Toyota Highlander
Owners filed 5,680 complaints across 28 model years of the Toyota Highlander. The 2021 drew the most (512); the 1998 the fewest (1).
Model years28
Complaints5,680
Recalls126
Fires62
Deaths11
Every Toyota Highlander model year compared
Complaints per year| Year | Complaints | Relative volume | Recalls | Fires | Crashes | Most reported | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 2 | 0 | — | — | Back Over Prevention › Sensing System › Camera | Routine | |
| 2025 | 9 | 4 | — | 2 | Unknown or Other | Routine | |
| 2024 | 42 | 7 | — | 4 | Unknown or Other | Routine | |
| 2023 | 180 | 9 | — | 12 | Unknown or Other | Routine | |
| 2022 | 245 | 5 | 1 | 16 | Power Train | Fatalities reported | |
| 2021 | 512 | 4 | 4 | 16 | Power Train | Above average | |
| 2020 | 314 | 4 | — | 15 | Power Train | Above average | |
| 2019 | 480 | 3 | 1 | 22 | Power Train | Above average | |
| 2018 | 265 | 5 | 1 | 23 | Power Train | Above average | |
| 2017 | 265 | 4 | 2 | 18 | Power Train | Above average | |
| 2016 | 110 | 3 | 1 | 14 | Unknown or Other | Routine | |
| 2015 | 191 | 2 | 6 | 17 | Electrical System | Routine | |
| 2014 | 135 | 5 | 1 | 5 | Electrical System | Fatalities reported | |
| 2013 | 206 | 3 | — | 26 | Steering | Above average | |
| 2012 | 182 | 2 | 3 | 16 | Steering | Routine | |
| 2011 | 181 | 5 | — | 14 | Steering | Routine | |
| 2010 | 216 | 10 | 2 | 18 | Electrical System | Above average | |
| 2009 | 134 | 9 | 5 | 6 | Engine | Routine | |
| 2008 | 403 | 13 | 14 | 44 | Service Brakes | Fatalities reported | |
| 2007 | 123 | 4 | 1 | 11 | Service Brakes | Routine | |
| 2006 | 277 | 7 | 4 | 29 | Service Brakes | Fatalities reported | |
| 2005 | 224 | 6 | 4 | 35 | Vehicle Speed Control | Above average | |
| 2004 | 286 | 5 | 3 | 32 | Power Train › Automatic Transmission | Fatalities reported | |
| 2003 | 258 | 2 | 1 | 33 | Engine | Above average | |
| 2002 | 301 | 2 | 6 | 24 | Visibility | Fatalities reported | |
| 2001 | 137 | 3 | 2 | 19 | Vehicle Speed Control | Routine | |
| 1998 | 1 | 0 | — | — | Electrical System › Wiring | Routine | |
| 1997 | 1 | 0 | — | — | Visibility | Routine |
Which Toyota Highlander years should you avoid?
On raw complaint volume the 2021 is the weakest year on record, with 512 complaints concentrated in the power train. It carries 4 recalls.
Read these numbers with sales volume in mind. A model year that sold in huge numbers naturally accumulates more reports than a rare one, and older cars have had more years to fail. The stronger signal is the severity columns and whether the same component keeps coming up year after year.
Data: NHTSA complaint and recall files, September 2026. Complaints are unverified owner reports.