Mileage unknown · Jul 26, 2024
Air Bags
UNKNOWN
NHTSA ODI #11604652
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Owner complaints for the 2020 Toyota Highlander do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 186.5.
About this comparison →Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Highlander years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
Mileage at the reported incident
Limited mileage data: 58 of 311 reports include usable mileage. There isn’t enough coverage to show a useful chart.
NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.
Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
UNKNOWN
The transmission has gone out. We noticed a whining noise which prompted getting the vehicle inspected which led to the diagnosis. The vehicle is at the dealership and cannot be driven as driving it will void the warranty. The were no warning messages just the whining noise at about 30-40 mph. We were told it was good that w…
The transmission has gone out. We noticed a whining noise which prompted getting the vehicle inspected which led to the diagnosis. The vehicle is at the dealership and cannot be driven as driving it will void the warranty. The were no warning messages just the whining noise at about 30-40 mph. We were told it was good that we caught it as the car could have broken down at any time which could have been a safety risk if it had all of a sudden stopped in traffic. We have researched and found that others have had the same issue. The transmission is on back order with no set arrival date.
The contact owns a 2020 Toyota Highlander. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V720000 (Structure). The contact stated while driving at approximately 40 MPH, the front bumper detached from the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the upper and lower bumper, underpinning…
The contact owns a 2020 Toyota Highlander. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V720000 (Structure). The contact stated while driving at approximately 40 MPH, the front bumper detached from the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the upper and lower bumper, underpinning, wheel well assembly covers, and other unknown parts needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 89,000.
Front bumper
The contact owns a 2020 Toyota Highlander. The contact stated while driving 60-65 MPH and changing lanes, the front lower bumper cover suddenly separated from the vehicle. The contact pulled over to the side of the road. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where the front lower bumper cover assembly was replaced. The vehicle wa…
The contact owns a 2020 Toyota Highlander. The contact stated while driving 60-65 MPH and changing lanes, the front lower bumper cover suddenly separated from the vehicle. The contact pulled over to the side of the road. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where the front lower bumper cover assembly was replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The contact later received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V72000 (Structure) which the contact related to the failure. The manufacturer was contacted for reimbursement, but the manufacturer denied reimbursement. The failure mileage was unknown.
The contact owns a 2020 Toyota Highlander. The contact stated while driving approximately 50 MHP, the contact's husband became aware that there was unknown part had loosened on the front of the vehicle. The contact pulled over to the side of the road and upon inspecting the vehicle, the contact became aware that the front bumper…
The contact owns a 2020 Toyota Highlander. The contact stated while driving approximately 50 MHP, the contact's husband became aware that there was unknown part had loosened on the front of the vehicle. The contact pulled over to the side of the road and upon inspecting the vehicle, the contact became aware that the front bumper assembly was detaching. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic however, the vehicle was not repaired due to the cost. The contact then received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V720000 (Structure) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The failure mileage was approximately 30,000. Parts distribution disconnect.
The contact owns a 2020 Toyota Highlander. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V865000 (Air Bags) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The …
The contact owns a 2020 Toyota Highlander. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V865000 (Air Bags) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
There has been an open recall WITHOUT resolution for over 6 months
2020 Highlander XLE 8-AT: whining sound when the vehicle is in forward motion; any speed. No sound noticed when in reverse. At this time, there is no condition, noticed, while shifting gears. Sound is constant regardless of speed. Dealer (6/14/2024) has diagnosed the transmission is bad; needs to be replaced. T-SB-0008-21 & T-SB…
2020 Highlander XLE 8-AT: whining sound when the vehicle is in forward motion; any speed. No sound noticed when in reverse. At this time, there is no condition, noticed, while shifting gears. Sound is constant regardless of speed. Dealer (6/14/2024) has diagnosed the transmission is bad; needs to be replaced. T-SB-0008-21 & T-SB-0160-18 cover same sound condition this vehicle has now.
Rear AC lines are defective and are failing on vehicles releasing gas under the vehicle. Dealer has confirmed this is a known design issue caused by dissimilar metals between the vehicle, bracket and rear AC lines. Toyota has stopped supply of the defective part but has no solution to repair this issue yet. They have no soluti…
Rear AC lines are defective and are failing on vehicles releasing gas under the vehicle. Dealer has confirmed this is a known design issue caused by dissimilar metals between the vehicle, bracket and rear AC lines. Toyota has stopped supply of the defective part but has no solution to repair this issue yet. They have no solution other that to wait for a) Parts to be re-continued, b) wait for Toyota to release a design fix. Meanwhile I have a newborn and the car is unable to maintain a acceptable temperature for occupation
Dec 20, 2023
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2020-2021 Avalon, Avalon Hybrid, Corolla, Highlander, Highlander Hybrid, RAV4, RAV4 Hybrid, Lexus ES350, Lexus RX350, Lexus RX450H, 2021 Sienna Hybrid, Lexus ES250, 2020-2022 Camry, Camry Hybrid, and ES300H vehicles. A short circuit may develop in the Occupant Classification System (OCS) sensor, preventing the front passenger air bag from deploying.
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.
Oct 26, 2023
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2020-2023 Highlander & Highlander Hybrid vehicles. During normal vehicle operation, minor impact to the front lower bumper cover may result in the cover coming loose or detaching.
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.
Oct 14, 2020
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2020 Highlander and Highlander hybrid vehicles. Incorrect seat trim covers on one or both of the front seats can prevent the seat-mounted side air bag from deploying properly.
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.
Seats
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2020 Highlander and Highlander hybrid vehicles. Incorrect seat trim covers on one or both of the front seats can prevent the seat-mounted side air bag from deploying properly.
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.
Air Bags
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2020 Highlander and Highlander hybrid vehicles. Incorrect seat trim covers on one or both of the front seats can prevent the seat-mounted side air bag from deploying properly.
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.
Mar 19, 2020
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2020 Highlander vehicles equipped with a 3.5 L, V6 (2GR-FKS) gasoline engine. Due to an Engine Control Unit (ECU) programming error, fuel may not be correctly supplied to the engine while using the stop and restart feature.
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.
Engine
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2020 Highlander vehicles equipped with a 3.5 L, V6 (2GR-FKS) gasoline engine. Due to an Engine Control Unit (ECU) programming error, fuel may not be correctly supplied to the engine while using the stop and restart feature.
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.
Fuel System, Gasoline:delivery
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2020 Highlander vehicles equipped with a 3.5 L, V6 (2GR-FKS) gasoline engine. Due to an Engine Control Unit (ECU) programming error, fuel may not be correctly supplied to the engine while using the stop and restart feature.
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.
Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗
No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.