2020 Toyota Highlander driver assistance problems

Filed Oct 19, 2026 · Brakes, Driver assistance · CA

Thanks for your service, which is much appreciated. I had a terrifying experience with my 2020 Toyota Hylander Hybrid on XXX. I was traveling slowly on the right Eastbound lane of [XXX] trying to exit onto [XXX], when a car suddey merged from my left, near my front bumper. I put on my brakes with enough room to spare to avoid a collision, however the Hylander overrode my controls, slammed on the brakes with a squeal of my tires, stopped my car completely, started doing a slow, repeating beep, and wouldn't move, though the engine was running. This left my husband and I in an active freeway lane with cars traveling in front of us, to the side of us, and coming up behind us, at 65-70 mph., unable to move our vehicle. I had to turn off the engine off and on again, while in the active freeway lane, to get the Hylander to stop beeping and get it to move again so I could drive off the freeway. I was terrified we'd be rear-ended and possibly be killed, since some automated system in the Hylander would not allow the car to move after it took over and slammed on the brakes. I contacted Stevens Creek Toyota in [XXX] soon afterwards hoping to speak with a service manager about what happened. [XXX] I was told that no one was available when I described my issue to a phone receptionist there. She sent me to a manager's voicemail, where I left a detailed message about what happened. I asked that I be called back as soon as possible, to disable whatever feature caused the car to react in such a dangerous way. No one from the dealer ever called me back or offered a solution. I have no idea what to do or where to go, to get this feature disabled, or if it can hopefully be disabled. Please investigate why 2020 Toyota Hylander Hybrids have a feature that takes over the controls, slams on the brakes, then doesn't allow the car to move again until the car is completely turned off and on again. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Filed Aug 27, 2026 · Brakes, Driver assistance · CA · crash · 5 injuries

Incident: [XXX] Conditions: Clear daylight, dry pavement, normal highway conditions Crash/Injuries: Allstate Claim #[XXX]; several people injured At approximately [XXX], I was driving my 2020 Toyota Highlander Hybrid at about 55 mph in the slow/right lane. The vehicle ahead suddenly made a hard stop. I immediately and forcefully applied the brakes for an emergency stop. My front-seat passenger, [XXX], also saw the danger and yelled for me to stop at the same time. Based on our recollection, approximately five seconds elapsed between his warning and the collision. Despite the rapidly closing distance, the Toyota Pre-Collision System (PCS) did not appear to activate. There was no audible warning/beeping, no flashing red warning, and no “BRAKE!” indicator on the dashboard. This was also observed by [XXX] and [XXX], who was seated in the second row and is particularly attentive to warning signals. The vehicle also did not appear to provide any automatic emergency braking or brake-assist intervention. Despite my immediate and forceful braking, the vehicle did not stop in time and collided with the vehicle ahead, causing significant damage and injuries. The forward-facing sensors and windshield were clean and unobstructed. There were no dashboard warning lights or known system malfunction indicators before the crash. I purchased the Toyota Plus service package after completing the required maintenance during the initial coverage period. All scheduled maintenance and inspections were performed on time by certified Toyota technicians. I was repeatedly assured that the vehicle, including the braking system, was operating normally. I request that the federal safety agency investigate the possible failure of the PCS, forward collision warning, automatic emergency braking/brake assist, and their integration with the braking system. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Filed Apr 29, 2026 · Brakes, Driver assistance · CA · crash

The Pre-Collision System with Pedestrian Detection is a good thing, but there's a problem. It stops the car too abruptly on the highway, leading to rear-end collisions. When you release the brake pedal, the car remains stationary. To get it moving, you need to press the accelerator pedal. There have been four instances of the Pre-Collision System with Pedestrian Detection being activated in the last 12 months. Two of them ended in rear-end collisions. In the other two cases, there were no cars behind.

Filed Jan 16, 2026 · Driver assistance · 153,000 miles · MA

The contact owns a 2020 Toyota Highlander. The contact stated that while reversing, the rear-view camera screen displayed a black screen. The contact stated that the failure was persistent. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The dealer was made aware of the failure. The contact referenced an unknown recall with a similar failure; however, the VIN was not associated. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but provided no assistance. The contact was advised to contact the federal safety agency Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 153,000.

Filed Dec 4, 2024 · Acceleration, Driver assistance · WA · crash · 1 injury

my wife was pulling into a driveway slowly approximately 5 mph when she went to stop the Toyota Highlander sped up to full speed and smash the tree while my wife was depressing the brake. All airbags were deployed and it looks like they are going to total the Toyota Highlander that has all the maintenance records Very lucky to not have somebody seriously injured.

Filed Aug 26, 2024 · Driver assistance · FL

There is an open recall which has not been addressed in a timely manner. The below has been open since OCT 26, 2023. I have been advised that I would be notified when a remedy was available but it's been ten months with no solution. My front bumper detached while I was on the interstate causing damage to the front end of my vehicle. The subject vehicles are equipped with a resin front lower bumper cover assembly, connected with mounting tabs. If there is minor impact to the lower front bumper cover assembly that causes the mounting tabs to detach from the vehicle during normal operation, one or more parts of this assembly could detach, which could become a road hazard, increasing the risk of a crash or injury for other road users.

Filed Jun 13, 2024 · Acceleration, Driver assistance · IA · crash · 1 injury

I was pulling into a parking space in a parking garage. As i was pulling in, the car unintentionally had a rapid acceleration event and crashed into a cement pillar causing the car to be a total loss

Filed Apr 22, 2024 · Brakes, Driver assistance · SC

On numerous occasions when applying the brakes on my vehicle there is a very noticeable "surge" when the vehicle slows to a near stop. It feels like there is a momentary loss of braking before the brakes re-engage. I have had the vehicle since new and it seems like the problem has become more noticeable over time. I have lost some confidence in the safety performance of the vehicle due to this dangerous issue.

Filed Mar 19, 2023 · Brakes, Driver assistance · WI

When I am using the brakes an a medium rate the vehicle will loose its brakes for a second causing a loss of control on the vehicle. This happens randomly and caused us to almost go off a culvert of a driveway once. It has scared us many times to thinking we were going to hit the car in front of us. It makes my wife sick every time it happens. Smart motors and regional techs from Toyota have looked into this issue and determined this to be a “feeling” and not a safety hazard. This is not the case and needs to be fixed before someone gets hurt. Lane Keeping assist is unusable. When it is turned on it fights with the driver. It will swerve back in forth in its lane and sometimes so bad it feels like the car would roll if it was not turned off and got worse. Every once in a while it will try to take an exit on the highway by itself. Date of incident in questionnaire is approx to the last time it happened. It has happened too many times to count. Vehicle mileage is when we first started really having issues with the brakes. Lane assist is an always thing.

Filed May 20, 2022 · Driver assistance · HI

The contact owns a 2020 Toyota Highlander The contact received notification of the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 22V239000 (Electronic Stability Control) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The dealer was made aware of the issue. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.