2012 Toyota Highlander problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Steering (44) · Visibility/Wiper (14) · Vehicle Speed Control (14)
🧭 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
127 NHTSA complaints that reported an odometer reading.
Safety recalls (2)
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 (320)
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 320 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2026-08-21 · Service Brakes“while driving one day i got the abs light and brake light on on my car screen and the small display showed "barke malfunction" when i did the scan it is c1391 code which is for abs accutator issue. this showed be fixed by toyota dealership for free. this is design issue seems like based on the google search with toyota hybrid vehicles…”
2026-01-04 · Other/I Am Not Sure“the unmatched handle completely broke. so now the insert and the base are stuck together and i can not unlatch them to use this carseat properly to transport my son. i have to take the base and all out of the car as one piece …”
2025-12-29 · Suspension · 160,000 mi“the contact owns a 2012 toyota highlander. the contact stated that 5,000 miles after purchasing the vehicle, the contact noticed an oil leak. the contact performed the oil changes and had noticed that engine oil had leaked down onto the weather seal in the vehicle. the contact noticed several oil stains on the ground during rainy weather. the conta…”
2025-09-25 · Tires:pressure Monitoring And Regulating Systems · 90,200 mi“the contact owns a 2012 toyota highlander. the contact stated that the tpms warning light was illuminated. the vehicle was taken to a tire center, which was unable to determine the cause of the failure. upon further investigation, the contact linked the failure to nhtsa campaign number: 24v452000 (tires). the local dealer was not contacted. the veh…”
2025-07-26 · Structure:body“the paint is malfunction , and is available for inspection upon request. …”
2025-07-05 · Unknown Or Other“i think there is odometer fraud by this company selling this car. [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6)…”
2025-01-09 · Unknown Or Other“2012 toyota highlander blizzard white paint peeling i need help!!! i noticed paint peeling on a side panel 2 months ago and then followed up the peeling to find the entire top of my car is totally peeled! please, help!!! [xxx] [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6)…”
2024-10-20 · Structure:body“hello, to whom it may concern: my 2012 toyota highlander color pearl white vin [xxx] ) has a repaint recall before nov 2024. i was told at the dealer that i have to contact the toyota dealers until i get the opportunity to get it paint. i was told that i had to contact any toyota dealer until i get a date of acceptance. thinking that it was not …”
2024-08-17 · Service Brakes“all brake warning indicators lit up. took it to a mechanic that specializes in hybrids and they diagnosed it as a brake assembly/actuator issue, with a diagnostic code of c1391, with a repair estimate of $4888. found online that there was a toyota customer support program 21te03 that addressed this issue, but my vehicle was outside of both the prim…”
2023-12-01 · Unknown Or Other“2012 toyota highlander was locked & battery was dead. could not unlock using either the key fob or the mechanical key in the fob. was told even the mechanical key requires battery power. …”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.