2001 Toyota Highlander problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Vehicle Speed Control (14) · Visibility (12) · Engine And Engine Cooling (9)
🧭 Reliability snapshot
Compared against other Toyota Highlander model years — complaint volume vs the model's median year, recalls and severity. How we score →
🛣️ Complaints by mileage
80 NHTSA complaints that reported an odometer reading.
Safety recalls (0)
No recalls on record for this model year (campaigns announced since 2010).
Service bulletins (135)
Technical service bulletins are repair instructions manufacturers send dealers for known issues. Unlike recalls, the fix is not automatically free — but naming the bulletin at the service desk can save diagnosis time and support goodwill repairs.
Structure:body 2024-12-06 · T-SB-0039-24 Rev2 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
the condition known as acid rain is caused by airborne chemicals or particles in the atmosphere, which mix with rainwater, nighttime dew, or high humidity to form acidic compounds. if these contaminants settle and remain on a painted vehicle surface, especially the horizonal areas of the hood, roof,
Structure:body 2024-12-06 · T-SB-0038-24 Rev2 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
to prevent brake rotor rust from forming during transportation and storage, wheel film will be used instead of a cardboard type of anti-rust cover. the purpose of the wheel film is to shield the disc brake rotor from weather elements and initial rust before the vehicle is delivered to the customer.
Structure:body 2024-12-06 · T-SB-0035-24 Rev2 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
acid rain results from rainwater or other airborne moisture that become acidic due to industrial chemical impurities in the atmosphere. if these acidic compounds settle on an exposed vehicle, especially the horizontal areas such as the hood, roof, and decklid, significant damage to the painted surfa
Structure:body 2024-12-05 · T-SB-0061-23 Rev2 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
toyota vehicles are currently protected with rapgardtm protective film designed to protect the horizontal painted surfaces. this material protects from acid rain, environmental fallout, and rail contamination. follow the removal procedure in this bulletin to remove the rapgardtm protective film wi
Structure:body 2024-12-03 · T-SB-0062-23 Rev2 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
vehicles may occasionally be subjected to contamination by airborne iron particles shed from railroad tracks, train wheels, exposure to heavy machinery facilities, grinding, welding, etc. this type of contamination can be identified by the presence of small, red or brown particles on the paint surfa
Structure:body 2024-07-12 · T-SB-0039-24 Rev1 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
the condition known as acid rain is caused by airborne chemicals or particles in the atmosphere, which mix with rainwater, nighttime dew, or high humidity to form acidic compounds. if these contaminants settle and remain on a painted vehicle surface, especially the horizonal areas of the hood, roof,
Showing the 6 most recent of 135 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2020-05-12 · Tires · 102,742 mi“my front tires, (from a set of four), have parts of the tread separating from the tire body. the rubber under the missing pieces of tread has a texture like popcorn. the inner surface of the rubber is shiny and smooth. *dt it is not from gouging, force, or abuse to the tires. it is as if the manufacturing process used two different batches of ru…”
2018-03-12 · Structure:body · 125,000 mi“sunroof glass blew off of the vehicle on the highway yesterday. i see numerous reports of this on the internet. was there ever a tsb or recall for this issue from toyota? dangerous and scary, happened in traffic.…”
2017-09-12 · Structure:body“i am sole owner of this vehicle since bought it new and well maintain it. dashboard and steering wheel are peeling and gooey. toyota service dealership told me nothing they can do about it and asked me to call toyota. i called and filed a complaint no. 1709121290 with toyota. they told me they had recalls on other models but not this one so it …”
2017-05-19 · Vehicle Speed Control · 105,000 mi · 💥 crash“on 11/17/2015 i hit a parking island in an unlit parking lot. when i tried to stop, my brakes failed. this caused me to lose control of the vehicle and it hit 2 parked cars and a tree. i have lost wages and live in pain every day due to injuries from this accident.…”
2016-05-27 · Visibility/Wiper · 122,000 mi“driver side visor will not stay up. it droops approximately 60 degrees when lower to block sun.…”
2015-08-04 · Vehicle Speed Control · 141,980 mi · 💥 crash“tl* the contact owns a 2001 toyota highlander. the contact stated while attempting to park, the vehicle suddenly accelerated independently and crashed into a parked vehicle. the contact shifted the vehicle into reverse and crashed into the rear of a second vehicle. the police was contacted, but a report was not filed. the driver sustained whiplash …”
2015-05-08 · Structure:body · 168,000 mi“faulty stop lights, after several attempts to repair the stop lights. the problem remains unsolved and keeps coming back on both tail lights. what's wrong toyota? …”
2015-01-27 · Air Bags · 111,000 mi“tl* the contact owns a 2001 toyota highlander. the contact stated that the air bag warning light illuminated. the vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed that the spiral cable needed to be replaced; however, the part to do the repair was unavailable. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 111,000.…”
2015-01-26 · Engine · 90,000 mi“toyota had a problem with there 4 cylinder engines in camry and highlander with engine mountain threads pulling away for a three or four year period. my car started leaking oil about 90,000 miles when i took in to a dealer he told me about the problem and toyota did not issue a recall. i was told only fix is a new engine. they also had a problem wi…”
2014-11-01 · Service Brakes · 💥 crash“wiring problem with passenger side brake light. kept replacing bulb, then replacing socket, now going to put a whole kit. toyota neglected to tell me this in the first place, even after several tickets and wasted money on different things telling me it would fix the problem. *tr…”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.