELL ALL OVER ME. *TR
• TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2014 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER. WHILE AT THE DEALER TO PURCHASE THE VEHICLE, THE CONTACT NOTICED THAT THE FRONT WINDSHIELD WIPER WAS FRACTURED. THE CONTACT INFORMED THE DEALER (PRIME TOYOTA BOSTON, 1605 VFW PKWY, WEST ROXBURY, MA 02132) AND WAS INSTRUCTED TO BRING IN THE VEHICLE THE F

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500💥 1 crashes

“THE SAFETY FILM ON THE WINDSHIELD IS NOT PROPERLY SEALED. *TR”

— NHTSA complaint filing

TRANSMISSION

8 complaints

• THIS COMPLAINT RELATES TO TRANSMISSION SHIFT SEQUENCES. WHEN STARTING OUT, THE TRANSMISSION IS IN FOURTH GEAR. IF YOU ARE AT SAY A TRAFFIC LIGHT AND ARE MAKING A LEFT TURN, AND THEN NEED TO MAKE A RAPID ACCELERATION, THE TRANSMISSION SHIFTS DOWN TO A LOWER GEAR, PROBABLY 1ST GEAR. WHEN THIS HAPP
• THE TRANSMISSION HAS A FLUTTER WHEN TRYING TO SHIFT UP OR DOWN TO DIFFERENT GEARS. IT CAUSES A HESITANCY. IT HAS BEEN DOCUMENTED BY THE CALDWELL TOYOTA DEALERSHIP IN CONWAY, AR USA AND I HAVE ALSO BEEN TOLD THAT IS IN OTHER HIGHLANDERS. I REQUEST A RECALL TO HAVE THIS FIXED. THANK YOU *TR
• VEHICLE SHUT OFF DURING DRIVING, CAUSING ALL ELECTRICAL SYSTEMS TO FAIL INCLUDING THE ELECTRONIC STEERING, WHICH SINCE VEHICLE ALSO TURNED OFF, CAUSED THE STEERING COLUMN TO LOCK UP. SINCE THE PROBLEM OCCURRED AT SPEED AND INFACT WHILE MAKING A TURN, A NEAR COLLISION OCCURED. THE PROBLEM OCCURED MUL

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500

“THIS COMPLAINT RELATES TO TRANSMISSION SHIFT SEQUENCES. WHEN STARTING OUT, THE TRANSMISSION IS IN FOURTH GEAR. IF YOU ARE AT SAY A TRAFFIC LIGHT AND ARE MAKING A LEFT TURN, AND THEN NEED TO MAKE A RAPID ACCELERATION, THE TRANSMISSION SHIFTS DOWN TO A LOWER GEAR, PROBABLY 1ST GEAR. WHEN THIS HAPP”

— NHTSA complaint filing

Estimated Repair Costs

ELECTRICAL(~50K mi)

$500

OTHER(~50K mi)

$500

BODY/STRUCTURE(~50K mi)

$500

VISIBILITY(~50K mi)

$500

TRANSMISSION(~50K mi)

$500

Estimates based on average reported repair costs. Actual costs vary by location, shop, and severity.

🔍 Pre-Purchase Inspection Checklist

Based on 158 owner complaints for this specific year, here's what to check or ask about:

☐
ELECTRICAL: OUR 2014 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER LIMITED WAS PURCHASED NEW WITH 18 MILES ON FEBRUARY 25, 2014. ON MARCH 7, 2014 WHILE DRIVING ON CITY STREETS ANOTHER DRIVER FAILED TO STOP AT A RED LIGHT SO I PRESSED THE HORN TO ALERT THE DRIVER WHILE I SWERVED OUT OF HIS PATH. THE HORN DID NOT WORK SO THE DRIVER WAS NO
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
OTHER: FACTORY INSTALLED GPS SYSTEM WHEN SET TO A DESTINATION WILL TAKE YOU OFF THE MAIN ROAD JUST PRIOR TO YOUR DESTINATION AND DIRECT YOU IN CIRCLES THEN TELL YOU TO GET BACK ON THE MAIN ROAD THAT YOU JUST GOT OFF OF. THIS CREATES AN ISSUE AS ONE TIME IT TOOK US IN A UNDESIRABLE NEIGHBORHOOD; BUT MORE OF
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
BODY/STRUCTURE: REAR LIFTGATE SQUEALS TERRIBLY WHEN LEFT OPEN FOR A FEW MINUTES, SEEMS 'STICKY.' WORKS FINE WHEN OPENED AND CLOSED QUICKLY. FEELS FAULTY AND THAT STICKY SQUEALING WILL LEAD TO PREMATURE FAILURE. *TR
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
VISIBILITY: THE SAFETY FILM ON THE WINDSHIELD IS NOT PROPERLY SEALED. *TR
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
General: Get a pre-purchase inspection from an independent mechanic ($100-$200)