2003 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER — Owner-Reported Problems

NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation Snapshot 2026-08-22 254 complaints · 2 recalls
Most-reported system: ENGINE (81 complaints · 31.9%)
Safety signals:
  • Crashes 33
  • Fires 1
  • Injuries 11
  • Deaths 0
Compare with 2002 →
NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Component Problem Distribution

Share of owner complaints filed for each vehicle system (unaffected by sales volume)

Component Problem Distribution ENGINE appears in 81 of 254 owner complaints (31.9%) in this vehicle snapshot. ENGINE: 81 complaints, 31.9% of reports ENGINE 81 · 31.9% · 1 crash reports VISIBILITY: 33 complaints, 13.0% of reports VISIBILITY 33 · 13.0% VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL: 25 complaints, 9.8% of reports VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 25 · 9.8% · 14 crash reports SERVICE BRAKES: 21 complaints, 8.3% of reports SERVICE BRAKES 21 · 8.3% · 5 crash reports STRUCTURE: 17 complaints, 6.7% of reports STRUCTURE 17 · 6.7% · 3 crash reports EXTERIOR LIGHTING: 14 complaints, 5.5% of reports EXTERIOR LIGHTING 14 · 5.5% FUEL SYSTEM: 9 complaints, 3.5% of reports FUEL SYSTEM 9 · 3.5% · 3 crash reports POWER TRAIN: 9 complaints, 3.5% of reports POWER TRAIN 9 · 3.5% · 1 crash reports AIR BAGS: 6 complaints, 2.4% of reports AIR BAGS 6 · 2.4% · 3 crash reports UNKNOWN OR OTHER: 94 complaints, 37.0% of reports UNKNOWN OR OTHER 94 · 37.0% · 12 crash reports 0% 25% 50% 75% 100%

UNKNOWN OR OTHER is an NHTSA classification artifact and is always listed last.

View component data as a table
System / Component Complaints Share of Reports Safety Reports (Crashes / Fires)
ENGINE 81 31.9% 1 crashes · 0 fires
VISIBILITY 33 13.0% 0 crashes · 0 fires
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 25 9.8% 14 crashes · 0 fires
SERVICE BRAKES 21 8.3% 5 crashes · 0 fires
STRUCTURE 17 6.7% 3 crashes · 0 fires
EXTERIOR LIGHTING 14 5.5% 0 crashes · 0 fires
FUEL SYSTEM 9 3.5% 3 crashes · 0 fires
POWER TRAIN 9 3.5% 1 crashes · 0 fires
AIR BAGS 6 2.4% 3 crashes · 0 fires
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 94 37.0% 12 crashes · 0 fires
NHTSA Consumer Complaints, NHTSA Safety Recalls, and NHTSA Defect Investigations Snapshot 2026-08-22 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Problem & Recall Timeline

Observed complaint volume and manufacturer recall actions over time

Problem & Recall Timeline Owner reports in this snapshot begin in Jan 2003; the first recall shown was reported in Dec 2002. 2003-Q1: 4 owner reports 4 2003-Q2: 4 owner reports 4 2003-Q3: 10 owner reports 10 2003-Q4: 3 owner reports 3 2004-Q1: 3 owner reports 3 2004-Q2: 6 owner reports 6 2004-Q3: 5 owner reports 5 2004-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 2005-Q1: 2 owner reports 2 2005-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2005-Q3: 3 owner reports 3 2005-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2006-Q1: 3 owner reports 3 2006-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2007-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2007-Q3: 3 owner reports 3 2007-Q4: 4 owner reports 4 2008-Q1: 3 owner reports 3 2008-Q2: 3 owner reports 3 2008-Q3: 2 owner reports 2 2008-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2009-Q1: 3 owner reports 3 2009-Q2: 6 owner reports 6 2009-Q3: 7 owner reports 7 2009-Q4: 3 owner reports 3 2010-Q1: 24 owner reports 24 2010-Q2: 5 owner reports 5 2010-Q3: 9 owner reports 9 2010-Q4: 13 owner reports 13 2011-Q1: 9 owner reports 9 2011-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 2011-Q3: 2 owner reports 2 2011-Q4: 6 owner reports 6 2012-Q1: 3 owner reports 3 2012-Q2: 10 owner reports 10 2012-Q3: 7 owner reports 7 2012-Q4: 3 owner reports 3 2013-Q1: 9 owner reports 9 2013-Q2: 8 owner reports 8 2013-Q3: 5 owner reports 5 2013-Q4: 4 owner reports 4 2014-Q1: 5 owner reports 5 2014-Q2: 7 owner reports 7 2014-Q3: 4 owner reports 4 2014-Q4: 4 owner reports 4 2015-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2015-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 2015-Q3: 4 owner reports 4 2016-Q1: 2 owner reports 2 2016-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 2016-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2016-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2017-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2017-Q2: 3 owner reports 3 2017-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 2018-Q1: 2 owner reports 2 2018-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2019-Q1: 2 owner reports 2 2019-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2019-Q4: 3 owner reports 3 2020-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2023-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2023-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 Owner reports Dec 2002 Apr 2023 Recall campaign 02V339000 ◆ Recall campaign 02V339000 Recall campaign 04V181000 ◆ Recall campaign 04V181000
  • Campaign 04V181000 was reported 443 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
View timeline records as a table
Date Record type Count Record identifier
2003-Q1 Owner reports 4
2003-Q2 Owner reports 4
2003-Q3 Owner reports 10
2003-Q4 Owner reports 3
2004-Q1 Owner reports 3
2004-Q2 Owner reports 6
2004-Q3 Owner reports 5
2004-Q4 Owner reports 2
2005-Q1 Owner reports 2
2005-Q2 Owner reports 1
2005-Q3 Owner reports 3
2005-Q4 Owner reports 1
2006-Q1 Owner reports 3
2006-Q3 Owner reports 1
2007-Q2 Owner reports 1
2007-Q3 Owner reports 3
2007-Q4 Owner reports 4
2008-Q1 Owner reports 3
2008-Q2 Owner reports 3
2008-Q3 Owner reports 2
2008-Q4 Owner reports 1
2009-Q1 Owner reports 3
2009-Q2 Owner reports 6
2009-Q3 Owner reports 7
2009-Q4 Owner reports 3
2010-Q1 Owner reports 24
2010-Q2 Owner reports 5
2010-Q3 Owner reports 9
2010-Q4 Owner reports 13
2011-Q1 Owner reports 9
2011-Q2 Owner reports 2
2011-Q3 Owner reports 2
2011-Q4 Owner reports 6
2012-Q1 Owner reports 3
2012-Q2 Owner reports 10
2012-Q3 Owner reports 7
2012-Q4 Owner reports 3
2013-Q1 Owner reports 9
2013-Q2 Owner reports 8
2013-Q3 Owner reports 5
2013-Q4 Owner reports 4
2014-Q1 Owner reports 5
2014-Q2 Owner reports 7
2014-Q3 Owner reports 4
2014-Q4 Owner reports 4
2015-Q1 Owner reports 1
2015-Q2 Owner reports 2
2015-Q3 Owner reports 4
2016-Q1 Owner reports 2
2016-Q2 Owner reports 2
2016-Q3 Owner reports 1
2016-Q4 Owner reports 1
2017-Q1 Owner reports 1
2017-Q2 Owner reports 3
2017-Q4 Owner reports 2
2018-Q1 Owner reports 2
2018-Q4 Owner reports 1
2019-Q1 Owner reports 2
2019-Q3 Owner reports 1
2019-Q4 Owner reports 3
2020-Q4 Owner reports 1
2023-Q1 Owner reports 1
2023-Q2 Owner reports 1
Recall campaign 1 02V339000
Recall campaign 1 04V181000
NHTSA Safety Recalls Snapshot 2026-08-22 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Safety Recalls (2)

Official safety recall campaigns filed with NHTSA

  1. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 02V339000

    Report date
    Component:
    Not available in the source record
    Consequence:
    IF THE SPARE TIRE/WHEEL IS INSTALLED ON THE VEHICLE USING THE WHEEL NUTS PROVIDED FOR THE UPGRADE ALLOY WHEEL, DAMAGE TO THE WHEEL COULD RESULT AND COULD EVENTUALLY LEAD TO A LOOSE WHEEL.
    Remedy:
    OWNERS WILL BE PROVIDED WITH DIFFERENT STYLE LUG NUTS, A WARNING LABEL FOR THE SPARE RE/ALLOY WHEEL, AND AN OWNER'S MANUAL ADDENDUM.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  2. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 04V181000

    Report date
    Component:
    LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES
    Consequence:
    THIS CONDITION COULD ALLOW THE DOOR TO BE OPENED WITH THE INSIDE WHILE THE OPERATOR BELIEVES THAT THE CPL WAS ACTIVATED. IF THE DOOR WERE OPENED FROM THE INSIDE WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS IN MOTION, AN OCCUPANT COULD FALL OUT AND BE INJURED.
    Remedy:
    DEALERS WILL SHORTEN THE CPL LEVER. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN MAY 7, 2004. OWNERS SHOULD CONTACT TOYOTA AT 1-800-331-4331.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →
NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Complaint Narrative Explorer

Verbatim owner-reported defect narratives from NHTSA public records

Data: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation · snapshot 2026-08-21
Safety incident filters
Showing 0 of 254 complaints · page 1 of 11

No complaints match the current filters.
EPA Fuel Economy Database Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Estimated Ownership Cost

EPA fuel economy ratings and annual operating cost estimates

Data: US EPA Fuel Economy Guide · snapshot 2026-08-21
Supported range: 1,000–60,000 miles per year
Supported range: $1.50–$10.00 per gallon
55% city45% highway
Estimate unavailable

EPA fuel-economy data is unavailable for this vehicle.

No estimate is shown when required EPA values are unavailable.

 Open Ownership Cost Calculator →

Adjacent Model Years

Immediate preceding and succeeding model year records

NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Methodology & Data Integrity

Data sourced from NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation. Snapshot date: 2026-08-21.

Read our complete data methodology → Sources