2020 Toyota Highlander problems, complaints & recalls
TypicalSteady
NHTSA has received 318 owner complaints about the 2020 Toyota Highlander, or 47.6 per year on the road — a typical number of complaints for a vehicle of its age (complaint index 1.13, where 1.00 is the average of all tracked vehicles). Among the 82 model-year 2020 vehicles we track, it ranks #63 for fewest complaints per year. Against other Toyota models its rate is 40% higher; against other Midsize SUVs it is 10% lower.
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
Complaints filed between 2020-03-03 and 2026-09-01. Median delay from incident to filing: 14 days.
318Complaints
47.6Complaints per year on the road
1.13Complaint index vs. all tracked vehicles
5Recalls
4.7%Share involving a crash or fire
102Last 12 months
Analysis
The previous model year (2019) drew 62.7 complaints per year, more than this one. The following model year (2021) drew 91.0 per year, more than this one. In its first two years on the road the 2020 model collected 46 complaints, 19% lower than the average vehicle of the same model year.
The most common problem area is Transmission / powertrain (37.4% of complaints), followed by Airbags & seat belts (12.6%) and Brakes (10.7%). Transmission / powertrain complaints are 3.2 times as common here as across all tracked vehicles. Within Transmission / powertrain reports, owners most often mention “transmission”, “whining”, “noise”, “whine” and “t-sb”. 15 reports (4.7%) describe a crash or fire; owners mention 20 injuries and 0 deaths.
Half of the reported incidents happened within 56 months of the model year's start; the busiest period was after five years (43% of incidents). In the last 12 months 102 new complaints were filed, versus 85 in the 12 months before — a steady pace.
NHTSA lists 5 safety recalls for this model year. 33% of the complaints fall in component areas that a recall addresses. 1 NHTSA defect investigation covers this model year; the most recent is “Pedestrian alert sounds” (opened 2023-01-27, closed 2023-08-07).
Complaint index
vs. all tracked vehicles1.13
vs. other Toyota models1.4
vs. other 2020 models1.26
vs. other Midsize SUVs0.9
Complaints in first 2 years on the road · vs. same-year average (46)0.81
Incident: [XXX] Conditions: Clear daylight, dry pavement, normal highway conditions Crash/Injuries: Allstate Claim #[XXX]; several people injured At approximately [XXX], I was driving my 2020 Toyota Highlander Hybrid at about 55 mph in the slow/right lane.
Brakes · 2026-08-27 · ODI 11759973 · Crash
I was told by oxmoor dealership I had to talk to toyota corporate before I could get my car touched and that I did not need to talk to a lawyer. I called.
Electrical · 2026-08-10 · ODI 11756049 · Crash
The transmission started making a whining noise around 69,000 miles that a mechanic said was due to transmission failure. There were no warning lights or messages. I took it to the Toytota dealer who sold it to me new.
Transmission / powertrain · 2026-09-01 · ODI 11761227
The transmission had a catastrophic failure at 73,000 miles and six years after purchase. There has been a service bulletin issued with known defects on this transmission yet Toyota corporate failed to acknowledge that they installed faulty transmissions in…
Transmission / powertrain · 2026-08-28 · ODI 11760192
The contact owns a 2020 Toyota Highlander. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the brake pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to stop as intended.
Brakes · 2026-08-17 · ODI 11757410
Excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA, trimmed for length. The ODI number is NHTSA's record identifier.
AIR BAGS:SENSOR:OCCUPANT CLASSIFICATION Campaign 23V865000 · 2023-12-20
Summary: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2020-2021 Avalon, Avalon Hybrid, Corolla, Highlander, Highlander Hybrid, RAV4, RAV4 Hybrid, Lexus ES350, Lexus RX350, Lexus RX450H, 2021 Sienna Hybrid, Lexus ES250, 2020-2022 Camry, Camry Hybrid, and ES300H vehicles. A short circuit may develop in the Occupant Classification System (OCS) sensor, preventing the front passenger air bag from deploying.
Risk: An air bag that does not deploy during a crash increases the risk of injury.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect and replace the sensor as necessary, free of charge. Interim letters notifying owners of the safety risk were mailed in February 2024. Some final remedy owner letters were mailed October 31, 2024. Letters will continue to be mailed in phases through January 2026. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's number for this recall is 23TB15/23TA15 Lexus 23LB03/23LA03.
Summary: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2020-2023 Highlander & Highlander Hybrid vehicles. During normal vehicle operation, minor impact to the front lower bumper cover may result in the cover coming loose or detaching.
Risk: A detached front bumper cover can become a road hazard, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Dealers will repair or replace the upper and lower front bumper covers as necessary, free of charge. Owner letters were mailed April 22, 2024. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's number for this recall is 23TB12/23TA12.
ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC):CONTROL MODULE:SOFTWARE Campaign 22V239000 · 2022-04-13
Summary: Toyota Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2022 Lexus LX 600, Lexus NX 350h, Lexus NX 450h+, Toytoa RAV4 Hybrid, 2021-2022 Lexus LS 500h, Toyota Mirai, RAV4 PRIME, Sienna, Venza, and 2020-2022 Toyota Highlander Hybrid vehicles. The Skid Control ECU software may not turn on the Vehicle Stability Control (VSC) system when the vehicle is restarted after the driver has disabled the VSC system. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 126, "Electronic Stability Control Systems."
Risk: Driving with a deactivated stability control system increases the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Dealers will update the Skid Control ECU software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed May 27, 2022. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's number for this recall is 22TA03. Lexus' number for this recall is 22LA01.
Summary: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2020 Highlander and Highlander hybrid vehicles. Incorrect seat trim covers on one or both of the front seats can prevent the seat-mounted side air bag from deploying properly.
Risk: Improper deployment of the seat-mounted side air bag increases the risk of injury in the event of a crash.
Remedy: Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the front seats and replace the seat trim covers as necessary, free of charge. The recall began December 11, 2020. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's number for this recall is 20TB14 / 20TA14.
Summary: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2020 Highlander vehicles equipped with a 3.5 L, V6 (2GR-FKS) gasoline engine. Due to an Engine Control Unit (ECU) programming error, fuel may not be correctly supplied to the engine while using the stop and restart feature.
Risk: Improper fuel supply programming can result in a vehicle stall, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the ECU, free of charge. The recall began May 15, 2020. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-888-270-9371. Toyota's number for this recall is 20TA06.
DP22005 · ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:PROPULSION SYSTEM · Opened 2023-01-27 · Closed 2023-08-07 · Campaign 22V063000 · Model years: 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022
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…
Frequently asked questions
How many complaints were filed for the 2020 Toyota Highlander?
318 complaints were filed with NHTSA for the 2020 Toyota Highlander, or about 47.6 per year on the road.
What is the most common problem reported for the 2020 Toyota Highlander?
The most common category is Transmission / powertrain, accounting for 37.4% of complaints.
Does the 2020 Toyota Highlander have any recalls?
NHTSA lists 5 safety recall(s) for this model year. 1 NHTSA defect investigation covers this model year; the most recent is “Pedestrian alert sounds” (opened 2023-01-27, closed 2023-08-07).
Is the 2020 Toyota Highlander still generating complaints?
In the last 12 months 102 new complaints were filed, versus 85 in the 12 months before — a steady pace.
How does the 2020 Toyota Highlander compare with similar vehicles?
NHTSA has received 318 owner complaints about the 2020 Toyota Highlander, or 47.6 per year on the road — a typical number of complaints for a vehicle of its age (complaint index 1.13, where 1.00 is the average of all tracked vehicles). Among the 82 model-year 2020 vehicles we track, it ranks #63 for fewest complaints per year. Against other Toyota models its rate is 40% higher; against other Midsize SUVs it is 10% lower.