2024 Toyota Grand Highlander Problems & Issues

On the 2024 Toyota Grand Highlander, on certain 2024 Grand Highlander and Grand Highlander Hybrid vehicles, the driver- and passenger-side curtain shield airbags may not unroll as intended and can partially deploy outside the vehicle through an open front window during a crash, failing FMVSS 226 'Ejection Mitigation.' With the window down, the airbag fails to provide proper occupant protection, increasing injury risk. Toyota issued a stop-sale and recall covering roughly 145,000 vehicles (also affecting the Lexus TX).

On the 2024-2026 Toyota Grand Highlander, software in the Panoramic View Monitor's Parking Assist ECU can briefly freeze the rearview image if reverse is selected shortly after the ignition is turned on, or leave the rearview image blank on the next start if the ignition is switched off at the wrong moment. The vehicle may then not meet the rear visibility standard (FMVSS 111), which may increase the risk of a crash with a person while backing. Applies to: Certain 2024-2026 Toyota Grand Highlander built June 13, 2023 to September 17, 2025 and Grand Highlander Hybrid built June 14, 2023 to September 12, 2025, equipped with the Panoramic View Monitor and the affected Parking Assist ECU software. Eligibility is by VIN.

On the 2024-2026 Toyota Grand Highlander, certain Grand Highlander and Grand Highlander Hybrid vehicles were recalled because the Load Carrying Capacity Modification label may display inaccurate added-weight values, failing to comply with FMVSS 110 'Tire Selection and Rims.' An incorrect label can lead an owner to overload the vehicle beyond its true rated capacity, affecting handling and braking and increasing crash risk. It is a documentation/labeling defect rather than a hardware failure (2024 Grand Highlander and Grand Highlander Hybrid units fitted with Gulf States Toyota accessories under campaign 24V548000, plus Toyota campaign 26V179000 covering the 2025 Grand Highlander and 2025-2026 Grand Highlander Hybrid).

On the 2024-2025 Toyota Grand Highlander, a software error in the 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster can cause the panel to be blank at startup, removing the ability to see certain malfunction indicators and warning telltales (including speed and brake/tire-pressure warnings). Loss of safety-critical telltales increases crash risk. The 2024-2025 Grand Highlander is among roughly 591,000 Toyota/Lexus vehicles covered in the U.S.

On the 2024-2025 Toyota Grand Highlander, the panoramic moonroof glass on the Grand Highlander has shattered outward with no impact in a substantial and repeating set of NHTSA complaints spanning the 2024 and 2025 model years. Owners uniformly describe a bang 'like a gunshot' followed by wind noise, then finding the panel blown apart — in several cases with the sunshade closed, and in one case with a roof cargo carrier fully covering the glass, which rules out a projectile strike. Reported at highway speed, in cold weather, and during high-wind conditions. Because the glass is tempered rather than laminated, it disintegrates completely; owners report shards inside the cabin with occupants present when the shade was open. Dealers have generally declined warranty coverage, calling it external damage. There is no NHTSA recall or Toyota TSB for this on the Grand Highlander.

On the 2024-2026 Toyota Grand Highlander, the petition opened by NHTSA on August 20, 2026 alleges that road debris passing through grille openings can puncture the heat exchangers. Coolant leakage can reduce propulsion; an A/C condenser puncture instead releases refrigerant and can stop the air conditioning cooling. The petition is an allegation under evaluation in that document, not a finding of a safety defect. 2024-2026 Toyota Grand Highlander, as named in the petition summary; NHTSA's resume lists the 2024-2026 Grand Highlander Hybrid with an estimated 87,000 vehicles. Owner complaints for the 2024 and 2025 model years describe punctured radiators and A/C condensers, and a 2024 complaint describes a punctured hybrid inverter cooler.

On the 2024-2025 Toyota Grand Highlander 2.4L T24A-FTS turbo I4 hybrid (Hybrid MAX), owners of Hybrid MAX models report hard or jerky shifts in the lower gears and hesitation or shudder when pulling away at low speed, up to about 40 mph, sometimes with a brief loss of acceleration when entering traffic. Applies to: Owner reports cover the 2024 and 2025 Toyota Grand Highlander Hybrid MAX (2.4L T24A-FTS turbo hybrid). Toyota bulletins cover related conditions: T-SB-0017-24 (2024 Grand Highlander Hybrid, VDS ADAB5, hesitation accelerating 0-40 mph with steady throttle) and T-SB-0028-25 (2024-2025 Grand Highlander Hybrid with Hybrid Transmission Assembly HPC60, shudder when stopped in Drive with the brakes applied and the hybrid battery charge above 76%).

On the 2024 Toyota Grand Highlander, one of the most widely reported Grand Highlander defects. Owners hear a rotational clicking, knocking or popping from the front drive shaft assemblies — most noticeable at low speed while turning left or right, on the first drive of the day, and in cold ambient temperatures. Toyota issued Technical Service Bulletin T-SB-0082-24, 'Rotational Clicking Noise From Front Drive Shaft Assembly', which directs replacement of the front drive shaft (CV axle) assemblies. Owners report the root cause was insufficient grease in the CV joint boots, and that the production part was later superseded. Multiple owners report the noise RETURNING at 40,000-63,000 miles after an earlier warranty replacement, because the bulletin still called out the original (defective) part number rather than the updated one — in at least one case an owner won a binding arbitration ordering Toyota to replace the axles a second time. Dealers frequently cannot duplicate the noise in the shop, which is the main obstacle to getting the repair authorized.

On the 2024 Toyota Grand Highlander, some 2024 Grand Highlander vehicles equipped with the 2.4L turbocharged T24A-FTS engine can illuminate the Check Engine Light (MIL ON) with DTC P05CE00 - Cold Start 'B' Camshaft Position Timing Performance, Bank 1. The condition is set during cold-start cam phasing and is addressed by Toyota at the dealer level. The same turbo-four family is shared with the Tacoma and other Toyota models reporting the code.

On the 2024-2025 Toyota Grand Highlander, owners and Car and Driver's long-term test report that the fuel nozzle clicks off prematurely, allowing only about 13-14 gallons into the roughly 17.2-gallon tank, so the vehicle cannot be filled to rated capacity and effective range per fill-up is reduced. The complaint is most prominent on the Hybrid Max powertrain and is tied to filler-neck/ORVR vapor-recovery behavior, a recurring pattern across Toyota hybrids. Forcing fuel past the click-off risks EVAP/ORVR damage.

On the 2024 Toyota Grand Highlander, grand Highlander owners report failures in the seat-folding and latching hardware that is central to this vehicle's three-row selling point. Third-row seats refuse to lock into the upright position or to engage and disengage when folding flat, with broken plastic fragments found around the locking mechanism; owners fear the seatback would not restrain occupants in a crash. A third-row left-side seat belt jamming and refusing to release has also been reported. There is no recall covering the seat hardware.

On the 2024-2025 Toyota Grand Highlander, owners report the center multimedia screen freezing or going black while driving, sometimes taking radio, phone and maps with it until the vehicle is restarted. Applies to: Owner reports cover 2024 and 2025 Toyota Grand Highlanders.

On the 2024-2025 Toyota Grand Highlander, a repeating structural complaint on the 2024-2025 Grand Highlander: the rear portion of the hood, nearest the windshield, visibly vibrates and flutters at speeds above roughly 30 mph and becomes pronounced above 50 mph, worsening in windy conditions. The safety concern is not the hood latch but the moving reflection — the fluttering panel bounces sunlight into the driver's field of vision. One owner reported being blinded for several seconds on an interstate. Multiple dealers have reproduced the condition on test drives and reported back that Toyota's technical specialists have no repair available, characterizing the flutter as a normal characteristic of the vehicle. There is no recall and no published TSB remedy for it.