2019 Toyota Highlander engine problems
74 of the 492 complaints owners filed with NHTSA about the 2019 Toyota Highlander name the engine (NHTSA’s “Engine” heading — the engine and its cooling system). Filed under the same heading: 52 manufacturer bulletins. Every figure below is a document in a federal file, linked; none is a failure rate, and none is a verdict on any one car.
What owners filed about the engine
Source: NHTSA complaint database3 of the 74 reports a crash · 1 a fire · 1 injury. Self-reported, unverified.
Filed per year: 2019: 7 · 2020: 17 · 2021: 9 · 2022: 4 · 2023: 4 · 2024: 7 · 2025: 15 · 2026: 11
Half of the 34 owners who gave an odometer reading reported the engine problem between 5,000 and 26,000 miles. A median of reports, not the life of a part.
492 complaints in all about the 2019 Toyota Highlander, 11 filed in 2026. The whole picture, every system →
Counts are owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects, and scale with how many of these were sold; nothing here is a rate. NHTSA groups complaints coarsely, so “Engine” means the same area of the vehicle, not one fault.
Across model years: Toyota Highlander engine problems, every year on file →
In owners’ own words
Source: NHTSA complaint databaseFiled with NHTSA by the people who own these cars, about the engine. Quoted as written, with anything identifying removed; unverified reports — what was said, not a finding that it was true.
The contact owns a 2019 Toyota Highlander Hybrid. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, there was an oil leak coming from the upper oil pan. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer, where the dealer attempted to repair the leak with a seal. The failure reoccurred.
I received a recall alert early in the year. There is not yet a fix for the low-pressure fuel pump. I have driven the car only a few miles since the notice and the description of the possible failure. I drive I-68 in maryland, much of it with 3 lanes and all up and down mountains.
I own a 2019 Toyota Highlander, it has stalled several times during busy commute to or from work. I AM so scared to drive this vehicle, that I refuse to drive it to any destination longer than 50 miles. I need this car replaced, I have three young children, and I paying for an unsafe, unreliable car.
My vehicle has been rumbling and the check engine light on. A dealer turned it off via reset, but the car is still acting up. We just got a notice from Toyota that the vehicle is at risk of stalling unexpectedly and with no remedy for over a month
When accelerating from a stop, the car abruptly lost power and it felt like the engine was going to stall out completely, but then the car started accelerating again. This happened three time today. In two cases I was needing to accelerate briskly as I was either crossing, or entering onto, a busy street with fast traffic.
What is on file about the engine
Source: NHTSA recalls, investigations and manufacturer communications52 manufacturer bulletins filed under this heading
- T-SB-0009-26 Service bulletinFeb 13, 2026
- This bulletin includes basic procedures for performing a rescue charge on Ni-MH high voltage (HV) batteries. This bulletin should be used in conjunction with the applicable model and model year Repair Manual while performing a rescue charge. The GRX-5100 should be used wherever the Repair Manual references the Toyota Hybrid System (THS) charger.
- T-SB-0119-15 Rev2 Service bulletinFeb 13, 2026
- OBSOLETE NOTICE February 13, 2026: This bulletin is now obsolete. Please see T-SB-0009-26.
The 2 newest are listed; every one is on the model year’s page. Quote the document number at a service desk — it is a diagnosis the maker has already written down.
Trouble codes named on this system
P0A7F P0A80 P0301 P0302 P0303 P0335
Codes a bulletin or an owner’s complaint about the 2019 Toyota Highlander names on this model year; a code with a record of its own links it.
Other systems with a record on the 2019 Toyota Highlander
Source: the same files- fuel system problems 107 complaints
- electrical problems 56 complaints
Common questions
Source: NHTSA complaint database, recalls and manufacturer communicationsAre engine problems common on the 2019 Toyota Highlander?
They are documented: NHTSA holds 74 owner complaints naming the engine on this model year (15% of everything owners filed about it), and 52 manufacturer bulletins are filed under the same heading. Whether it is a problem on one particular car is a diagnosis, not a count, and a count says nothing about how many were sold.
Is there a recall for the engine on the 2019 Toyota Highlander?
No recall campaign is filed under this heading for this model year (there are 3 filed under other headings). A bulletin is not a recall: it carries no federal duty to repair for free.
When do engine problems show up on the 2019 Toyota Highlander?
Owners who gave an odometer reading reported it at a median of 13,000 miles; half of them between 5,000 and 26,000. That is when reports cluster, not the life of a part.
What does NHTSA's "Engine" heading cover?
The engine and its cooling system. Owners choose the heading when they file, so it says which area of the vehicle the complaint is about, not which part failed.