Tow Vehicle - 2015 Toyota Highlander LEPlus

Well, be scared if you want to I guess. I read that article prior to buying my Toyota too. I tow a near 4000 lb trailer with a tongue weight of well over 500 lbs with my Highlander through mountains all the time. I’ve never had even a hint of my front wheels leaving the ground even without the wd hitch tensioned. The measured weight on my front axle is exactly what it calcs out it should be and is well within specs.

Mine is an all wheel drive and that certainly does make a difference in traction, but if the front wheels were going to depart the pavement then I don’t think that would change things much. There are probably tens if not hundreds of thousands or more of other folks towing with their Highlanders as well. And unibody vehicles can’t handle towing or a wd hitch? Seriously? That’s got to be millions of folks and many different makes and models. In my opinion I think we have a case of a disgruntled customer spouting nonsense here, not a case of an evil corporation committing misdeeds.

Would I personally tow with a fwd vehicle? No. Makes no sense when the drive wheels have the lightest load of any of the axles. But there’s no way the scenario in that article could realistically occur the way it was described.

I've included a link to an article about issues with Highlander and towing capacities. I personally find it hard to believe a radiator, alternator and a trans cooler can add 3000 lbs in tow capacity. Without any change to engine size or suspension modification. The article is a somewhat interesting read on the issues(s).

https://rvingwithmarkpolk.com/2016/03/26/toyota-highlander-tow-rating-questioned/

+1 to Mike, 

I recently purchased a 2015 Toyota Highlander LE Plus with the assumption and being told by the sales person that it had a tow capacity of 5,000 pounds.  Now that I'm checking the manual, it says only 2000 towing capacity.  I'm heart sick.  Have I truly messed up?  Is there a way to fix this?