2011 Toyota Highlander problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Steering (31) · Visibility/Wiper (25) · Electrical System (13)
🧭 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
144 NHTSA complaints that reported an odometer reading.
Safety recalls (5)
Seats:front Assembly:seat Heater/Cooler 2016-06-02 · campaign 16V396000 · 7,749 vehicles
Defect: Southeast Toyota Distributors, LLC (SET) is recalling certain 2005-2011 4Runner, Highlander, Sequoia, and Sienna, 2005-2010 Avalon and Tundra, 2006-2008 Camry Solara, 2006-2010 Highlander hybrid, 2006-2011 Rav4 and Tacoma, 2007-2010 FJ Cruiser, 2007-2011 Camry hybrid, 2009-2010 Venza, 2010-2012 Prius, 1988-1990 and 2005-2010 Camry, and 1989 and 2009-2010 Corolla vehicles equipped with aftermarket accessory seat heaters with a copper strand heating element. The electrical wiring in the seat heat
Risk: If damaged, the copper strand heating element may short circuit, increasing the risk of a fire.
Fix: SET will notify owners, and dealers will disconnect the seat heaters, free of charge, and refund the purchase price of the seat heater accessory. The recall began on July 14, 2016. Owners may contact SET customer service at 1-866-405-4226. SET number for this recall is SET16B.
Visibility:power Window Devices And Controls 2015-10-22 · campaign 15V689000 · 1,814,284 vehicles
Defect: Toyota Motor Company (Toyota) is recalling certain model year 2009-2011 Tundra, Sequoia, Corolla, Corolla Matrix and Scion xB, 2008-2011 Highlander and Highlander Hybrid, 2007 Camry and Camry Hybrid, 2009 Camry and Camry Hybrid, 2006-2011 RAV4, 2006-2010 Yaris, and 2009-2010 Scion xD and Pontiac Vibe vehicles. During the manufacturing of the Power Window Master Switch (PWMS), grease lubricant may have been inconsistently applied to the sliding electrical contacts.
Risk: If the sliding electrical contacts are not protected by lubricant, debris and moisture that get into the switch may cause a short circuit and the switch assembly may overheat and melt, increasing the risk of a fire.
Fix: Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the switch, applying a lubricant if no abnormality is found. If abnormality is found, the PWMS circuit board will be replaced, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin December 20, 2015. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's number for this recall is C0M.
Seats:front Assembly:seat Heater/Cooler 2014-11-19 · campaign 14V743000 · 3,233 vehicles
Defect: Southeast Toyota Distributors, LLC (SET) is recalling certain model year 2010-2011 Prius and Corolla, 2009-2011 Venza, 2006-2010 Avalon, 2007-2010 FJ Cruiser, 2005-2011 Sienna and Sequoia, 2006-2011 Tacoma 4x2 and 4x4, Camry, Highlander, Tundra 4x2 and 4x4, and 2007-2011 Rav4 and 4Runner. The affected vehicles may experience compression of the seat cushion which may damage the seat heater wiring.
Risk: Damage to the seat heater wiring could cause the wires to short, increasing the risk of the seat burning and causing personal injury to the occupant.
Fix: SET will notify owners, and dealers will disconnect the heaters with copper strand heating elements and refund the purchase price of the seat heater accessory, free of charge. The recall is expected to began in January 2015. Owners may contact SET customer service at 1-866-405-4226.
Equipment:other:labels 2013-04-09 · campaign 13V123000 · 7,525 vehicles
Defect: Southeast Toyota is recalling certain model year 2008 and 2010-2013 Toyota Tundra, 2010-2012 Rav4, 2012 Toyota Sequoia, 2010-2011 Toyota Corolla, 2010-2011 Toyota Camry and Camry Hybrid, 2010-2013 Toyota Highlander and Highlander Hybrid, 2010-2013 Toyota FJ Cruiser, 2011 Toyota Land Cruiser, 2010-2013 Toyota Venza, 2010-2011 Toyota 4Runner, 2010-2013 Toyota Tacoma, 2011-2012 Toyota Sienna, 2012 Toyota Prius, 2013 Scion FR-S, 2011 Scion XD, 2011 Scion XB, and 2012 Scion TC vehicles. These vehicl
Risk: An inaccurate label could lead to owners overloading their vehicles and tires. An overloaded vehicle can result in a tire failure which may result in a vehicle crash, personal injury, or property damage.
Fix: Southeast Toyota will notify owners and provide a corrected label with instructions concerning its installation. A small group of the affected vehicles will need additonal remedies which are still being developed. The recall began on May 28, 2013. Owners may contact Southeast Toyota at 1-800-301-6859.
Seats 2013-01-16 · campaign 13V014000 · 3,235 vehicles
Defect: Southeast Toyota Distributors, LLC (SET) is recalling certain models interspersed through model years 2009 through 2013 as follows: model year 2009-2012 Tacoma, 4Runner, Camry, Camry Hybrid, Prius, and RAV4; model year 2009-2010 Avalon, FJ Cruiser, and Highlander Hybrid; model year 2010-2013 model year Corolla, Sienna and Tundra; model year 2009-2013 Highlander and Venza; model year 2012 Prius V; and model year 2010-2012 Sequoia. During modification by SET to include accessories such as leather
Risk: If the front passenger seat occupant sensing system is out of calibration, the front passenger airbags may not deploy or they may deploy inappropriately for the passenger's size and position. This could increase the risk of personal injury during the event of a vehicle crash necessitating airbag deployment.
Fix: Southeast Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will test the sensitivity of the occupant detection sensors, and recalibrate them as necessary. The recall began on March 21, 2013. Owners may contact Southeast Toyota at 1-800-301-6859.
Service bulletins (315)
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.
Unknown Or Other 2026-01-07 · T-SB-0055-24 Rev2 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
some 2005 – 2026 toyota vehicles that have undergone water intrusion may exhibit a condition in which a musty odor is present. follow the procedures in this bulletin to remediate the odor and address this condition. the purpose of this service bulletin is to provide general guidelines and procedures
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
Showing the 6 most recent of 315 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2026-06-04 · Electrical System:instrument Panel:speedometer/Odometer · 303,000 mi“odometer fraud. the contact purchased a 2011 toyota highlander. it was discovered that there was a mileage discrepancy. the vehicle was a private sale but contacted by a dealer. at the time of purchase, the vehicle mileage was 122,000, and at the time of registration, it was discovered that the mileage was 303,000.…”
2025-11-26 · Unknown Or Other“1. the 3.5l v6 engine (2gr-fe) failed due to the subsequent loss of lubrication caused by the rupture of the oil cooler pipe (rubber component), a manufacturing defect known under tsb t-sb-0201-11 (ze2 program). the failed engine is currently available for inspection by request at the independent service center before it is disposed of. 2. the defe…”
2024-10-11 · Air Bags · 💥 crash“steering wheel air bag did not deploy in front end mva…”
2024-06-25 · Engine“our car had a major oil leak from the engine oil cooler pipe manifold at the bottom of the engine (front). my research has concluded that this has been a known issue with various toyota models with the 2gr-fe engine, however toyota has not issued a recall and the local dealership has never mentioned it during services. the nhtsa has known about t…”
2024-05-25 · Power Train“dear sir/madam, i am writing to file a formal complaint regarding persistent safety issues with my 2011 toyota highlander v6 awd. specifically, i have experienced significant problems related to the engine timing guide, timing chain, transmission system, which pose a risk to both vehicle occupants and other road users. vehicle information: toyot…”
2023-09-04 · Engine“the intake vvt-i gear on 2ar-fe equipped rav-4s and other toyota models has failed after 113k miles. the vehicle is at risk of causing self inflicted damage due to this common issue many toyota owners are facing 2008-2013 highlanders. the part has not been inspected but was diagnosed by a mechanic based on their past experience with these vehicl…”
2023-03-24 · Engine“as my family was driving down interstate 85 in atlanta going around 80 mph a dash notification came on that said "low oil pressure pull over" the notification came on then went away then came back on (car never ran hot). thankfully we were near an exit so we pulled off and into the first parking lot we could find. there was a huge puddle of oil und…”
2023-01-11 · Engine And Engine Cooling:engine:oil/Lubrication: Oil Cooler“pin hole in oil line causing excessive oil leak. loose oil very quickly. could cause permanent damage to engine. had old line replaced by mechanic with a metal line only inspected by my mechanic and there was mention of past recall by my mechanic but it does not show this on your sight. there was no warning lights at all. a coworker noticed ex…”
2022-12-17 · Steering“clicking in steering column light comes on dash for power steering then hard to make turn then well go back off then able to make turns with ease again…”
2022-12-13 · Steering“in the last 30 days, the steering has begun to feel "loose", as if i am driving on ice. at first it was barely perceptable. there has been more "play" in the steering. during the last 2 days, the car is now making a thud when i am steering right. i have an appointment for a mechanic to look at it. the car is a 2011 highlander, awd, with 89,000 mile…”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.