---
title: "Toyota Grand Highlander Problems: NHTSA Complaints"
url: https://toyotadata.com/guides/toyota-grand-highlander-problems-nhtsa-complaints/
description: "NHTSA owner complaints on the Toyota Grand Highlander 2024–2025: 314 filed, power train and engine lead, plus stalling reports and what we found on the turbo."
platforms: [Grand Highlander]
category: Maintenance & Problems
author: Rob Krause
published: 2026-10-21T05:00:00Z
updated: 2026-10-21T05:00:00Z
---

# Toyota Grand Highlander Problems: NHTSA Complaints

> **Quick answer:** NHTSA holds 314 complaints on the Toyota Grand Highlander: 235 for the 2024 model year and 79 for 2025. The 2026 truck has none on file yet. The most-mentioned components are power train (67), engine (51) and fuel/propulsion system (47), after a large "other" bucket (80). About 35 complaint texts mention stalling, shutting off or losing power, and about 36 mention hesitation, jerking or lurching. Only 2 of the 314 mention the turbo, so the complaint data does not show a turbo failure pattern. Complaints are voluntary and unverified.

> QUICK ANSWER
>
> **NHTSA holds 314 complaints on the Toyota Grand Highlander: 235 for the 2024 model year and 79 for 2025.** The 2026 truck has none on file yet. The most-mentioned components are **power train (67)**, **engine (51)** and **fuel/propulsion system (47)**, after a large "other" bucket (80). About **35** complaint texts mention stalling, shutting off or losing power, and about **36** mention hesitation, jerking or lurching. **Only 2 of the 314 mention the turbo**, so the complaint data does not show a turbo failure pattern. Complaints are voluntary and unverified.

Owners of a new nameplate go looking for what breaks first. NHTSA's complaint database is the one place where the same form is filed for every Toyota, so it is the most even-handed starting point. This guide counts what the Grand Highlander's complaints are about, and says plainly what the data does and does not show. It pairs with the [Grand Highlander recall list](https://toyotadata.com/guides/toyota-grand-highlander-recalls-2024-2026/), where the confirmed defects are, and the [TSB list](https://toyotadata.com/guides/toyota-grand-highlander-tsb-list-known-issues/), where Toyota's repair bulletins are.

**How this list is built.** On October 20, 2026 we queried NHTSA's complaints-by-vehicle service for the Toyota Grand Highlander, model years 2024, 2025 and 2026, and counted component mentions and keywords in the complaint text. Keyword counts are ours, from the text owners wrote, and they overlap: one complaint can mention more than one thing. Complaints are not failure rates, they are not verified by NHTSA or Toyota, and they do not account for how many trucks were sold.

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<text x="436.7" y="394" font-size="10" text-anchor="middle" fill="var(--ink-2,#555)">50</text>
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<text x="500.0" y="394" font-size="10" text-anchor="middle" fill="var(--ink-2,#555)">60</text>
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<text x="563.3" y="394" font-size="10" text-anchor="middle" fill="var(--ink-2,#555)">70</text>
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<text x="626.7" y="394" font-size="10" text-anchor="middle" fill="var(--ink-2,#555)">80</text>
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<text x="112" y="76" text-anchor="end" fill="var(--ink,#111)">Other / unknown</text>
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<text x="632.7" y="77" font-size="11" font-weight="700" fill="var(--ink,#111)">80</text>
<text x="112" y="102" text-anchor="end" fill="var(--ink,#111)">Power train</text>
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<text x="550.3" y="103" font-size="11" font-weight="700" fill="var(--ink,#111)">67</text>
<text x="112" y="128" text-anchor="end" fill="var(--ink,#111)">Engine</text>
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<text x="449.0" y="129" font-size="11" font-weight="700" fill="var(--ink,#111)">51</text>
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<text x="423.7" y="155" font-size="11" font-weight="700" fill="var(--ink,#111)">47</text>
<text x="112" y="180" text-anchor="end" fill="var(--ink,#111)">Air bags</text>
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<text x="316.0" y="181" font-size="11" font-weight="700" fill="var(--ink,#111)">30</text>
<text x="112" y="206" text-anchor="end" fill="var(--ink,#111)">Speed control</text>
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<text x="316.0" y="207" font-size="11" font-weight="700" fill="var(--ink,#111)">30</text>
<text x="112" y="232" text-anchor="end" fill="var(--ink,#111)">Structure</text>
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<text x="112" y="284" text-anchor="end" fill="var(--ink,#111)">Suspension</text>
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<text x="233.7" y="285" font-size="11" font-weight="700" fill="var(--ink,#111)">17</text>
<text x="112" y="310" text-anchor="end" fill="var(--ink,#111)">Service brakes</text>
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</figure>

## Complaints by Model Year

| MODEL YEAR | COMPLAINTS | MOST-MENTIONED COMPONENTS |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 2024 | 235 | other 59, power train 50, engine 38, fuel/propulsion system 35, air bags 30, vehicle speed control 24, electrical system 22 |
| 2025 | 79 | other 21, power train 17, engine 13, fuel/propulsion system 12, structure 10, electrical system 6, vehicle speed control 6 |
| 2026 | 0 | None filed yet |

The 2024 model year has the most complaints partly because it has been on the road longest. It is also the only year with **air bag** complaints in volume (30), the same year as the **24V461** curtain air bag recall.

## What the Complaints Say

**Driveline and engine.** Power train, engine and fuel/propulsion system are the three biggest named components. In the complaint text, about **35** describe stalling, shutting off or losing power, and about **36** describe hesitation, jerking or lurching. One example, in an owner's words, describes the accelerator not responding or the engine stuttering and the truck seeming to stall. NHTSA does not verify these reports. Toyota has not issued a recall for a driveline or engine problem on this truck, but it has issued service bulletins for hesitation on the 2024 Hybrid and a check engine light code on the 2024 gas engine, covered in the [TSB list](https://toyotadata.com/guides/toyota-grand-highlander-tsb-list-known-issues/).

**Safety outcomes.** Across the 314 complaints, **7 mention a crash**, **1 mentions a fire** and complaints report **3 injuries** in total. These are what owners reported, not findings.

**The turbo question.** We looked for turbo failures specifically, since the gas Grand Highlander is turbocharged and it is a common search. **Only 2 of the 314 complaints use the word "turbo."** Two reports are not a pattern, and we are not listing a turbo failure as a known issue. If your truck loses power or goes into reduced power, that is a symptom to document with your dealer. It does not tell you the turbo is the cause.

**Recalls.** The confirmed defects are on the [recall list](https://toyotadata.com/guides/toyota-grand-highlander-recalls-2024-2026/). The two most serious, the **2026 rear axle carrier** recall (26V437) and the **front steering knuckle** recall (26V598), cover the 2026 model, which has no complaints on file yet, so they are not reflected in the counts above.

## The 2026 Grand Highlander

NHTSA has no complaints on file for the 2026 Grand Highlander as of our query. The 2026 model does have two serious recalls on record (the rear axle carrier and the steering knuckle), so a short complaint list is not a clean bill of health. Check your VIN.

## How to Use This

1. **Run the VIN** for open recalls. That is where Toyota has confirmed defects.
2. **Write down the details** if the truck stalls or loses power: speed, temperature, whether a warning light came on, and the date. Dealers act on specifics.
3. **File your own complaint** at nhtsa.gov if something is wrong. The database is only as good as the reports in it.

## Frequently Asked Questions

### What are the most common Toyota Grand Highlander problems?

By NHTSA complaint count, power train (67), engine (51) and fuel/propulsion system (47) are the most-mentioned components, after a large "other" group (80).

### Does the Grand Highlander have turbo problems?

Not that NHTSA's complaints show. Only 2 of 314 complaints mention the turbo.

### How many complaints does the Grand Highlander have?

314 as of October 20, 2026: 235 for the 2024 model year, 79 for 2025 and none for 2026.

### Do NHTSA complaints prove a defect?

No. They are unverified owner reports. They show where to look, and recalls show what Toyota has confirmed.

## Related Guides

- [Toyota Grand Highlander Maintenance Schedule by Mileage](https://toyotadata.com/guides/toyota-grand-highlander-maintenance-schedule-gas-hybrid/)
- [Toyota Grand Highlander MPG: Gas, Hybrid and Hybrid MAX](https://toyotadata.com/guides/toyota-grand-highlander-mpg-gas-hybrid-hybrid-max/)
- [Toyota Grand Highlander Towing Capacity by Engine](https://toyotadata.com/guides/toyota-grand-highlander-towing-capacity-by-engine/)
- [Toyota Grand Highlander Oil, Tire Size and Fluid Specs](https://toyotadata.com/guides/toyota-grand-highlander-oil-tire-size-fluid-specs/)
- [Toyota Grand Highlander TSB List and Known Issues](https://toyotadata.com/guides/toyota-grand-highlander-tsb-list-known-issues/)
- [Toyota Grand Highlander Recalls: Every Recall 2024–2026](https://toyotadata.com/guides/toyota-grand-highlander-recalls-2024-2026/)
- [Toyota RAV4 Known Issues: NHTSA Complaints by Year](https://toyotadata.com/guides/toyota-rav4-known-issues-nhtsa-complaints-by-year/)
- [Toyota Towing Capacity Chart: Every Truck and SUV](https://toyotadata.com/guides/toyota-towing-capacity-chart-tundra-tacoma-4runner-sequoia/)

Sources: NHTSA, [complaints by vehicle](https://www.nhtsa.gov/) (Toyota Grand Highlander, model years 2024–2026), queried October 20, 2026.

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Source: https://toyotadata.com/guides/toyota-grand-highlander-problems-nhtsa-complaints/