Toyota bulletin T-SB-0040-24
What it saysSome 2020 2023 model year Highlander and Highlander Hybrid vehicles may exhibit a water leak from the roof rack attachment clips. NHTSA’s full summary ↓
Toyota filed this with NHTSA as a service bulletin dated Apr 22, 2024, received Jul 6, 2024, about the structure — 2 documents under this number. It names 4 model years (2020–2023). A service bulletin is not a safety recall: it is the manufacturer telling its dealers how to diagnose or repair a condition, and whether the work is paid for depends on the warranty in force. Quoting the number at a service desk can save a diagnosis.
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What the bulletin says
Source: NHTSA's summary of the manufacturer's communicationSome 2020 2023 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 gasket.
Documents filed under this number
| Document | Kind | Dated | NHTSA id | At NHTSA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| T-SB-0040-24 | Service bulletin | Apr 22, 2024 | 11003651 | |
| T-SB-0040-24 | Service bulletin | Apr 22, 2024 | 11003596 |
What the document itself lists
Part the bulletin names
| Part number | Description | Qty | Find it |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90467-08235 | Rail Garnish Clip | 6 | eBay Motors → |
Labour operation and the time the manufacturer allows
| Operation | Description | Time |
|---|---|---|
| BD2409 | R&R Roof Rail Clips | 2.3 hrs |
Read by machine from the document NHTSA serves (5 pages), read Sep 30, 2026. A part number is shown only where it matches Toyota’s own catalogue shape, an operation only with its code and time, and a description only where the reader got it whole; anything it could not settle is left out, and the PDF is the record. Times are the manufacturer’s warranty allowances, not a quote. Listings and prices on eBay Motors are the seller’s.
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The summary is NHTSA’s abstract of the document, as filed under 49 CFR 579.5. One communication is usually filed as several documents — the bulletin, a dealer notice, an owner letter — and the number on any of them finds this page. A PDF link is shown only once NHTSA’s own server has been seen to serve that document; the rest are checked over the following nights. Quote the number at a service desk; it is what the dealer’s system is keyed on.
Doing the repair yourself, or pricing it before the shop does? Search the part by fitment on eBay Motors — the listing and the price are the seller’s.
Find the body for the 2023 Highlander →Affiliate disclosure: some links on this page are affiliate links. If you request a quote or buy through them we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Nothing on this page changes because of it.
Model years it names
Source: as the manufacturer filed themA vehicle page’s bulletin list shows the newest few communications filed against that model year; the count there is every one.
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What owners reported
Source: NHTSA complaint databaseOwners of the 4 model years this bulletin names have filed 1,352 complaints with NHTSA since 2015. 171 of them name Structure — the same broad component group this bulletin is filed under. NHTSA groups complaints coarsely, so that means the same area of the vehicle, not necessarily the same fault.
On the 2022 Toyota Highlander, the 16 owners who gave an odometer reading for Structure reported it at a median of 33,000 miles. That figure is one model year’s, not the whole range this bulletin covers — medians from different model years are not averaged.
The contact owns a 2020 Toyota Highlander Hybrid. The contact stated that while driving on the highway at 75 MPH, the front passenger’s and driver’s side top shield assembly and the engine cover under components became detached from the vehicle. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact was unable to recover the parts.
2020 Toyota Highlander · Structure · filed with NHTSA Apr 28, 2025 · ODI 11657262
The contact owns a 2023 Toyota Highlander Hybrid. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle struck a bird and the lower front bumper assembly detached. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the lower bumper assembly. The vehicle was not repaired.
2023 Toyota Highlander · Structure · filed with NHTSA Jul 15, 2024 · ODI 11602438
The contact owns a 2021 Toyota Highlander Hybrid. The contact stated that the hatchback failed to open completely. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, and the dealer recommended that the hatchback motor be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired.
2021 Toyota Highlander · Structure · filed with NHTSA Oct 29, 2025 · ODI 11696325
In depth: 2021 Toyota Highlander body and structure problems →
A complaint is one owner’s account, not a defect finding, and a bulletin is not a recall. Nothing here says this bulletin was issued because of these complaints, or that the repair it describes fixed them. Complaint files on this site begin in 2015.
More bulletins about the structure
Source: same model, same component group19 other manufacturer communications filed against the Toyota Highlander under the same component group (structure), newest first. The eight newest are listed; the rest are on the Toyota list.
| Number | Kind | Dated | NHTSA’s summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| T-SB-0040-24 REV1 | Service bulletin | Jun 25, 2026 | Some 2020 – 2026 model year Highlander and Highlander Hybrid vehicles may exhibit a water leak from the roof rack attachment clips. This may… |
| T-SB-0086-25 | Service bulletin | Nov 18, 2025 | Some 2020 – 2023 model year Highlander and Highlander Hybrid vehicles may exhibit a condition in which the Power Back Door (PBD) will not op… |
| T-SB-0039-24 REV2 | Service bulletin | Dec 6, 2024 | The condition known as acid rain is caused by airborne chemicals or particles in the atmosphere, which mix with rainwater, nighttime dew, or… |
| T-SB-0038-24 REV2 | Service bulletin | Dec 6, 2024 | To prevent brake rotor rust from forming during transportation and storage, wheel film will be used instead of a cardboard type of anti-rust… |
| T-SB-0035-24 REV2 | Service bulletin | Dec 6, 2024 | Acid rain results from rainwater or other airborne moisture that become acidic due to industrial chemical impurities in the atmosphere. If t… |
| T-SB-0061-23 REV2 | Service bulletin | Dec 5, 2024 | Toyota vehicles are currently protected with RapgardTM protective film designed to protect the horizontal painted surfaces. This material p… |
| T-SB-0062-23 REV2 | Service bulletin | Dec 3, 2024 | Vehicles may occasionally be subjected to contamination by airborne iron particles shed from railroad tracks, train wheels, exposure to heav… |
| T-SB-0098-24 | Service bulletin | Oct 18, 2024 | Some 2022 model year Avalon and Avalon Hybrid, 2022 – 2024 model year Camry, Camry Hybrid, Corolla, Corolla Hatchback, Corolla Hybrid, Highl… |
Quote the number at the service desk. It is what the dealer’s system is keyed on.
Every manufacturer communication NHTSA holds for Toyota, by the number printed on the letter.
Common questions
Source: NHTSA, 49 CFR 579.5Is Toyota T-SB-0040-24 a recall?
No. A service bulletin is a manufacturer communication filed with NHTSA under 49 CFR 579.5; a safety recall carries an NHTSA campaign number (two digits, a letter, six digits) and a federal duty to repair for free. Check the vehicle’s recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls, or on its page here.
Is the T-SB-0040-24 repair free?
Not automatically. A service bulletin describes how to diagnose or repair a condition; who pays depends on the warranty in force, any extension, and the dealer. Quoting the number can save a diagnosis either way. Every Toyota warranty extension on file lists the ones Toyota has filed.
Which vehicles does T-SB-0040-24 cover?
The manufacturer filed it against 4 model years: 2023 Toyota Highlander, 2022 Toyota Highlander, 2021 Toyota Highlander, 2020 Toyota Highlander. Whether one particular vehicle is affected is a matter of its VIN and its build, not its model year alone.