2024 TOYOTA GRAND HIGHLANDER Complaints

Cabin boom noise reported from the first day of ownership whenever driving the vehicle under 50mph. Noise is a low bass frequency below 30hz that reverberates throughout entire vehicle, causing severe ear pain, headaches, nausea, and disorientation. The only way to tolerate driving this vehicle is to wear airplane pressure earplugs, which poses a safety concern for not being able to hear surroundings while driving. The cabin boom seems to be coming from the suspension. Dealership foreman and corporate field tech looked at vehicle and denied any problem, stating this was “normal for this new vehicle” and refused to investigate or try any diagnostics. The cabin boom sound is recorded on video, and is such a low frequency you must use noise canceling headphones to hear it on video (confirmed by professional audio engineer). This sound/pressure can be heard and felt by other people in the car, unless they already have low frequency hearing loss. This problem creates physical illness and is a huge safety concern for this brand new model Grand Highlander. Dozens of people are reporting the same problem on Toyota forums as well for their new Grand Highlanders.

Not everyone has this issue but my car has this low pitch noise whenever I drive pass 40mph speed it makes a noise like I left my rear wind cracked open but all the windows are closed. Some people decided as “cabin boom” and it gets louder when I speed up to 70-80mph. I can record the noise too, but I can’t upload in here, it only allow me to upload pictures but not video… please help

Issue started as soon as we first received the vehicle. Speeds 0-35 on almost any road causes a low frequency rumble until around 40mph. The sensation is very painful to hear and at times its nauseating.

Reverberation noise, also commonly referred to by other owners as “boom or acoustic boom.” The entire cabin vibrates as if a shock wave is being sent through it. Mostly occurred when hitting small to large bumps under 45 mph and also happens often while breaking (even on flat and smooth pavement). On highway over 50mph there is a constant pressure within the cabin that significantly effects the ears and makes me nauseous and gives me a dazed-like feeling. Every person that has been in my vehicle has asked me what was wrong with it. A Toyota service tech told me they didn’t find anything wrong with it, but I still can’t drive it for more than 20 minutes without feeling sick. Please help.

While this is a beautiful car there are major safety concerns that needs to be addressed. When I drive my ears feel full like I’m on airplane or driving on high elevation. And on top of that I feel EXTREMELY disoriented. That is not safe. I’m driving my kids around. This is a family vehicle and I should not feel like that. I thought it was cabin pressure but it’s not. The windows being down does not help. I’m bringing it back to Toyota on Friday but pretty sure they will laugh and say that I’m crazy. There’s nothing worse than driving a car that’s brand new and feeling like you are unwell the entire time. What a shame. You really missed it here Toyota. Please fix this there’s a lot of people who are also dealing with this!!! DO SOMETHING. It doesn’t matter how fast you go. The fullness is there.please fix this.

Cabin pressure. Ears are popping very odd sensation. As if we were on an airplane. Regarding the cabin boom issue, in an attempt to describe it, to me it sounds/feels like when I'm in my other car and put one window down and get a strong pressure reverberation that is resolved when I crack a second window. Apparently this is called "wind buffeting" and Helmholtz Resonance. This is exactly how it feels in the GH, except there are no windows open. I've only had mine a couple days and l've noticed a strong pulsing pressure resonance going 45mph on a smooth road, plus low tones/ pressure when going over bumps at slower speeds. It wasn't there on the test drive because we drove a different model. opening the windows didnt help. Dealer ship has no clue.

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.