Diagsheet

2021 Toyota Highlander · symptom sheet

Brakes grind, pulse or wear early

  • 66owner reports
  • 27,109median miles
  • 4involved a crash

Newest report Sep 2, 2026 · checked Sep 9, 2026

66 of the 504 complaints on this car describe brake wear. Only transmission failure is reported more often on this car.

Tick what matches of 66 reports

3
3
8
2
26
3

What got replaced

Owners who name the part that was replaced mention the ABS module (6 reports).

Recalls and investigations

No recall on the brakes covers the 2021 model year as of Sep 9, 2026.

When it happens

The middle half of failures fell between 12,000 and 36,000 miles, from the 11 reports that gave a mileage.

721
1022
2023
1024
1225
726

What owners wrote

“I’ve had brakes inspected and was told my brakes look great. However there is major chattering coming off highway to slow on off ramp sometimes they don’t grab as they should and I have to be extra proactive. Sometimes steering back and forth quickly to slow vehicle until the brakes will work properly bringing vehicle to a stop or before a collision could occur”

Filed Jan 16, 2024

“While braking at random times, at any speed, the vehicle surges forward. This makes you have to break harder to get the vehicle to stop. It seems as if the breaks do not work at all for a brief period. I have brought it into the dealer, my car is no longer under warranty, they found nothing wrong.”

Filed Jun 22, 2023

“my car experiences intermittent acceleration when applying the breaks. It lunges forward for some reason. It has also not stopped when hitting the breaks hard but lunges as well. I am using the last date that this happened.”

Filed Feb 22, 2023

“Brakes temporarily fail at low speed when regenative brakes switch to hydraulic brakes.”

Filed Jan 17, 2023

Should you keep driving it?

This page can't tell you that. 4 of 66 reports involved a crash and 5 people were hurt. Owners who file are the ones who had a bad experience, and nobody checks their reports. If the problem affects steering, braking, power or a fire risk, treat it as a safety fault and have it inspected before a long or high-speed drive.

File your own report with NHTSA. Complaint counts are how a problem gets an investigation.

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