Toyota Highlander problems, by model year and system
2,522 complaints owners filed with NHTSA about the Toyota Highlander 2016–2026, and the 7 systems the record is deep on — transmission and drivetrain (764), brake (309), engine (270), fuel system (259), electrical (228). Each system has a page across the years; 9 model-year pages go deeper still. Every figure is a linked federal record; none is a failure rate or a verdict on one car.
The systems the record is deep on
Source: NHTSA complaints, recalls, investigations and manufacturer communicationsTransmission and drivetrain problems across every model year, and the years with a page of their own →
Brake problems across every model year, and the years with a page of their own →
Engine problems across every model year, and the years with a page of their own →
Fuel system problems across every model year, and the years with a page of their own →
Electrical problems across every model year, and the years with a page of their own →
Body and structure problems across every model year, and the years with a page of their own →
Airbag problems across every model year, and the years with a page of their own →
Toyota Highlander complaints, year by system
Source: NHTSA complaint database| Model year | transmission and drivetrain | brake | engine | fuel system | electrical | body and structure | airbag |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 2 in all | 1 | — | 1 | — | — | — | — |
| 2025 10 in all | — | 2 | 1 | — | — | — | — |
| 2024 42 in all | 3 | 8 | 5 | 8 | 6 | 5 | — |
| 2023 191 in all | 20 | 19 | 28 | 17 | 13 | 35 | — |
| 2022 265 in all | 54 | 40 | 2 | — | 22 | 46 | 29 |
| 2021 537 in all | 222 | 68 | 47 | 32 | 28 | 55 | 50 |
| 2020 326 in all | 126 | 41 | 17 | 20 | 18 | 32 | 36 |
| 2019 492 in all | 199 | 20 | 74 | 107 | 56 | 13 | 15 |
| 2018 271 in all | 66 | 59 | 34 | 37 | 24 | 13 | 19 |
| 2017 270 in all | 73 | 30 | 51 | 38 | 47 | — | — |
| 2016 116 in all | — | 22 | 10 | — | 14 | — | 10 |
Complaints owners filed with NHTSA naming each system, per model year; a bold count links the year’s own page on that system. Counts scale with sales and with time on the road; nothing here is a rate, and NHTSA’s headings are coarse (“Power Train” is the transmission and the driveline).
Common questions
Source: NHTSA complaint databaseWhich Toyota Highlander system draws the most complaints?
Transmission and drivetrain: 764 complaints across 11 model years, 30% of everything owners filed about the Toyota Highlander. A count, not a rate — it says nothing about how many were sold.
Which Toyota Highlander year has the most complaints?
2021 (537), 2019 (492), 2020 (326). Older years have had longer to collect them; the year pages show each year's share by system.