What breaks most · 2005 to 2023 model years
Toyota Highlander Hybrid problems by year
Owners have filed 824 safety complaints with NHTSA about the Toyota Highlander Hybrid across model years 2005 to 2023. Three years stand out: 2006 for brakes complaints, 2008 for brakes complaints and 2007 for brakes complaints. The quietest years are 2005, 2014 and 2017.
- Years to check closely: 2006, 2008, 2007
- Fewest complaints: 2005, 2014, 2017
- Complaints on file
- 8242005 to 2023, all trims
- Worst year
- 2006370 complaints
- Crashes reported
- 5814 fires · 21 injuries · 2 deaths
- Typical failure mileage
- 95kMedian where owners gave mileage
- Recall campaigns
- 47Across 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 | 1 | Stability control (1) | |
| 370 | 34 | 6 | Brakes (76) | |
| 110 | 14 | 2 | Brakes (28) | |
| 197 | 6 | 8 | Brakes (94) | |
| 40 | 2 | 4 | Brakes (17) | |
| 22 | 1 | 4 | Brakes (5) | |
| 5 | 0 | 1 | Speed control and throttle (2) | |
| 9 | 0 | 0 | Body and structure (2) | |
| 5 | 0 | 0 | Unknown or other (1) | |
| 2 | 0 | 1 | Electrical system (1) | |
| 4 | 0 | 0 | Electrical system (2) | |
| 6 | 0 | 0 | Brakes (3) | |
| 3 | 0 | 2 | Engine (2) | |
| 5 | 1 | 0 | Unknown or other (2) | |
| 6 | 0 | 0 | Unknown or other (2) | |
| 9 | 0 | 4 | Air bags (4) | |
| 15 | 0 | 4 | Air bags (8) | |
| 6 | 0 | 4 | Electrical system (2) | |
| 9 | 0 | 6 | Body and structure (3) |
What fails on the 2006 Toyota Highlander Hybrid
| Component | Share of complaints | Filings | Crashes | Parts for this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BrakesBrake pads, rotors and calipers | 21% |
76 | 5 | Shop brakes parts for the 2006 Toyota Highlander Hybrid |
| Electrical systemAlternators, starters and ignition | 20% |
74 | 1 | Shop electrical system parts for the 2006 Toyota Highlander Hybrid |
| Hybrid Propulsion System | 12% |
45 | 1 | — |
| Brakes (hydraulic)Brake pads, rotors and calipers | 11% |
42 | 6 | Shop brakes (hydraulic) parts for the 2006 Toyota Highlander Hybrid |
| Speed control and throttleThrottle and pedal sensors | 9% |
33 | 13 | Shop speed control and throttle parts for the 2006 Toyota Highlander Hybrid |
| Engine and coolingRadiators, thermostats and cooling | 8% |
28 | 2 | Shop engine and cooling parts for the 2006 Toyota Highlander Hybrid |
| SteeringPower steering pumps, racks and hoses | 7% |
25 | 1 | Shop steering parts for the 2006 Toyota Highlander Hybrid |
| EngineEngine gaskets and seals | 7% |
25 | 0 | Shop engine parts for the 2006 Toyota Highlander Hybrid |
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.
-
The brake actuator pump failed and was replace under the warrantee extension zg1. The replacement brake actuator pump failed but toyota will not cover it. It is a very expensive defective part. When the part fails many systems are impacted especially the brakes.
-
Takata recall .. My car start getting an error light in my dashboard.. It says brake malfunction , vsc system and ABS system .. My car runs fine but sometime when i press the phrase pedal car doesn't break right away and making noise.
-
Brake actuator makes very loud clicking sound for several minutes after exiting vehicle. When braking over bumpy roads, brakes "skip" as if releasing and then grabbing again. Also, brakes grab intermittently when slowing down on a hill when nearly stopped. All appears related to ABS braking system.
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 Hybrid years have the most problems?
By NHTSA complaint volume, 2006, 2008, 2007 carry the most filings on the Toyota Highlander Hybrid. The 2006 alone has 370 complaints, led by brakes.
What is the most common Toyota Highlander Hybrid problem?
On the 2006 model year, the most-reported component is brakes with 76 complaints. The table above lists the top components for every year.
At what mileage do Toyota Highlander Hybrid problems start?
The median mileage at failure across all Toyota Highlander Hybrid complaints that include mileage is about 95,000 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.