Toyota Highlander problems, complaints & recalls by model year
Across 8 model years (2018–2025), NHTSA has logged 2,162 owner complaints and 21 safety recalls for the Toyota Highlander. That averages 45.8 complaints per year on the road — a typical number of complaints (index 1.13 against all tracked vehicles). Within the Midsize SUVs segment it ranks #7 of 14 by complaints per year (#1 = fewest); the segment average is 52.5.
Counts are normalized by time on the road, not by sales volume: a popular model generates more reports than a rare one, and complaints are not verified individually. How we count
Analysis
The trend is improving. Measured on complaints filed in the first two years on the road and compared with other vehicles of the same model year, the 2023 and 2024 models run 28% below the 2018 and 2019 models (62 early complaints per model year versus 87).
The 2021 model year has the highest rate (94.3 complaints per year) and the 2024 model year the lowest (15.4). The 2021 model year runs at least 50% above this model's average of 45.8 complaints per year on the road across its tracked model years. The 2024 model year runs at least 40% below this model's average of 45.8 complaints per year on the road.
Across all tracked model years the most common problem area is Transmission / powertrain (30.1% of complaints), followed by Body & structure (10.5%) and Engine (10.1%). Transmission / powertrain complaints are 2.6 times as common here as across all tracked vehicles. 122 complaints (5.6%) describe a crash or fire; across all model years owners report 112 injuries and 1 death.
In the last 12 months owners filed 712 complaints versus 449 in the previous 12 months — up 59%. The 2021 model year generated the most recent reports (199). Across model years, half of all reported incidents occur within 45 months of the model year's start.
Recalls: 21 recall campaigns across the tracked model years, most of them received in 2020 (4). 1 NHTSA investigation has covered this model; the latest is “Pedestrian alert sounds” (defect petition, opened 2023-01-27, closed 2023-08-07).
Within its segment it has more complaints per year than Dodge Durango, Nissan Pathfinder, Honda Passport and Kia Sorento, but fewer than Hyundai Santa Fe, Honda Pilot, Ford Explorer and Subaru Outback.
Model years at a glance
| Year | Complaints | Complaints per year on the road | Complaint index | Last 12 months | Recalls | Most common issue | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | 273 | 31.1 | 0.77 | 55 | 5 | Transmission / powertrain | View › |
| 2019 | 498 | 63.9 | 1.58 | 146 | 3 | Transmission / powertrain | View › |
| 2020 | 329 | 48.5 | 1.2 | 94 | 5 | Transmission / powertrain | View › |
| 2021 ▲50%+ | 546 | 94.3 | 2.34 | 199 | 5 | Transmission / powertrain | View › |
| 2022 | 268 | 56.0 | 1.39 | 112 | 6 | Body & structure | View › |
| 2023 | 195 | 51.5 | 1.28 | 75 | 9 | Body & structure | View › |
| 2024 Fewest complaints | 43 | 15.4 | 0.38 | 23 | 7 | Unspecified or other | View › |
| 2025 Too new to rank | 10 | 5.6 | 0.14 | 8 | 4 | Brakes | View › |
▲50%+ = 50%+ above this model's average yearly rate. “Too new to rank”: under two years on the road, so the model year cannot be named the one with the fewest complaints yet. 1.00 means the same rate as the comparison group. 2.00 means twice as many complaints per year on the road. Complaints in first 2 years on the road: vs. same-year average. How we count
Trend · vs. same-year average
Complaints in first 2 years on the road ÷ All-vehicle average (1.00)
When complaints were filed
Last 12 months: 712 · Previous 12 months: 449 Rising
Problem areas
Transmission / powertrain ›
651 · 30.1% · 2.58 vs. all vehicles · Rising
Body & structure ›
227 · 10.5% · 1.15 vs. all vehicles · Rising
Engine ›
218 · 10.1% · 0.45 vs. all vehicles · Within ±30% year on year
Unspecified or other ›
217 · 10.0% · 1.12 vs. all vehicles · Rising
Brakes ›
212 · 9.8% · 1.63 vs. all vehicles · Rising
Airbags & seat belts ›
162 · 7.5% · 1.97 vs. all vehicles · Falling
Fuel system ›
155 · 7.2% · 1.65 vs. all vehicles · Rising
Electrical ›
141 · 6.5% · 0.41 vs. all vehicles · Rising
Other
67 · 3.1% · 1.68 vs. all vehicles · Rising
Wheels, tires & suspension ›
42 · 1.9% · 0.78 vs. all vehicles · Too few recent reports to judge
Driver-assist systems
32 · 1.5% · 0.26 vs. all vehicles · Too few recent reports to judge
Steering
21 · 1.0% · 0.15 vs. all vehicles · Too few recent reports to judge
Lighting
17 · 0.8% · 0.51 vs. all vehicles · Too few recent reports to judge
Only problem areas with at least 40 complaints get their own page.
Vehicle age at incident
Median age at incident: 45 months
What owners report
The contact owns a 2022 Toyota Highlander. The contact stated that while her husband was driving approximately 25-30 MPH with the contact seated in the front passenger's side seat, another vehicle crashed into the passenger's side of the vehicle.
We were behind a vehicle that had come to a rolling stop because the vehicle in front of him had hit the person in front of him , we were going about 25 miles per hour and about 2 car lengths from him . I applied the brakes but the vehicle failed to stop .
My bumper detached from the vehicle on two separate occasions on the freeway. I learned about he bumper recall and brought it to Right Toyota Scottsdale (AZ), my local dealer.
On November 19, 2025, the 12.3-inch infotainment display in my 2021 Toyota Highlander Limited went black and never recovered. That screen is the only display for the rear-view backup camera. With it dead, there is no backup camera image when reversing.
Brake lag with loss of brakes during transition from regenerative to hydraulic friction braking. The vehicle braking system cuts out causing the vehicle to freely move forward which has caused near rear-end collisions with other vehicles, and loss of brakes…
Excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA, trimmed for length. The ODI number is NHTSA's record identifier.
Segment peers · Midsize SUVs
| # | Models | Complaints | Complaints per year on the road | Complaint index | Trend | Recent activity | Recalls | Most common issue |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dodge Durango | 786 | 15.2 | 0.38 | Improving | Within ±30% year on year | 18 | Lighting |
| 2 | Nissan Pathfinder | 596 | 19.2 | 0.48 | Worsening | Rising | 12 | Engine |
| 3 | Honda Passport | 759 | 24.8 | 0.61 | Improving | Rising | 17 | Electrical |
| 4 | Kia Sorento | 1,446 | 33.7 | 0.83 | Stable | Rising | 18 | Engine |
| 5 | Chevrolet Traverse | 1,738 | 42.0 | 1.04 | Stable | Within ±30% year on year | 14 | Transmission / powertrain |
| 6 | Ford Edge | 2,244 | 44.4 | 1.1 | Improving | Within ±30% year on year | 20 | Engine |
| 7 | Toyota Highlander | 2,162 | 45.8 | 1.13 | Improving | Rising | 21 | Transmission / powertrain |
| 8 | Hyundai Santa Fe | 2,092 | 58.4 | 1.45 | Worsening | Rising | 27 | Engine |
| 9 | Honda Pilot | 2,945 | 63.4 | 1.57 | Stable | Within ±30% year on year | 27 | Engine |
| 10 | Ford Explorer | 3,270 | 64.0 | 1.59 | Improving | Within ±30% year on year | 77 | Transmission / powertrain |
| 11 | Subaru Outback | 3,816 | 71.8 | 1.78 | Improving | Within ±30% year on year | 15 | Body & structure |
| 12 | Kia Telluride | 2,014 | 74.3 | 1.84 | Improving | Rising | 17 | Body & structure |
| 13 | Jeep Grand Cherokee | 3,477 | 82.4 | 2.04 | Worsening | Within ±30% year on year | 53 | Electrical |
| 14 | Hyundai Palisade | 2,471 | 105.3 | 2.61 | Worsening | Within ±30% year on year | 16 | Airbags & seat belts |
Recalls by year received
- Campaigns: 21
- Do-not-drive / park-outside: 0
- Over-the-air fix: 0
Safety recalls: 2018 (5) · 2019 (3) · 2020 (5) · 2021 (5) · 2022 (6) · 2023 (9) · 2024 (7) · 2025 (4)
Investigations
- Pedestrian alert sounds Closed
NHTSA received a petition on or about July 18, 2022, requesting that Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 141 be applied to all electric and hybrid vehicles operating in the United States. The petition can be reviewed at NHTSA.gov under ODI Number 11486072. FMVSS 141 establishes performance requirements for pedestrian alert sounds for motor vehicles. The standard applies to hybrid and ele…