2009 toyota highlander limited door actuators have all broke, been replaced and broke again. Some are being replaced for the 3rd time since I owed the vehicle (making it the 4th lock on the car). At the moment only 1 door lock works and I have to climb across to open the other doors. I am extremely concerned that they will all break and I will not be able to get my daughter out of the car. I started contacting toyota in 2013 when they all started breaking. I also can not open the car with the key. 8/2012- drivers lock and actuator replaced and window 6/2013- right rear door actuator replaced 7/2013- passenger door actuator replaced 3/2014- left rear door actuator replaced 4/2014- drivers lock actuator replaced (again) 5/2014- right rear door actuator replaced (again) 2015- left rear actuator broke again this time my extended warranty is up and they want 600 to fix. 2016- passenger actuator broke 9/2018- drivers actuator broke for the 3rd time. I am left with leaving the car unlocked and hoping no one goes in or climb across my vehicle. I have contacted toyota numerous times to try and get them to help and they havent done anything but tell me I'm now out warranty even though I contacted them regarding the issues before my extended warranty was up.
2009 Toyota Highlander: doors won't lock, open or latch
5 of the 134 complaints about the 2009 Toyota Highlander describe doors won't lock, open or latch.
- owner complaints
- 5
- of this car's complaints
- 4%
- typical mileage
- 47,236
- recalls
- 0
Doors won't lock, open or latch by model year
What owners say
My vehicle has an issue with the door locks which is a safety concern, the power door lock actuators have repeatedly failed on my vehicle. Each of the four door lock actuators have been replaced and several multiple times. The most recent was a drivers (left) side rear which was replaced in march 2014 and failed again. This makes the 6th or 7th time an actuator has failed on my vehicle. The cost to replace these is approximately $600. However my biggest concern is that the vehicle is unlocked when I believe it is locked. This is a worry both when transporting young children (who can open the door as child safety locks are inoperative) and potential unauthorized access or theft of the vehicle. I opened a case with toyota #1701210527. Toyota refuse to continue to assist with this or determine why my vehicle repeatedly has door lock actuators fail.
Door lock on front driver door does not lock when remote or door button inside car pressed. Gives impression door is locking when it is not.
Rear door/hatch electric motor and latch/lock assembly failed. Several incidences of the rear electric hatch failing to seat/close occurred prior to the failure. The door would start down but would not close/latch. Toyota service department (dothan, al) said the door needed to be adjusted and did so. About one month later the door closed with a loud noise and would not open afterwards. Upon outside inspection, I saw the door was offset about a quarter of an inch toward the passenger side and seated about the same (1/4 inch) further in than normal. The door would not open at all at that point. The same service department initially accused me of damaging the car in an accident (untrue). They pried the door open, and recommended I disable the electric door motor and only operate the door manually. Later the same service personnel admitted there was a design problem with the door hinges that caused the failure.
Tl* the contact owns a 2009 toyota highlander. The contact stated that the air conditioning unit failed four times. The contact stated the repairs were made by an authorized dealer and the unit would work for a short time before failing again. In addition, the door locks would fail intermittently. The dealer was unable to duplicate the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer due to the failure of the air conditioning unit. The vehicle was left with the dealer where the contact was awaiting repairs. The failure mileage was 4,624.. Updated 11/22/10 *bf the consumer stated the cd player, door and hatch locks failed. The consumer has since received a 2010 replacement vehicle. Updated 11/23/10
Service bulletins that may apply
Related recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
Questions about the 2009 Toyota Highlander door locks
Is doors won't lock, open or latch a common problem on the 2009 Toyota Highlander?
5 of 134 owner complaints about the 2009 Toyota Highlander (4%) mention doors won't lock, open or latch. The model year with the most reports is 2015.
Is there a recall or service bulletin for this on the 2009 Toyota Highlander?
There are 0 recalls and 5 service bulletins for the same area of the car. Check them below with your VIN.
Other symptoms on the 2009 Toyota Highlander
ABS 17Harsh shifting 7Airbag light 5Fire or smoke 5Sudden acceleration 5
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