2015 Toyota Highlander Problems

What owners report

Owners of this model year most often write about electrical and body-access problems: door locks that stop responding to the fob or interior switch, and a power liftgate that stops halfway or fails to open and close. A second cluster involves the infotainment/navigation unit rebooting or going blank while driving, and a third involves steering that intermittently becomes difficult to turn. Many of these are reported from a few thousand miles into the warranty period up through well past 100,000 miles, and complaints overall have trended downward over time.

1. 1
   Steering

   Steering intermittently becomes hard to turn

   • 23 complaints (12%)
   • median 36,520 mi at 1.8 yrs old (16 state mileage)
   • 2 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2015–2026

   Complaints describe the steering wheel locking up or becoming very hard to turn, sometimes while driving at speed and sometimes after starting the vehicle, with power assist returning after restarting or cycling the ignition. Owners report warning lights coming on with the symptom, and dealers variously citing a battery, finding no fault, or telling owners the vehicle was working to manufacturer standards. Some owners also mention squeaking when turning the wheel. Reported from a few thousand miles up to around 100,000 miles, with several cases under 50,000 miles.

   Recall 15V144000

   What to check: Ask whether recall 15V144000 (electric power steering control unit) was performed, and note any steering warning light or heaviness at low speed during the test drive.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Our 2015 Highlander steering intermittently locks up and has a complete loss of power. First happened when starting the vehicle and had to sit and start and stop over 15 times and the steering finally came back. We immediately contacted Toyota and they said this vehicle had no recalled parts and there is no problem. When it happened the second time we took it in and they said it had a bad battery and the problem was fixed. We paid a hefty service fee and paid for a really expensive battery. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11299797, filed 2020-01, 41,000 miles

   “This vehicle has a really bad electrical issue with the steering wheel,it feels like it wonders from time to time.then the motor will stall out almost completely while driving down the road. Taken to dealer to only have them not replicate the same problems as when we have it. I know it's not me because my spouse has discussed it with me too. I see there's recalls for similar problems within the same production on this vehicle but somehow it didn't get any notifications but clearly it describes the same problems.”

   NHTSA complaint #11388552, filed 2021-01, 100,000 miles
2. 2
   Electrical system

   Power door locks stop working (lock actuator)

   • 19 complaints (10%)
   • median 62,600 mi at 4.2 yrs old (14 state mileage)
   • filed 2016–2026

   Owners describe doors that will not lock or unlock with the key fob, the inside switch or the door handle; the problem often starts intermittently and then happens nearly every time. In several cases one door is affected first and the rest follow, and owners say the dealer diagnosed a door lock actuator that needed replacement. Some were told the vehicle was out of warranty and were quoted a repair cost. Reported from roughly 15,000 to 130,000 miles, often starting a year or two into ownership.

   What to check: Cycle every door through lock and unlock with both the fob and the interior switch during a test drive, and ask whether any actuators have already been replaced.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Driver-side door does not lock/unlock when using the key fob, door handle, or the switch inside the vehicle. Issue was sporadic at first but now occurs almost every time we (try to) lock/unlock the doors. I believe the issue to be the door lock actuator, which I intend on replacing.”

   NHTSA complaint #11240165, filed 2019-07, 60,200 miles

   “The door lock actuator failed on the drivers door. Within two months all of the actuator door locks failed on all of the doors. The cost to repair is very expensive for a fix and from what I have been reading they may fail again. This should have been recalled since there were many other people with the same complaint.”

   NHTSA complaint #11327604, filed 2020-06, 52,682 miles
3. 3
   Electrical system

   Power liftgate fails to open or close fully

   • 17 complaints (9%)
   • median 30,000 mi at 3.4 yrs old (13 state mileage)
   • 1 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2015–2026

   Complaints describe a rear hatch that opens only partway, refuses to open or close at all, or stops midway; some owners have to push the gate down manually with considerable force. Owners also mention abnormal noises, lubrication leaking from the struts, and in one case the gate opening while driving. Quoted repair costs for replacing the liftgate struts were reported as high by owners. Mostly reported between about 15,000 and 133,000 miles, sometimes shortly after the warranty ended.

   What to check: Open and close the liftgate several times with the button and the fob, watch for partial travel or unusual noise, and check the struts for fluid seepage.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “The locking mechanism for the rear gate remains in the locked position which keeps the hatch unable to engage allowing the gate to fly open when driving. This causes a danger to pets and material stored in the rear of the 2015 Highlander on a city street while moving in a straght line..”

   NHTSA complaint #11299246, filed 2020-01, 31,288 miles

   “Soon after warranty ran out the lift gate to the trunk hatch began leaking lubrication and intermittanly would not open all the way, close all the way, or open or close at all. Many times, I would need to manually push the hatch down to close, which required extreme force. The same force would be required to open the hatch at times. Esentially, the lift gate is unreliable to lift or close most of the time.the cost estimate from the dealer exceeded $1,800 for the replacement of both struts.”

   NHTSA complaint #11132340, filed 2018-09, 50,000 miles
4. 4
   Electrical system

   Infotainment and navigation screen reboots or goes blank

   • 15 complaints (8%)
   • median 55,000 mi at 4.3 yrs old (13 state mileage)
   • filed 2016–2026

   Owners report the navigation or radio screen freezing, rebooting to default settings, or going blank and coming back on, sometimes several times a minute. One owner said the dealer replaced the unit and the replacement behaved the same way; others describe it as a distraction at night because of the flashing display. Complaints also cover the navigation system itself being hard to use and missing addresses. Reported from very low mileage up to about 133,000 miles, occurring both while driving and while stationary.

   What to check: Use the screen and navigation for a few minutes during the test drive and ask whether the head unit has been replaced or updated.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “The radio/navigation system will malfunction and shut off and restart. At night this is a hazard due to the flashing light of the radio causing a distraction. This is also a hazard due to the navigation system not working. This happens at random times, it could turn off and on several times a minute or it could do it once an hour. If there is a short in the radio could this cause a fire? This happens all the time while in motion or sitting still and on every road.”

   NHTSA complaint #11308033, filed 2020-02, 88,000 miles

   “The car's electrical navigation system will go haywire then reboot itself while driving. You can not do anything with the screen while it is going haywire. I have a video but could not upload it. This happens a lot.”

   NHTSA complaint #11231667, filed 2019-07, 75,000 miles
5. 5
   Body and structure

   Sunroof or rear glass shatters while driving

   • 12 complaints (6%)
   • median 36,850 mi at 2.8 yrs old (9 state mileage, few)
   • filed 2015–2026

   Owners describe a loud bang followed by the sunroof or rear window shattering, with the remaining glass edges protruding outward and no other vehicle or object nearby. Several complaints note the failure at highway speed with no obvious impact, and some mention glass spreading through the cabin. Owners generally had to arrange repairs themselves. Mostly reported between about 14,000 and 60,000 miles, often at highway speeds and in mild to warm weather.

   What to check: Inspect the sunroof and rear glass for chips, prior repairs or replaced panels, and ask whether either has been replaced.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Sunroof glass exploded. My family and I were getting on the interstate, no other vehicles around us and we had been traveling all afternoon with not temperature variance. Right when we hit 80 MPH we heard a very load bang like a gun had gone off in the car. Then we heard the wind noise coming from the sunroof. The cover was closed so we couldn't see what happened. I pulled off at the next exit. When I looked at the sunroof it was completely shattered. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11102162, filed 2018-06, 40,000 miles

   “While driving on a lightly traveled highway, we heard a loud explosion and our sunroof exploded. There were no other cars near by and no overpasses. The temp was 85. The sound was so loud I almost lost control. Fortunately the visor was shut.”

   NHTSA complaint #10893294, filed 2016-08, 14,600 miles

Buying note. Check the door locks, liftgate and infotainment screen carefully on a test drive, since these are the most frequently reported items, and confirm whether recall 15V144000 for the power steering control unit was completed. A pre-purchase inspection that includes the steering assist and glass panels is worth the cost on this model year.

Summary written with AI from a sample of 60 NHTSA complaints for this model year (picked at random, with complaints that state a mileage and recent ones taken first), then checked automatically against the source records. Where a problem shows a complaint count, every complaint for this model year was matched with fixed keyword rules (written with AI and tested against the sample), and the mileage, age and repair figures are calculated from those complaints; owners' figures are as stated, not verified. Other counts refer to the sample. The excerpts come from NHTSA's public complaint records and are unverified; capitalisation is normalised, NHTSA staff notes are removed, and shortened text ends with “…”. Something wrong? Request a correction.