IllustrationTRACTION CONTROL SYSTEM ACTIVATES RANDOMLY WHILE DRIVING ON SMOOTH ROADWAY, DRY ROADS. DRIVING DOWN ROAD AND TCS LIGHT FLASHES IN INSTRUMENT CLUSTER.
2016 Toyota Highlander
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Similar to other model years
Owner complaints for the 2016 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
340–25K
2425–50K
1050–75K
375–100K
0100–150K
0150K+
71 reports with mileage · 39 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.
- Service Brakes. Review the 19 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Electrical System. Review the 14 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Air Bags. Review the 10 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
14 crash reports1 fire reports7 injury reports
What owners actually said
110 reportsVEHICLE PRE-COLLISION SYSTEM ACTIVATING RANDOMLY WITH NO OTHER VEHICLES NEARBY. DASH DISPLAY LIGHTS UP WITH WARNING ACCOMPANIED WITH RAPID BEEPING WHILE DRIVING. MULTIPLE TIMES NOTED ON VIDEO FROM DASH-CAM. HAS COME ON WHILE CHANGING LANES AND CAN CAUSE AN ACCIDENT BY THE DISTRACTION. HAS HAPPENED ON FREEWAY AS WELL AS CITY …
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VEHICLE PRE-COLLISION SYSTEM ACTIVATING RANDOMLY WITH NO OTHER VEHICLES NEARBY. DASH DISPLAY LIGHTS UP WITH WARNING ACCOMPANIED WITH RAPID BEEPING WHILE DRIVING. MULTIPLE TIMES NOTED ON VIDEO FROM DASH-CAM. HAS COME ON WHILE CHANGING LANES AND CAN CAUSE AN ACCIDENT BY THE DISTRACTION. HAS HAPPENED ON FREEWAY AS WELL AS CITY DRIVING. WHILE COASTING AND ACCELERATING. DATE LISTED BELOW IS APPROXIMATE.
WHISTLING/SQUEAKING NOISE FROM ENGINE WHEN TURNED OFF AFTER DRIVING. TOOK A VIDEO AND SHOWED DEALER WHO THOUGHT IT WAS UNUSUAL BUT NO DIAGNOSIS ON MULTIPLE VISITS.
NOTED FUEL ECONOMY CONTINUES TO DROP AND NOWHERE NEAR ADVERTISED MILEAGE. LAST TRIP IN VEHICLE NOTED 20 MPG ON ADVERTISED 27MPG. AROUND TOWN MILEAGE DROPPING BELOW 19 MPG.
AT LOW SPEEDS SUCH AS SLOWING FOR A STOP SIGN VEHICLE RANDOMLY BRAKES BY ITSELF WITH SUDDEN STOPPING OF VEHICLE. OCCUPANTS AND ITEMS IN VEHICLE ARE THROWN FORWARD. NORMAL BRAKE PRESSURE APPLIED. HAS HAPPENED TO BOTH MYSELF AND MY WIFE WHILE DRIVING. VEHICLE HAS BEEN TO SHOP MULTIPLE TIMES INCLUDING 1 REPLACEMENT OF 12V BATTE…
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AT LOW SPEEDS SUCH AS SLOWING FOR A STOP SIGN VEHICLE RANDOMLY BRAKES BY ITSELF WITH SUDDEN STOPPING OF VEHICLE. OCCUPANTS AND ITEMS IN VEHICLE ARE THROWN FORWARD. NORMAL BRAKE PRESSURE APPLIED. HAS HAPPENED TO BOTH MYSELF AND MY WIFE WHILE DRIVING. VEHICLE HAS BEEN TO SHOP MULTIPLE TIMES INCLUDING 1 REPLACEMENT OF 12V BATTERY AS A SOLUTION, HOWEVER VEHICLE CONTINUES TO HAVE ISSUES. LISTED DATE IS APPROXIMATE OF ORIGINAL OCCURRENCE. SOME INSTANCES CAPTURED ON DASH-CAM VIDEO.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2016 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 40 MPH, THE CONTACT HEARD METAL RUBBING ON THE FRONT BRAKES. THE FRONT BRAKE PADS, ROTORS, AND CALIPERS WERE REPAIRED BY ORLAND TOYOTA (8505 W 159TH ST, TINLEY PARK, IL 60487), BUT THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO ELMHURST TOYOTA (440 W LAKE…
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TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2016 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 40 MPH, THE CONTACT HEARD METAL RUBBING ON THE FRONT BRAKES. THE FRONT BRAKE PADS, ROTORS, AND CALIPERS WERE REPAIRED BY ORLAND TOYOTA (8505 W 159TH ST, TINLEY PARK, IL 60487), BUT THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO ELMHURST TOYOTA (440 W LAKE ST, ELMHURST, IL 60126) WHERE IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THE BRAKE PADS WERE FINE; HOWEVER, THE ROTORS WERE NOT. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURES. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 77,000.
DOES NOT HAVE ANY SIDE AIR BAG MOUNTED PASSENGER DRIVER SEAT AIR BAG OF THE FRONT PASSENGER DRIVER ALL THE ROW FILTER IN THE GUIDE DOES NOT HAVE AIR BAG AND THE SEAT BELTS DO NOT WORK.
WHEN I AM ON REGULAR SPEED AND PUSH THE BREAK PADDLE THEN STARING IS SHACKING AND IT'S HAVE JUST 10000 MILES ON IT
2ND ROW PASSENGER SEAT, 60 PORTION SQUEAK ON BUMPY ROADS, ISSUE COMING FROM FOLDING CABLES MECHANISM, DEALERSHIP CAN'T REPLACE THE SEAT DUE TO HIGH COST AND ALSO CAN'T FIGURE OUT A SOLUTION TO THE ISSUE, VERY ANNOYING NOISE FOR AN EXPENSIVE CAR MODEL XLE
STARTED COMPLAINING ABOUT BRAKES AT 10,000 MILES. THE DEALER TURNED REAR ROTORS AT 28,000 AND INSTALLED NEW PADS. NOW AT 37,000, THE FRONT ROTORS ARE WARPED ALSO. CANNOT BE TURNED DOWN.NO COVERAGE FROM THE DEALER. DEFECTIVE ROTORS ARE MY COMPLAINT. TOYOTA FORUMS COMPLAIN ABOUT THESES ROTORS ALL THE TIME.THE VEHICLE SHUTTERS AS B…
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STARTED COMPLAINING ABOUT BRAKES AT 10,000 MILES. THE DEALER TURNED REAR ROTORS AT 28,000 AND INSTALLED NEW PADS. NOW AT 37,000, THE FRONT ROTORS ARE WARPED ALSO. CANNOT BE TURNED DOWN.NO COVERAGE FROM THE DEALER. DEFECTIVE ROTORS ARE MY COMPLAINT. TOYOTA FORUMS COMPLAIN ABOUT THESES ROTORS ALL THE TIME.THE VEHICLE SHUTTERS AS BRAKES ARE APPLIED.
Official recalls
216V775000 · Electrical System:wiring; Service Brakes, Hydraulic:fluid
Oct 24, 2016
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain model year 2016 Highlander vehicles manufactured May 26, 2016, to September 16, 2016. The brake fluid level sensor may not be connected to the wire harness, preventing the sensor from detecting the brake fluid level. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 135, "Light Vehicle Brake Systems."
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: If the brake fluid level is low and is not detected, the braking performance may be decreased, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and, as necessary, connect the wire harness to the sensor, free of charge. The recall began November 14, 2016. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's number for this G03.
Additional source detail variants (2)
Electrical System:wiring
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain model year 2016 Highlander vehicles manufactured May 26, 2016, to September 16, 2016. The brake fluid level sensor may not be connected to the wire harness, preventing the sensor from detecting the brake fluid level. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 135, "Light Vehicle Brake Systems."
Consequence: If the brake fluid level is low and is not detected, the braking performance may be decreased, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and, as necessary, connect the wire harness to the sensor, free of charge. The recall began November 14, 2016. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's number for this G03.
Service Brakes, Hydraulic:fluid
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain model year 2016 Highlander vehicles manufactured May 26, 2016, to September 16, 2016. The brake fluid level sensor may not be connected to the wire harness, preventing the sensor from detecting the brake fluid level. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 135, "Light Vehicle Brake Systems."
Consequence: If the brake fluid level is low and is not detected, the braking performance may be decreased, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and, as necessary, connect the wire harness to the sensor, free of charge. The recall began November 14, 2016. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's number for this G03.
16V420000 · Equipment:other:labels
Jun 9, 2016
Southeast Toyota Distributors, LLC (SET) is recalling certain model year 2016 Toyota Camry and Highlander, 2015-2016 Toyota Tundra, Scion FR-S, and tC vehicles. The Load Carrying Capacity Modification Label may not reflect the correct added weight of the installed accessories. As a result, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 110, "Tire Selection and Rims for Passenger Cars."
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: An incorrect label may lead an owner to overload the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: SET will notify owners, and provide a corrected label for placement over the inaccurate label, free of charge. The recall began on July 14, 2016. Owners may contact SET customer service at 1-866-405-4226.
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.