2024 Toyota Grand Highlander

The passenger-side second-row bench seat (60 percent section of the 60/40 split) has a defective seat track/latch assembly that fails in both directions: it seizes completely when it should slide, and it failed to stay latched while the vehicle was in motion. The seat saw almost no use for the first 34 months of ownership (third row kept folded). Within two weeks of its first regular use (XXX, approx. 45,700 miles), it seized completely and could not be moved in either direction. An authorized Toyota dealership in Placerville, CA disassembled the seat and documented in writing that the seat track was twisted and rubbing against the seat frame. The dealer straightened the track rather than replacing it and stated on the invoice that if the seat stopped moving again, both seat tracks should be replaced and the seat frame itself may need replacement or adjustment. After that repair, in approximately mid-June 2026, the bench slid FORWARD on its own as my wife braked for a stoplight, the track failed to remain latched with the vehicle in motion. Two rear-facing infant car seats are installed on this bench, and our toddlers reach the third row through this seat. On XXX (approx. 46,416 miles, 33 days and about 700 miles after the repair), the seat seized again. The vehicle is currently at a second authorized Toyota dealership in [XXX] for diagnosis and is available for inspection upon request. Safety risk: a second-row seat that does not remain latched cannot properly restrain occupants or anchored child restraints during hard braking or a crash, and a seized seat blocks third-row access and egress for children, including in an emergency. There were no warning lamps or prior symptoms before either failure. Note: NHTSA recall 26V128 covers 2021-2024 Highlander second-row seats that fail to lock; this Grand Highlander is not included in that campaign but exhibits a similar failure to remain latched. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

3rd row seats do not want to lock into position, there is also broken plastic pieces from the locking mechanism area. Seats do not want to engage or disengage when trying to lay them flat. This had been a reported problem on other highlanders. This has been an issue since we purchased the vehicle in 2024. This is a safety issue because I fear they would fail in a crash.

Third row seating bottom (back side) has loose flap material end the bottom, when closing and opening the seat it’s can get stuck. It’s also possible the seat can probably even collapse while in use or in driving. The dealer tried to help but there doesn’t seem to be any solution for this from Toyota. This seems to be model wide issue as I was told by dealer. They had another one with same issue. The bottom back of the seat is literally loose flap material. The only solution was they replaced the cargo tray which was actually slightly BENT at front possibly due to seat struggling to close and opening due to faulty design. THIS IS A FAULTY DESIGN! ITS LITERALLY A LOSSE FLAP PLASTIC MATERIAL ON A SEAT BACK. The dealer told me to be careful when handling these seats bc the material can break easily and there isn’t solution from Toyota on this unless there is recall or safety notice.

The contact owns a 2024 Toyota Grand Highlander. The contact stated while the vehicle was stationary, the contact moved the third-row seat, and the seat made and abnormal sound. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact then took the vehicle to the dealer and the dealer made unknown repairs. On a separate occasion the contact became aware the bottom of the window was fractured. The contact then taped the door on the bottom of the window. The system function error message was displayed. On a separate occasion, the contact stated while driving 25 MPH, the rearview camera sporadically failed to respond. The system function error message was displayed. The contact then turned off the vehicle shifted the vehicle into reverse and the vehicle started working properly. On a separate occasion, the contact depressed the brake pedal and the vehicle failed to respond. The local dealer was contacted; however, the vehicle was not repaired because the VIN was not under recall. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 22,554.

The contact owns a 2024 Toyota Grand Highlander. The contact stated that the infotainment system screen display turned black intermittently, preventing the contact from accessing the safety features as needed. An unknown warning light was illuminated. The contact also stated that the third-row driver's side seat was stuck after being folded and failed to unfold as needed. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was determined that an unknown part had detached. The dealer repaired the vehicle; however, the failure recurred. Additionally, the contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V461000 (Air Bags); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 1,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.