2024 Toyota Highlander problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Service Brakes (6) · Fuel/Propulsion System (5) · Power Train (3)
🧭 Reliability snapshot
Compared against other Toyota Highlander model years — complaint volume vs the model's median year, recalls and severity. How we score →
Safety recalls (7)
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.
Seat Belts:rear/Other:anchorage 2025-12-17 · campaign 25V872000 · 39 vehicles
Defect: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2024-2025 Highlander and Highlander Hybrid vehicles. The third row center seat belt roof anchor may have been installed at an incorrect angle, preventing the seat belt from properly restraining the occupant.
Risk: A seat belt that does not properly restrain an occupant increases the risk of injury during a crash.
Fix: Dealers will reinstall the seat belt anchor with a new bolt, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed January 27, 2026. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's number for this recall is 25TA16.
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.
Electrical System: Instrument Cluster/Panel 2025-09-11 · campaign 25V595000 · 591,377 vehicles
Defect: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2023-2024 Toyota Venza, 2023-2025 RAV4 Prime, RAV4, Highlander, GR Corolla, Crown, 2024-2025 Lexus TX, LS, Toyota Tacoma, Grand Highlander, and 2025 Lexus RX, Toyota Crown Signia, Camry, RAV 4 Plug-in Hybrid (PHEV), and 4 Runner vehicles. Due to an error in the instrument panel software at vehicle startup, the instrument panel may fail to display vehicle speed, brake system, and tire pressure warning lights.
Risk: An instrument panel display that does not show critical information can increase the risk of a crash or injury.
Fix: Dealers will update the instrument panel software over-the-air (OTA) for non-PHEV vehicles, free of charge. For PHEV vehicles, dealers will inspect the instrument panel assembly, and either replace it, or update the software, free of charge. Owner letters were mailed December 5, 2025. Additional letters will be sent, anticipated in May 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 25TB08 and 25TA08. Lexus' numb
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.
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.
Tires 2024-06-06 · campaign 24V419000 · 4,869 vehicles
Defect: Gulf States Toyota, Inc. (GST) is recalling certain 2022-2024 model year Highlander L and Highlander LE vehicles equipped with the Blackout Package that includes 20" black alloy wheels and tires. The installed tires have an insufficient load rating. 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 may be overloaded and fail, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: GST will inspect and replace the tires as necessary, and install a new tire information label as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed August 8, 2024. Owners may contact GST customer service at 1-800-444-1074. GST's number for this recall is 24R1.
Service bulletins (64)
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
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 2025-11-07 · T-SB-0083-25 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
a new head unit software update is available for 2022 – 2025 model year tundra, and tundra hybrid; 2023 – 2025 model year corolla cross, corolla cross hybrid, highlander, highlander hybrid, mirai, and sequoia hybrid vehicles equipped with toyota multimedia versions earlier than version 2230.
Electrical System 2025-09-17 · 22TE09 · Service Campaign
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 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.
Showing the 6 most recent of 64 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2026-10-07 · Seats · 10,000 mi“the contact owns a 2024 toyota highlander. 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 while lowering the 2nd-row seat, the seats failed to remain locked in place as intended. the local dealer was contacted. the contact stated…”
2026-09-01 · Unknown Or Other“i have been experiencing a gas smell issue with my toyota highlander near the rear of the car by gas cap area upon putting in gas and driving. the smell starts typically when it’s a hot day outside and i only usually get half a tank worth of gas. after getting gas and driving about 15-30 mins. is when the smell of gas starts. i recently took my car…”
2026-08-27 · Fuel/Propulsion System“driving the vehicle a strong smell of fuel vapor is noticeable coming from rear driver side of vehicle by rear door and fuel cap area. this happens when car is driven for long periods of time or on hot days. i drive my car daily and it happens every day. smell gets so bad it gets in to the cabin area. causing me to get headaches or light headed fee…”
2026-08-18 · Fuel/Propulsion System“there is a strong odor of gasoline coming from the car, to the point where the fumes are so strong they’re entering our home and making it very unsafe. we brought the vehicle to the toyota dealership, and they said they couldn’t do anything about it. keep in mind the car is still under warranty. upon doing further research from reddit, this seems t…”
2026-06-21 · Seat Belts“the third row seat belts in the 2024 highlander are very difficult to latch. i had to bring my highlander to the dealership twice over the seatbelt buckles in the third row. the buckle part does not lift up high enough to grab the buckle to latch it. anytime a child old enough to be in the third row sits back there an adult has to buckle them becau…”
2026-06-08 · Structure:body“the trunk will not close using any of the buttons. this is an on going issue on so many newer highlanders. …”
2026-05-08 · Power Train“the vehicle started stalling out randomly on the highway even with it being automatic, after getting home and parking it , it would not back up or drive . took it to toyota dealership and they said it’s an internal failure of the transmission which is a ua80 model , it only has 92,000 miles on it they can’t figure out what caused it . there are law…”
2026-05-04 · Unknown Or Other“i've been waiting for a recall repair based on a recall file nearly 8 months ago now. this recall still appears to have no remedy. i continue to get emails about this issue from my dealer, but when i call to schedule the appointment to fix it, they continue to tell me that no remedy is available yet.…”
2026-04-28 · Structure · 155,590 mi“the contact owns a 2024 toyota highlander. the contact stated that there was a leak coming from the roof rack of the vehicle. the contact stated that previous model years since 2021 had experienced similar failures, which caused damage to the srs air bag module. the dealer was notified of the failure. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer …”
2026-04-24 · Service Brakes“braking system when applying brakes, especially when applying downhill, temporarily releases and acts as though brakes are not applied any longer for a brief period of a few seconds then reapplies. it does so that it is very obvious within the car. there is a known issue with the toyota highlander hybrid braking system and it seems that it has not…”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.