The 2024 Toyota Grand Highlander Recall: What You Need to Know

Launched for the 2024 model year, the Grand Highlander is Toyota’s newest three-row SUV. Offering more space and features than the popular Toyota Highlander, the new Grand Highlander quickly climbed the sales charts, becoming one of the best-selling models in its segment within just a few months of it becoming available to shoppers. However, in September 2024, Toyota issued a recall notice for the Grand Highlander and the model was taken off dealership floors for months while a fix was developed. If you purchased a 2024 Grand Highlander or have been shopping for this model, you might be wondering about the details of this recall and how it affects you. The good news is that Toyota has already developed a fix that is beginning to roll out, and even without the fix, the Grand Highlander remains safe to drive.

What Was the Recall For?

The 2024 Grand Highlander and Grand Highlander Hybrid were recalled when it was discovered that the front curtain shield airbags did not remain fully inside the vehicle if they deployed when the front windows were rolled down. This is a technical violation of the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards for ejection mitigation, leading to Toyota issuing a stop sale notice to its dealerships in June 2024, preventing the 2024 Grand Highlander from being sold until a fix could be developed. While the problem was quickly identified, it took until September 2024 for a solution to be developed and fully tested. This solution is currently being implemented, starting with vehicles still in production. The fix will be available to affected Grand Highlander owners as soon as parts reach Toyota dealership service centers.

It is important to note that this recall is not a do not drive notice and the vehicle remains safe to operate. That means if you currently own a 2024 Grand Highlander affected by the recall, you can continue driving it normally. The front curtain shield airbags are only a small part of the vehicle’s eight airbag system and they will still function as designed as long as the front side windows are rolled up. Even if the front windows are rolled down when an accident occurs, the rest of the vehicle’s airbags will function normally, and the front curtain shield airbags will still deploy safely, just less optimally, in certain circumstances. This is not related to the Takata airbag recalls that have hit many automotive manufacturers, where the airbag itself posed a danger to drivers.

What Does This Mean?

If you aren’t familiar with how airbag systems work, the side curtain shield airbags are designed to deploy where the top of the front side windows meet the roof of the vehicle. They supplement the main front airbags that deploy from the steering wheel and dashboard and provide a variety of benefits. The primary purpose of side curtain shield airbags is to prevent the driver and front passenger from hitting their heads on the side pillars and windows, particularly in side-impact collisions and rollovers. In the Grand Highlander, the recalled airbags will still deploy in an accident and should accomplish this task even if the windows are down.

However, side curtain shield airbags also have the secondary purpose of keeping occupants inside the vehicle during an accident, and this is where the Grand Highlander’s recalled airbags do not meet federal ejection mitigation standards. Because a portion of the airbag can extend outside of the vehicle if the window is down, it may not be able to keep the occupants fully inside in the event of a particularly violent crash. It is a fairly small risk, but it is still a violation of federal regulations, which led Toyota to issue its recall of the Grand Highlander.

What Models Were Affected?

The recall only covers the 2024 Grand Highlander and Grand Highlander Hybrid, as well as the closely-related Lexus TX. It does not cover the similarly-named Toyota Highlander or Highlander Hybrid, which uses a different platform and airbag system. The 2025 Grand Highlander and Grand Highlander Hybrid are also not a part of this recall, as they were produced after the issue was detected and a fix implemented. While the majority of the 2024 model year was affected, production has restarted since a fix was identified, so some late-production vehicles are not included in the recall.

Out of an abundance of caution, some 111,000 vehicles produced between June 2023 and June 2024 were subject to the recall, although Toyota can not confirm what percentage of these vehicles actually have defective front curtain shield airbags. Notices were sent to affected Grand Highlander owners in August 2024. If you own a 2024 Grand Highlander and did not receive a recall notice, you can determine if your vehicle is subject to the recall by checking the NHTSA online VIN search tool or contacting the team here at our dealership service center. We can determine if your vehicle is affected and get you the information that you need to have it updated.

Is There a Fix?

Toyota announced that it had developed a fix for the Grand Highlander’s side curtain shield airbags in September 2024, and it began rolling the fix out in late October. The updated airbags were first implemented in vehicles on the Toyota production line, allowing production to resume before the parts needed began being sent to Toyota dealership service centers. As we receive the new airbag components, we will be installing them in affected 2024 Grand Highlander models in our inventory and customer vehicles. However, we do not yet know how long it will take to upgrade all of the affected vehicles.

Official recall fix notices will be sent to affected Grand Highlander owners by Toyota. If you own a 2024 Grand Highlander affected by the recall and are interested in having the upgraded side curtain shield airbags installed, please reach out to our service department for more information on the timeline and let us help you schedule a recall appointment. All recall work, including parts and maintenance, is 100% covered by Toyota and there will be no cost to you. If you have a Grand Highlander that you believe to be affected but have not received a recall notice by the end of November 2024, please let us know and we will determine if your vehicle needs the update.

The Grand Highlander is Back!

While a major recall during the first year of production for a new model can put the vehicle under a cloud of suspicion, it also isn’t that uncommon, and Toyota has worked quickly to identify and resolve the issue with the Grand Highlander. While affected Grand Highlander owners will want to work with our service department to have their side curtain shield airbags updated, we expect that this recall will not slow down the popularity of the model. As Toyota’s newest family vehicle, the Grand Highlander is set to claim the Highlander’s long-standing position as the best-selling three-row SUV in America, especially as the new 2025 models begin rolling onto our lot and the recall is put in the rearview mirror. If you have any questions or concerns about the Grand Highlander recall or the Toyota lineup in general, please reach out to the team here at Toyota of Richmond and let us get you the information you are looking for!