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Toyota Highlander

Every model year 2016–2026: recalls, owner complaints, NHTSA crash ratings and EPA efficiency side by side, each value traced to the file it came from.

11 Model years 2016–2026

48 Recalls NHTSA campaigns, all years

2,576 Complaints owner reports, all years

A Newest grade 2026 Safety Signal

2016 Best on record cleanest filed year

The 2026 Highlander →Which years to avoid Compare it

Toyota Highlander — photograph via Wikimedia Commons — Toyota Highlander · Photo: Kevauto · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Every Toyota Highlander model year

Source: NHTSA · EPA · one row per year

Year	Powertrains	Safety	Recalls	Complaints	Crash	Best efficiency
2026	Hybrid Gas	A	0	4	★★★★★	35 mpg
2025	Hybrid Gas	C	4	10	★★★★★	35 mpg
2024	Hybrid Gas	D	7	43	★★★★★	36 mpg
2023	Hybrid Gas	D	9	198	★★★★★	36 mpg
2022	Hybrid Gas	C	6	270	★★★★★	36 mpg
2021	Hybrid Gas	C	5	548	★★★★★	36 mpg
2020	Hybrid Gas	C	5	330	★★★★★	36 mpg
2019	Hybrid Gas	B	3	508	★★★★★	29 mpg
2018	Hybrid Gas	C	4	274	★★★★★	29 mpg
2017	Hybrid Gas	B	3	274	★★★★★	29 mpg
2016	Hybrid Gas	B	2	117	★★★★★	28 mpg

Which model year the record favours

Source: recalls and complaints per year on the road

Years to avoid, with the reasons →Best on the record 2016

On the filed record so far, the 2016 is the cleanest Highlander year we hold, and the 2023 the one to check hardest.

Both figures are divided by the number of years the car has been on sale, because otherwise the oldest year on the page loses every time simply for having been around longer. The current model year and any year under three on the road are left out: their records are not finished.

Year	Safety Signal	Recalls /yr	Complaints /yr
2016	B	0.2	12
2017	B	0.3	30
2019	B	0.4	73
2018	C	0.5	34
2020	C	0.8	55
2021	C	1	110
2022	C	1.5	68
2023	D	3	66

Which Toyota Highlander years reported which system early

Source: NHTSA complaints, odometer at report

Earliest on the record: 2018 engine complaints at 0.3× the mileage of same-age vehicles (median 14,800 miles). Latest: 2018 power train at 2.66× (92,000 miles).

Year	Power Train	Engine	Fuel/Propulsion System	Service Brakes	Electrical System
2021	1.23×	—	—	—	—
2020	1.9×	—	—	—	—
2019	2.41×	0.33×	0.57×	—	0.39×
2018	2.66×	0.3×	0.85×	0.74×	—
2017	0.5×	0.4×	0.95×	0.91×	1.03×
2016	—	—	—	0.7×	—

Each cell is that model year’s median odometer when owners reported the system, divided by the median for the same system across every make’s complaints on the same model year. under 0.67× reported early; 1.5× or more late; a dash means too few readings. When problems get reported, not how often — complaint counts are in the table above. Across the whole fleet: which systems go first.

What owners filed about the Toyota Highlander, by system

Source: NHTSA complaints, recalls, investigations and manufacturer communicationsEvery system, every year →

The systems the federal record is deep on for this nameplate: the complaints per model year, the mileage owners reported them at, and every recall, investigation and manufacturer bulletin filed under the heading — each one linked, none a failure rate.

transmission and drivetrain problems 791 complaints, every model year brake problems 315 complaints, every model year engine problems 273 complaints, every model year fuel system problems 263 complaints, every model year electrical problems 230 complaints, every model year body and structure problems 202 complaints, every model year airbag problems 161 complaints, every model year

What changed year to year

Source: computed from the filed record

2026: 5 → 3 EPA configurations
2025: best combined mpg 36 → 35; 6 → 5 EPA configurations
2020: best combined mpg 29 → 36; 8 → 6 EPA configurations
2017: best combined mpg 28 → 29; 5 → 8 EPA configurations

Compare

All Highlander head-to-heads →Which is better for you? →

Head-to-head	Verdict
2026 Highlander vs Jeep Wagoneer · Large SUV	Wagoneer +16.9
2026 Highlander vs Jeep Grand Cherokee · Large SUV	Highlander +43.8
2026 Highlander vs Ford Explorer · Large SUV	Highlander +16.3
2026 Highlander vs Honda Pilot · Large SUV	Toss-up
2026 Highlander vs Hyundai Palisade · Large SUV	Palisade +4.4
2026 Highlander vs Mazda CX-90 · Large SUV	Toss-up
2025 Highlander vs Kia Telluride · Large SUV	Telluride +6.3

In the studies

Source: computed from the same record, method on each page

Odometer at first complaint · rank 37 of 79 0.92× the mileage of same-age vehicles Toyota Highlander owners reported problems to NHTSA at a median 16,982 miles across 2018–2022 (fleet 23,512), earlier than vehicles of the same model year. 399 readings.Same trim, next model year · 2025 → 2026 +2.7% at the median across 7 matched trims The manufacturer’s announced MSRP for the 2026 Toyota Highlander against the same trim in 2025; the fleet moved +1.8% on 394 matched trims. Base trim $39,520 → $45,570. MSRP excludes destination; not a transaction price.

Common questions about the Toyota Highlander

Source: EPA, NHTSA and manufacturer press kits

Which Toyota Highlander year is the best used buy?

On the recall record, the 2016 Highlander comes out top of the years before the current one: Safety Signal grade B (89/100), 2 recalls and 117 owner complaints on file. That ranks paperwork, not condition — a specific car's history and service record still decide it.

What Toyota Highlander years should I avoid?

2023, 2024 have the weakest recall records in this range. The year pages list every campaign, its severity and whether a repair exists yet. Every Highlander model year ranked, with the reasons.

How many recalls does the Toyota Highlander have?

Across model years 2016–2026, NHTSA has posted 48 recall campaigns for the Toyota Highlander. They are counted per model year in the table above, because a campaign almost never covers the whole run — it covers a build range.