2025 Toyota Grand Highlander — Known Issues & Recalls

While driving at approximately 50 MPH with no other vehicles around, there was a loud bang and then the sound of air. We identified that the panoramic sunroof had exploded. We pulled over immediately and took photos of the sunroof which at that time was shattered but intact.

Your vehicle's front grille design leaves the air conditioning condenser exposed to road debris like rocks, which can puncture it and cause refrigerant loss. You've experienced this damage yourself, but Toyota won't cover it under warranty, claiming it's an external occurrence—even though the 2026 model added extra protection in this area, suggesting Toyota knew about the vulnerability. The repair cost is your responsibility, but you believe the design flaw makes this a manufacturing issue rather than bad luck.

While driving, you heard a loud noise like a gunshot and discovered your sunroof glass had shattered across the back panel. The glass appeared to have blown out from internal pressure rather than being hit by something external, then cracked across the rest of the panel. The sunroof will need to be replaced or repaired to restore the glass panel.

Your sunroof suddenly exploded and shattered into pieces, leaving an 8-inch hole in the roof. The sunroof panel is bowed upward as if it was under extreme internal pressure, even though the weather was mild (70°F with clouds and light rain). Glass debris scattered across the interior, though the sunshade being closed contained most of it.

Your air conditioning system stopped working while driving normally, and a Toyota dealership found that the AC condenser had a hole causing a refrigerant leak. Toyota refused to cover the repair under warranty, calling it a "road hazard," even though the dealership acknowledged this is a common problem on the Grand Highlander with no collision or unusual road event involved. The condenser appears to be positioned in a vulnerable spot where small road debris can easily puncture it, and this issue is reportedly happening to multiple owners. Fixing this typically requires replacing the AC condenser and recharging the refrigerant system, which costs $1,500–$2,000.

Your Grand Highlander's outside temperature display reads 2 to 7 degrees higher than the actual temperature, which can be misleading when it's near freezing and you need to know if roads might be icy. This inaccuracy makes it difficult to judge driving conditions in cold weather. The fix will likely involve recalibrating or replacing the external temperature sensor.

Your left front axle has been identified as having a defect, and your Toyota dealer has ordered a replacement part. However, the part has been repeatedly delayed — initially promised for February 6, 2026, then pushed to early March, and now expected in late March with no firm guarantee. Because of this safety concern, you don't feel comfortable driving the vehicle, which is affecting your ability to work and earn income. The repair will involve replacing the faulty left front axle assembly.

Your front left axle became defective at under 20,000 miles. While the dealer promised to replace it, you're still waiting for the repair. Driving with a defective axle poses a safety risk and should be addressed as soon as possible. The fix will involve replacing the front left axle assembly.

Your car makes a clicking or rotational noise from the front drive shafts, especially when accelerating from low speeds while turning. The noise happens frequently during normal driving, and other owners have reported the same issue to your dealer. Although your dealer says they can't reproduce the problem, a similar issue in 2024 Grand Highlanders was resolved by replacing the drive shafts, suggesting the fix may involve replacing one or both front drive shaft assemblies.

Your third-row seat belts are unbuckling on their own while you're driving, even though your car seats are installed correctly according to their manuals. Since your toddlers can't unbuckle themselves, this appears to be a vehicle defect rather than user error. The dealership has been unable to find or fix the problem, and your dashboard doesn't alert you when the belts come loose. This may require inspection and replacement of the seat belt buckle mechanisms or anchor points.

Your brakes failed while driving and only worked when you pushed the pedal all the way to the floor, triggering a "Low Brake Power" warning and multiple other warning lights on the dashboard. The dealership found fault codes related to the brake pedal sensor and replaced the sensor and battery, though they noted the problem didn't reproduce during their inspection and suspect it may be intermittent. This type of brake failure is a serious safety issue, especially at highway speeds or in heavy traffic. The fix involved replacing the brake pedal stroke sensor and vehicle battery.

Your transmission may slip and hold high RPM, causing jerky shifts when accelerating or changing gears. Additionally, your back seat may not lock securely at times, and your infotainment system may freeze or become unresponsive. These issues will likely require transmission fluid service or internal transmission repair, seat latch inspection, and infotainment system software updates or replacement.

Your sunroof's front panel spontaneously shattered while the car was parked in your garage, leaving glass shards inside the vehicle. Toyota denied the warranty claim, stating there was no material defect. The repair will likely require full sunroof panel replacement and interior cleaning to remove glass debris.

Your car has experienced violent shaking while stopped, feeling like an earthquake, with no warning lights appearing. The problem has happened before in milder forms and the dealership previously attempted to fix similar stuttering and lurching issues, but they persist and no diagnostic codes are being generated. This suggests the dealer may need to perform a more thorough diagnostic scan or transmission fluid inspection to identify the underlying cause.

Your fuel gauge is reading incorrectly from the start. Your car's 17-gallon tank is only showing as full at about 13 gallons, and the gauge shows empty when there's actually 4 gallons remaining. This means you could run out of fuel unexpectedly if you rely on the gauge to know when to refuel.

Your 2025 Grand Highlander's back-up camera has failed and is no longer displaying when you shift into reverse—the screen stays on the home menu or radio instead. Toyota issued a recall (Campaign 25V744000) to fix this issue, but the replacement part has been unavailable for an extended period. The dealer diagnosed the camera failure at 29,000 miles but hasn't contacted you about parts availability yet.

Your child's car seat headrest is deteriorating and pieces of foam are coming loose where your child can reach them. You noticed foam in your child's mouth while driving and had to pull over to remove it. The car seat manufacturer has sent tape as a temporary fix to cover exposed foam areas, but this indicates the headrest padding is breaking down.

Your vehicle occasionally fails to accelerate when you press the gas pedal, particularly when the EV battery is at 3 bars or lower and the vehicle is in Normal mode. The loss of power lasts a few seconds before normal acceleration returns, and no warning lights appear. This creates a safety concern when crossing intersections or entering roundabouts, as your vehicle only coasts instead of accelerating normally. A firmware update has been applied but hasn't resolved the issue.

Your Grand Highlander's cabin heater takes an unusually long time to produce warm air, especially in cold weather below 20°F where it takes 40+ minutes to reach a comfortable temperature. Even in a warm shop, the dealer observed it took 20 minutes before heat came through the vents. You may notice the vehicle has a separate electronic defrost system for the windshield, but the general cabin heating appears to lag significantly compared to other new vehicles.

Inconsistently but on numerous occasions, this vehicle has experienced harsh shifting, hesitation, or jerking during low-speed acceleration (e.g., 20-40 MPH) or gear engagement. This was a known and reported issue with the 2024 model for which Toyota provided a fix. They have not provided one for the 2025 models.