Overview & Reviews

User Reviews:

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  Technology Sucks - 2016 Toyota Highlander
  By Gary - October 17 - 12:08 pm

  If you are paying for, and expect reliable, navigation, auto hi-beam and voice assist....dont get a Toyota. Google "Toyota navigation and voice-activation problems" and read for yourself. If you get one and expect that Toyota will correct them, dont. Your navigation display will lag your actual current location by considerable distance and the voice-activation will drive you crazy. The response you will get from Toyota is, "normal function". If you have your windshield replaced, even with OEM glass, dont expect your auto-high beams to ever operate normally again. Toyota will tell you after testing, "normal parameters". Poor car when you consider what you are paying. Toyota should deliver what they advertise and charge you for in technology.

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  Not worth the cost. - 2016 Toyota Highlander
  By J. Green - July 10 - 10:21 am

  Purchased the 2016 Toyota Highlander Limited Platinum using reviews and owners feedback and own test drive. Have owned for one year and have been very disappointed from the beginning. Rented a Toyota Highlander XLE because no Limited available to rent. Test drove it for about 2 hours over all different types freeway and road conditions except wet pavement. The vehicle was a excellent ride, quite and refined and engine noise and acceleration very good. However we could not test drive a Limited Platinum as we purchased. What a difference in autos. The Limited platinum rides rough and potholes and even small bumps in the pavement can be felt. The wind noise at normal speeds is very loud and at freeway speeds one cannot hold a conversation with another person. I tried to locate the source of the noise and taped up everything in the end but only slightly reduced the noise. The Dealer did find the source which is the rubber seal where the roof and roof rack meet. There is a gap in the seal that is the source of almost all the wind noise. The dealer has no fix and ask me to let them know if I was able to find a solution. I have taken it to two body shops and ask if they could correct the problem. The body shops will not even take on the repair so I am stuck with coming up with a solution of my own. I have tried different things but have not found a solution yet that will stay in place because all of what I have tried will only adhere to either the rubber seal or the metal but not both. Disappointing because I have owned 6 different 4-Runners and the last three all road and drove as well as the Highlander without the road noise.

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  I would consider other options before purchasing - 2016 Toyota Highlander
  By Bill F. - May 26 - 6:44 am

  This is our 5th Toyota and by far our least favorite. The large outside mirrors cause blind spots when turning. The auto climate control seems to overshoot the temperature causing discomfort until the cabin temp has stabilized. We do not experience this on our 2014 Rav4. The navigation system was not accurate the voice command often told us to turn in one direction when the map displayed the opposite. We found out that the map data was from 2015 on a 2016 vehicle purchased in October of 2016. The dealer wanted to charge us for the update that was released prior to the purchase date. The rear windshield wiper locks up at times after the rear window is opened and closed. (The wiper is driven from a mechanical linkage located in the lower portion of the hatch and often does not re-engage after the window is closed. The brakes are awful, pedal often goes almost to the floor and the dealer says this is normal. They would not even check to see if the brakes needed to be bled as they said this would be admitting there was a problem?????????) The drivers side window makes a loud noise every time it closes. In all the prior Toyota vehicles we have owned starting in 2009 we have never had a complaint until the Highlander. Our 2014 Rav4 is a much better vehicle than the Highlander. Based on the way Toyota and the dealer responded to the issues, we will likely never purchase another Toyota.

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  First Toyota but may be my last - 2016 Toyota Highlander
  By Billy Day - December 9 - 1:43 pm

  I bought my Toyota Highlander in Jan 2016 New, but it is a 2015 model year. The Car has excellent performance and power , in fact, it almost has too much for a front wheel drive car. However, when getting in traffic I have pushed the accelerator slightly then let up and quickly push again but the engine computer seems to be confused and does not respond as it should. I have talked with Toyota, but they tell me it is all in my mind as they dont see anything wrong. This of course, annoys me but I guess it is typical of many service departments, since they are taught to say these things so they can avoid warranty issues. The steering is nice,firm, and stable. The interior is very roomy and informative with an attractive dash, etc. Seats are comfortable especially around town, but on long drives (300 mi) they tend to get hard and stiff. I have noticed too much wind noise above 60 mph, and this is a big disappointment to me because of Toyotas reputation. The Toyota infotainment is impressive at first, but it become difficult to use the Apps while driving and it seems to have way too many steps to go through just to get what you are looking for. The Navigation is not always accurate or easy to use, so I tend to use google on my I phone and I rarely use the Toyota Nav any longer. The infotainment voice command is difficult and slow, plus it is annoying to use as it makes you wait for a beep sound before you can speak and many times I will talk over the computer and it will not understand what I want. It would be great if they could fix the long delay in the voice command for sure. Overall, the Highlander is a roomy car inside, but the third row seats are really only for small children. I bought this car because of Toyotas reputation for quality but the above negatives have caused me to question all of the quality I was expecting. In fact, at this point I am not sure I will be buying another Toyota Highlander. I have recently driven the New Mazda CX-9 and it seems to really be nice and it offers much more value, interior quality, and it is a very good looking car as well. In fact, I have considered trading my 2 year old Highlander in on the CX-9.

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  Beware of the wind noise - 2016 Toyota Highlander
  By Wayne - November 28 - 9:27 am

  The car runs well. However, if you are sensitive to noise, you will hate this car. On my car, a 2017 model, there is a wind intrusion, whistling noise on the passenger side window above 45 MPH; None on the drivers side. Dealer acknowledged the problem but said that its a "normal characteristic" of the car until Toyota issues a Technical Service Bulletin (TSB) on how to fix it. You can google the internet and see how many other people are having the same problem. I would not have bought this car had I known about this. The noise is very annoying and persistent. None of my other Toyotas (2014 Avalon, 2006 Sienna, 2003 Sequoia) have this problem.

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  2016 Highlander falls short of expectations - 2016 Toyota Highlander
  By Scott Ahern - February 24 - 2:50 am

  Vehicle feels heavy when accelerating. No HID or rear LED lights available :( Entune System is horrible! Toyota should offer Android Auto & Apple Carplay. it is 2016 you know. Navigation is not always accurate, does a poor job of finding alternate routes. Have to use portable Tomtom GPS for long trips. I would not buy again.

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  Nice car with a few glaring flaws - 2016 Toyota Highlander
  By Tom H. - September 26 - 9:36 pm

  Overall, the highlander is a good car. Soft ride with good acceleration...but you have very little feel of the road. Everything seems very well put together and of high quality. Basically, this seems like your typical Toyota vehicle. However, the instrument panel seems to have been designed by someone new to the technology. Most of the options wont save as default, the GPS is horrible, and trying to use the touch screen while driving is too distracting. The menus arent intuitive, and thingshe that should be prominent one click buttons require use of sub menus. These are things that you dont notice on a test drive, but really get on your nerves after having the car for a month.

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  Loud 2016 Hybrid - 2016 Toyota Highlander
  By Bill - November 4 - 1:18 pm

  Its a good car but.. It is loud due to excessive noise from the windows. Took it to the dealership at 5300 miles they compared it to another similar vehicle and said it was the way it was made and that they wouldnt do anything about it. Not only is the problem annoying, the service dept with all its fufu cookies and cream wont do anything for an actual problem. I bought a foriegn car for too much money to support renewable energy technology and do my part to persuade the US auto industry to become more involved as well. Unfortunately, this foreign company is learning the bad behaviors of US companies and denying the existence of a problem probably because its cheaper for them. I hope others will read this and be encouraged to speak out as well, if we do nothing they will too

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  NOT WORTH THE MONEY - 2016 Toyota Highlander
  By Dave Lazeroff - October 5 - 1:18 pm

  I leased a 2016 Highlander XLE awd with a sticker price of nearly $40k. My wife has bugged me for years for a Highlander so i finally broke down. The vehicle is okay at best. The road noise is unbearable between the wind noise from the windows completely closed to the road noise from under the car-probably due to lack of sufficient insulation. My 2015 GMC Sierra is a million times quieter on the freeway than the Toyota. The gas mileage is sub par at best. My full size 6000 pound 4 x 4 truck does as well on the freeway with respect to the mpg. It does handle decent. Feels solid. And, of course, it will be reliable-its a Toyota. The voice command works very well. It understands me and my trucks voice command never does. I cannot see how a $40k sticker vehicle cannot have remote start. I would have had to upgrade to a platinum limited to get cooled seats and remote start. For another $100.00 a month on the payment. I leased this one. $3k down and $350 a month is not bad considering if i would have bought it the payment would be double. I am glad i did not buy it because i will not be keeping it once the lease is up. I should have bought a Grand Cherokee but it does not have a third row like the Highlander which is what sold me. The front seats are very hard and uncomfortable especially on a four hour drive. I had to get out every hour or so and stretch my legs and walk around. Have not had a chance to check out the awd yet, i will do that this winter in the snow. Oh, and the ac is awesome. I live in Las Vegas and it gets to 115 here and the ac works great, extremely cold. I am just under six feet and weigh 230 pounds muscular and have no trouble fitting in the drivers seat.

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  JBL sound system is terrible. Very disappointing! - 2016 Toyota Highlander
  By Scott Steele - June 5 - 4:52 pm

  The 2016 Platinum model comes standard with the JBL sound system (with subwoofer). Its not that it doesnt sound good when its working....but in less than a year of ownership, the subwoofer has blown 3x and now Toyota wont stand behind the product or the warranty. The dealership nor Toyota customer service have not satisfied me as a customer. I cant imagine buying another Toyota product...and I would be leary if I were you.