2023 Toyota Highlander Fuel system Problems
- Complaints
- 17about this part
- Share
- 9%of 189 total for the year
- Median mileage
- 40,000miles
- Trend
- Too newThis model year is less than 4 years old, so a trend is not meaningful yet.
NHTSA recorded 17 complaints about the fuel system of the 2023 Toyota Highlander, 9% of the 189 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 40,000 miles. 1 of these say a crash was involved, according to the filers.
Example complaints
Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.
“The car absolutely reeks of gas after driving for a while on warm days. You can visibly see the fumes around the filler neck. It has been the the dealer multiple times and they say they can't find anything. It seeps into the car causing headaches and dizziness. I personally know of 2 2023 Highlanders and 1 2024 highlander that have this issue. I am extremely worried this will cause a fire and/or explosion at some point.”
NHTSA complaint #11606299, filed 2024-08“Vehicle smells like gas/fuel sometimes. I brought it to the dealership and was advised that they cannot duplicate my concerns since they can't smell anything when I dropped it off.”
NHTSA complaint #11618808, filed 2024-10“I was involved in a vehicle crash on 7-1-25. I had just pulled out of the gas station and was coming up to a stop sign so I was only going about 8mph I put my foot on the brake and nothing happened. I had my foot all the way down on the brake pedal because I saw a car coming and they were traveling at about 40mph. No automatic braking nothing worked. I had no control. I just prayed that I hope this doesn’t hurt. None of my airbags deployed. My car is now totaled and of course I got the ticket because I did not have control of my vehicle. …”
NHTSA complaint #11674853, filed 2025-07“I've had the car for 6 months. After a few months we noticed a bucking during acceleration and a hesitation when pressing the accelerator. Under medium to hard acceleration the car will exhibit these traits almost consistantly and now after 3500 miles it has become so noticeable that it is dangerous! The hesitation is off the line from a dead stop. There is at least a couple second delay sometimes when leaving a stop. And then as the car climbs in RPM's you can feel the engine struggling almost like a car with bad spark plug wires. It tends to spit and buck as it is accelerating. …”
NHTSA complaint #11545936, filed 2023-09“Vehicle unpredictably hesitates during light to moderate acceleration in all driving modes (Sport, Normal, and Eco). This is especially dangerous when crossing in front of oncoming traffic from a stop or slow speed. Had a certified mechanic drive the car and verify the problem, but the car's systems don't report that there is a problem, so he had no answers.”
NHTSA complaint #11534843, filed 2023-07Related service bulletins
- 10240057Jun 8, 2023TSB: Some 2020 ? 2023 model year Highlander Hybrid and 2021 ? 2023 model year RAV4 Hybrid, RAV4 Prime, Sienna Hybrid, and Venza Hybrid vehicles may exhibit a MIL ON condition…
Fuel system: other model years
| Year | Complaints | Share of year |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 8 | 19% |
| 2023 | 17 | 9% |
| 2022 | 10 | 4% |
| 2021 | 31 | 6% |
| 2020 | 20 | 6% |
| 2019 | 109 | 21% |
| 2018 | 36 | 13% |
| 2017 | 37 | 14% |
| 2016 | 4 | 4% |
| 2015 | 4 | 2% |
| 2013 | 15 | 7% |
| 2012 | 3 | 2% |
| 2011 | 1 | 1% |
| 2010 | 4 | 2% |
| 2009 | 2 | 1% |
| 2008 | 13 | 3% |
| 2007 | 6 | 5% |
| 2006 | 12 | 4% |
| 2005 | 6 | 3% |
| 2004 | 7 | 2% |
| 2003 | 10 | 4% |
| 2002 | 2 | 1% |
| 2001 | 5 | 4% |
Other parts of the 2023 Toyota Highlander
40 complaintsBody and structure
32 complaintsEngine
28 complaintsSeats
21 complaintsBrakes
20 complaintsTransmission and drivetrain
20 complaintsAir bags
12 complaintsElectrical system
12 complaintsVehicle speed control
9 complaintsLane departure
6 complaintsForward collision avoidance
5 complaintsTires
5 complaints
← All problems reported for the 2023 Toyota Highlander
About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 31, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate.
To check a specific vehicle for open recalls, use its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. Methodology