2020 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER — Owner-Reported Problems

NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation Snapshot 2026-08-22 312 complaints · 5 recalls
Most-reported system: POWER TRAIN (117 complaints · 37.5%)
Safety signals:
  • Crashes 14
  • Fires 0
  • Injuries 15
  • Deaths 0
Compare with 2019 →
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 POWER TRAIN appears in 117 of 312 owner complaints (37.5%) in this vehicle snapshot. POWER TRAIN: 117 complaints, 37.5% of reports POWER TRAIN 117 · 37.5% · 2 crash reports AIR BAGS: 34 complaints, 10.9% of reports AIR BAGS 34 · 10.9% · 3 crash reports SERVICE BRAKES: 29 complaints, 9.3% of reports SERVICE BRAKES 29 · 9.3% · 1 crash reports STRUCTURE: 25 complaints, 8.0% of reports STRUCTURE 25 · 8.0% FUEL SYSTEM: 17 complaints, 5.5% of reports FUEL SYSTEM 17 · 5.5% · 2 crash reports ENGINE: 8 complaints, 2.6% of reports ENGINE 8 · 2.6% ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: 6 complaints, 1.9% of reports ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 6 · 1.9% SEAT BELTS: 6 complaints, 1.9% of reports SEAT BELTS 6 · 1.9% VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL: 6 complaints, 1.9% of reports VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 6 · 1.9% UNKNOWN OR OTHER: 74 complaints, 23.7% of reports UNKNOWN OR OTHER 74 · 23.7% · 5 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)
POWER TRAIN 117 37.5% 2 crashes · 0 fires
AIR BAGS 34 10.9% 3 crashes · 0 fires
SERVICE BRAKES 29 9.3% 1 crashes · 0 fires
STRUCTURE 25 8.0% 0 crashes · 0 fires
FUEL SYSTEM 17 5.5% 2 crashes · 0 fires
ENGINE 8 2.6% 0 crashes · 0 fires
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 6 1.9% 0 crashes · 0 fires
SEAT BELTS 6 1.9% 0 crashes · 0 fires
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 6 1.9% 0 crashes · 0 fires
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 74 23.7% 5 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 2020; the first recall shown was reported in Mar 2020. 2020-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2020-Q2: 8 owner reports 8 2020-Q3: 2 owner reports 2 2020-Q4: 7 owner reports 7 2021-Q1: 13 owner reports 13 2021-Q2: 5 owner reports 5 2021-Q3: 5 owner reports 5 2021-Q4: 3 owner reports 3 2022-Q1: 6 owner reports 6 2022-Q2: 4 owner reports 4 2022-Q3: 6 owner reports 6 2022-Q4: 5 owner reports 5 2023-Q1: 6 owner reports 6 2023-Q2: 4 owner reports 4 2023-Q3: 7 owner reports 7 2023-Q4: 9 owner reports 9 2024-Q1: 8 owner reports 8 2024-Q2: 14 owner reports 14 2024-Q3: 23 owner reports 23 2024-Q4: 14 owner reports 14 2025-Q1: 19 owner reports 19 2025-Q2: 27 owner reports 27 2025-Q3: 31 owner reports 31 2025-Q4: 29 owner reports 29 2026-Q1: 16 owner reports 16 2026-Q2: 28 owner reports 28 2026-Q3: 12 owner reports 12 Owner reports Jan 2020 Jul 2026 Recall campaign 20V162000 ◆ Recall campaign 20V162000 Recall campaign 20V633000 ◆ Recall campaign 20V633000 Recall campaign 22V239000 ◆ Recall campaign 22V239000 Recall campaign 23V720000 ◆ Recall campaign 23V720000 Recall campaign 23V865000 ◆ Recall campaign 23V865000 Investigation DP22005 ● Investigation DP22005
  • Campaign 22V239000 was reported 687 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
  • Campaign 23V720000 was reported 1,214 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
  • Campaign 23V865000 was reported 827 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
View timeline records as a table
Date Record type Count Record identifier
2020-Q1 Owner reports 1
2020-Q2 Owner reports 8
2020-Q3 Owner reports 2
2020-Q4 Owner reports 7
2021-Q1 Owner reports 13
2021-Q2 Owner reports 5
2021-Q3 Owner reports 5
2021-Q4 Owner reports 3
2022-Q1 Owner reports 6
2022-Q2 Owner reports 4
2022-Q3 Owner reports 6
2022-Q4 Owner reports 5
2023-Q1 Owner reports 6
2023-Q2 Owner reports 4
2023-Q3 Owner reports 7
2023-Q4 Owner reports 9
2024-Q1 Owner reports 8
2024-Q2 Owner reports 14
2024-Q3 Owner reports 23
2024-Q4 Owner reports 14
2025-Q1 Owner reports 19
2025-Q2 Owner reports 27
2025-Q3 Owner reports 31
2025-Q4 Owner reports 29
2026-Q1 Owner reports 16
2026-Q2 Owner reports 28
2026-Q3 Owner reports 12
Recall campaign 1 20V162000
Recall campaign 1 20V633000
Recall campaign 1 22V239000
Recall campaign 1 23V720000
Recall campaign 1 23V865000
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 20V162000

    Report date
    Component:
    Not available in the source record
    Consequence:
    Improper fuel supply programming can result in a vehicle stall, increasing the risk of a crash.
    Remedy:
    Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the ECU, free of charge. The recall began May 15, 2020. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-888-270-9371. Toyota's number for this recall is 20TA06.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  2. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 20V633000

    Report date
    Component:
    Not available in the source record
    Consequence:
    Improper deployment of the seat-mounted side air bag increases the risk of injury in the event of a crash.
    Remedy:
    Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the front seats and replace the seat trim covers as necessary, free of charge. The recall began December 11, 2020. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's number for this recall is 20TB14 / 20TA14.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  3. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 22V239000

    Report date
    Component:
    ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC)
    Consequence:
    Driving with a deactivated stability control system increases the risk of a crash.
    Remedy:
    Dealers will update the Skid Control ECU software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed May 27, 2022. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's number for this recall is 22TA03. Lexus' number for this recall is 22LA01.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  4. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 23V720000

    Report date
    Component:
    STRUCTURE
    Consequence:
    A detached front bumper cover can become a road hazard, increasing the risk of a crash.
    Remedy:
    Dealers will repair or replace the upper and lower front bumper covers as necessary, free of charge. Owner letters were mailed April 22, 2024. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's number for this recall is 23TB12/23TA12.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  5. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 23V865000

    Report date
    Component:
    AIR BAGS
    Consequence:
    An air bag that does not deploy during a crash increases the risk of injury.
    Remedy:
    Dealers will inspect and replace the sensor as necessary, free of charge. Interim letters notifying owners of the safety risk were mailed in February 2024. Some final remedy owner letters were mailed October 31, 2024. Letters will continue to be mailed in phases through January 2026. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's number for this recall is 23TB15/23TA15 Lexus 23LB03/23LA03.
    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 312 complaints · page 1 of 13

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