IllustrationDRIVER AND PASSENGER SUN VISORS FALL DOWN INTO DRIVERS AND PASSENGER VIEW. SAFETY ISSUE WAS NOT RECOGNIZED BY VEHICLE MANUFACTURER. *TR
2002 Toyota Highlander
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Similar to other model years
Owner complaints for the 2002 Toyota Highlander do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 186.5.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Highlander years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
All reported categories
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
220–25K
4625–50K
3950–75K
3975–100K
44100–150K
15150K+
205 reports with mileage · 96 unknown
NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.
What to inspect
Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.
- Visibility. Review the 123 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Vehicle Speed Control. Review the 31 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Structure. Review the 24 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
24 crash reports6 fire reports17 injury reports
Visibility complaints
123 reportsTHE DRIVER SIDE VISOR DOES NOT STAY PROPPED UP IN THE FORWARD DIRECTION. IT DROPS DOWN TO A VERTICAL POSITION DOWNWARDS, WHERE IT BLOCKS THE DRIVER'S VIEW. *TR
SUBMISSION FROM CONSTITUENT RE DEFECTIVE VISOR/ SAFETY PROBLEMS 2002 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER ( FULL DOCUMENT NOT IMAGED). *SMD THE CONSUMER STATED ABOUT FOUR MONTHS AGO, THE PASSENGER SIDE VISOR WOULD NOT REMAIN IN THE UP POSITION, AND APPROXIMATELY TWO WEEKS LATER, THE SAME THING HAPPENED ON THE DRIVER'S SIDE.
SUN VISOR KEEPS COMING DOWN AS IT AFFECTS MY VISION ON THE ROAD. *TR
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING VARIOUS SPEEDS OVER ROAD BUMPS, THE SUN VISOR WOULD FALL, CAUSING THE DRIVER'S VISION OF THE ROADWAY TO BECOME OBSCURED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INSPECTED BY A DEALER OR AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED AND THEY OFFERED NO ASS…
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TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING VARIOUS SPEEDS OVER ROAD BUMPS, THE SUN VISOR WOULD FALL, CAUSING THE DRIVER'S VISION OF THE ROADWAY TO BECOME OBSCURED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INSPECTED BY A DEALER OR AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED AND THEY OFFERED NO ASSISTANCE. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WAS APPROXIMATELY 166,000. *TR...UPDATED 05/08/13 *BF
THE HEATER WOULD NOT PROVIDE HOT AIR. I PUSHED IN ON THE SWITCH AND THE HEAT WOULD WORK AS LONG AS I HELD THE SWITCH PUSHED IN (NOT DESIGNED TO BE PUSHED - ROTARY SELECTOR). EVENTUALLY, EVEN PRESSING THE SWITCH IN WOULD NOT WORK. I WENT ON LINE AND FOUND A DISCUSSION BLOG THAT DISCUSSED MY EXACT ISSUE. I FOLLOWED THE RECOMMENDAT…
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THE HEATER WOULD NOT PROVIDE HOT AIR. I PUSHED IN ON THE SWITCH AND THE HEAT WOULD WORK AS LONG AS I HELD THE SWITCH PUSHED IN (NOT DESIGNED TO BE PUSHED - ROTARY SELECTOR). EVENTUALLY, EVEN PRESSING THE SWITCH IN WOULD NOT WORK. I WENT ON LINE AND FOUND A DISCUSSION BLOG THAT DISCUSSED MY EXACT ISSUE. I FOLLOWED THE RECOMMENDATION AND PULLED THE FACE COVER OFF, REMOVED THE CONTROL PANEL AND DISCOVERED EXACTLY WHAT HAD BEEN DESCRIBED - A BROKEN SINGLE STRAND WIRE THAT RAN TO THE BACK OF THE SWITCH. I ATTEMPTED TO MAKE THE REPAIR USING A MULTI-STRAND WIRE AS RECOMMENDED BECAUSE THE DEALER REPAIR OPTION WAS $1,000. THE HEATER APPEARS TO WORK -SLIGHTLY, BUT NOW I HAVE NO AC. I THINK THE CIRCUIT BOARD WAS DAMAGED BY THE SOLDERING IRON HEAT. BECAUSE WE LIVE IN THE SEATTLE AREA, THIS CAUSES ISSUES WITH THE WINDOW DEFOGGER AS WELL AS HAVING NO AC. *TR
DRIVER/S SIDE SUN VISOR WILL NOT STAY UP. WHILE DRIVING, IT SUDDENLY DROPS OBSCURING MY VISION AND PUTTING THE DRIVER AT EXTREME RISK FOR AN ACCIDENT (IMPAIRED VISION OF THE ROAD). THERE IS NO APPARENT WAY TO FIX THIS PROBLEM SHORT OF REPLACING THE SUN VISOR (ESTIMATED COST OF APPROX. $700 PER BLOGS). THIS PROBLEM HAS BEEN EXPER…
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DRIVER/S SIDE SUN VISOR WILL NOT STAY UP. WHILE DRIVING, IT SUDDENLY DROPS OBSCURING MY VISION AND PUTTING THE DRIVER AT EXTREME RISK FOR AN ACCIDENT (IMPAIRED VISION OF THE ROAD). THERE IS NO APPARENT WAY TO FIX THIS PROBLEM SHORT OF REPLACING THE SUN VISOR (ESTIMATED COST OF APPROX. $700 PER BLOGS). THIS PROBLEM HAS BEEN EXPERIENCED BY MANY OWNERS OF 2002 HIGHLANDERS AS EXEMPLIFIED VIA "COMPLAINT" POSTINGS. *TR
THIS IS CLEARLY A DESIGN FLAW & POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS. THE SUN VISORS FAIL & DROP DOWN IN FRONT ON YOU, NO LONGER STAYING AT A PROPER ANGLE OR STAYING UP. I CUT ONE OPEN & FOUND THAT THE PIVOTING PIN IS COATED IN PLASTIC & HELD IN PLACE BY A METAL CLIP. OVER TIME THE PLASTIC CRACKS & FALLS OFF THE METAL PIN CAUSING THE LOSS OF …
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THIS IS CLEARLY A DESIGN FLAW & POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS. THE SUN VISORS FAIL & DROP DOWN IN FRONT ON YOU, NO LONGER STAYING AT A PROPER ANGLE OR STAYING UP. I CUT ONE OPEN & FOUND THAT THE PIVOTING PIN IS COATED IN PLASTIC & HELD IN PLACE BY A METAL CLIP. OVER TIME THE PLASTIC CRACKS & FALLS OFF THE METAL PIN CAUSING THE LOSS OF THE REQUIRED FRICTION TO HOLD THE VISOR SECURELY IN PLACE. MY 1ST REPAIR WAS TO REFORM THE PIN WITH EPOXY, BUT THE FORCE FROM THE METAL CLIP WAS TOO MUCH AND IT FAILED IN A FEW MONTHS. THE NEXT FIX WAS TO CUT THE VISOR OPEN AGAIN & FORCE THE PART OF THE PIN STILL COVERED IN THE ORIGINAL PLASTIC COATING DEEPER INTO THE METAL CLIP. THAT REPAIR LASTED UNTIL NOW. THE REPLACEMENT PARTS ARE RIDICULOUSLY EXPENSIVE, BUT NOW I CAN NOT REPAIR IT AND NOT DOING SO WOULD BE A DRIVING HAZARD. FROM WHAT I HAVE READ ONLINE THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM AND TOYOTA SHOULD HAVE DONE SOMETHING BY NOW. *JS
DRIVER'S SIDE SUN VISOR KEEPS FALLING DOWN SUDDENLY WHILE DRIVING. WHILE SEARCHING ONLINE, I FOUND OUT THAT MANY 2002 HIGHLANDER OWNERS HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM. REPAIR IS TOO COSTLY. IT IS DEFINITELY A SAFETY HAZARD. *TR
OVER THE PAST FEW MONTHS THE DRIVERS SIDE VISOR WOULD FALL WHEN I PRESS THE BREAKS. BLOCKING MY VISION. RECENTLY, THE VISOR WILL NOT STAY UP AT ALL, AND NEEDS TO BE TAPED UP TO PREVENT IT FROM FALLING WHILE I AM DRIVING. *KB
Official recalls
204V181000 · Latches/locks/linkages:doors:latch
Apr 15, 2004
CERTAIN SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES HAVE A CHILD PROTECTION LOCK (CPL) SYSTEM ON BOTH OF THE REAR SIDE DOORS. WHEN AN OPERATOR OF THE VEHICLE CLOSES THE DOOR VERY HARD WITH THE CPL LEVER SET TO THE LOCK POSITION, THERE IS A POSSIBILITY THAT THE LEVER MAY CONTACT THE BODY PANEL, CAUSING THE CPL LEVER TO MOVE INTO THE UNLOCK POSITION.
Consequence & remedy
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.
02V208000 · Fuel System, Gasoline:storage:tank Assembly:mounting
Jul 30, 2002
ON SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES, THERE IS A BREATHER HOSE THAT ATTACHES TO THE NOZZLE OF THE ON-BOARD REFUELING VAPOR RECOVERY (ORVR) VALVE, WHICH IS LOCATED ON THE TOPSIDE OF THE FUEL TANK. THE BREATHER HOSE IS ATTACHED WITH A CLAMP, WHOSE "TABS" FACE IN THE UPWARD DIRECTION. WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS CRASHED UNDER THE NEW CAR ASSESSMENT PROGRAM (NCAP) TEST (I.E., 35 MPH FRONTAL BARRIER CRASH), THE CLAMP "TABS" CONTACTED THE UNDERSIDE OF THE BODY DUE TO MOVEMENT OF THE FUEL TANK, CAUSING THE NOZZLE TO BREAK.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: IN THE WORST CASE, NOZZLE BREAKAGE COULD RESULT IN FUEL LEAKAGE IF THE VEHICLE ROLLS-OVER AFTER A HIGH SPEED FRONTAL CRASH.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL ROTATE THE SPECIFIED CLAMP. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN SEPTEMBER 23, 2002. OWNERS WHO TAKE THEIR VEHICLES TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER ON AN AGREED UPON SERVICE DATE AND DO NOT RECEIVE THE FREE REMEDY WITHIN A REASONABLE TIME SHOULD CONTACT TOYOTA AT 1-800-331-4331.
Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗
NHTSA investigations
0No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.