THINK TWICE

On a 2020-2024 Highlander the most important pre-purchase check is open safety recalls, and this generation has carried several. The most serious deactivate an air bag: a driver's-air-bag spiral cable (clockspring) whose electrical connection can be insufficiently welded and separate, deactivating the driver's air bag (recall 23V480000, with a follow-up 25V040000 covering vehicles the first repair may have missed), and an Occupant Classification System sensor short that can prevent the front passenger air bag from deploying (23V865000). Separately, certain 2020 V6 (2GR-FKS) cars can stall from an engine-control programming error in the stop-and-restart feature (20V162000). All are corrected free of charge by a Toyota dealer. Other, non-safety-critical or accessory-scoped recalls have also been issued against this generation, so any given VIN may carry more than these.

Check — Run the VIN through NHTSA's recall lookup and Toyota's VIN lookup before purchase; complete any open air-bag (spiral cable / OCS sensor) or engine stop-start recall before daily driving. Check for other open campaigns too -- newer build dates have picked up additional ones.

The gas Highlander's eight-speed automatic draws the most complaints of any system on the 2020-2024 (XU70) generation. Owners describe a hesitation or lag when accelerating from a stop, at times followed by a lurch or surge as the transmission finally catches, plus occasional harsh or erratic low-speed shifts. The pattern shows up on both the V6 (2020-2022) and the 2.4L turbo four (2023-2024), which share the same eight-speed. Most reports are a drivability trait rather than a hard failure, but a minority describe a genuine transaxle fault (whining, internal damage, replacement), and many owners call the hesitation dangerous when pulling into traffic. The hybrid uses a different planetary eCVT and does not show this pattern.

Check — On the test drive, accelerate briskly from a full stop and again from low speed several times and feel for hesitation, a delayed catch, or a lurch; note any harsh or hunting shifts. Ask whether any transmission software updates have been applied, and treat whining, slipping, or a warning light as a reason to walk.

The XU70 Highlander's fuel tank frequently will not fill to its rated capacity. Against a roughly seventeen-gallon rated tank, owners repeatedly report the pump clicking off after only about twelve to fourteen gallons, a fuel gauge that reads full early, and a distance-to-empty and real-world range well short of Toyota's advertised figure. It is reported on both the gas and hybrid versions and drew owner frustration and litigation. This is a design and usability characteristic, not a safety defect, and there is no reliable repair -- treat it as reduced usable range rather than something a seller can fix.

Check — Set range expectations low: plan on a usable tank well under the advertised range. During fill-up on a test drive, note whether the pump shuts off early; be skeptical of any claim that a permanent fix exists.