What breaks most · 1997 to 2026 model years
Toyota Highlander problems by year
Owners have filed 5,643 safety complaints with NHTSA about the Toyota Highlander across model years 1997 to 2026. Three years stand out: 2021 for powertrain and transmission complaints, 2019 for powertrain and transmission complaints and 2008 for brakes complaints. The quietest years are 1997, 1998 and 2024.
- Years to check closely: 2021, 2019, 2008
- Fewest complaints: 1997, 1998, 2024
- Complaints on file
- 56431997 to 2026, all trims
- Worst year
- 2021503 complaints
- Crashes reported
- 47162 fires · 395 injuries · 56 deaths
- Typical failure mileage
- 52kMedian where owners gave mileage
- Recall campaigns
- 125Across the years shown
Complaints by model year
Raw filings with NHTSA, not adjusted for how many were sold.
| Model year | Complaints | Crashes | Recalls | Most-reported component |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | 0 | Visibility (1) | |
| 1 | 0 | 0 | Electrical system (1) | |
| 137 | 19 | 3 | Visibility (23) | |
| 301 | 24 | 2 | Visibility (123) | |
| 258 | 33 | 2 | Engine and cooling (46) | |
| 286 | 32 | 5 | Powertrain and transmission (58) | |
| 224 | 35 | 6 | Powertrain and transmission (51) | |
| 276 | 29 | 7 | Brakes (69) | |
| 123 | 11 | 4 | Brakes (28) | |
| 403 | 44 | 13 | Brakes (66) | |
| 134 | 6 | 9 | Engine (23) | |
| 216 | 18 | 10 | Electrical system (53) | |
| 181 | 14 | 5 | Steering (34) | |
| 182 | 16 | 2 | Steering (46) | |
| 206 | 26 | 3 | Steering (46) | |
| 135 | 5 | 5 | Electrical system (35) | |
| 190 | 17 | 2 | Electrical system (52) | |
| 109 | 14 | 3 | Unknown or other (21) | |
| 264 | 18 | 4 | Powertrain and transmission (71) | |
| 264 | 23 | 5 | Powertrain and transmission (64) | |
| 475 | 22 | 3 | Powertrain and transmission (191) | |
| 309 | 15 | 4 | Powertrain and transmission (122) | |
| 503 | 16 | 4 | Powertrain and transmission (210) | |
| 236 | 16 | 5 | Powertrain and transmission (49) | |
| 176 | 12 | 9 | Unknown or other (39) | |
| 42 | 4 | 7 | Unknown or other (13) | |
| 9 | 2 | 3 | Speed control and throttle (2) | |
| 2 | 0 | 0 | Backup camera and sensors (1) |
What fails on the 2021 Toyota Highlander
| Component | Share of complaints | Filings | Crashes | Parts for this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Powertrain and transmissionTransmission parts | 42% |
210 | 3 | Shop all powertrain and transmission parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| BrakesBrake pads, rotors and calipers | 13% |
66 | 4 | Shop brakes parts for the 2021 Toyota Highlander |
| Unknown or other | 12% |
62 | 3 | — |
| Body and structureDoors, latches and body hardware | 10% |
51 | 1 | Shop body and structure parts for the 2021 Toyota Highlander |
| EngineEngine gaskets and seals | 9% |
44 | 3 | Shop engine parts for the 2021 Toyota Highlander |
| Air bags | 8% |
42 | 5 | Check recalls for air bags on NHTSA.gov |
| Fuel systemFuel pumps and injectors | 6% |
31 | 2 | Shop fuel system parts for the 2021 Toyota Highlander |
| Electrical systemAlternators, starters and ignition | 5% |
26 | 0 | Shop electrical system parts for the 2021 Toyota Highlander |
One complaint can name more than one component, so shares add to more than 100%. "Unknown or other" is NHTSA's uncategorized bucket and is shown but never ranked.
In owners' words
Complaint narratives as filed with NHTSA, trimmed for length.
-
At 57,000 miles the dealership says the transmission must be replaced. Toyota refused to replace it under warranty because they stated it wasn't serviced at Toyota consistently. There isnt a service for the transmission under 100k miles. This is a known issue with this transmission and they act oblivious to this issue.
-
I have the high pitch whine coming from transmission. It is a known issue with Toyota but they refuse to look into it since my VIN falls outside their recall list. This is the same transmission as previous years and has the exact same issues. This is a safety issue that needs to be addressed immediately.
-
Brake actuator failure. Have to manually brake, stopping distance significantly increased. 3,145$ to replace at Toyota dealership.
How to read this page
Every figure comes from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's public complaint database, which holds every safety-related defect complaint filed by owners since 1995. We refresh it monthly and count each complaint once per component it names. Data through September 6, 2026.
NHTSA only accepts safety-related complaints. Rattles, paint, infotainment bugs and other annoyances are under-reported here, so this page is a map of what fails in ways owners consider dangerous, not a full reliability score.
Counts are raw. Use the year-over-year shape and the component mix, not the absolute numbers. Where a component maps to parts we stock, the row links to that category filtered to the year you are viewing. Air bag and seat belt complaints link to the recall checker instead, because those repairs are almost always covered.
Common questions
Which Toyota Highlander years have the most problems?
By NHTSA complaint volume, 2021, 2019, 2008 carry the most filings on the Toyota Highlander. The 2021 alone has 503 complaints, led by powertrain and transmission.
What is the most common Toyota Highlander problem?
On the 2021 model year, the most-reported component is powertrain and transmission with 210 complaints. The table above lists the top components for every year.
At what mileage do Toyota Highlander problems start?
The median mileage at failure across all Toyota Highlander complaints that include mileage is about 52,000 miles. Older model years skew higher; the per-year figure is in the "at a glance" card.
Are these complaints verified?
No. NHTSA publishes complaints as submitted and does not investigate individual filings. Patterns across hundreds of complaints are meaningful; a single one is not.