2025 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER

3 recalls, 13 complaints - 4 TSBs - 5/5 safety rating

SEAT BELTS:REAR/OTHER:ANCHORAGE

Defect Description

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.

Consequence

A seat belt that does not properly restrain an occupant increases the risk of injury during a crash.

Remedy

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.

39 vehicles affected

Manufacturer: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing

BACK OVER PREVENTION:DISPLAY FUNCTION

Defect Description

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 di... Read more

Consequence

A rearview camera that fails to display an image can reduce the driver's view behind the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy

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.

1,024,407 vehicles affected

Manufacturer: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: INSTRUMENT CLUSTER/PANEL

Defect Description

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 ... Read more

Consequence

An instrument panel display that does not show critical information can increase the risk of a crash or injury.

Remedy

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 let... Read more

591,377 vehicles affected

Manufacturer: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing

Complaint Statistics

13 total complaints 1 crashes 2 injuries

Top Reported Components

Component	Complaints
SERVICE BRAKES	2
POWER TRAIN	2
WHEELS	1
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM	1
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:COOLING SYSTEM:FAN	1
STEERING	1
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING	1
UNKNOWN OR OTHER	1
STRUCTURE:BODY	1
SEATS	1

Incident date: May 21, 2026

Driving on highway and suddenly panoramic sunroof glass shattered spontaneously. It nearly caused us to crash into median due to the sudden extremely loud noise that sounded like a gunshot at close range and then the sound of glass shattering and hitting into sunroof shade and top of car. My 18 ye... Read more

Incident date: May 21, 2026

The contact owns a 2021 Toyota Rav4. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the front driver’s seat became stuck. No warning lights were illuminated. The failure reoccurred on several occasions. The contact stated that water was leaking into the vehicle from the front drive... Read more

Incident date: May 21, 2026

Incident date: Jul 4, 2026

The vehicle first experienced severe, violent jerking and slipping when shifting between the 4th & 5th gears. The vehicle was held by a Ford dealership for 21 days for this issue, but the repair failed. Two months after being out of the shop the transmission has rapidly degraded and is now actively ... Read more

Incident date: Jun 2, 2026

While the van is at a complete stop at the intersection it shuts off and behaves as if it needs to be restarted. A message appears instructing me to press the brake and push the start button to start the van. I took it to Honda, but they were unable to find the issue. They replaced the battery to s... Read more

Incident date: Jan 6, 2026

The contact owns a 2023 Chevrolet Blazer. The contact stated that while driving, a code appeared on the dashboard P0128. When the vehicle's engine was switched off, the engine cooling fan continued to run. Warning light stating the steering would be disable.; however power steering was not lost. ... Read more

Incident date: Jan 6, 2026

When driving down a state highway in town, about 40-45mph, with no cars or objects in front of me and within the lanes - aka nothing unusual - my dash lit up with the orange "BRAKE!" warning and then slammed on my brakes. I had no idea at the time that my vehicle could even do that, as I'd had it a... Read more

Incident date: Apr 8, 2025

The driver’s seat / passenger seat assembly, including seat rails, mounting brackets, and Smart Junction Box (SJB) connections if electrical adjustment was involved, completely failed during a crash. The seat lifted off the floor anchors and almost entirely came apart, including both the seat cush... Read more

Crash 2 injured

Incident date: Jan 16, 2026

When pulling out on the highway I have lag in the powertrain

Incident date: Dec 24, 2025

When driving at speeds 60+ mph, EV9 steering wheel and center console vibrate consistently even on newly paved smooth road(s). I have taken it into two different dealerships for resolve twice within the first week of ownership. Both dealerships checked tires, mount and balanced the ones that were of... Read more

Incident date: Sep 19, 2025

Was traveling down the road at about 45 mph and the dash started to show a brake assist failure error and alarm. The brakes would not work and nearly went through the intersection during a red light.

Incident date: Mar 3, 2025

Multiple warnings: AWD temporarily unavailable, service stabilitrak, reduced acceleration drive with care. Not braking completely when speeding

NHTSA Safety Ratings, 2025 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER

2025 Toyota HIGHLANDER SUV AWD

Category	Rating
Overall Rating	5 / 5 ★★★★★
Frontal Crash	4 / 5 ★★★★☆
Frontal Crash, Driver	4 / 5 ★★★★☆
Frontal Crash, Passenger	4 / 5 ★★★★☆
Side Crash	5 / 5 ★★★★★
Side Crash, Driver	5 / 5 ★★★★★
Side Crash, Passenger	5 / 5 ★★★★★
Rollover	4 / 5 ★★★★☆
Rollover Risk	16.4%

Safety Technology

Feature	Status
Electronic Stability Control	Standard
Forward Collision Warning	Standard
Lane Departure Warning	Standard

Source: NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings Program. Ratings are based on crash tests conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

EPA Fuel Economy, 2025 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER

Trim / Engine	City MPG	Highway MPG	Combined MPG	Fuel Type	Annual Fuel Cost
2.4L 4-cyl, Automatic (S8) (Front-Wheel Drive)	22.0	29.0	25.0	Regular	$2,450
2.4L 4-cyl, Automatic (S8) (Front-Wheel Drive)	21.0	28.0	24.0	Regular	$2,550

CO2 Emissions: 359.0 g/mile (Small Sport Utility Vehicle 2WD)

Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Actual fuel economy may vary based on driving conditions.

Technical Service Bulletins, 2025 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER

4 manufacturer communications from 3 unique bulletins. TSBs describe known problems and recommended fixes from the manufacturer.

Most Affected Components

Component	Bulletins
060000 ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING	1
061500 ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:OIL/LUBRICATION	1
350000 EQUIPMENT	1
200000 WHEELS	1

200000 WHEELS

TSB: During the manufacturing process, tires are mounted on the vehicle as matched sets to help reduce conditions such as pulling or drifting. If the wheels are replaced or refinished before vehicle delivery, it is important that the tires

060000 ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

This is to advise of various price adjustments that will affect Toyota Genuine Motor Oil and Long Life Coolant, effective March 1, 2024. These products are ordered through the Toyota Complete Maintenance Care (TCMC) website.

061500 ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:OIL/LUBRICATION

350000 EQUIPMENT

TSB: 2025 model year Toyota vehicles are equipped with driver side floor mat retainers to secure the floor mat in the correct position. In addition, some models may also utilize retainers for passenger side and rear seat floor mats. During

NHTSA Safety Investigations, TOYOTA HIGHLANDER

Investigations opened by NHTSA into potential safety defects. These are separate from recalls and may or may not result in a recall.

EA, Closed , Model Year: 2008

Steering Column Separation

On November 16, 2018, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened an Engineering Analysis (EA18-006) as an upgrade to a Preliminary Evaluation (PE18-005). The investigation focused on allegations of steering wheel separation from the lower steering column after using the tilt and/or telescopi... Read more

PE, Closed , Model Year: 2008

Upper Steering Column Separation

On May 4, 2018, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened Preliminary Evaluation PE18-005 to investigate three allegations of steering column separation for Model Year (MY) 2008 through 2013 Toyota Highlander vehicles. Two (2) of the 3 complaints were received by ODI in April 2018 and occurre... d while the vehicle was in motion. Since opening PE18-005, one (1) additional VOQ involving steering column separation has been received. This incident occurred while the vehicle was stationary.As part of PE18-005, ODI examined the field data, warranty data, and relevant technical information submitted by Toyota in response to the PE18-005 information request letter. Ten (10) additional incidents of steering column separation were identified. Four (4) of these instances occurred while driving. During PE18-005, ODI confirmed that the steering columns in the subject vehicles are equipped with breakaway capsules that are designed to collapse/shear during certain types of vehicle collisions. This design feature aims to reduce driver injury severity from impact with the steering wheel in frontal vehicle collisions. There is no direct method for detecting when the capsules in the subject vehicles have sheared. If the driver operates the tilt/telescoping feature after the breakaway capsules have separated, the steering column may drop out of position and could subsequently detach entirely from the rest of the steering assembly. Loss of steering while driving may cause a loss of vehicle control, which could lead to a vehicle crash.To date, ODI has identified 14 incidents involving complete steering column separation, 6 of which occurred while driving. One of these incidents involved a minor crash. Additionally, there have been 16 events where the steering column dropped from the dashboard mounting brackets, but column separation did not occur. Four of these incidents happened while driving. Of these 30 total separation/drop incidents, 5 of the vehicles have evidence of minor collision repairs months or years prior to the steering column failure.This investigation has been upgraded an to Engineering Analysis (EA18-006) in order to 1) conduct a more detailed analysis of the conditions that may cause the steering column breakaway capsules to separate and 2) assess factors that may contribute to the problem of failing to detect and repair breakaway capsules after they have separated. Toyota has recently revised their repair manual and issued a Collision Repair Information Bulletin to help address the second concern.The VOQs associated with this investigation can be viewed at www.NHTSA.gov under the following ODI complaint numbers: 11141761, 11083623, 11083280, 10888043.Read more

PE, Closed , Model Year: 2006

SUDDEN LOSS OF POWER STEERING ASSIST

THE OFFICE OF DEFECTS INVESTIGATION (ODI) OPENED PE06-055 BASED ON TWO COMPLAINTS OF LOSS OF EPS ASSIST IN 43,931 MY 2006 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER HYBRID VEHICLES.ONE OF THE COMPLAINTS ALLEGED THAT A LOSS IN POWER STEERING ASSIST RESULTED IN A CRASH.IN RESPONSE TO AN INFORMATION REQUEST LETTER FROM ODI, TO... Read more

TOYOTA HIGHLANDER - All Years Overview

Complete safety history for the TOYOTA HIGHLANDER across all model years (2001, 2025).

125 Total Recalls

7,188 Total Complaints

3 Investigations

661 Reported Crashes

105 Reported Fires

59 Reported Deaths

TOYOTA HIGHLANDER - Year by Year

Compare recalls and complaints across model years. Click any year to see full details.

Year	Recalls	Complaints
2026	0	4	View
2025 (current)	3	13
2024	7	59	View
2023	9	236	View
2022	5	318	View
2021	4	636	View
2020	4	372	View
2019	3	631	View
2018	5	356	View
2017	4	371	View
2016	3	137	View
2015	2	253	View
2014	5	162	View
2013	3	282	View
2012	2	230	View
2011	5	229	View
2010	10	272	View
2009	9	178	View
2008	13	502	View
2007	4	159	View
2006	7	347	View
2005	6	289	View
2004	5	337	View
2003	2	316	View
2002	2	335	View
2001	3	158	View
1998	0	1	View
1997	0	1	View

Other TOYOTA Models

Model	Recalls	Complaints
TUNDRA	787	9,074	View
RAV4	669	11,842	View
CROWN	548	141	View
TACOMA	406	10,562	View
VENZA	404	969	View
GRAND HIGHLANDER	388	332	View
PRIUS	365	15,456	View
HIGHLANDER HYBRID	355	1,103	View

Vehicle Safety

Consumer Safety

Infrastructure

Public Health

2025 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER

Complaint Statistics

Top Reported Components

NHTSA Safety Ratings, 2025 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER

Safety Technology

EPA Fuel Economy, 2025 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER

Technical Service Bulletins, 2025 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER

Most Affected Components

NHTSA Safety Investigations, TOYOTA HIGHLANDER

TOYOTA HIGHLANDER - All Years Overview

TOYOTA HIGHLANDER - Year by Year

Other TOYOTA Models