2025 Toyota Grand Highlander: problems, recalls and reliability

“I have over 30k miles on my car. Over the period that I've owned it there have been a few, roughly 6, occasions where I'm trying to change lanes from a stop into quick traffic and my car lags 1-3 seconds in response to me pressing the gas petal. It happens infrequently and is not the normal response. Other times the car responds as one would expect.”Owner report · Unknown Or Other · Aug 2026

“A piece of road debris/rock struck the radiator/heat exchangers in my 2025 Toyota Grand Highlander Hybrid that immediately damaged the radiator/heat exchangers to result in coolant leakage and sudden loss of propulsion and terminated the engine from moving and required a tow to a Toyota dealer and thus a replacement of the heat exchanger/radiator. It came apparent from their experience that the design of the front-end grill has large, open apertures and no protective screen between the grill and the vehicle's heat exchangers. Had to file an insurance claim under comprehensive coverage that required me paying a deductible for repairs and NOW stress in future driving experiences.”Owner report · Engine · Aug 2026

“This vehicle has just over 18,000 miles on it and is 14 months old. It has a manufacturer design defect that allows small stones or birds to hit and puncture the air conditioning condenser. It is a known defect and Toyota refuses to warranty their product, forcing the consumer to pay out of pocket $1,500-$1,700 for repairs. Oddly, the sister Lexus vehicle has a screen over the condenser to prevent this.”Owner report · Engine · Jun 2026

“While I was driving using the screen for the GPS the screen become black just sound. The volume got stuck and no image was displayed. Try to use manual control on steering wheel and they didn’t respond neither. Is not the first time that the screen freezes glows black or just glitches.”Owner report · Electrical System · Jun 2026

“While driving my new Grand Highlander, I have experienced a serious and recurring safety issue. Even with lane assist turned off, the vehicle automatically steers to the right when I exit a regular highway — apparently misinterpreting the widening road as a lane shift. When this happens, the steering overrides my input and I am forced to pull the wheel hard to regain control and stay in my lane. This loss of steering control is dangerous and frightening, and I am formally reporting it as a significant safety concern that requires immediate attention.”Owner report · Steering,Lane Departure · May 2026

“On multiple occasions (four) my 2025 Toyota Grand Highlander Hybrid Max has failed to accelerate when I push the gas pedal. Once in traffic, which was extremely scary and a huge hazard. I have contacted the dealership about this issue and have not heard back from them. It has been almost 2 weeks. No warming lamps turned on and this issue lasted about 15 seconds each time. I press the gas, the car does not respond other than an audible RPM raising sound.”Owner report · Engine,Fuel/Propulsion System · May 2026

“The electronic parking brake on my 2025 Toyota Grand Highlander intermittently fails to auto-release when shifting from Park to Reverse or Drive. Curiously, the system does respond to the gear shifter when returning to Park, as the brake will then engage or release as expected once cycled. This indicates a failure specifically in the transition out of the Park position. This intermittent delay or refusal to release prevents the vehicle from moving when expected, creating a potential safety hazard in traffic or during time-sensitive maneuvers. No dashboard warnings are present, and the issue occurs even when the driver's seat belt is buckled and the foot brake is fully depressed.”Owner report · Power Train · May 2026