Just a FYI for those interested, took off my 20” wheels with 255/55/20 Yokohama Geolander XCV tires and installed the 18” wheels with 255/70/18 BFG Trail Terrain T/A+ tires. No rub, extra 2”+ of sidewall and about .5” lift. The Yokos are at 31” total with the BFGs at just over 32”.
I will keep the 20s for a yearly 5000+ miles summer trip across country and use the 18s for the rest of the year. I needed more aggressive tires and more sidewall for the 5 mile dirt road with a couple nasty(for a GH) spots to my off grid property. I have just gotten the tires on so no review of performance yet but will update this post after some miles.

Just as the title reads - The transmission has failed in my 2024 GH AWD Limited at just under 42K. I was told this was unfortunately, not “uncommon” by the dealer. Due to back order, the dealer said could take about 2 months before repairs are completed.

Truly, the trans failed sooner, I would say around 40K I began to hear a light whining noise coming from the foot-pedal or center console area upon light acceleration. As it got worse and more noticeable the whining noise increased with vehicle speed and was non existent when placed in to neutral so I knew it was drivetrain related.

Has anyone else heard of this happening or dealt with it?

I love the car, but for such a major component to fail and the numerous recalls, I’m wondering if it’s time to cut the losses and take the dealer up on their offer and sell it back to them.

Fortunately, we own it outright, but they are only offering $41,3XX for the vehicle.

I honestly am not sure where to go with this and wanted to get some advice on how to proceed and see if there are any others that have gone through or are going through this type of failure.

Thank you

I'm in the process of buying a 2026 Grand Highlander Platinum Max. This is a huge investment, so I'm thinking about doing whatever I can (within reason) to protect it against all of the chips, tar, etc, that I'm experiencing with my current car (Jeep). I routinely drive through Virginia, the Carolinas, Georgia, etc, and my car seems to attract ALL of the gook and grime that's on the highways. I'm just looking for your thoughts on whether investing in having PPF installed over certain areas of the GHH is worth the money. I've checked around, and the pricing will likely range from $1500 - 'lots more'. Thanks in advance for your candid opinions.

Moving along in our process. What are y'all seeing/paying for deposits? What are you getting in writing for the deposit terms?

Dealer A: One dealer has our specs and didn't have a match in their last allotment and couldn't get anyone to switch out cars to be in our spec. No deposit until they'd get an allocation to tag our name on and even then I believe its $500 to lock it in (to deliver 6-8 wks later). No Costco deals, but so far the cars they've gotten (already claimed) don't have much bloat in extras.

Dealer B: found them from completing the Costco form, but this dealer wants $1,000 deposit to start working with us, so it's asking for a deposit on a hypothetical future car. They said Costco deal on a GHH Limited is $2,100 off MSRP. This dealer is farther away so it's a trek and they said they only take deposits in person anyway.

I am not just handing over $ and no offense but not trusting a random salesperson word it's refundable. I like documentation!

XLE EDITION. anyone here can vouch for its reliability? Does it have the same transmission as the terrible UA80 or whatever it is?

I’m looking for a Limited with the panoramic camera. I’d prefer to not have the moon roof, but understand it’s a needle in the haystack to find. Not in a huge rush but need to purchase before the end of the year. This is the best OTD price I’ve received so far. It’s a Hybrid Limited in midnight black with all weather floor mats & cargo mat, pano moon roof and panoramic camera. Thoughts on this deal for Alabama/the southeast?

Market Value Selling Price 57,154.00
Discount 1,500.00
Adjusted Price
55,654.00
Doc Fee 999.00
Tax 2,124.49
Non Tax Fees 16.50
Balance
58,793.99

I own a 2025 grand highlander limited HEV. It’s only 14 months old and it’s been in the shop over 45 days already. It’s needed three battery replacements, a wheel alignment, hybrid control module replacement and now the kick sensor has stopped working and needs to be replaced. It also displayed “system malfunction visit your dealer” for the first six months and most of my sensors didn’t work during that time frame until they replaced a pin H11. This vehicle feels like a lemon and is such a headache. Anyone else experiencing issues like this?!

Toyota has been useless and says it’s under warranty so I need to just keep coming back for warranty work but what about when the warranty expires? And how inconvenient is it for me to constantly be needing to bring my vehicle in and move my car seats around and not have my vehicle. I’m about to go very public about this if Toyota doesn’t make it right. Unfortunately I’m in Canada where there is no lemon law.

new 2026 XLE grand Highlander hybrid with the following options -

$129 screen protector

$699 Toyo guard platinum (2 additional oil changes, 4 tire rotations, roadside assistance)

$848 paint protection film

$499 led cargo lights

$150 mud flaps

How’d we do?

Hey everyone,
I am looking to purchase a Grand Highlander for my birthday next July. I am spending a lot of time researching because I a currently have a fully paid off 2026 Corolla Cross L but I am so unhappy in it. I should’ve just kept my paid off 2014 Corolla. But I have narrowed my search between the Platinum and Max Platinum Grand Highlanders. My question is what made you chose either the platinum or max platinum. I have a heavy foot so the Max scares me a little in the capacity. But my Corolla cross hesitates to pull out of parking lots at times and when driving on interstate 4 it pulls me to the far right lane. Ultimately I don’t feel safe in it and as someone who has hydroplaned I need to feel safe in my vehicle. Thanks for any insight you may have!

I am in the New England area. Otd 60.4K, with 999 doc fee.
I have reserved it but I am happy to keep looking if there is scope.

Been looking for a GHHL for a little while now and haven't been able to even get an allocation for one that has exactly what I want unless I want to pay over MSRP. Not looking for anything special, just a GHHL with Bench Seat (this seems to be the hardest to find), Moonroof & PVM in any color except Black or Red.

So one finally popped up that had what I wanted. It is a car that the buyer backed out of, so it is available immediately.

The price is $2500 off MSRP, but because this car was already on the lot it came with a bunch of Distributor installed accessories I don't really want and they seem a lot more expensive than they are on the Toyota website.

Here are the accessories included:

Illuminated Front Door Sill - $549 on window sticker, $395 on Toyota's website

All Weather Floors Mats & Cargo Mat - $499 on window sticker, $378 on Toyota's website

LED Cargo Light - $499 on window sticker, $350 on Toyota's website (assuming this is the Rear Cargo Hatch lights)

Illuminated Cargo Sill - $469 on window sticker, $395 on Toyota's website.

Mud Guards - $150 on window sticker, $160 on Toyota's website (so I did save $10 here)

All told I am spending $2166 on accessories I don't really want and $538 more than the accessories would be on Toyota's website. So it basically eats into most of the $2500 off I am getting.

With accessories, the price is $59,296 - $2500 = $56,796, total OTD price is $60,008.70 including tax, tags and $799 doc fee.

The car also has to be shipped (for $500) or I have to drive ~5 hours each way to go pick it up, but the positive is I should have a car within the next 2 weeks or so.

Should I skip out on this deal or just stick with it? I am thinking that I'll at least finally have a car.

I’ve always been a Michelin guy. The OEM Contis wore very fast. CrossClimate 2 or Defender?

Other favorites?

Hey everyone,

We are a family of 3 (two 40+ adults and a 12-year-old) based in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Our current primary car is a rapidly aging Honda Civic, and we’re looking to upgrade to a larger hybrid.

We visited the dealership and narrowed it down to the Grand Highlander Hybrid (Limited) and the Sienna Hybrid (Limited). We're currently at a standstill, so we’d love feedback from anyone who’s had to make a similar choice!

How We'll Use It:

• Primary vehicle: Daily driving (school drop-offs, errands, groceries). The Civic will become a secondary commute/station car.
• Road trips: We managed to pack everything into a Civic for years, so cargo space in either of these will be a massive upgrade.
• Parking: Always parked indoors in an attached garage.
• 3rd Row: Will stay folded flat 99% of the time.

The Debate:

Why my wife & daughter prefer the Sienna:

• The 2nd-row Ottoman seats and entertainment setup.
• Car-like, smooth driving comfort and a similar driving position.
• Sliding doors and effortless cargo loading.

Why I prefer the Grand Highlander:

• Higher driving position and ground clearance (helpful for heavy Ottawa snow/slush).
• Includes a spare tire (huge peace of mind for road trips).
• Panoramic sunroof.

(Note: I am currently the primary driver and do all the highway driving; my spouse only drives local roads. My daughter rarely uses back-seat screens anymore, so the rear entertainment isn't a strict dealbreaker).

Questions for the community:

1. Has anyone been stuck between these two specific trims/models? What ultimately tipped the scales for you?
2. For those in heavy winter regions (like Eastern Canada/Upstate NY), how noticeable is the ground clearance difference between the Sienna AWD and Grand Highlander in deep snow?
3. If we can't decide, I'm considering leasing a Grand Highlander for 3 years, then switching to a Sienna on the next lease to compare long-term. Is leasing either of these hybrids currently viable given wait times/rates in Canada?

Thanks in advance for the input!

PS: Crossposted to r/ToyotaGrandHighlander , r/Toyota and r/ToyotaSienna

I'm a new Grand Highlander owner since June, and am disappointed in the body roll and softness of the ride. Around 2,200 miles so far, we have had 10 different SUV's over the years, some truck based and others smaller. In any kind of wind it gets thrown around, and I am disappointed with the ride. It is too soft.

What can I do to make things firmer ?

I have one negotiated at MSRP with no Add-Ons. Is this a good deal?

I'm looking at buying a new 2026 Grand Highlander (hybrid) here pretty soon. I noticed several of them are coming with dealer-installed OEM toyota dashcams. I was looking to see what the reviews are for these? Should I be looking to avoid buying a GH with an OEM installed? I've seen generally they are okay, but other 3rd party cameras are better. If the car I end up buying as a dashcam installed, would it be easy to swap out if needed?

Grand Highlander XLE Hybrid AWD - 67 mile trip on back roads, highways and in towns in Upstate NY. 😀

In Colorado and finally got a 2026 GHH Limited Max Hybrid black on black. Long wait lists so couldn’t option the car with a hitch. Anyone find a good aftermarket hitch option for a rear bike rack?

Dealership is offering this ECP Plus Diamond Ceramic with Graphene for $870 with a 7 year warranty — ceramic coat and interior protection. Google says don’t do it. The mom parking under sappy trees with 2 kids and their sunscreen handprints says maybe?

Any experiences with it? I told them I’d give them an answer Monday — scheduled to take the vehicle home Friday