2024 Toyota Grand Highlander

I have a brand new Grand Highlander Limited with a Panoramic roof, and since the day I took it home, I have noticed a deep bass sound and ear pressure/cabin pressure when driving below 40mph on residential roads. It is very low-frequency and causes headaches, ear pain, and ringing after driving the car. I have taken it to 2 separate dealerships for diagnostic, and they agree they hear the sound and feel the cabin pressure but state it is the vehicle's design. However, most owners aren't experiencing the same issue, so it's not a feature but more of a flaw in some of them.

There is a serious vibration or bouncing of the hood that is very distracting while driving once the vehicle is moving 40 mph or more. My guess is that the metal is too thin or not well bracketed causing it to flutter or vibrate from airflow over the hood. I also experienced the hood denting in from a strong wind gust that made a very loud bang or pop making me think the hood was about to blow off and had to immediately pull over to examine but nothing seemed to be wrong. It just must have dented in and out again. Seems very dangerous. It flutters every time you drive the vehicle above certain speeds and causes the sunlight to flicker in your face which is very distracting. It is evident with every road test.

The rear portion of the hood, closest to the windshield vibrates or flutters at speeds above 30 MPH. At speeds above 50 MPH the flutter becomes very noticeable and actually reflects sunlight into the driver's field of vision. I had personally been blinded by this for several seconds - a very dangerous situation on a busy interstate highway. Fortunately the vehicle's lane keeping assist kept me in the lane but I otherwise could very easily have swerved into another car or rear-ended a stopped vehicle. I have taken this vehicle to my local dealer and a technician reproduced the problem very easily. I was told by the service manager, however, that this is a normal condition for this vehicle and suggested I contact Toyota.

The entire proximal portion of the hood closest to the windshield vibrates above 50 mph. Windy conditions make this worse. The glare on the hood will vibrate distracting the driver. I have reported this to Toyota and they do not care to acknowledge it as a problem. There are forums of new honors of the Grand Highlander complaining. My dealership could reproduce the problem and said there is no fix.

I purchased the car in the middle of September 2023. Within a week of owning I noticed that there was a clicking sound under the steering wheel when I started to turn to the RIGHT from a stop. Several weeks later the clicking sound began when I made a turn to the LEFT from a stop as well. It happened all the time and gradually became louder. When I took the car in for the 5000 mile service and reported the sound, I was told that Toyota was going to change both front axles. The service manager could not tell me what the problem with the car was but that he was told by Toyota that the car was "safe to drive." I refused to drive the car until the axles were replaced and Toyota promptly provided me with a rental car. When the axles were replaced the car drove very differently. The steering was tighter and the car no longer felt like a "bathtub" on the highway. Previously, the car would float and have poor road feel, I worried about its response to an emergency maneuver and consequently drove the car very conservatively. I was disappointed that my new car did not feel like the Grand Highlander I drove as a test before purchase. Now with the replaced axles the car's response is similar to the test vehicle and I am much more confident in its emergency handling. I fear that there is a serious problem with some of the Grand Highlander's front end. I wanted to alert the NTSA on a potential hazardous situation, especially since Toyota is recommending that the affected cars be continued to be driven despite the identified problem with a major component.

New Grand Highlander started making popping noises when turning at approximately 1000 miles. Dealer has replaced axles twice saying they were defective and the issue remains. We were told there was an issue with the axles during manufacturing and they are now on backorder. Our car has been in the shop over 30 days and we are told it is not safe to drive until new axles are installed.

Bought in September 2023, within the first month, it started making a clunking noise when the wheel was turned to the left. The noise continued to get louder and started to make the same noise when turning right. In November, I got in my vehicle and it wouldn’t start. The dash and everything was flashing and making a cranking noise. I took it to the nearest dealership. They “charged” my battery and said it was fine. Also stated the noise was a heat shield issue and they fixed it. As soon as I pulled out of dealership, it still made the noise. The next morning went to start car, battery was dead. Had it towed to dealership for them to replace the battery. I filed complaint with Toyota, a field tech guy looked at it and said it had a bad left CV axel. No warning lamps/icons. But…Dealership's said it was safe to drive. However, If it fails, it can cause the vehicle to stop or tires to lock up. Causing an accident! It can also cause more damage to vehicle parts/ transmission. Furthering decreasing the value of the vehicle.

Faulty CV Axles installed on 2024 Grand Highlanders. Toyota is aware of the problem and have edited the production of newer models. They have not issued a bulletin or recall for the ones installed in older models. Older meaning in the last year. This is a brand new vehicle. It started making noise when turning 2 weeks ago. The noise has gotten louder and occurs with every turn. It initially only made the noise when turning on an incline. If the axle fails, you lose control of the entire vehicle. Several dealerships have had to service and replace the axles, so Toyota needs to formally recall the ones installed in earlier Grand Highlanders before someone gets hurt. The vehicle sensors do not detect this issue. It was detected from sound and service at a Toyota Dealership.