2002 Toyota Highlander problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Visibility (107) · Vehicle Speed Control (29) · Visibility/Wiper (16)
🧭 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
204 NHTSA complaints that reported an odometer reading.
Safety recalls (0)
No recalls on record for this model year (campaigns announced since 2010).
Service bulletins (120)
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 120 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2020-02-27 · Air Bags · 242,523 mi“my air bag lite keeps poping on…”
2019-05-29 · Vehicle Speed Control · 🔥 fire“i saw someone steal my car and told them they hacked. windshield wipers would slow up and down. burning of the electrics when try to charge. car stopping in the middle of the road. car going on and off. the middle of the road, turning back on. speed control messing up. security warning going up and down.. battery would shut on and off. car locks go…”
2018-07-02 · Vehicle Speed Control“accelerator sticiking. vehicle accelerates at 4000 to 5000 rpms had vehice towed to toyota of bedford 440-809-8399…”
2017-12-05 · Vehicle Speed Control · 240,000 mi · 💥 crash“while driving home the car accelerated on it,s own and was unable to stop without rearending another car withall the damage to my car as a mechanic i repaired the body on my own after making repairs i was able to drive the car from the shop i work at to my house the car was idling a little high .i returned toward work the next morning to scan the …”
2017-08-02 · Visibility/Wiper“driver side visor has 2 positions only. down or up. cannot adjust for taller drivers.…”
2017-04-14 · Unknown Or Other“the ac likes to blow hot air when in the max ac setting and the temp knob being in the coldest position. nut being the temp setting gauge comes loose causing the ac to blow hot air. happens anytime if parked or driving.…”
2017-04-01 · Power Train“i have had recurrent transmission problems that cost th ousands to fix but yet are not completely resolved.l just had my transmission completely fail after being serviced 17 months ago. since replacing it, i still have problems with clunking dirt thing in the morning when it tries to change gears. now there is a vibration and i have to take it back…”
2016-09-16 · Vehicle Speed Control · 76,171 mi“vehicle was in motion on a city street going straight slightly downhill and then uphill. the weather was clear. speed was about 15-25 mph. i was braking to slow the car down but the car accelerated on its own ( toyota calls it "unintended acceleration"). the car continued accelerating even though i was pressing the brakes as hard as i could and it…”
2016-08-16 · Visibility/Wiper · 140,000 mi“sun visors fall down while driving. at any given time while driving both sunvisors will fall completely down obstructing view of the road ahead. very dangerous.toyota will not recall.…”
2016-05-27 · Unknown Or Other · 10 mi“i purchased an additional security device. if someone breaks a window, an alarm is supposed to go off. you can test to see if it works by hitting your car key against a closed window & the alarm should go off. it has never worked. at time of purchase the dealership removed the center floor glove compartment assembly. the microphone had fallen off …”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.