2009 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER — Owner-Reported Problems

NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation Snapshot 2026-08-22 167 complaints · 10 recalls
Most-reported system: SERVICE BRAKES (45 complaints · 27.0%)
Safety signals:
  • Crashes 8
  • Fires 5
  • Injuries 10
  • Deaths 0
Compare with 2008 →
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 SERVICE BRAKES appears in 45 of 167 owner complaints (27.0%) in this vehicle snapshot. SERVICE BRAKES: 45 complaints, 27.0% of reports SERVICE BRAKES 45 · 27.0% · 2 crash reports ENGINE: 28 complaints, 16.8% of reports ENGINE 28 · 16.8% · 3 fire reports ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: 14 complaints, 8.4% of reports ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 14 · 8.4% · 1 fire reports VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL: 11 complaints, 6.6% of reports VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 11 · 6.6% · 3 crash reports STEERING: 10 complaints, 6.0% of reports STEERING 10 · 6.0% STRUCTURE: 9 complaints, 5.4% of reports STRUCTURE 9 · 5.4% AIR BAGS: 7 complaints, 4.2% of reports AIR BAGS 7 · 4.2% · 2 crash reports POWER TRAIN: 7 complaints, 4.2% of reports POWER TRAIN 7 · 4.2% VISIBILITY: 7 complaints, 4.2% of reports VISIBILITY 7 · 4.2% UNKNOWN OR OTHER: 55 complaints, 32.9% of reports UNKNOWN OR OTHER 55 · 32.9% · 2 crash reports 2 fire 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)
SERVICE BRAKES 45 27.0% 2 crashes · 0 fires
ENGINE 28 16.8% 0 crashes · 3 fires
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 14 8.4% 0 crashes · 1 fires
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 11 6.6% 3 crashes · 0 fires
STEERING 10 6.0% 0 crashes · 0 fires
STRUCTURE 9 5.4% 0 crashes · 0 fires
AIR BAGS 7 4.2% 2 crashes · 0 fires
POWER TRAIN 7 4.2% 0 crashes · 0 fires
VISIBILITY 7 4.2% 0 crashes · 0 fires
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 55 32.9% 2 crashes · 2 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 Jul 2009; the first recall shown was reported in Jun 2009. 2009-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2009-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 2010-Q1: 23 owner reports 23 2010-Q2: 8 owner reports 8 2010-Q3: 2 owner reports 2 2010-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2011-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2011-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 2012-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2012-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2012-Q4: 4 owner reports 4 2013-Q1: 4 owner reports 4 2013-Q2: 4 owner reports 4 2013-Q3: 6 owner reports 6 2013-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 2014-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2014-Q2: 5 owner reports 5 2014-Q4: 3 owner reports 3 2015-Q1: 4 owner reports 4 2015-Q2: 5 owner reports 5 2015-Q3: 6 owner reports 6 2015-Q4: 4 owner reports 4 2016-Q1: 4 owner reports 4 2016-Q3: 3 owner reports 3 2016-Q4: 3 owner reports 3 2017-Q1: 4 owner reports 4 2017-Q2: 3 owner reports 3 2017-Q3: 2 owner reports 2 2017-Q4: 3 owner reports 3 2018-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2018-Q2: 3 owner reports 3 2018-Q3: 3 owner reports 3 2018-Q4: 3 owner reports 3 2019-Q1: 4 owner reports 4 2019-Q2: 6 owner reports 6 2019-Q3: 7 owner reports 7 2020-Q1: 4 owner reports 4 2020-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2020-Q3: 2 owner reports 2 2020-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2021-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2021-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2021-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2021-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2022-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2022-Q2: 4 owner reports 4 2022-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2023-Q2: 3 owner reports 3 2023-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2024-Q1: 2 owner reports 2 2024-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2024-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2025-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2025-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 Owner reports Jun 2009 Jul 2025 Recall campaign 09V223000 ◆ Recall campaign 09V223000 Recall campaign 10V023000 ◆ Recall campaign 10V023000 Recall campaign 10V035000 ◆ Recall campaign 10V035000 Recall campaign 10V036000 ◆ Recall campaign 10V036000 Recall campaign 13V014000 ◆ Recall campaign 13V014000 Recall campaign 13V396000 ◆ Recall campaign 13V396000 Recall campaign 14V168000 ◆ Recall campaign 14V168000 Recall campaign 14V743000 ◆ Recall campaign 14V743000 Recall campaign 15V689000 ◆ Recall campaign 15V689000 Recall campaign 16V396000 ◆ Recall campaign 16V396000 Investigation PE18005 ● Investigation PE18005 Investigation PE18005 ● Investigation PE18005 Investigation EA18006 ● Investigation EA18006 Investigation EA18006 ● Investigation EA18006 Investigation DP22005 ● Investigation DP22005
  • Campaign 10V023000 was reported 72 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
  • Campaign 10V035000 was reported 182 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
  • Campaign 10V036000 was reported 182 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
  • Campaign 13V014000 was reported 1,044 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
  • Campaign 13V396000 was reported 1,491 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
  • Campaign 14V168000 was reported 1,492 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
  • Campaign 14V743000 was reported 1,932 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
  • Campaign 15V689000 was reported 812 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
  • Campaign 16V396000 was reported 2,493 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
View timeline records as a table
Date Record type Count Record identifier
2009-Q3 Owner reports 1
2009-Q4 Owner reports 2
2010-Q1 Owner reports 23
2010-Q2 Owner reports 8
2010-Q3 Owner reports 2
2010-Q4 Owner reports 1
2011-Q2 Owner reports 1
2011-Q4 Owner reports 2
2012-Q1 Owner reports 1
2012-Q2 Owner reports 1
2012-Q4 Owner reports 4
2013-Q1 Owner reports 4
2013-Q2 Owner reports 4
2013-Q3 Owner reports 6
2013-Q4 Owner reports 2
2014-Q1 Owner reports 1
2014-Q2 Owner reports 5
2014-Q4 Owner reports 3
2015-Q1 Owner reports 4
2015-Q2 Owner reports 5
2015-Q3 Owner reports 6
2015-Q4 Owner reports 4
2016-Q1 Owner reports 4
2016-Q3 Owner reports 3
2016-Q4 Owner reports 3
2017-Q1 Owner reports 4
2017-Q2 Owner reports 3
2017-Q3 Owner reports 2
2017-Q4 Owner reports 3
2018-Q1 Owner reports 1
2018-Q2 Owner reports 3
2018-Q3 Owner reports 3
2018-Q4 Owner reports 3
2019-Q1 Owner reports 4
2019-Q2 Owner reports 6
2019-Q3 Owner reports 7
2020-Q1 Owner reports 4
2020-Q2 Owner reports 1
2020-Q3 Owner reports 2
2020-Q4 Owner reports 1
2021-Q1 Owner reports 1
2021-Q2 Owner reports 1
2021-Q3 Owner reports 1
2021-Q4 Owner reports 1
2022-Q1 Owner reports 1
2022-Q2 Owner reports 4
2022-Q4 Owner reports 1
2023-Q2 Owner reports 3
2023-Q4 Owner reports 1
2024-Q1 Owner reports 2
2024-Q2 Owner reports 1
2024-Q4 Owner reports 1
2025-Q2 Owner reports 1
2025-Q3 Owner reports 1
Recall campaign 1 09V223000
Recall campaign 1 10V023000
Recall campaign 1 10V035000
Recall campaign 1 10V036000
Recall campaign 1 13V014000
Recall campaign 1 13V396000
Recall campaign 1 14V168000
Recall campaign 1 14V743000
Recall campaign 1 15V689000
Recall campaign 1 16V396000
Defect investigation 1 PE18005
Defect investigation 1 PE18005
Defect investigation 1 EA18006
Defect investigation 1 EA18006
Defect investigation 1 DP22005
NHTSA Safety Recalls Snapshot 2026-08-22 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Safety Recalls (10)

Official safety recall campaigns filed with NHTSA

  1. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 09V223000

    Report date
    Component:
    EQUIPMENT
    Consequence:
    INCORRECT LOAD CARRYING CAPACITY MODIFICATION LABELS COULD RESULT IN THE VEHICLE BEING OVERLOADED, INCREASING THE RISK OF A CRASH.
    Remedy:
    TOYOTA WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND PROVIDE THEM WITH A NEW, ACCURATE LABEL TO BE INSTALLED OVER THE INACCURATE LABEL FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON AUGUST 18, 2009. OWNERS MAY CONTACT TOYOTA AT 1-888-270-9371.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  2. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 10V023000

    Report date
    Component:
    VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
    Consequence:
    A STUCK OPEN ACCELERATOR PEDAL MAY RESULT IN VERY HIGH VEHICLE SPEEDS AND MAKE IT DIFFICULT TO STOP THE VEHICLE, WHICH COULD CAUSE A CRASH, SERIOUS INJURY OR DEATH.
    Remedy:
    TOYOTA WILL MODIFY OR REPLACE THE ACCELERATOR PEDALS ON THE SUBJECT VEHICLES. FLOOR SURFACE MODIFICATIONS ARE ALSO BEING CONSIDERED AND WILL BE INCLUDED FOR ANY MODEL FOR WHICH IT IS DEEMED APPROPRIATE. INITIALLY, DEALERS WILL BE INSTRUCTED ON HOW TO RESHAPE THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL FOR THE REPAIR. AS REPLACEMENT PARTS WITH THE SAME SHAPE AS THE MODIFIED PEDAL BECOME AVAILABLE, THEY WILL BE MADE AVAILABLE TO THE DEALERS FOR THE REPAIR. CUSTOMERS WHO HAVE HAD THE PEDAL RESHAPE REMEDY COMPLETED WILL HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO RECEIVE A NEW PEDAL IF THEY DESIRE, AFTER REPLACEMENT PEDALS BECOME AVAILABLE. IN ADDITION, TOYOTA WILL REPLACE ANY TOYOTA ALL-WEATHER FLOOR MAT IN A SUBJECT VEHICLE WITH A NEWLY DESIGNED MAT, FREE OF CHARGE. FOR THOSE CUSTOMERS WHO HAVE THE PREVIOUS DESIGN ALL-WEATHER FLOOR MAT BUT DO NOT NEED OR WANT THE NEWLY DESIGNED ALL-WEATHER FLOOR MAT, TOYOTA WILL RECOVER THE PREVIOUS DESIGN ALL-WEATHER FLOOR MAT AND REIMBURSE ITS PRICE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN MARCH 30, 2010. OWNERS MAY CONTACT TOYOTA AT 1-800-331-4331.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  3. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 10V035000

    Report date
    Component:
    EQUIPMENT
    Consequence:
    THIS DOES NOT MEET THE STANDARD REQUIREMENTS.
    Remedy:
    DEALERS WILL MAIL TO CONSUMERS THE CORRECTED LABEL OR THE CUSTOMER WILL HAVE THE OPTION FOR DEALERS TO INSTALL THE LABEL FREE OF CHARGE. DEALERS WILL ALSO CORRECT THE OWNER'S MANUAL. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON MAY 27, 2010. OWNERS MAY CONTACT GULF STATES TOYOTA AT 713-580-3300.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  4. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 10V036000

    Report date
    Component:
    EQUIPMENT
    Consequence:
    A DRIVER MAY OVERLOAD A VEHICLE WHICH MAY INCREASE THE RISK OF A CRASH.
    Remedy:
    DEALERS WILL MAIL TO CONSUMERS THE CORRECTED LABEL OR THE CUSTOMER WILL HAVE THE OPTION FOR DEALERS TO INSTALL THE LABEL FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON MAY 27, 2010. OWNERS MAY CONTACT SOUTHEAST TOYOTA AT 1-800-301-6859.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  5. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 13V014000

    Report date
    Component:
    AIR BAGS
    Consequence:
    If the front passenger seat occupant sensing system is out of calibration, the front passenger airbags may not deploy or they may deploy inappropriately for the passenger's size and position. This could increase the risk of personal injury during the event of a vehicle crash necessitating airbag deployment.
    Remedy:
    Southeast Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will test the sensitivity of the occupant detection sensors, and recalibrate them as necessary. The recall began on March 21, 2013. Owners may contact Southeast Toyota at 1-800-301-6859.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  6. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 13V396000

    Report date
    Component:
    HYBRID PROPULSION SYSTEM
    Consequence:
    The vehicle may enter a fail-safe/limp-home mode that limits the drivability of the vehicle. It is possible that the hybrid system will shut down while the vehicle is being driven, causing the vehicle to stall unexpectedly, increasing the risk of a crash.
    Remedy:
    Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will replace the IPM free of charge. Owners may contact Toyota at 1-800-331-4331. Vehicles that had their IPM replaced under recall 11V-342 are not affected by this campaign.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  7. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 14V168000

    Report date
    Component:
    AIR BAGS
    Consequence:
    If the FFC is damaged, connectivity to the driver's air bag module could be lost and the air bag deactivated. The failure of the driver's air bag to deploy in the event of a crash that typically necessitates deployment increases the risk of injury to the driver.
    Remedy:
    Toyota will notify the Toyota vehicle owners, and General Motors will notify the Pontiac Vibe owners. Toyota sent owners an interim notification letter in May 2014 to advise owners of the recall. Toyota will mail owners a second letter when remedy parts are available. General Motors sent Pontiac Vibe owners an Interim letter on June 20, 2014 notifying them that parts are currently unavailable. General Motors sent notices to the Pontiac Vibe owners on September 15, 2014, that a remedy is available. The recall began on October 27, 2014. Owners may contact Toyota at 1-800-331-4331. Owners may contact General Motors at 1-800-762-2737.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  8. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 14V743000

    Report date
    Component:
    SEATS
    Consequence:
    Damage to the seat heater wiring could cause the wires to short, increasing the risk of the seat burning and causing personal injury to the occupant.
    Remedy:
    SET will notify owners, and dealers will disconnect the heaters with copper strand heating elements and refund the purchase price of the seat heater accessory, free of charge. The recall is expected to began in January 2015. Owners may contact SET customer service at 1-866-405-4226.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  9. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 15V689000

    Report date
    Component:
    VISIBILITY
    Consequence:
    If the sliding electrical contacts are not protected by lubricant, debris and moisture that get into the switch may cause a short circuit and the switch assembly may overheat and melt, increasing the risk of a fire.
    Remedy:
    Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the switch, applying a lubricant if no abnormality is found. If abnormality is found, the PWMS circuit board will be replaced, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin December 20, 2015. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's number for this recall is C0M.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  10. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 16V396000

    Report date
    Component:
    SEATS
    Consequence:
    If damaged, the copper strand heating element may short circuit, increasing the risk of a fire.
    Remedy:
    SET will notify owners, and dealers will disconnect the seat heaters, free of charge, and refund the purchase price of the seat heater accessory. The recall began on July 14, 2016. Owners may contact SET customer service at 1-866-405-4226. SET number for this recall is SET16B.
    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 167 complaints · page 1 of 7

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