2011 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER — Owner-Reported Problems

NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation Snapshot 2026-08-22 182 complaints · 5 recalls
Most-reported system: STEERING (32 complaints · 17.6%)
Safety signals:
  • Crashes 14
  • Fires 0
  • Injuries 8
  • Deaths 0
Compare with 2010 →
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 STEERING appears in 32 of 182 owner complaints (17.6%) in this vehicle snapshot. STEERING: 32 complaints, 17.6% of reports STEERING 32 · 17.6% VISIBILITY: 30 complaints, 16.5% of reports VISIBILITY 30 · 16.5% STRUCTURE: 25 complaints, 13.7% of reports STRUCTURE 25 · 13.7% ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: 17 complaints, 9.3% of reports ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 17 · 9.3% ENGINE: 16 complaints, 8.8% of reports ENGINE 16 · 8.8% SERVICE BRAKES: 14 complaints, 7.7% of reports SERVICE BRAKES 14 · 7.7% · 3 crash reports VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL: 11 complaints, 6.0% of reports VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 11 · 6.0% · 5 crash reports POWER TRAIN: 9 complaints, 5.0% of reports POWER TRAIN 9 · 5.0% AIR BAGS: 5 complaints, 2.8% of reports AIR BAGS 5 · 2.8% · 3 crash reports UNKNOWN OR OTHER: 47 complaints, 25.8% of reports UNKNOWN OR OTHER 47 · 25.8% · 1 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)
STEERING 32 17.6% 0 crashes · 0 fires
VISIBILITY 30 16.5% 0 crashes · 0 fires
STRUCTURE 25 13.7% 0 crashes · 0 fires
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 17 9.3% 0 crashes · 0 fires
ENGINE 16 8.8% 0 crashes · 0 fires
SERVICE BRAKES 14 7.7% 3 crashes · 0 fires
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 11 6.0% 5 crashes · 0 fires
POWER TRAIN 9 5.0% 0 crashes · 0 fires
AIR BAGS 5 2.8% 3 crashes · 0 fires
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 47 25.8% 1 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 Oct 2010; the first recall shown was reported in Jan 2013. 2010-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2011-Q1: 3 owner reports 3 2011-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 2011-Q3: 3 owner reports 3 2011-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 2012-Q1: 4 owner reports 4 2012-Q2: 4 owner reports 4 2012-Q3: 6 owner reports 6 2012-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 2013-Q1: 3 owner reports 3 2013-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 2013-Q3: 3 owner reports 3 2013-Q4: 7 owner reports 7 2014-Q1: 4 owner reports 4 2014-Q2: 6 owner reports 6 2014-Q3: 7 owner reports 7 2014-Q4: 14 owner reports 14 2015-Q1: 5 owner reports 5 2015-Q2: 6 owner reports 6 2015-Q3: 4 owner reports 4 2015-Q4: 6 owner reports 6 2016-Q1: 3 owner reports 3 2016-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2016-Q3: 3 owner reports 3 2016-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2017-Q1: 2 owner reports 2 2017-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 2017-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2018-Q1: 4 owner reports 4 2018-Q2: 6 owner reports 6 2018-Q3: 3 owner reports 3 2018-Q4: 6 owner reports 6 2019-Q1: 13 owner reports 13 2019-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 2019-Q3: 7 owner reports 7 2019-Q4: 4 owner reports 4 2020-Q1: 4 owner reports 4 2020-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2020-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2021-Q1: 3 owner reports 3 2021-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 2021-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 2022-Q1: 3 owner reports 3 2022-Q2: 3 owner reports 3 2022-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2022-Q4: 3 owner reports 3 2023-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2023-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2024-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 2024-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2025-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2026-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 Owner reports Oct 2010 Apr 2026 Recall campaign 13V014000 ◆ Recall campaign 13V014000 Recall campaign 13V123000 ◆ Recall campaign 13V123000 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 13V123000 was reported 789 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
  • Campaign 14V743000 was reported 1,378 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
  • Campaign 15V689000 was reported 1,040 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
  • Campaign 16V396000 was reported 1,939 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
View timeline records as a table
Date Record type Count Record identifier
2010-Q4 Owner reports 1
2011-Q1 Owner reports 3
2011-Q2 Owner reports 2
2011-Q3 Owner reports 3
2011-Q4 Owner reports 2
2012-Q1 Owner reports 4
2012-Q2 Owner reports 4
2012-Q3 Owner reports 6
2012-Q4 Owner reports 2
2013-Q1 Owner reports 3
2013-Q2 Owner reports 2
2013-Q3 Owner reports 3
2013-Q4 Owner reports 7
2014-Q1 Owner reports 4
2014-Q2 Owner reports 6
2014-Q3 Owner reports 7
2014-Q4 Owner reports 14
2015-Q1 Owner reports 5
2015-Q2 Owner reports 6
2015-Q3 Owner reports 4
2015-Q4 Owner reports 6
2016-Q1 Owner reports 3
2016-Q2 Owner reports 1
2016-Q3 Owner reports 3
2016-Q4 Owner reports 1
2017-Q1 Owner reports 2
2017-Q2 Owner reports 2
2017-Q3 Owner reports 1
2018-Q1 Owner reports 4
2018-Q2 Owner reports 6
2018-Q3 Owner reports 3
2018-Q4 Owner reports 6
2019-Q1 Owner reports 13
2019-Q2 Owner reports 2
2019-Q3 Owner reports 7
2019-Q4 Owner reports 4
2020-Q1 Owner reports 4
2020-Q2 Owner reports 1
2020-Q4 Owner reports 1
2021-Q1 Owner reports 3
2021-Q2 Owner reports 2
2021-Q4 Owner reports 2
2022-Q1 Owner reports 3
2022-Q2 Owner reports 3
2022-Q3 Owner reports 1
2022-Q4 Owner reports 3
2023-Q1 Owner reports 1
2023-Q3 Owner reports 1
2024-Q2 Owner reports 2
2024-Q4 Owner reports 1
2025-Q4 Owner reports 1
2026-Q2 Owner reports 1
Recall campaign 1 13V014000
Recall campaign 1 13V123000
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 (5)

Official safety recall campaigns filed with NHTSA

  1. 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 →

  2. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 13V123000

    Report date
    Component:
    EQUIPMENT
    Consequence:
    An inaccurate label could lead to owners overloading their vehicles and tires. An overloaded vehicle can result in a tire failure which may result in a vehicle crash, personal injury, or property damage.
    Remedy:
    Southeast Toyota will notify owners and provide a corrected label with instructions concerning its installation. A small group of the affected vehicles will need additonal remedies which are still being developed. The recall began on May 28, 2013. Owners may contact Southeast Toyota at 1-800-301-6859.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  3. 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 →

  4. 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 →

  5. 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 182 complaints · page 1 of 8

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