2021 Toyota Highlander fuel, hybrid & EV propulsion problems

Related recalls

No recalls on file.

What owners say

1. Filed Jul 30, 2026AZFuel, Hybrid & EV Propulsion

   On July 25, 2026, while driving my 2021 Toyota Highlander Hybrid at high speeds on the freeway, the vehicle experienced a sudden loss of drive power accompanied by a check engine light and a severe hybrid system error warning. The failure occurred without any prior warning or degradation in performance, forcing an immediate emergency maneuver through traffic to reach the shoulder. The vehicle was towed to Toyota of El Cajon for diagnostic evaluation. The dealership service…

   NHTSA complaint #11753720 · source
2. Filed Apr 15, 2026OHFuel, Hybrid & EV Propulsion

   This appears to be a fuel pump or something with the fuel issue on a 2021 Toyota Highlander L series. While driving it would stop and switch off at stop lights and stop sign. The codes that come up have to do with fuel being lean. However this also affects the braking system and causes it to be very hard to steer with this issue. The problem I have is that it cuts off without even you knowing what's happening and I was almost rear-ended twice. My car is now sitting outside…

   NHTSA complaint #11731434 · source
3. Filed Mar 10, 2026PRFuel, Hybrid & EV Propulsion

   *Component/System:** The **Fuel Pump / Fuel Delivery System** failed. The vehicle and the replaced spark plugs/coils are available for inspection upon request. **Safety Risk:** The vehicle **stalls abruptly while in motion (at speed)**, causing an immediate loss of motive power in traffic. This creates an extreme risk of rear-end collisions and leaves the driver stranded in active lanes of travel. The vehicle must be shifted to park, turned off, and restarted to temporarily…

   NHTSA complaint #11723230 · source
4. Filed Mar 3, 2026CAFuel, Hybrid & EV Propulsion

   While driving westbound on I-8 at approximately 70 MPH in the left lane, a warning message suddenly appeared on my dashboard stating that a malfunction in the hybrid system had been detected. Immediately after the alert, the vehicle lost power and stopped accelerating. I was forced to quickly maneuver across multiple lanes of traffic and barely made it to the narrow right shoulder. Because I had been traveling in the left lane at highway speed, the situation was extremely…

   NHTSA complaint #11721649 · source
5. Filed Nov 22, 2025UTFuel, Hybrid & EV Propulsion

   My gas tank does not fill up to 17 gallons like it claimed it would when I purchased the vehicle, It also keeps automatically shutting off after filling up a little bit 8-10 gallons and it is not full, I have to hold the handle and fuel manually and constantly worried its going to over fill.

   NHTSA complaint #11701016 · source
6. Filed Aug 29, 2025CAEngineFuel, Hybrid & EV PropulsionTransmission & Drivetrain

   Entering the freeway a mile from home the car would not properly excellerate, only reachind 40 mph before exiting the freeway in favor backroads to my appointment. Shaking back and forth while driving, exacerbated when braking and coming to stop, I needed to put the car into neutral to calm down the shaking while waiting for the light to change. I just went through experiencing a brake failure and reporting of that to this Agency and now see another of many defects…

   NHTSA complaint #11683905 · source
7. Filed Jun 14, 2025CACrashBrakesEngineFuel, Hybrid & EV Propulsion

   Yesterday, as I do a couple times a month, I went to switch parking places, putting my 2021 Toyota Highlander where my 2007 Mazda was parked, in order to drive it and keep the battery from dying. After starting both cars I first moved the Mazda to make room for the Toyota. As I was slowly steering the Toyota at (idle speed) into the now vacant parking spot, the car accelerated on it's own, prompting me to hit the brakes, but to no avail. The car jumped the curb hitting,…

   NHTSA complaint #11666931 · source
8. Filed Jan 30, 2024SCBrakesFuel, Hybrid & EV PropulsionAcceleration & Cruise Control

   While depressing the brake pedal the vehicle continues to accelerate before finally slowing to a stop. This happens on bumpy road surfaces as well as level road surfaces. There were no warning lights, alarms or messages prior to or during the failure. This issue started around 35,000 mileage and has progressively gotten worse to current day. (Current mileage as of 1/29/2024 is 54,346.) This issue would cause the vehicle to potentially rear end a vehicle you are following or…

   NHTSA complaint #11568711 · source
9. Filed Jul 26, 2022INEngineFuel, Hybrid & EV PropulsionTransmission & Drivetrain

   On July 19, the car was parked and refused to start. Tried Jump start and the gas was at more than half a tank. The car would operate for 30 seconds, stutter and then stop. On July 20, took the car to ED MARTIN TOYOTA in Noblesville, IN. They could not diagnose the issue. Replaced Fuel Pump system. Evaluated all electrical and no issues observed. Escalated to TOYOTA Regional Engineering to teoubleshoot. The car is still in the shop with no root-cause. If the car was in…

   NHTSA complaint #11475898 · source
10. Filed Feb 28, 2022CTFuel, Hybrid & EV Propulsion

    Impossible to completely fill the gas tank on the Highlander Hybrid. 17+ gallon tank, yet car will accept at most 12-13 gallons of fuel. Fuel gauge reads between 3/4 and 7/8 full after each fill-up. This issue has persisted since the vehicle was new. Multiple requests to the dealer to fix this problem are largely ignored with them telling me that they aren't aware of any issues, research suggests that many other owners are experiencing the same problem.

    NHTSA complaint #11454480 · source
11. Filed Feb 25, 2022CAFuel, Hybrid & EV Propulsion

    Since i have owned the 2021 highlander, the low fuel warning light does not come on until nearly empty. This has been an issue since day one. My last toyota the low fuel light typically illuminated on the dash around 35 miles dte. I was relieved to see toyota issued a special service campaign (21tc05) acknowledging the issue... But it did nothing to fix the problem!! I had the reprogam service performed and still, the light and dte did not improve or change. The low fuel…

    NHTSA complaint #11454109 · source
12. Filed Feb 2, 2022MDFuel, Hybrid & EV Propulsion

    My concern has to do with an inability to completely fill the gas tank in my 2021Toyota Highlander Hybrid XLE (AWD), and the gas tank capacity has worsened over time. I purchased the vehicle new from a Toyota dealer in Maryland in April 2021. Initially, I could fill the gas tank to almost full per the gas gauge. Over time, the amount of gas the tank can hold has decreased. As of early 2022, I can only fill the tank to just above 3/4 full per the gas gauge. Please note that…

    NHTSA complaint #11450021 · source

Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Office of Defects Investigation public data. Complaints are submitted by owners and are not verified by NHTSA or by us; a complaint does not prove a defect exists. View this vehicle on NHTSA.gov Methodology