2026 Toyota Grand Highlander problems & reliability
38 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2026 Toyota Grand Highlander, alongside 3 safety recall campaigns. Last verified Oct 10, 2026. Complaints are unverified reports submitted by owners to the federal Office of Defects Investigation.
Each complaint is counted once (by NHTSA case number), even when it names several components.
2 complaints report injuries (5 injured).
Most reported problems
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Unknown / Other | 12 | 32% |
| Structure | 9 | 24% |
| Engine | 6 | 16% |
| Fuel/propulsion System | 5 | 13% |
| Forward Collision Avoidance | 2 | 5% |
| Service Brakes | 2 | 5% |
| Visibility/wiper | 2 | 5% |
| Air Bags | 1 | 3% |
| Electrical System | 1 | 3% |
| Lane Departure | 1 | 3% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
All 16 reported components →What owners report
“Design flaw of front grille of vehicle causing major damage. Due to the large gaps in front grille, the vehicle is susceptible to rock damage to the coolant system. Under normal highway driving, coolant started to leak and immediate power loss put my wife at risk. She was unable to accelerate to maintain speed while…”
Unknown / Other · filed Oct 3, 2026
“About two months after purchasing my new 2026 Toyota Grand Highlander Hybrid, I noticed the air conditioning had stopped cooling. I did not notice any impact, so I do not know exactly when the damage occurred. I drive normally on public roads and do not go off road. The vehicle had approximately 7000 miles when the…”
Structure · filed Oct 3, 2026
“Design of middle seat backward/forward latch adjustment and, in particular, the rear seat fold down /lean back latch adjustment is of poor engineering integrity. The latches on top of each of these seats are difficult to maneuver, particularly for those with weak hands. And if you overextend the latch, their is risk…”
Seats · filed Oct 3, 2026
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Federal defect investigations
- Road debris/rocks damaging the heat exchangers
Defect Petition DP26006 · opened Aug 20, 2026 · open
Technical service bulletins
25 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 2026 Toyota Grand Highlander. The 10 most recent:
2026 model year Toyota vehicles are equipped with driver side floor mat retainers to secure the floor mat in the correct position. In addition, some models may also utilize retainers for passenger side and rear seat…
T-SB-0003-26 Rev1 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jun 25, 2026
During the manufacturing process, tires are mounted on the vehicle as matched sets to help reduce conditions such as pulling or drifting. If the wheels are replaced or refinished before vehicle delivery, it is important…
T-SB-0004-26 Rev1 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jun 18, 2026
A battery in a stored vehicle is subject to conditions that can reduce its performance and service life. These conditions include storage period, temperature, parasitic drain, and battery load. Because of these factors…
T-SB-0005-26 Rev1 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jun 10, 2026
Long-term or off-site storage requires special care to maintain vehicle condition. The following guidelines should be performed to minimize vehicle component/part degradation due to extendedvehicle storage conditions…
T-SB-0002-26 Rev1 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jun 10, 2026
Pre-Delivery Service (PDS) is a critical step in satisfying our new car customers. Customer feedback indicates the following areas deserve special attention when performing PDS: • Careful inspection for paint…
T-SB-0063-25 Rev1 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued May 11, 2026
OBSOLETE NOTICE February 12, 2026: This bulletin is now obsolete. Please see T-SB-0005-26.
T-SB-0017-25 Rev2 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Feb 12, 2026
A battery in a stored vehicle is subject to conditions that can reduce its performance and service life. These conditions include storage period, temperature, parasitic drain, and battery load. Because of these factors…
T-SB-0005-26 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Feb 6, 2026
OBSOLETE NOTICE February 6, 2026: This bulletin is now obsolete. Please see L-SB-0009-25.
T-SB-0005-25 Rev2 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Feb 6, 2026
During the manufacturing process, tires are mounted on the vehicle as matched sets to help reduce conditions such as pulling or drifting. If the wheels are replaced or refinished before vehicle delivery, it is important…
T-SB-0004-26 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Feb 5, 2026
OBSOLETE NOTICE February 03, 2026: This bulletin is now obsolete. Please see T-SB-0003-26.
T-SB-0007-25 Rev2 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Feb 3, 2026
TSBs are repair guidance manufacturers send to dealers — they are not recalls and repairs are not automatically free. Full documents are available on NHTSA’s site.
Safety recalls
The 2026 Toyota Grand Highlander has 3 NHTSA recall campaigns — recall repairs are free at franchised dealers regardless of the vehicle’s age.
Check whether your specific vehicle is affected
Recall campaigns often cover only certain VIN ranges. Enter your VIN on the official NHTSA site to confirm whether your vehicle is included and whether the repair is still open.
Check VIN on NHTSA →Buying a used 2026 Toyota Grand Highlander?
- · Decode the seller’s VIN with our free VIN decoder to confirm the exact year, engine and trim.
- · Check for unrepaired recalls by VIN on NHTSA’s official lookup — recall repairs are free.