Far more Within ±30% year on yearNHTSA has received 546 owner complaints about the 2021 Toyota Highlander, or 94.3 per year on the road — far more complaints than typical (complaint index 2.34, where 1.00 is the average of all tracked vehicles). Among the 85 model-year 2021 vehicles we track, it ranks #78 of 85 by complaints per year (#1 = fewest). Against other Toyota models its rate is 175% higher; against other Midsize SUVs it is 80% higher.
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 2020-12-30 and 2026-10-11. Median delay from incident to filing: 12 days.
546Complaints
94.3Complaints per year on the road
2.34Complaint index vs. all tracked vehicles
5Recalls
3.7%Share involving a crash or fire
199Last 12 months
Analysis
The previous model year (2020) drew 48.5 complaints per year, fewer than this one. The following model year (2022) drew 56.0 per year, fewer than this one. In its first two years on the road the 2021 model collected 85 complaints, 39% higher than the average vehicle of the same model year.
The most common problem area is Transmission / powertrain (39.2% of complaints), followed by Body & structure (10.8%) and Brakes (9.7%). Transmission / powertrain complaints are 3.4 times as common here as across all tracked vehicles. 20 reports (3.7%) describe a crash or fire; owners mention 18 injuries and 0 deaths.
Half of the reported incidents happened within 49 months of the model year's start; the busiest period was years three to five (46% of incidents). In the last 12 months 199 new complaints were filed, versus 157 in the 12 months before — up 27%.
NHTSA lists 5 safety recalls for this model year. 1 NHTSA investigation covers this model year; the most recent is “Pedestrian alert sounds” (defect petition, opened 2023-01-27, closed 2023-08-07).
Safety recalls (5)
SEATS:MID/REAR ASSEMBLY:RECLINER Campaign 26V128000 · 2026-03-05
Summary: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2021-2025 Highlander and Highlander Hybrid vehicles. The second-row seat backs may fail to lock into position during seat back adjustment.
Risk: A seat back that fails to lock may not properly restrain an occupant during a crash, increasing the risk of injury.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the return springs in the seat back recliner assemblies, free of charge. Owner letters were mailed September 9, 2026. This is a phased recall. Owners may contact Toyota’s customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's numbers for this recall are 26TB06 and 26TA06.
TIRES Campaign 24V452000 · 2024-06-18
Summary: Southeast Toyota Distributors, LLC (SET) is recalling certain 2021-2024 Highlander vehicles. The 20-inch accessory tires with an insufficient load rating for the vehicle's Gross Axle Weight Rating (GAWR) were installed. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 110, "Tire Selection and Rims."
Risk: Tires with an insufficient load rating can be overloaded and fail, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: SET will inspect and replace the tires and information placard, as necessary free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed August 16, 2024. Owners may contact SET's customer service at 1-866-405-4226. SET's number for this recall is SET24A.
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.
STRUCTURE:BODY:BUMPERS Campaign 23V720000 · 2023-10-26
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.
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