Worst years for a Toyota Highlander
Owners have filed 7,196 complaints about the Toyota Highlander with NHTSA across model years 1997 to 2026. More of them are about the transmission & drivetrain than anything else.
Avoid
2021 Toyota Highlander638 complaints — the highest FaultScore of any year, mostly transmission & drivetrain.
Cleanest on record
2025 Toyota Highlander13 complaints — the lowest FaultScore of the graded years.
Every Toyota Highlander year, graded
The grade compares each year against the rest of this model's own run — never against another car. Click any bar or row to open that year's report.
| Year | Grade | Complaints | Crashes | Fires | Median miles | Most reported |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | — | 4 | 0 | 0 | — | Engine & Cooling |
| 2025 | B | 13 | 4 | 0 | — | Driver Assist & Collision Avoidance |
| 2024 | C | 59 | 9 | 0 | — | Other & Unspecified |
| 2023 | D | 238 | 21 | 0 | 31,812 | Other & Unspecified |
| 2022 | D | 320 | 30 | 2 | 18,890 | Transmission & Drivetrain |
| 2021 | F | 638 | 29 | 7 | 20,000 | Transmission & Drivetrain |
| 2020 | D | 372 | 31 | 0 | 15,000 | Transmission & Drivetrain |
| 2019 | F | 633 | 38 | 1 | 10,000 | Transmission & Drivetrain |
| 2018 | D | 357 | 41 | 1 | 16,000 | Transmission & Drivetrain |
| 2017 | D | 371 | 35 | 2 | 20,380 | Transmission & Drivetrain |
| 2016 | D | 138 | 22 | 1 | 25,000 | Other & Unspecified |
| 2015 | D | 254 | 19 | 11 | 31,258 | Electrical System |
| 2014 | C | 162 | 8 | 1 | 38,500 | Electrical System |
| 2013 | D | 282 | 44 | 0 | 30,500 | Steering |
| 2012 | C | 230 | 20 | 4 | 48,000 | Steering |
| 2011 | C | 229 | 16 | 0 | 52,500 | Windows, Mirrors & Wipers |
| 2010 | C | 272 | 28 | 5 | 52,000 | Electrical System |
| 2009 | C | 178 | 7 | 7 | 58,000 | Engine & Cooling |
| 2008 | F | 502 | 59 | 19 | 77,900 | Brakes |
| 2007 | C | 159 | 15 | 1 | 60,500 | Brakes |
| 2006 | D | 348 | 38 | 4 | 68,970 | Brakes |
| 2005 | D | 289 | 50 | 8 | 52,991 | Transmission & Drivetrain |
| 2004 | D | 337 | 42 | 3 | 55,675 | Transmission & Drivetrain |
| 2003 | D | 316 | 43 | 1 | 94,000 | Engine & Cooling |
| 2002 | C | 335 | 27 | 8 | 70,000 | Windows, Mirrors & Wipers |
| 2001 | C | 158 | 28 | 2 | 53,000 | Windows, Mirrors & Wipers |
| 1998 | — | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | Electrical System |
| 1997 | — | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | Windows, Mirrors & Wipers |
What breaks on a Toyota Highlander
Across every model year on file. Follow a row for that part's complaints and the year it was worst.
Exactly what failed on a Toyota Highlander
The named sub-assemblies behind those complaints, across every model year.
Complaints filed over time
Every complaint about every Toyota Highlander, by the month it reached NHTSA.
Toyota Highlander problems by state
Where owners filed from. Heavier states are usually just bigger markets, but a part that fails in heat or salt shows up here first.
Compare the Toyota Highlander
Side by side on complaint history. Remember that raw totals track how many were sold as much as how good they were.