2021 Toyota Highlander problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Power Train (218) · Service Brakes (58) · Structure:body (28)
🧭 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
45 NHTSA complaints that reported an odometer reading.
Safety recalls (4)
Seats:mid/Rear Assembly:recliner 2026-03-05 · campaign 26V128000 · 686,588 vehicles
Defect: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2021-2025 Highlander and Highlander Hybrid vehicles. The second-row seat backs may fail to lock into position during seat back adjustment.
Risk: A seat back that fails to lock may not properly restrain an occupant during a crash, increasing the risk of injury.
Fix: Dealers will replace the return springs in the seat back recliner assemblies, free of charge. Owner letters were mailed September 9, 2026. This is a phased recall. Owners may contact Toyota’s customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's numbers for this recall are 26TB06 and 26TA06.
Tires 2024-06-18 · campaign 24V452000 · 4,763 vehicles
Defect: Southeast Toyota Distributors, LLC (SET) is recalling certain 2021-2024 Highlander vehicles. The 20-inch accessory tires with an insufficient load rating for the vehicle's Gross Axle Weight Rating (GAWR) were installed. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 110, "Tire Selection and Rims."
Risk: Tires with an insufficient load rating can be overloaded and fail, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: SET will inspect and replace the tires and information placard, as necessary free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed August 16, 2024. Owners may contact SET's customer service at 1-866-405-4226. SET's number for this recall is SET24A.
Air Bags:sensor:occupant Classification 2023-12-20 · campaign 23V865000 · 999,901 vehicles
Defect: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2020-2021 Avalon, Avalon Hybrid, Corolla, Highlander, Highlander Hybrid, RAV4, RAV4 Hybrid, Lexus ES350, Lexus RX350, Lexus RX450H, 2021 Sienna Hybrid, Lexus ES250, 2020-2022 Camry, Camry Hybrid, and ES300H vehicles. A short circuit may develop in the Occupant Classification System (OCS) sensor, preventing the front passenger air bag from deploying.
Risk: An air bag that does not deploy during a crash increases the risk of injury.
Fix: Dealers will inspect and replace the sensor as necessary, free of charge. Interim letters notifying owners of the safety risk were mailed in February 2024. Some final remedy owner letters were mailed October 31, 2024. Letters will continue to be mailed in phases through January 2026. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's number for this recall is 23TB15/23TA15 Lexus 23LB03/23LA03.
Structure:body:bumpers 2023-10-26 · campaign 23V720000 · 750,795 vehicles
Defect: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2020-2023 Highlander & Highlander Hybrid vehicles. During normal vehicle operation, minor impact to the front lower bumper cover may result in the cover coming loose or detaching.
Risk: A detached front bumper cover can become a road hazard, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will repair or replace the upper and lower front bumper covers as necessary, free of charge. Owner letters were mailed April 22, 2024. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's number for this recall is 23TB12/23TA12.
Service bulletins (180)
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 2026-06-25 · T-SB-0040-24 Rev1 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
some 2020 – 2026 model year highlander and highlander hybrid vehicles may exhibit a water leak from the roof rack attachment clips. this may be caused by the sealant in the roof channel obstructing the proper seating position for the clip gasket.
Electrical System 2026-03-18 · T-SB-0021-26 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
some 2020 – 2024 model year highlander and highlander hybrid vehicles may exhibit a condition in which the air conditioner does not cool due to a leak and/or corrosion in the rear underbody air conditioner tube and accessory assembly. the anti-corrosion material has been updated to reduce the possib
Electrical System 2026-01-30 · T-SB-0106-22 Rev2 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
obsolete notice january 30, 2026: this bulletin is now obsolete. please see t-sb-0001-26.
Electrical System 2026-01-28 · T-SB-0001-26 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
some 2018 – 2024 model year toyota vehicles equipped with a premium audio with dynamic navigation system require a special service tool (sst) usb flash drive to update the map, points of interest, and system software.
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 2025-11-18 · T-SB-0086-25 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
some 2020 – 2023 model year highlander and highlander hybrid vehicles may exhibit a condition in which the power back door (pbd) will not open or close and/or stops moving while opening or closing. a modified pbd unit assembly is available to address these conditions.
Showing the 6 most recent of 180 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2026-10-29 · Seats“when driving i had to brake hard to avoid a collision. my daughter was riding in the front passenger seat. both my daughter and myself were buckled in our seat belts. when i had to brake, her seat moved all the way to the front position and she was thrown forward towards the front windshield. there is an active recall for my car where the recliner …”
2026-10-29 · Power Train“my 2021 toyota highlander xle began making a high-pitched whining noise when accelerating. when researching this noise, associated with the make, model, and year of my vehicle, it became apparent that the noise is associated with a manufacturer's defect in the [xxx]‑speed transmission (toyota [xxx]). the cited notification states that the correcti…”
2026-10-22 · Power Train“i recently purchased a 2021 toyota highlander platinum. within a few weeks from purchase, the transmission started making a whining noise. upon further research, it was discovered that toyota has been installing the ua80=f transmission in their vehicles, knowing full well that there are serious issues with this particular transmission. but yet they…”
2026-10-21 · Vehicle Speed Control · 150,000 mi · 💥 crash“the contact owns a 2021 toyota highlander. the contact stated that while driving at slower speeds and attempting to park the vehicle, the vehicle unintendedly accelerated into a rail while the brake pedal was depressed. the vehicle was towed to a nearby collision center for the repair. the contact sustained injuries to the left leg, left hand, and …”
2026-10-11 · Visibility/Wiper“on november 19, 2025, the 12.3-inch infotainment display in my 2021 toyota highlander limited went black and never recovered. that screen is the only display for the rear-view backup camera. with it dead, there is no backup camera image when reversing. the failure started as an intermittent blank screen with the reverse camera still working, then p…”
2026-10-09 · Power Train · 70,100 mi“the contact owns a 2021 toyota highlander. the contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was a loud high-pitched whining sound coming from the vehicle. the contact stated that the vehicle hesitated while accelerating and the transmission was shifting rough. the contact stated that the vehicle had experienced an internal trans…”
2026-10-06 · Power Train“noticed a whine noise slowly progressing over a couple of weeks. researched the sound and took it for diagnostic eval. with holman toyota in mt. laurel, nj on 10/3/2026. as suspected, the transmission is failing. mechanic documented via video the fluid sample containing suspended metallic particles with discoloration and burnt odor. they also veri…”
2026-10-05 · Service Brakes“when traveling at slower speeds and applying the brakes on a slight decline, my 2021 toyota highlander hybrid lurches forward with alarming force. on probably 5 separate occasions, this has nearly resulted in me lurching into traffic running perpendicular to me. i have come within 2-3 feet of lunging into oncoming traffic and i am probably the post…”
2026-10-04 · Power Train“we bought a 2021 toyota tacoma platinum in november 2020. in february 2021, toyota issued a technical service bulletin t-sb-0008-21. the bulletin say transmissions may exhibit a whine or grind noise from the transmission. this condition may be caused by an issue with the front carrier assembly pinion shafts. this bulletin says repair is covered und…”
2026-10-04 · Power Train“65k miles on the vehicle and have started to get a whining noise from the transmission during acceleration. ua80f transmission installed with multiple class action lawsuits against toyota for this issue as it leads to catastrophic failure with high replacement cost. stopped driving the vehicle and looking into transmission replacement options. toyo…”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.