2023 Toyota Highlander Hybrid problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Structure (3) · Vehicle Speed Control (1) · Steering (1)
🧭 Reliability snapshot
Compared against other Toyota Highlander Hybrid model years — complaint volume vs the model's median year, recalls and severity. How we score →
Safety recalls (6)
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.
Back Over Prevention:display Function 2025-10-30 · campaign 25V744000 · 1,024,407 vehicles
Defect: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2022-2026 Toyota, Lexus, and Subaru Solterra vehicles equipped with a Panoramic View Monitor (PVM) system. Please see the recall report for a complete list of models. A software error may cause the rearview camera to freeze or display a blank screen when the vehicle is in reverse. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 111, "Rear Visibility."
Risk: A rearview camera that fails to display an image can reduce the driver's view behind the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will update the parking assist software, free of charge. Owner letters were mailed January 2, 2026. Owners may contact Toyota's customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's numbers for this recall are 25TB13 and 25LB06. Subaru's number for this recall is WRE25.
Air Bags:frontal:driver Clockspring/Spiral Cassette 2025-01-29 · campaign 25V040000 · 1,716 vehicles
Defect: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2023 Toyota Corolla, Corolla Cross, Corolla Cross Hybrid, Highlander, Highlander Hybrid, Tacoma, Lexus RX350, 2023-2024 NX250, and NX350 vehicles that may have been incorrectly repaired under previous NHTSA recall number 23V-480. An electrical connection inside the steering column's spiral cable assembly may be insufficiently welded, causing the connection to separate and deactivate the driver's air bag. As such, these vehi
Risk: A deactivated driver's air bag will not deploy as intended, increasing the risk of injury during a crash.
Fix: Dealers will inspect and replace the spiral cable assembly as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed March 17, 2025. Owners may contact Toyota's customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's number for this recall is 25TA02. Lexus' number for this recall is 25LA02.
Equipment:other:labels 2024-07-23 · campaign 24V548000 · 33,848 vehicles
Defect: Gulf States Toyota, Inc. (GST) is recalling certain Toyota 2023 GR Supra, 2024 4 Runner, Corolla, Grand Highlander, Grand Highlander Hybrid, Land Cruiser Hybrid, Tacoma, Tacoma Hybrid, 2023-2024 BZ4X, Corolla Cross Hybrid, GR Corolla, GR86, Highlander, Highlander Hybrid, Prius, Prius Prime, Sequoia Hybrid, Tundra, Tundra Hybrid, Venza Hybrid, 2023-2025 Crown, and 2025 Camry Hybrid vehicles equipped with GST accessories. The load carrying capacity modification label may display inaccurate added
Risk: A vehicle with an incorrect maximum capacity weight value may be overloaded, which can increase the risk of a crash.
Fix: GST will mail new labels to owners, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed September 16, 2024. Owners may contact GST customer service at 1-800-444-1074. GST's number for this recall is 24R2.
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.
Air Bags:frontal:driver Clockspring/Spiral Cassette 2023-07-12 · campaign 23V480000 · 152,927 vehicles
Defect: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2023 Corolla, Corolla Cross, Corolla Cross Hybrid, Highlander, Highlander Hybrid, Tacoma, 2023 Lexus RX350, RX350 Hybrid, RX500 Hybrid, 2023-2024 Lexus NX250, NX350, and NX350 Hybrid vehicles. An electrical connection inside the steering column's spiral cable assembly may be insufficiently welded, causing the connection to separate and deactivate the driver's air bag. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirem
Risk: A deactivated driver's air bag that does not deploy as intended increases the risk of injury during a crash.
Fix: Dealers will inspect and replace the spiral cable assembly, if necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed September 8, 2023. Owners may contact Toyota's customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's number for this recall is 23TA08. Lexus' number for this recall is 23LA02.
Service bulletins (117)
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.
Engine 2026-08-20 · T-SB-0110-20 Rev2 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
obsolete notice august 20, 2026: this bulletin is now obsolete. please see t-sb-0051-26.
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 2026-05-14 · 22TE09 · Warranty Program/Extension
although the hv floor under wire harness and rear traction motor cable is covered by toyota’s new vehicle limited warranty for 3 years or 36,000 miles (whichever comes first), we at toyota care about the customers’ ownership experience. toyota is providing extended coverage under this customer suppo
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
Engine 2026-02-27 · T-SB-0104-21 Rev2 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
obsolete notice february 27, 2026: this bulletin is no longer applicable and is now obsolete.
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
Showing the 6 most recent of 117 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2026-07-09 · Seats“the contact owns a 2023 toyota highlander hybrid. the contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 26v128000 (seats); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. the contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. the dealer was made aware of the issue and confirme…”
2024-08-29 · Vehicle Speed Control · 20,000 mi“the contact owns a 2023 toyota highlander hybrid. the contact stated that while depressing the brake pedal, the vehicle surged forward and accelerated before coming to a stop. the failure occurred intermittently; however, the failure seemed most pronounced while decelerating from highway speeds. there were no warning lights illuminated. the dealer …”
2024-08-28 · Service Brakes · 6,000 mi“the contact owns a 2023 toyota highlander hybrid. the contact stated that while depressing the brake pedal, there was a hesitation, and the vehicle surged forward before coming to a stop. there were no warning lights illuminated. the contact became aware of tsb 0059/23, nhtsa id number: 10244133 (electrical system, air bags, service brakes) for the…”
2024-07-15 · Structure“the contact owns a 2023 toyota highlander hybrid. the contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle struck a bird and the lower front bumper assembly detached. the vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the lower bumper assembly. the vehicle was not repaired. after investigating the failure, the conta…”
2024-05-14 · Structure“the contact owns a 2023 toyota highlander hybrid. the contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 23v720000 (structure) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. the local dealer was contacted. the contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. the manufacturer…”
2024-04-25 · Structure“the contact owns a 2023 toyota highlander hybrid. the contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 23v720000 (structure) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. the local dealer was contacted, and it was confirmed that the part was not yet available. the contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable …”
2024-01-04 · Seat Belts“the contact owns a 2023 toyota highlander hybrid. the contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed with the seat belt securely buckled, the seat belt strap failed to retract to secure the driver safely. the contact stated that the seat belt strap fell in between the seat and underneath driver. no warning lights were illuminated. the ve…”
2023-10-16 · Steering“the contact owns a 2023 toyota highlander hybrid. the contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 23v480000 (steering) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. the contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. the manufacturer was made aware of the issue. the conta…”
2023-06-27 · Unknown Or Other“2023 toyota highlander hybrid- emailed forwarded from u.s. senator blackburn's office. consumer states: "i am writing to let you know that as a dedicated toyota customer for over 35 years and purchased over 8 vehicles, i am very disappointed with the lack of any customer service associated with the purchase of a 2023 highlander hybrid in november 2…”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.