2019 Toyota Highlander Problems

What owners report

Owners of the 2019 Highlander most often describe sudden loss of power or stalling at low speeds, which many complaints tie to the fuel pump recall (20V012000 / 20V682000) or to hesitant, lagging acceleration. A separate and growing group of complaints, mostly at higher mileage, describes transmission noise and failure. Early-mileage complaints also mention the media/audio unit rebooting, sunroof glass breaking, and air bags not deploying in collisions.

1. 1
   Fuel system

   Stalls or loses power while driving

   • 99 complaints (20%)
   • median 6,313 mi at 1.5 yrs old (42 state mileage)
   • 2 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2019–2026

   Complaints describe the engine shutting down or dropping to very low power without warning, sometimes while accelerating from a stop, entering traffic or driving at highway speed. Some owners say the vehicle restarted only after being parked and restarted, and others had it towed. Several mention the check engine light, reduced-power and traction-control messages, and dealers telling them a fuel pump was at fault or that parts for the fuel pump recall were not yet available. Reported from a few hundred to about 47,000 miles, with many at low mileage (under 10,000).

   Recall 20V012000Recall 20V6820001 related service bulletin

   What to check: Ask whether the fuel pump recall (20V012000 / 20V682000) was completed and keep the paperwork. Note any check engine light or history of stalling or hard starting on a test drive.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Vehicle stalls out several times. Have taken it to dealership but no problem found. We were driving the vehicle made a turn onto a major street during rush hour. It stalled out, we just made it to the side of the road. Car finally gave out and did not start again. This is very dangerous due to poor power while driving and can endanger people in the car as well as surrounding vehicles.”

   NHTSA complaint #11337802, filed 2020-07, 17,000 miles

   “While driving on a city street in baltimore, md on vacation at about 35 MPH having just cone around a blind curve my vehicle's engine shut off and would not restart, got multiple malfunctions on the display. We were almost rear ended multiple times due to the vehicle being in a lane of traffic for about an hour after it shut off. Had it towed to the dealer and was told that it was the fuel pump. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11339876, filed 2020-07, 47,000 miles
2. 2
   Transmission and drivetrain

   Transmission whine and failure

   • 206 complaints (41%)
   • median 70,000 mi at 6.1 yrs old (29 state mileage)
   • owner-quoted repair $8,750 (median of 34 quotes)
   • filed 2020–2026

   Complaints describe a whining or grinding noise from the front of the vehicle that grows over time, hard or unintended shifting, and in some cases the vehicle dropping into limp mode or losing acceleration. Owners say dealers diagnosed transmission failure and quoted a replacement, and some note parts backlogs or that the manufacturer declined assistance. One owner reported the problem recurring after a fluid change. Reports cluster from roughly 50,000 to over 130,000 miles, with a few earlier examples.

   What to check: Listen for a whine that rises with speed or throttle on a test drive, feel for harsh or delayed shifts, and ask for any transmission service records or fluid changes.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “The contact owns a 2019 Toyota Highlander. The contact stated that on several occasions while driving at various speeds, there was an abnormal whining sound emanating from the front of the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the transmission needed to be replaced; however, there was a back log on the part. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 70,000.”

   NHTSA complaint #11679382, filed 2025-08, 70,000 miles

   “The contact owns a 2019 Toyota Highlander. The contact stated while driving 70 MPH, on the highway. the contact notice an abnormal noise coming from the transmission. A dealer was contacted. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified on the failure and they informed him this will not b escalated and offered no further assistance. The approximate failure mileage was 133, 000.”

   NHTSA complaint #11737673, filed 2026-05, 133,000 miles
3. 3
   Fuel system

   Hesitation and lag when accelerating

   • 31 complaints (6%)
   • median 6,313 mi at 1.7 yrs old (18 state mileage)
   • 1 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2019–2026

   Owners describe a delay between pressing the gas and the vehicle responding, followed by a surge or lurch, especially when pulling out of a driveway or merging onto a highway. Some say the steering wheel felt the hesitation and shifting became irregular, and that dealers found nothing on diagnostics. A few report the behavior continued after the fuel pump recall repair. Most commonly reported under about 20,000 miles, often from a stop or at low speed.

   Recall 20V0120002 related service bulletins

   What to check: Test from a dead stop and at low-speed rolling acceleration, and ask whether the dealer has documented any throttle or fuel-delivery diagnosis.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “My vehicle was under recall no. 20v-012 since march of this year. I called the Toyota dealership at least twice to ask about it & was told there was no fix for it at the times I inquired. I was also told that I would be notified when a fix was available. I never received a notice. On 9/15/20 I was making a turn out of a parking lot onto a city street when the car began hesitating & made only halting movements. It would not accelerate beyond about 3-4 MPH. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11355632, filed 2020-09, 11,214 miles

   “When accelerating from a stop, the car abruptly lost power and it felt like the engine was going to stall out completely, but then the car started accelerating again. This happened three time today. In two cases I was needing to accelerate briskly as I was either crossing, or entering onto, a busy street with fast traffic. In two cases (in both cases I was making a right turn from a stop) the red exclamation point warning sign appeared briefly on the dash board upper screen. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11309669, filed 2020-02, 2,300 miles
4. 4
   Air bags

   Air bags not deploying in a crash

   • 21 complaints (4%)
   • median 10,000 mi at 1.6 yrs old (11 state mileage)
   • 14 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2019–2026

   Several owners describe collisions, including rear-end and rollover events, in which the air bags did not deploy. Some say they contacted the manufacturer for inspection and were waiting for a response, while others report the vehicle was repaired or assessed without a clear explanation. These reports are about crash outcomes rather than a symptom noticed during normal driving. Spread across low to moderate mileage, roughly 500 to 70,000 miles.

   What to check: Check that the air bag warning light behaves normally at startup and ask whether the vehicle has any unrepaired collision history or open safety recalls.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Driving on highway on left side was heavy snowfall and truck with trailer on right side suddenly moved to cross the highway from right lane to left lane hit my car pushed me in concrete barrier car rolled over 2 times.*dt*jb* total lost car structure damaged air bag not deployed I request Toyota to do inspection and they get information from black box still waiting response.”

   NHTSA complaint #11397996, filed 2021-02, 30,000 miles

   “The contact owns a 2019 Toyota Highlander. The contact stated while driving at 40 MPH, she rear ended a vehicle in front but the air bags failed to deploy. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to a collision center for cosmetic repairs. A police report was filed and there were no injuries reported. The dealer was not notified and the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 18,000.”

   NHTSA complaint #11326972, filed 2020-06, 18,000 miles

Buying note. Check the fuel pump recall status first, since many low-mileage complaints center on stalling and hesitation, and budget for a careful transmission test at higher mileage. A pre-purchase inspection that includes a scan for stored codes and a highway drive is worthwhile 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.