2025 Toyota Highlander problems, complaints & recalls
Far fewerToo few recent reports to judge
NHTSA has received 10 owner complaints about the 2025 Toyota Highlander, or 5.6 per year on the road — far fewer complaints than typical (complaint index 0.14, where 1.00 is the average of all tracked vehicles). Among the 86 model-year 2025 vehicles we track, it ranks #12 of 86 by complaints per year (#1 = fewest). Against other Toyota models its rate is 84% lower; against other Midsize SUVs it is 89% 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
Limited data: fewer than 30 complaints, so shares and indexes are unstable.
Complaints filed between 2025-07-26 and 2026-09-21. Median delay from incident to filing: 32 days.
10Complaints
5.6Complaints per year on the road
0.14Complaint index vs. all tracked vehicles
4Recalls
20.0%Share involving a crash or fire
8Last 12 months
Analysis
The previous model year (2024) drew 15.4 complaints per year, more than this one.
The most common problem area is Brakes (20.0% of complaints), followed by Unspecified or other (20.0%) and Engine (10.0%). Brakes complaints are 3.3 times as common here as across all tracked vehicles. 2 reports (20.0%) describe a crash or fire; owners mention 1 injury and 0 deaths.
Half of the reported incidents happened within 12 months of the model year's start; the busiest period was the second year (60% of incidents). 8 complaints were filed in the last 12 months.
I was backing up the vechial accelerated the steering wheel was turning rapid & a grinding noise causing me too hit another vechial about a month before my husband was driving & the vechial accelerated going toward also we had had some issues with back camera…
Electrical · 2026-07-31 · ODI 11753999 · Crash
[XXX] was turning left onto [XXX] from [XXX]. Two lanes turn left. She was in the inside lane. The traffic light was red, and when it turned green, she started to turn. Partway through the turn, the steering became unresponsive.
Steering · 2026-07-16 · ODI 11750944 · Crash
The contact owns a 2025 Toyota Highlander. The contact stated that while leaving the driveway at the doctor's office on a slope, the accelerator pedal was depressed while making a left turn, but the vehicle failed to move. The vehicle then rolled into traffic.
Brakes · 2026-09-21 · ODI 11765928
The contact owns a 2025 Toyota Highlander. The contact stated that while she and her husband were driving at 60 MPH, she heard a loud explosion noise from above her head and felt air whipping on top of her head.
Body & structure · 2026-06-03 · ODI 11741757
The speedometer registers speed up to 7mph over actual speed for the first 15 miles then returns to matching GPS speed. Reported to Toyota, dealer said they have seen this before but not identified a fix as of today
Driver-assist systems · 2026-05-29 · ODI 11740832
Excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA, trimmed for length. The ODI number is NHTSA's record identifier.
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.
Summary: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2024-2025 Highlander and Highlander Hybrid vehicles. The third row center seat belt roof anchor may have been installed at an incorrect angle, preventing the seat belt from properly restraining the occupant.
Risk: A seat belt that does not properly restrain an occupant increases the risk of injury during a crash.
Remedy: Dealers will reinstall the seat belt anchor with a new bolt, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed January 27, 2026. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's number for this recall is 25TA16.
BACK OVER PREVENTION:DISPLAY FUNCTION Campaign 25V744000 · 2025-10-30
Summary: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2022-2026 Toyota, Lexus, and Subaru Solterra vehicles equipped with a Panoramic View Monitor (PVM) system. Please see the recall report for a complete list of models. A software error may cause the rearview camera to freeze or display a blank screen when the vehicle is in reverse. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 111, "Rear Visibility."
Risk: A rearview camera that fails to display an image can reduce the driver's view behind the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Dealers will update the parking assist software, free of charge. Owner letters were mailed January 2, 2026. Owners may contact Toyota's customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's numbers for this recall are 25TB13 and 25LB06. Subaru's number for this recall is WRE25.
Summary: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2023-2024 Toyota Venza, 2023-2025 RAV4 Prime, RAV4, Highlander, GR Corolla, Crown, 2024-2025 Lexus TX, LS, Toyota Tacoma, Grand Highlander, and 2025 Lexus RX, Toyota Crown Signia, Camry, RAV 4 Plug-in Hybrid (PHEV), and 4 Runner vehicles. Due to an error in the instrument panel software at vehicle startup, the instrument panel may fail to display vehicle speed, brake system, and tire pressure warning lights.
Risk: An instrument panel display that does not show critical information can increase the risk of a crash or injury.
Remedy: Dealers will update the instrument panel software over-the-air (OTA) for non-PHEV vehicles, free of charge. For PHEV vehicles, dealers will inspect the instrument panel assembly, and either replace it, or update the software, free of charge. Owner letters were mailed December 5, 2025. Additional letters will be sent, anticipated in May 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 25TB08 and 25TA08. Lexus' numbers for this recall are 25LB05 and 25LA05.
