2015 Toyota Highlander Problems

Half of the owners who gave a mileage had the problem by about 41,000 miles.

What to check before you buy

• Test every switch: windows, locks, mirrors, seat heaters, the screen, the backup camera, Bluetooth and every USB port.
• Watch the dash at startup. Every warning light should come on briefly and then go out.
• Have the battery and charging system tested. A weak alternator or battery drain shows up here.

Tools that help

What owners said

Door lock actuators, yes it is available for inspection. Doors cannot be locked or unlocked with a remote key fob or the interior power door locks. Lock defect poses a significant safety hazard in that a single or multiple doors may not lock at any time, whether the vehicle is on or off and despite actions or commands by the driver. The…Owner complaint, filed 2026

The contact owns a 2015 Toyota Highlander. While stopped at a gas station with the engine on, the contact's wife smelled an abnormal, burning odor coming from the vehicle without warning. Upon inspecting the vehicle, the contact's wife saw flames shooting from the dashboard near the infotainment system; the contact's wife and children…Owner complaint, filed 2024, at 104,000 miles

Half of the owners who gave a mileage had the problem by about 17,000 miles. Parts named most: Body (25).

What to check before you buy

• Look underneath with a flashlight. Utah road salt is hard on frames, brake lines and the bottoms of doors.
• Open and close every door, the hood and the liftgate, and lock and unlock each one.
• Use a paint thickness gauge and compare panels. A panel that reads very differently from the rest has likely been repaired.

Tools that help

What owners said

The paint is severely peeling on the outside. This can likely flake off and damages other vehicles, property, and roadway infrastructure. This is the factory coat of paint. Color is Toyota Blizzard Pearl (070)Owner complaint, filed 2026

The factory paint on my 2015 Toyota Highlander, Blizzard Pearl (Toyota code 070), is delaminating from the primer. The base coat lifts and peels in sheets, starting on the roof, fender, and pillars, the panels with the greatest UV exposure. There has been no collision, repaint, or chemical damage; this is spontaneous adhesion loss…Owner complaint, filed 2026

Half of the owners who gave a mileage had the problem by about 35,000 miles.

What to check before you buy

• Turn the wheel lock to lock while parked and listen for groaning, clicking or binding.
• On a straight road the car should track straight with the wheel centered and no loose feeling.
• A power steering warning on the dash, even briefly, deserves a mechanic’s look before you buy.

Tools that help

What owners said

[XXX] battery light appeared on dash. [XXX] on my way to Limestone service station 399 Danbury rd Ridgefield ct ph203-438-8028 a warning appeared on dash stating i will lose steering.Luckily I managed to pull into a parking lot and lost all ability to steer. Thank God i was not on the highway and was not in a catastrophic accident.The…Owner complaint, filed 2026

Driving the car was hard to steer. Check engine light came on and check speed sensor. Went to a mechanic and disconnected the battery, the sensor reset and back driving ok for about two weeks. This went on for a few weeks. Been a month now and it hasn't come on but it was dangerous due to driving and turning issues.Owner complaint, filed 2024

Half of the owners who gave a mileage had the problem by about 41,000 miles.

What to check before you buy

• Check every light: headlights on low and high, fog lights, brake lights, turn signals and reverse lights.
• Run the wipers on every speed with washer fluid, and run the defroster front and back.

Tools that help

What owners said

The side mirrors are too large and located in a position that when the driver is turning left the driver's side mirror blocks the ability to see the crosswalk and also the center divider of the lane they are turning into and has almost caused me to strike a center divider and not see a pothole on a freeway on ramp causing damage to the…Owner complaint, filed 2026

I have replaced several day light running lights /low beam bulbs. Approximately every 6-9 months since I purchased the vehicle in December of 2014.Owner complaint, filed 2023

Half of the owners who gave a mileage had the problem by about 15,000 miles.

What to check before you buy

• The pedal should feel firm and the car should stop straight without pulling, grinding or a pulsing pedal.
• The ABS and stability control lights should go out after startup and stay out.
• Look through the wheels at the rotors. A deep lip on the edge means brakes are due soon, which is a fair thing to negotiate on.

Tools that help

What owners said

The following error message appears:“Both accelerator and brake pads are depressed”. This is not actually being done.The vehicle will then brake suddenly on its own, and the driver must accelerate then brake quickly to disengage the automatic brake.This creates a highly dangerous traffic situation. It has occurred at high speeds on the…Owner complaint, filed 2021

The contact owns a 2015 toyota highlander. The contact stated while approaching a parking spot, when the vehicle [VIN] independently and ran over a parking sign. The contact stated she was depressing on the brake pedal but failed to stop the vehicle. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact was able to continue to…Owner complaint, filed 2021, at 72,000 miles

Half of the owners who gave a mileage had the problem by about 33,000 miles.

What to check before you buy

• Ask the seller not to warm the car up, and start it cold. Listen for ticking, knocking or a rough idle in the first minute.
• Pull the oil dipstick and the oil cap. Low oil, a gasoline smell or a milky film on the cap are reasons to walk away or get an inspection.
• Plug in an OBD2 scanner. Stored or pending codes matter, and so do readiness monitors that show "not ready", which usually means the codes were cleared right before the sale.
• Ask for oil change records. A gap in the records on a model known for engine complaints is a negotiating point at minimum.

Tools that help

What owners said

My 2015 Toyota Highlander equipped with the 3.5L V6 engine developed an engine oil leak originating from the timing chain cover sealing area. On April 30, 2026, Kearny Mesa Toyota in San Diego, California, identified the leak during an inspection when the vehicle had a little over 100,000 miles. I am concerned that this condition may…Owner complaint, filed 2026

The contact owns a 2015 toyota highlander. The contact stated while driving approximately 55 MPH, the check engine warning light illuminated and the vehicle loss motive power and failed to accelerate as needed. The contact indicated that the vehicle failed to accelerate above 10 MPH. The vehicle was taken to toyota of braintree located…Owner complaint, filed 2020, at 80,000 miles

Half of the owners who gave a mileage had the problem by about 6,000 miles.

What to check before you buy

• On the test drive, press the gas gently and firmly. The response should be smooth with no lag or surge.
• Set the cruise control, then use resume and cancel to make sure each one works.

Tools that help

What owners said

On [XXX] my vehicle suffered an unintended acceleration on a very busy highway of The Dominican Republic, reaching a speed of 100 MPH. I was able to drive the car into the bushes of the highway service road hitting all king of obstacles such as trees, wall, advertising signs and safety barriers. The car damages resulted in a total loss.…Owner complaint, filed 2025

As I was pulling into a parking space and applying the brakes, the car [VIN] [VIN] and hit the building wall. Since I was puzzled by what happened, I read several articles about toyota automobiles doing just this same thing. Most of the articles covered toyota automobiles older than mine, I did find several recent reports, including two…Owner complaint, filed 2019, at 6,500 miles

What to check before you buy

• The air bag (SRS) light should come on at startup and go out within a few seconds. If it stays on, the system may not work in a crash.
• Air bag recalls are some of the most serious. Check this exact VIN for open recalls and get proof any recall work was done.

Tools that help

What owners said

*AIRBAG FAILURE* -Head on impact with tree. -Significant front end damage. -Vehicle towed from scene, deemed total loss by insurance company. -Police report on file (can provide if needed) -All First Responders on scene we’re shocked/commented/observed that airbags were not deployed: police, fire, ems. As well as all bystanders. -no…Owner complaint, filed 2022

Airbags did not deploy in front end crash. The vehicle is available at tow center for inspection. Driver sustained concussion from frontal head impact to roof/windshield area of vehicle. No dealership has been contacted. The police have inspected the vehicle. The insurance has been notified of damage and location of tow center. There…Owner complaint, filed 2022

What to check before you buy

• Drive it from cold if you can. Shifts should be smooth in every gear, including reverse.
• Feel for slipping (revs rise without the car speeding up), shudder at low speed and a delay when you put it in gear.
• Listen for whining, which is a common CVT complaint, and clunks when you go from drive to reverse.
• If it has 4WD or AWD, engage it on the test drive and ask when the transmission and differential fluids were last changed.

Tools that help

What owners said

On the Freeway off ramp, during the slow down- and down shifting-process the vehicle appeared to block the wheels and to skid for a short time. Also, the vibration feature that indicates loss of traction got activated for that time and the “slip indicator” warning light lit up (I do not know for how long). During the incident I felt not…Owner complaint, filed 2023

The contact owns a 2015 Toyota Highlander. The contact stated while driving at 30 MPH, the vehicle accelerated without any warning at high speed. The contact desperately depressed the brake pedal, but the vehicle would not stop, causing the vehicle to drive into traffic and striking several vehicles causing front damage to the vehicle.…Owner complaint, filed 2022, at 98,000 miles

What to check before you buy

• Pull out and latch every seat belt, and let each one retract on its own.
• Try every seat adjuster, and watch for a passenger air bag "off" light when an adult is in the seat.

Tools that help

What owners said

Front driver seat is broken , frame is coming through the upper right side of the seat in the front of the seat sticks into my backOwner complaint, filed 2019, at 15,000 miles

The seat belt coiled around my 8 year old son's neck and the seat belt lock would not disengage. We tried gently rocking the seat belts but it there was no give in it. Moving it harder would have choked my son. We had to cut the seat belt to release my son. This happened after a 10 min ride coming back from the school. He was seated in…Owner complaint, filed 2017, at 33,500 miles

What to check before you buy

• Smell around the engine bay and under the rear of the car for raw fuel.
• On the test drive, accelerate firmly from a stop and up a grade. Stumbling, surging or a flashing check engine light are red flags.
• Fuel pump recalls are common. Check this exact VIN for open recalls before you buy.

Tools that help

What owners said

Vehicle stalled while driving in traffic, with more then 1/2 full on fuel. Vehicle would not start again until fuel assembly replaced.Owner complaint, filed 2020, at 102,541 miles

I have been experiencing a situation with my 2015 toyota highlander (VIN# [VIN][xxx]) that has become quite concerning. When I step on the gas pedal from a dead stop position, I have experienced an initial acceleration and then a hesitation followed immediately by a resumption of acceleration. This has happened at least seven times. At…Owner complaint, filed 2018, at 30,500 miles

What to check before you buy

• Drive over a few bumps and potholes slowly with the radio off and listen for clunks or rattles.
• Check the tires for uneven wear on the inside or outside edges, a sign of alignment or suspension trouble.
• Look behind the wheels for oily, wet shocks or struts.

Tools that help

What owners said

The contact owns a 2015 toyota highlander. While driving approximately 40 MPH, the subframe fractured due to the rear bolts on the frame being too tight. The vehicle was towed to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the rear bolts were not properly installed from the factory associated with the torque. The dealer inspected the subframe…Owner complaint, filed 2016, at 11,562 miles

Popping sound coming from right front side when breaking to a stop at all speeds. The problem was first noticed at around 2500 miles and the car was taken to the dealer at around 2900 miles. Dealer inspected it and couldn't find what the problem was. Then as instructed by toyota replaced the right front strut assembly but that didn't fix…Owner complaint, filed 2015, at 2,500 miles

What to check before you buy

• Read the four-digit DOT date on each tire. Tires older than about six years should be replaced, whatever the tread looks like.
• Check tread depth on all four. On AWD vehicles all four tires should match.
• The tire pressure light should go out after startup.

Tools that help

What owners said

At 2000 miles we noticed our wheels pitting. We thought this was unusual as our wheels were plastic coated called 'crometech'. We were at the dealers and mentioned that our car had only 2000 miles and shouldn't be having this problem. Our car now has 7070miles yes seven thousand miles and they won't do anything for us. My wife and I are…Owner complaint, filed 2018, at 2,000 miles

On sept. 14, 2014, we purchased a 2015 toyota highlander xle, which came with bridgestone dueler h/l 422 ecopia tires. On aug. 20, 2015, when there were 10,235 miles on the car, we replaced 1 of the tires with a new bridgestone dueler h/l 422 ecopia tire. On sept. 26, 2016, when there were 23,324 miles on the car, we replaced another of…Owner complaint, filed 2017, at 31,228 miles

What to check before you buy

• Where it is safe, try the adaptive cruise and lane keeping on the test drive and watch for sudden braking or warnings with nothing there.
• Check the windshield in front of the camera and the bumper sensors for cracks, chips or poor repairs.
• Ask whether the windshield has been replaced. The camera has to be recalibrated afterward, and many shops skip it.

Tools that help