Selling a damaged or dead Toyota Grand Highlander

This is a young model. Toyota began building it in August 2023 for the 2024 model year, so many are still inside a factory warranty. Read the warranty section below before you sell one with a mechanical fault.

What you're selling

There is one generation so far, built only at Toyota's plant in Princeton, Indiana. It rides on a stretched, wider version of the Highlander's platform, with front- or all-wheel drive. Three powertrains:

• 2.4-liter turbo four, 265 hp, 8-speed automatic.
• 2.5-liter hybrid, 245 hp, eCVT.
• Hybrid MAX, the 2.4 turbo with a 6-speed automatic and an eAxle, 362 hp.

Known problems so far

NHTSA holds 355 complaints for the 2024 to 2026 model years. The largest group is "unknown or other" (70). Power train (44), fuel and propulsion (37), engine (34) and air bags (33) follow.

Slow to pull away

Some 2024 owners say the SUV fails to accelerate after a stop and creeps for a few seconds before power returns. One Hybrid MAX owner reports it at about 34,000 miles. Toyota has two bulletins in this area. T-SB-0017-24 covers 2024 hybrids that hesitate between 0 and 40 mph at steady throttle. T-SB-0103-23 covers early 2024 turbo models with a check-engine light and code P05CE00, for camshaft timing on a cold start. Both reprogram the engine computer.

A click from the front axle

Toyota's April 2026 bulletin T-SB-0028-26 says some 2024 models click from a front drive shaft when accelerating in a turn, even without a grease leak. An updated shaft is available. One owner writes that the front axle assemblies were replaced near 20,000 miles and the clicking came back near 40,000.

Curtain air bags

Recall 24V461 covers 2024 Grand Highlanders, hybrids included, whose curtain air bags may not unroll as designed and could partly deploy outside an open window. Dealers replace both curtain air bag assemblies. The campaign's 145,254 vehicles include the Lexus TX. One owner reports getting the notice before the repair part was available.

The 2026 axle and knuckle recalls

Two recalls hit the 2026 in quick succession. Under 26V437 (July 2026), rear axle carriers may have been made without enough material strength and could break. Dealers check a part code and replace carriers as needed. That campaign counts 5,408 vehicles, the Lexus TX among them. Under 26V598 (September 2026), front steering knuckles may crack. Its 617 vehicles include the Lexus TX and RX, and Toyota expected to mail letters on November 2, 2026.

Fumes, rocks and glass

Owners of 2024 and 2025 models describe a strong gasoline smell after fueling or idling. One 2025 owner sees vapor around the filler. A 2024 driver says a rock passed through the open grille at about 62 mph, punctured the radiator and cost the SUV its drive power. A 2025 owner reports the panoramic sunroof shattering on the highway.

The rest of the recall list is software and labels: an instrument panel that may go blank at startup (25V595), a backup camera image that may freeze or go blank (25V744), and two load-label campaigns. Those two campaigns list 591,377 and 1,024,407 vehicles across many models.

Complaints and recalls by model year

Read from NHTSA's records on October 10, 2026. Multi-year campaigns appear in every year they cover.

Check the warranty, then decide

Toyota's bulletins for this model name the first three terms below; the fourth is on Toyota's warranty page.

1. Basic: 36 months or 36,000 miles. The blind spot monitor fix in T-SB-0037-25 falls here.
2. Powertrain: 60 months or 60,000 miles, which covers the drive shaft update.
3. Federal emissions: 96 months or 80,000 miles, which covers both hesitation fixes.
4. Hybrid battery: a "10-year/150,000-mile limited warranty coverage, whichever comes first" on hybrid models.

A covered fault is Toyota's to fix, so a Grand Highlander whose only problem is under warranty is usually worth keeping. Crash damage, flood damage or a lapsed warranty change that. If a loan is still open, the car loan owed guide covers the payoff, and our page on a wrecked car covers selling after a crash.

Selling it whole

1. Note the VIN and mileage, the damage or fault, and whether it powers on.
2. Ask for an offer online or call (877) 421-6008.
3. Tell us where it is, whether that's a garage at home, a body shop or an insurer's yard, and whether it rolls.
4. Leave every part on it, wheels and battery included.
5. Keep the title, your ID, the keys and any lien release together for the driver. Plate rules depend on the state; see after you sell.

Comparing big Toyotas? See the Highlander, the Sequoia and the Sienna.