2018 Toyota Highlander problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Power Train (63) · Service Brakes (44) · Engine (17)
🧭 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
111 NHTSA complaints that reported an odometer reading.
Safety recalls (5)
Fuel System, Gasoline:delivery:fuel Pump 2020-11-04 · campaign 20V682000 · 1,525,742 vehicles
Defect: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2018-2019 4Runner, 2019-2020 Avalon, 2019 Corolla Hatchback, 2017-2019 Highlander, 2018-2020 Camry, 2020 Corolla, 2018-2019 Land Cruiser, 2017-2020 Tacoma, 2019-2020 RAV4, 2019-2020 Sequoia, 2017-2020 Sienna, 2019-2020 Tundra, 2018-2020 Lexus ES350, 2017 Lexus GS200t, 2017-2019 Lexus GS350, 2019 Lexus GS300, 2018-2020 Lexus LC500h, 2019-2020 Lexus LS500, 2018-2019 Lexus GX460, 2017 Lexus IS200t, 2019 Lexus IS300, 2019 Lexus I
Risk: If the fuel pump fails, the engine can stall while driving, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will replace the fuel pump assembly with an improved one, free of charge. Owners of specific models were notified that remedy parts were available starting January 21, 2021. Owners of other models will be notified as remedy parts become available. Remedy parts should be available for all affected vehicles by late March 2021. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-888-270-9371 or Lexus customer service at 1-800-255-3987. Note: This recall is an
Fuel System, Gasoline:delivery:fuel Pump 2020-01-13 · campaign 20V012000 · 1,830,752 vehicles
Defect: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) recalled certain 2018-2019 4Runner, Highlander, Camry, Land Cruiser, Sequoia, Sienna, Tacoma and Tundra, and Lexus RC 300, RC 350, GS 350, GX 460, IS 300, LC 500, LS 500, LX 570, RX 350L, and 2019 Toyota Avalon and Corolla, and certain Lexus NX 300, and ES 350 vehicles on January 13, 2020. On March 4, 2020, Toyota expanded the recall to include certain 2014-2015 Toyota 4Runner and Land Cruiser, 2018 Avalon, Corolla, 2014 FJ Cruiser, 2017 Sienna
Risk: If the fuel pump fails, the engine can stall while driving, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will replace the fuel pump, free of charge. The recall began May 4, 2020. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-888-270-9371 or Lexus customer service at 1-800-255-3987. Toyota's numbers for this recall are 20TB02 and 20TA02 for Toyota vehicles and 20LB01 and 20LA01 for Lexus vehicles.
Visibility:windshield 2018-11-27 · campaign 18E107000 · 8,202 vehicles
Defect: Fujian Wanda Automobile Glass Industry (Wanda) is recalling certain aftermarket Replacement Windshields sold for use in 2014-2018 Toyota Highlander vehicles. The windshields have an attached wire harness that water may leak into, possibly causing damage to the vehicle's Engine Control Module (ECM).
Risk: The ECM damage may result in the engine stalling, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Wanda will notify owners, and service centers will replace the windshields, and inspect the ECM for damage, having it replaced, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began January 29, 2019. Owners may contact Wanda customer service at 1-864-281-2760.
Service Brakes, Hydraulic:power Assist:vacuum 2018-04-03 · campaign 18V211000 · 6,046 vehicles
Defect: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2018 Toyota Camry and Highlander vehicles, 2017 Toyota Sienna and Tacoma vehicles and 2017 Lexus RX350 vehicles. During the manufacturing process, the oil galley in the rotor for the brake booster vacuum pump assembly may have been improperly machined possibly resulting in a sudden loss of brake assist.
Risk: A sudden loss of braking assist can increase the risk of a crash.
Fix: Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will replace the brake booster vacuum pump, free of charge. The recall began on May 9, 2018. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-888-270-9371, or Lexus customer service at 1-800-255-3987. Toyota's numbers for this recall are J0K/JLD.
Equipment:other:labels 2017-12-20 · campaign 17V831000 · 649 vehicles
Defect: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2017-2018 Toyota 4Runner and Tundra, 2018 Toyota Highlander, RAV4 and Lexus GX460 and 2017 Toyota Sienna and Tacoma vehicles. These vehicles may have incorrect load carrying capacity modification labels. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 110, "Tire Selection and Rims."
Risk: An incorrect load information label can result in the operator overloading the vehicle and increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Toyota will notify owners and provide them with corrected labels, free of charge. The recall began on January 23, 2018. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's numbers for this recall are H0Z for Toyota vehicles, and HLF for Lexus vehicles.
Service bulletins (253)
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
Electrical System 2025-08-20 · T-TT-0790-25 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
some customers may experience echoing on the line calling the vehicle when using bluetooth hands free. this is caused by the phone hands free volume being too low.
Electrical System 2025-06-13 · T-SB-0058-23 Rev1 · Service Campaign
the air conditioning dye injection tool kit has been developed to aid in identifying the location of air conditioning refrigerant leaks. the procedures outlined in this service bulletin aid in locating, inspecting, and repairing refrigerant leaks.
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
Showing the 6 most recent of 253 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2026-10-28 · Power Train“ua80 transmission which has known issues failed. dealer reports that while the transmission has exact symptoms of other ua80 transmission that are covered under recall, our serial number is not covered. quoted $12454 to replace transmission that has known failure issues …”
2026-10-27 · Unknown Or Other“within 1 mile of the dealership, the new to us, 2018 highlander was: -lunging, not accelerating/delayed shifting -unpredictable surging -unintended acceleration -excessive revving before upshifting i brought it back to the dealership & was given a loaner vehicle once the transmission line was supposedly fixed, i drove it home. then discovered it…”
2026-10-26 · Power Train“while driving, my vehicle experienced a severe and sudden failure of the aisin ua80f 8-speed automatic transmission. the transmission exhibits erratic and hard shifting, severe hesitation, and a dangerous delay in acceleration when trying to merge into traffic or accelerate from a complete stop. frequently, the engine revs high, but the transmissio…”
2026-10-24 · Unknown Or Other“the ua80 transmission on my 2018 toyota highlander limited awd began the "death whine" at 110,000 miles. brought it directly to a toyota dealer and was told the transmission needed full replacement. seems to be very common with these transmissions and there's a service bulletin that's advertised from toyota (our vin number was not covered despite t…”
2026-10-18 · Unknown Or Other“my transmission had to be replaced at 30,000 miles and a year and two weeks later it needs replaced again at 42000 miles. toyota will only cover 1/2 the replacement the second time and nothing the first.…”
2026-10-04 · Power Train“i took my car in to the dealer for a noticable hum sound that was staying to occur. ua80 transmission model has been determined to be failing by the dealership that i took it to. they determined there's metal flakes showing in the fluid.…”
2026-09-30 · Power Train · 130,000 mi“the contact owns a 2018 toyota highlander. the contact stated that while driving 75 mph, there was an audible chime followed by the message "transmission overheating". the vehicle started jerking and hesitating while depressing the accelerator pedal. additionally, there was a burning odor coming from the vehicle. due to the failure, the contact pul…”
2026-09-27 · Power Train“i would like to report a transmission problem with my 2018 toyota highlander xle which i purchased in xxx with 108,000 miles. since about mid-xxx it has been making a noticeable whine under acceleration in the speed range of about 35-50 mph. i had the noise diagnosed on xxx at the toyota of [xxx] dealership; they confirmed it and said it cannot be …”
2026-09-14 · Power Train“whining noise in the transmission …”
2026-08-31 · Power Train“whining sound in the transmission, including high-pitched whining, erratic shifting, clunks, hesitation, and premature failure. these vehicles are equipped with the ua80f (awd) and ua80e (fwd) 8-speed automatic transmissions.…”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.