2023 Toyota Highlander Problems

What owners report

Owners of the 2023 Highlander mostly describe quality and drivability annoyances rather than major mechanical failures: an uneven or hesitant throttle from a stop, a number of recall notices with no remedy yet available, door mirrors and liftgates that misbehave, and occasional fuel odors after refueling on hot days. Reports are spread across low and moderate mileage, with a fair number tied to recall letters rather than an actual breakdown.

1. 1
   Engine

   Hesitation, jerking and uneven acceleration from a stop

   • 35 complaints (19%)
   • median 11,500 mi at 1.9 yrs old (2 state mileage, few)
   • 1 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2023–2026

   Complaints describe a lag, buck or surge when pulling away from a stop, and sometimes a stutter under moderate to hard acceleration or when merging. Several owners say the dealer told them the behavior was normal, while others report that reprogramming the engine control module or switching to higher-octane fuel improved it. A few mention the check engine light coming on alongside the hesitation. Often reported in the first few thousand miles, with many notices filed under 40,000 miles.

   4 related service bulletins

   What to check: Test-drive from a dead stop and at part throttle on a slight grade, and ask whether any engine control software campaign (such as the one for a malfunction indicator lamp with a variable valve timing code) was applied.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Hesitation/Non-linear Acceleration From a Stop. Reprogramming the ECM completely resolved the issue. This needs to be sent out to affected vehicles but I had to investigate and pretty much demand a resolution. I fear what this could later do to our engines, etc.”

   NHTSA complaint #11598566, filed 2024-07

   “At about 3500 miles the car has started lagging really bad. I have almost been hit in stop and go traffic and have almost hit the car in front of me because I never know if when I put my foot on the gas if I’m going to go or not. When pulling out into on coming traffic I have to make sure the cars are really far away because again I never know if the car is going to actually get up and go. It lags, shakes like of it has no power. Once you get going it ok but to actually get going it’s awful. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11541007, filed 2023-08
2. 2
   Body and structure

   Front lower bumper cover coming loose or detaching

   • 33 complaints (17%)
   • median 11,850 mi at 2.0 yrs old (4 state mileage, few)
   • 1 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2023–2026

   Owners describe the lower front bumper cover separating from the vehicle, sometimes after a minor knock against a curb, pothole or concrete, and in some cases at highway speed with part of the cover flipping up onto the hood. Complaints note the cover's mounting tabs breaking and paint or trim damage, and dealers handling the repair through body shops rather than the service department. Several mention waiting on recall remedy parts. Reported from very low mileage (under 2,000 miles) up through higher-mileage vehicles, often after a minor impact.

   Recall 23V720000

   What to check: Look along the lower front bumper for loose edges, cracked tabs or mismatched paint, and confirm whether recall 23V720000 has been completed.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “the front bumper assembly has come off our 2023 highlander twice since purchase 2 years ago, the first time the entire bumper was pulled off while on the freeway(terrified my wife) and we had to pull it off and put it in the back on the highlander and bring it to the dealership. Courtesy Toyota of Brandon . This was supposedly fixed with Toyota recall campaign 23TA12 . …”

   NHTSA complaint #11688964, filed 2025-09

   “Still they have yet to come up with a fix to the problem they sent out for their safety recall. 23TA12 (Interim notice 23TB12) Certain model years 2020-2023 Highlander-Highlander HV-Front Lower Bumper Cover Assembly May Detach While Driving. This is something that has caused severe damage to vehicles lowering the value of their vehicles and causing harm to passengers and pedestrians at times. This is something that they should have done by now. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11590217, filed 2024-05
3. 3
   Seats

   Second-row seat back does not lock securely

   • 24 complaints (13%)
   • median 30,000 mi at 3.7 yrs old (2 state mileage, few)
   • 2 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2023–2026

   Many of these complaints are recall notices rather than failures: owners of the 2023 Highlander learned that the second-row seat backs may not lock into position, and dealers told them the fix parts were not yet available. A few describe the seat actually failing to stay locked, and some complain about the wait for a remedy. Separate complaints mention the seat cushion being uncomfortable on long drives. Reported mostly as recall correspondence in 2026, with one confirmed failure at about 39,000 miles.

   Recall 26V128000

   What to check: Fold and re-latch each second-row seat back and push on it to confirm it locks; ask the seller for proof that recall 26V128000 was completed and check whether remedy parts are available.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Car seats and booster seats for infants and children with the age and weight requirement for seats in a vehicle do not meet safety requirements. The second row and the third row you literally have to pick the car seat up to buckle the seatbelt in appropriately. I have asked on numerous occasions if there is a seatbelt extension that can be purchased and I was told no. My concern is for safety of children/infants. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11693766, filed 2025-10

   “The driver’s seat lower cushion in my 2023 Toyota Highlander provided inadequate support during normal driving, particularly on the left side of the seat cushion where support for my left leg and hip area appeared insufficient. This caused uneven seating posture, increased discomfort, pressure, and difficulty maintaining a proper driving position during extended periods of driving. The seat became increasingly uncomfortable during prolonged use and caused pain, numbness, and difficulty maintaining a proper driving position. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11741796, filed 2026-06
4. 4
   Other or unknown

   Side mirror vibration and liftgate opening or closing faults

   • 14 complaints (7%)
   • median 28,000 mi at 2.0 yrs old (2 state mileage, few)
   • filed 2023–2026

   Owners report the side mirrors vibrating enough at highway speed to blur the view behind them, and dealers sometimes say they cannot reproduce it or that it is not covered. Other complaints describe the power liftgate stalling, grinding, opening an inch at a time or refusing to close and then working on a second or third press of the button, with dealers resetting it without a lasting fix. Mirror complaints appear at highway speeds soon after purchase; liftgate complaints cluster from the 20,000-50,000 mile range.

   1 related service bulletin

   What to check: Drive at 50-70 mph and watch both mirrors for shake, then cycle the power liftgate several times from the button, remote and dash to see whether it stalls or reopens.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “The side mirrors (more on the drivers side) have a vibration in them no matter how smooth of a road in which I am driving. This causes the visual to be blurred and makes me dizzy. I have been driving for 30 years and not ONE other vehicle I have ever driven or owned has had this problem. I see that there are many other complaints online about this issue and this needs to be a recall as my dealership won’t deem it a problem under my warranty. This is a significant problem.”

   NHTSA complaint #11687075, filed 2025-09

   “Some times when I request the rear hatch to open is does nothing but most of the time when I depress the close button, it moves less than an inch and then beeps. I have had to depress the button up to 6 times before the hatch closes. The car is only 3 years old as of this month and the problems stated more than 6 months ago but my mileage was over 36,000 6 months ago so it was out of warranty. This is a joke since my 12 year old suv has no issues with its powered hatch. There are a lot of online complaints on the power hatches. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11723171, filed 2026-03
5. 5
   Other or unknown

   Instrument panel blanks or goes white at start-up

   • 8 complaints (4%)
   • median 134,500 mi at 3.0 yrs old (4 state mileage, few)
   • filed 2024–2026

   Complaints describe the digital instrument cluster going blank, black or white while driving, leaving the driver without speed, fuel or warning information. Some owners link it to a recall notice for instrument panel software and say the remedy was not yet available, while others had the failure confirmed at a dealer. Many were still waiting for a fix when they filed. Reports run from around 29,500 miles into six-figure mileage, with some owners saying the display had been out for months.

   Recall 25V595000

   What to check: Start the vehicle several times and watch the cluster through its full boot-up, and ask whether recall 25V595000 (instrument panel software) has been applied.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “I have a 2023 Toyota Highlander Platinum. For some unknown reason, the dashboard suddenly stopped working. Because the dashboard is not working, I have no information on things like when the gas will run out, what speed I’m driving, or if any parts are malfunctioning. This creates a dangerous situation for me. So, I went directly to Toyota and had the car inspected. They confirmed that the dashboard was indeed not working. I have the document from Toyota. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11694306, filed 2025-10

   “What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? Emission Recall Remedy not available. 2.3 in display of the instrument panel may be blank at start up. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk?/operating the vehicle with this display blank reduces the ability to see certain malfunction indicators remedy not available. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? Yes, dealership Toyota of Anaheim and Buena Park. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11712002, filed 2026-01

Buying note. The 2023 Highlander's complaint record is mostly about drivability calibration, cosmetic hardware and unfixed recall remedies, so confirm each open safety recall is completed and check the software campaigns were applied. Before buying, drive it from several stops, test every seat latch, both mirrors on the highway and the power liftgate.

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.