2025 Toyota Highlander problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Vehicle Speed Control (2) · Visibility:sun/Moon Roof Assembly (1) · Vehicle Speed Control:accelerator Pedal (1)
🧭 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 (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.
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
Service bulletins (36)
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.
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 2025-06-13 · 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.
Electrical System 2025-04-02 · T-TT-0779-25 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
to assist with the early detection and early resolution of audio related concerns you may be asked to recover mmr data from the head unit. the following steps are instructions on how to retrieve the data from the system and are only to be used when requested by fts and/or fpe.
Electrical System 2025-04-02 · T-TT-0779-25 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
to assist with the early detection and early resolution of audio related concerns you may be asked to recover mmr data from the head unit. the following steps are instructions on how to retrieve the data from the system and are only to be used when requested by fts and/or fpe.
Showing the 6 most recent of 36 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2026-09-21 · Vehicle Speed Control:accelerator Pedal · 15,000 mi“the contact owns a 2025 toyota highlander. the contact stated that while leaving the driveway at the doctor's office on a slope, the accelerator pedal was depressed while making a left turn, but the vehicle failed to move. the vehicle then rolled into traffic. the brake pedal was depressed, but the vehicle was slow to respond. the dealer informed t…”
2026-07-31 · Vehicle Speed Control · 💥 crash“i was backing up the vechial accelerated the steering wheel was turning rapid & a grinding noise causing me too hit another vechial about a month before my husband was driving & the vechial accelerated going toward also we had had some issues with back camera not doing a warning signal with a object behind vechial when the accident happened my vech…”
2026-07-16 · Steering · 💥 crash“[xxx] was turning left onto [xxx] from [xxx]. two lanes turn left. she was in the inside lane. the traffic light was red, and when it turned green, she started to turn. partway through the turn, the steering became unresponsive. she couldn't get it to turn left, and she could not complete the turn, and crashed into the pole that holds the traf…”
2026-06-03 · Visibility:sun/Moon Roof Assembly · 8,498 mi“the contact owns a 2025 toyota highlander. the contact stated that while she and her husband were driving at 60 mph, she heard a loud explosion noise from above her head and felt air whipping on top of her head. the contact stated that the sunroof exploded; however, the sunroof shield prevented the glass from entering the vehicle. the vehicle was s…”
2026-05-29 · Vehicle Speed Control“the speedometer registers speed up to 7mph over actual speed for the first 15 miles then returns to matching gps speed. reported to toyota, dealer said they have seen this before but not identified a fix as of today …”
2026-01-21 · Engine And Engine Cooling:exhaust System · 100 mi“the contact owns a 2025 toyota highlander. the contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was an abnormally strong odor entering the cabin of the vehicle through the vents. the windows were rolled down due to the obnoxious odor. the vehicle was taken to the dealer and the contact was informed that the vehicle was tested for leaks i…”
2026-01-16 · Unknown Or Other“i am reporting a safety defect in the 2025 toyota highlander hybrid nightshade involving the multifunction turn signal switch. the interior trim adhesive on the steering column has experienced a chemical breakdown (adhesive migration), causing the turn signal stalk to become stiff and bind. this obstruction makes it difficult to engage the turn sig…”
2025-12-25 · Service Brakes“black toyota highlander hybrid awd 2025 ~15000 miles what component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? without any warning, the braking action is delayed. it is a momentary loss and happens occasionally at light braking application, nowhere near hard enough to lock the wheels up the vehicle is avai…”
2025-09-26 · Unknown Or Other“while waiting for a traffic light to change, i pressed the pedal to accelerate, and the car would not move. like my pedal was dead. i have experienced this issue three times. i have also experienced bucking or jerking issues.…”
2025-07-26 · Seat Belts“passenger seat belt won't extend half of the time. we have tried with engine on or off, put it in park and in gear, door open or closed and every other trick. we have pulled the belt straight up and down and every other angle. we have adjusted the height for tall or short riders. we took to the auto dealership, and they said it would not work f…”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.