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2015 Toyota Highlander

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

Similar to other model years

Owner complaints for the 2015 Toyota Highlander do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 186.5.

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When problems were reported

Mileage at the reported incident

124 reports with mileage · 67 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.

  • Electrical System. Review the 52 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Structure. Review the 31 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Steering. Review the 25 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

17 crash reports6 fire reports12 injury reports

Structure complaints

31 reports
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Mileage unknown · Oct 5, 2021
Structure

Blizzard pearl paint is peeling off the roof leading to rust and damaged structural integrity. Toyota has a recall for all blizzard pearl paint vehicles EXCEPT the highlander. They inspected it and said its wasn't in the recall even though the paint has a known problem and they would not fix the problem as it would be a legal a…

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Blizzard pearl paint is peeling off the roof leading to rust and damaged structural integrity. Toyota has a recall for all blizzard pearl paint vehicles EXCEPT the highlander. They inspected it and said its wasn't in the recall even though the paint has a known problem and they would not fix the problem as it would be a legal admission of guilt that the recall is incomplete.

NHTSA ODI #11435547

Mileage unknown · Aug 18, 2021
Electrical SystemStructure

The door locks have stopped working one by one. First I noticed the driver door not unlocking or locking with the key fob, with the touch system on the door handle, or with the button on the inside panel. Then I noticed my back door on the driver side not locking or unlocking with the key fob OR with the button on the inside pan…

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The door locks have stopped working one by one. First I noticed the driver door not unlocking or locking with the key fob, with the touch system on the door handle, or with the button on the inside panel. Then I noticed my back door on the driver side not locking or unlocking with the key fob OR with the button on the inside panel. Both of these locks are now manual only. And the front passenger door lock only works sometimes, so I imagine it will stop working altogether soon as well. This puts the safety of my belongings, myself, and my children at risk. I don't know how long this had been happening before I noticed it, so I very easily could have been unknowingly leaving my car unlocked all over town. I am unable to enter my car quickly because I have to take the key fob apart and use the manual key to enter the driver door, and then my son has to wait for me to manually unlock his door before he can get in. My daughter sits on the other side so he can't just switch to the side that works. Well he could but then my daughter would have the same issue. If it was an emergency situation and we had to get into the car quickly it's just not possible. Also in traffic or in parking lots when we are inside the car I feel like we are left vulnerable with the doors unlocked and I can't lock them without reaching and manually doing this for each door. Which I do, but shouldn't have to. A quick internet search has made it clear that I am FAR from the first person this has happened to with these vehicles. It is clearly an extremely common issue with Highlanders and other Toyota vehicles and it 100% should be a recall.

NHTSA ODI #11429572

Mileage unknown · Apr 10, 2021
Service BrakesStructureUnknown Or Other

BACK STOP LIGHT GET RAIN WATER! PASSENGER SIDE FRONT BREAK ALWAYS WEARING OUT BEFORE OTHERS BREAKS ! TRUNK DOOR AUTOMATIC BROKEN! 3 ROW SIT UNDER NEED GET RUSHED! SEAT BELT MOUNTED ON THE FLOOR IF YOU PUT MATS PULL YOU BACK ALL TIME ! AC WENT U TURN ON NOT WORKING RIGHT AWAY TAKE 5-10 MIN TO COOL DOWN !

NHTSA ODI #11407432

70,000 miles · Mar 19, 2021
Structure

[XXX]. 2015 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER, 70,000 MILES. WHILE PARKED, VEHICLE WAS STATIONARY. DRIVER SIDE DOOR WILL NOT OPEN FROM OUTSIDE WHEN UNLOCKED VIA KEYFOB OR THE MANUAL KEY. OCCURRED SEVERAL TIMES WITH 2 DIFFERENT KEY FOBS ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS THIS MONTH. OPENS FINE FROM THE INSIDE AFTER CRAWLING ACROSS THE SEATS TO ACTIVATE DOO…

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[XXX]. 2015 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER, 70,000 MILES. WHILE PARKED, VEHICLE WAS STATIONARY. DRIVER SIDE DOOR WILL NOT OPEN FROM OUTSIDE WHEN UNLOCKED VIA KEYFOB OR THE MANUAL KEY. OCCURRED SEVERAL TIMES WITH 2 DIFFERENT KEY FOBS ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS THIS MONTH. OPENS FINE FROM THE INSIDE AFTER CRAWLING ACROSS THE SEATS TO ACTIVATE DOOR LATCH FROM INSIDE HANDLE. PARTS OF THIS DOCUMENT HAVE BEEN REDACTED TO PROTECT PERSONALLY IDENTIFIABLE INFORMATION PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

NHTSA ODI #11403927

37,260 miles · Jul 12, 2020
Electrical SystemStructure

REAR BOOT LID NOT OPERATIONAL. TRIED USING.MY KEYS AND ALSO THE DASH BUTTON BUT THE GATE WONT OPEN OR CLOSE. HAD TO OPEN FRON THE WINDOW TO LOAD MY SHOPPING. ON MY WAY ON FREE WAY, THE DOOR OPENED AND LOST A BIT OF MY BOTTLED STUFF AND SHOPPING AS IT TOSSED AWAY. SO LUCKY TO BE ON A LINE WITH LIMITED TRAFFIC . HAD NO ACCIDENT

NHTSA ODI #11338960

70,000 miles · Jul 25, 2019
Structure

THE DRIVER'S SIDE DOOR CHECK STOP HAS FAILED TWICE THROUGH NORMAL USE (OF OPENING AND CLOSING THE DOOR). I HAVE NEVER HAD A CAR WHERE THIS PART HAS FAILED EVEN ONCE. FIRST TIME WAS IN FEB OF 2017.

NHTSA ODI #11234791

30,800 miles · Apr 23, 2019
Electrical SystemStructure

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2015 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE REAR POWER HATCHBACK DOOR MADE AN ABNORMAL NOISE WHEN BEING OPENED. IN ADDITION, THE DOOR ONLY OPENED HALFWAY. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO NALLEY TOYOTA OF ROSWELL (11130 ALPHARETTA HWY, ROSWELL, GA 30076, (404) 994-5422) WHERE THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT…

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TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2015 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE REAR POWER HATCHBACK DOOR MADE AN ABNORMAL NOISE WHEN BEING OPENED. IN ADDITION, THE DOOR ONLY OPENED HALFWAY. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO NALLEY TOYOTA OF ROSWELL (11130 ALPHARETTA HWY, ROSWELL, GA 30076, (404) 994-5422) WHERE THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS NOT COVERED UNDER WARRANTY. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 30,800.

NHTSA ODI #11203072

Mileage unknown · Oct 29, 2018
Structure

2015 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER. CONSUMER WRITES WITH CONCERNS TO SAFETY ISSUE WITH VEHICLE; INTERIOR HEADLINER BURNS AND MELTS WITHOUT WARNING. *AS *JS

NHTSA ODI #11143111

71,933 miles · Oct 17, 2018
Structure

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2015 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE TAILGATE FAILED TO OPEN WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE TRUCK FARM OF EASLEY (4296 CALHOUN MEMORIAL HWY, EASLEY, SC 29640, (864) 220-1811), BUT THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE WAS UNDETERMINED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE DEALER REFERRED THE …

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TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2015 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE TAILGATE FAILED TO OPEN WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE TRUCK FARM OF EASLEY (4296 CALHOUN MEMORIAL HWY, EASLEY, SC 29640, (864) 220-1811), BUT THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE WAS UNDETERMINED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE DEALER REFERRED THE CONTACT TO A TOYOTA DEALER. THE LOCAL DEALER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED AND PROVIDED CASE NUMBER: 1810172395. THE CONTACT WAS REFERRED TO NHTSA. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 71,933.

NHTSA ODI #11141094

Mileage unknown · Aug 16, 2018
Structure

BOTH FRONT DOOR ACTUATORS FAILED AT THE SAME TIME WITH 34K MILES ON THE VEHICLE. ELECTRIC LOCKS WILL NOT OPERATE ON EITHER DOOR. VEHICLE WAS PARKED AND HAD TO ENTERED THROUGH THE REAR DOORS OR BY USING THE HIDDEN KEY.

NHTSA ODI #11120239

Official recalls

1

15V144000 · Steering:electric Power Assist System

Mar 13, 2015

Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain model year 2015 Camry, Camry Hybrid, Highlander, and Highlander Hybrid, and 2014-2015 Rav4 vehicles. A component of the electric power steering (EPS) electronic control unit (ECU) may have been damaged during the manufacturing process. Over time, this damage may result in failure of the electric power steering system.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: An unexpected loss of power steering increases the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the serial number of the EPS ECU or steering column assembly. If the number is within the affected range, the EPS ECU will be replaced, free of charge. The recall began on May 7, 2015. Owners may contact Toyota customer service 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

0

No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.