Toyota Highlander 2001–2026
Summary
- 26 model years in 4 generations, 6,610 owner complaints in total.
- Within their own generation, 2004, 2008 and 2019 drew the most complaints in the first three years.
- 2010 and 2020 drew the fewest complaints of their generation over the same span.
- These are complaint counts, not failure rates: they are not divided by how many cars were sold, because no public source reports U.S. sales by model year.
- Half of the complaints that give a mileage were filed by 55,000 miles (3,775 of them give one).
- Owners reported 535 crashes, 76 fires, 421 injuries and 58 deaths across these model years.
- 57 recalls and 8 federal investigations cover these model years.
2001–2007
Each year is counted over the same span: complaints received up to two calendar years after its model year. A year is compared only when that span is over and it holds at least 50 complaints. Median of the comparable years: 55.
| Model year | All complaints | First three years | Most reported system | Note |
|---|
| 2001 | 137 | 48 | Windows, Wipers & Visibility | not compared |
| 2002 | 301 | 46 | Windows, Wipers & Visibility | not compared |
| 2003 | 258 | 47 | Engine | not compared |
| 2004 | 286 | 94 | Powertrain | most complaints |
| 2005 | 225 | 53 | Powertrain | |
| 2006 | 648 | 55 | Brakes | |
| 2007 | 234 | 29 | Brakes | not compared |
Powertrain is the largest group in 2 of the 3 compared years.
2008–2013
Each year is counted over the same span: complaints received up to two calendar years after its model year. A year is compared only when that span is over and it holds at least 50 complaints. Median of the comparable years: 81.
| Model year | All complaints | First three years | Most reported system | Note |
|---|
| 2008 | 602 | 143 | Brakes | most complaints |
| 2009 | 174 | 46 | Brakes | not compared |
| 2010 | 238 | 54 | Electrical System | fewest complaints |
| 2011 | 186 | 44 | Windows, Wipers & Visibility | not compared |
| 2012 | 191 | 44 | Steering | not compared |
| 2013 | 212 | 81 | Steering | |
Brakes is the largest group in 1 of the 3 compared years.
2014–2019
Each year is counted over the same span: complaints received up to two calendar years after its model year. A year is compared only when that span is over and it holds at least 50 complaints. Median of the comparable years: 94.
| Model year | All complaints | First three years | Most reported system | Note |
|---|
| 2014 | 138 | 40 | Electrical System | not compared |
| 2015 | 196 | 75 | Electrical System | |
| 2016 | 117 | 49 | Brakes | not compared |
| 2017 | 274 | 85 | Powertrain | |
| 2018 | 276 | 102 | Powertrain | |
| 2019 | 512 | 152 | Powertrain | most complaints |
Powertrain is the largest group in 3 of the 4 compared years.
2020–2026
Each year is counted over the same span: complaints received up to two calendar years after its model year. A year is compared only when that span is over and it holds at least 50 complaints. Median of the comparable years: 126.
| Model year | All complaints | First three years | Most reported system | Note |
|---|
| 2020 | 330 | 68 | Powertrain | fewest complaints |
| 2021 | 548 | 126 | Powertrain | |
| 2022 | 272 | 126 | Powertrain | |
| 2023 | 198 | 133 | Body & Structure | |
| 2024 | 43 | 43 | Brakes | not compared |
| 2025 | 10 | 10 | Accelerator & Cruise Control | not compared |
| 2026 | 4 | 4 | Driver Assistance | not compared |
Powertrain is the largest group in 3 of the 4 compared years.
Every model year
A model year gets its own page when four sources cover it, it holds at least 50 complaints, and it either compares with the other years of its generation or shows one system in 40% or more of the complaints that name a component. The rest are listed here with their figures.
| Model year | Complaints | Recalls | Investigations | Bulletins | Combined MPG | Page |
|---|
| 2001 | 137 | 3 | 0 | 135 | 18–22 | listed here |
| 2002 | 301 | 2 | 0 | 120 | 18–22 | yes |
| 2003 | 258 | 2 | 0 | 113 | 18–22 | listed here |
| 2004 | 286 | 5 | 1 | 164 | 19–22 | yes |
| 2005 | 225 | 6 | 1 | 202 | 19–22 | yes |
| 2006 | 648 | 11 | 4 | 257 | 19–27 | yes |
| 2007 | 234 | 6 | 2 | 256 | 19–26 | listed here |
| 2008 | 602 | 14 | 5 | 395 | 19–26 | yes |
| 2009 | 174 | 10 | 3 | 409 | 19–26 | listed here |
| 2010 | 238 | 11 | 3 | 463 | 19–26 | yes |
| 2011 | 186 | 5 | 3 | 450 | 19–28 | listed here |
| 2012 | 191 | 2 | 3 | 462 | 19–28 | listed here |
| 2013 | 212 | 3 | 3 | 526 | 19–28 | yes |
| 2014 | 138 | 5 | 1 | 600 | 20–28 | listed here |
| 2015 | 196 | 2 | 1 | 470 | 20–28 | yes |
| 2016 | 117 | 3 | 1 | 390 | 20–28 | listed here |
| 2017 | 274 | 4 | 1 | 368 | 22–29 | yes |
| 2018 | 276 | 5 | 1 | 359 | 22–29 | yes |
| 2019 | 512 | 3 | 1 | 250 | 22–29 | yes |
| 2020 | 330 | 5 | 1 | 326 | 23–36 | yes |
| 2021 | 548 | 5 | 1 | 339 | 23–36 | yes |
| 2022 | 272 | 6 | 1 | 310 | 23–36 | yes |
| 2023 | 198 | 9 | 0 | 247 | 24–36 | yes |
| 2024 | 43 | 7 | 0 | 64 | 24–36 | listed here |
| 2025 | 10 | 4 | 0 | 36 | 24–35 | listed here |
| 2026 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 24 | 24–35 | listed here |
What owners report across all years
| System | Complaints | Share | Median mileage |
|---|
| Brakes | 1,103 | 18% | 75,000 mi |
| Powertrain | 1,090 | 18% | 50,000 mi |
| Engine | 817 | 13% | 77,867 mi |
| Electrical System | 786 | 13% | 63,500 mi |
| Windows, Wipers & Visibility | 549 | 9% | 58,000 mi |
Shares are over complaints that name a component; a complaint naming several systems is counted under each.
Brakes
Owner report On October 22, 2026 at 7:55pm I was slowly pulling into a parking spot at our community building applying the brake when the engine started rapidly accelerating causing the car to jump over the curbing even as I continued to press on the brake pedal. I wasn’t able to stop the vehicle before it crashed into the communit…
Owner report While depressing the brake pedal to come to a complete stop, the vehicle experienced a sudden loss of braking force, followed by a momentary forward surge/lunge before the friction brakes engaged.
Powertrain
Owner report While driving, my vehicle experienced a severe and sudden failure of the Aisin UA80F 8-speed automatic transmission. The transmission exhibits erratic and hard shifting, severe hesitation, and a dangerous delay in acceleration when trying to merge into traffic or accelerate from a complete stop. Frequently, the engine …
Owner report The transmission has been making a whining noise for a little while now. After having it diagnosed by Toyota, the entire transmission has to be replaced. According to multiple reports on the internet, the 8 speed transmission in the 2017 to 2026 model will fail prematurely do to defective components. Toyota has even…
Engine
Owner report The UA80 transmission on my 2018 Toyota Highlander Limited AWD began the "death whine" at 110,000 miles. Brought it directly to a Toyota dealer and was told the transmission needed full replacement. Seems to be very common with these transmissions and there's a service bulletin that's advertised from Toyota (our VIN nu…
Owner report Transmission is failing and accelerating past 40mpg produces very loud sound that seems it could break any moment. It is available for inspection. Safety is compromised as it could experience failure and abruptly lose ability to accelerate. Problem has been confirmed by independent service center who has also contacted…
Largest recalls
| Campaign | Component | Filed | Vehicles |
|---|
| 12V491000 | VISIBILITY:POWER WINDOW DEVICES AND CONTROLS | 2012-10-10 | 2,519,424 |
| 10V017000 | VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL:ACCELERATOR PEDAL | 2010-01-21 | 2,230,661 |
| 20V012000 | FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:FUEL PUMP | 2020-01-13 | 1,830,752 |
| 15V689000 | VISIBILITY:POWER WINDOW DEVICES AND CONTROLS | 2015-10-22 | 1,814,284 |
| 20V682000 | FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:FUEL PUMP | 2020-11-04 | 1,525,742 |
Whether a recall has been done on a specific car depends on its VIN; check it at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
Open investigations
None open.
Service bulletins
Toyota issued 7,735 service bulletins covering these model years, most often about equipment.
A bulletin tells dealers how to fix a known condition. It is not a recall and not a defect finding. Most bulletins cover several model years at once, so a bulletin listed here may not be specific to one year. The number of bulletins tracks how long and how widely a model was sold, so it is not a measure of reliability.
| Date | Component | Summary |
|---|
| 2026-08-20 | ENGINE | OBSOLETE NOTICE August 20, 2026: This bulletin is now obsolete. Please see T-SB-0051-26. |
| 2026-06-25 | STRUCTURE:BODY | Some 2020 – 2026 model year Highlander and Highlander Hybrid vehicles may exhibit a water leak from the roof rack attachment clips. This may be caused by the sealant in the roof channel obstructing the proper seating position for the clip g… |
| 2026-06-25 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 2026 model year Toyota vehicles are equipped with driver side floor mat retainers to secure the floor mat in the correct position. In addition, some models may also utilize retainers for passenger side and rear seat floor mats. During Pre-D… |
| 2026-06-10 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | Long-term or off-site storage requires special care to maintain vehicle condition. The following guidelines should be performed to minimize vehicle component/part degradation due to extendedvehicle storage conditions. Long-term storage can … |
| 2026-03-18 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | Some 2020 – 2024 model year Highlander and Highlander Hybrid vehicles may exhibit a condition in which the air conditioner does not cool due to a leak and/or corrosion in the rear underbody air conditioner tube and accessory assembly. The a… |
| 2026-02-27 | ENGINE | OBSOLETE NOTICE February 27, 2026: This bulletin is no longer applicable and is now obsolete. |
| 2026-02-13 | ENGINE | OBSOLETE NOTICE February 13, 2026: This bulletin is now obsolete. Please see T-SB-0009-26. |
| 2026-02-13 | ENGINE | This bulletin includes basic procedures for performing a rescue charge on Ni-MH high voltage (HV) batteries. This bulletin should be used in conjunction with the applicable model and model year Repair Manual while performing a rescue charge… |
| 2026-02-12 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | OBSOLETE NOTICE February 12, 2026: This bulletin is now obsolete. Please see T-SB-0005-26. |
| 2026-02-06 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | OBSOLETE NOTICE February 6, 2026: This bulletin is now obsolete. Please see L-SB-0009-25. |
How to read this page
Complaint counts are not failure rates. A model that sells more cars draws more complaints, and owners file more after news coverage or a recall. That is why years are compared only with other years of the same generation, over the same span, and never with other models.
Sources
- NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation: complaints, recalls, investigations and manufacturer communications (data as of 2026-10-28).
- U.S. EPA / DOE fueleconomy.gov: engines and fuel economy.
This page summarises public records; it is not a mechanical inspection.