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2021 Toyota Highlander

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

More warning signs than most Highlander years

Owner complaints for the 2021 Toyota Highlander are substantially higher than the model-year median of 186.5.

About this comparison →

When problems were reported

Mileage at the reported incident

Limited mileage data: 42 of 512 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.

What to inspect

Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.

  • Power Train. Review the 219 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Service Brakes. Review the 66 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Structure. Review the 51 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

16 crash reports4 fire reports12 injury reports

What owners actually said

512 reports
Mileage unknown · Nov 23, 2021
Unknown Or Other

Driver side mirror shakes when going greater than 25 mph. This does not happen on passender side, makes it more difficult to see object in mirror and more dangerous changing lanes on highways. First noticed after a few months of minimal driving.

NHTSA ODI #11441473

Mileage unknown · Nov 18, 2021
Fuel/propulsion SystemService Brakes

Regarding brakes: There is an inconsistent involuntary brake pressure release occurring when slowing down via braking where the brakes let loose for about a second before applying again. This occurs with no change in pressure applied to the brake pedal. This is a dangerous situation, especially if in emergency braking situati…

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Regarding brakes: There is an inconsistent involuntary brake pressure release occurring when slowing down via braking where the brakes let loose for about a second before applying again. This occurs with no change in pressure applied to the brake pedal. This is a dangerous situation, especially if in emergency braking situation. This has occurred multiple times over the 16k miles that it's been driven, but more recently. There is no consistency on the speeds it occurs at either. Regarding fuel: We are unable to fill fuel tank completely due to poor venting in gas tank, which could lead to spilled gas similar to overfill, causing a hazard. This vehicle has a 17.1 gallon fuel tank but we are only able to get 12-13 gallons upon fill-up at empty. Both of these issues have been reported to our local Toyota dealership, with no resolution.

NHTSA ODI #11440891

Mileage unknown · Nov 15, 2021
Tires

235/55R20 Michelin CrossClimate 2 UTQG ratings missing on outside of tires, for 2 out of the 4 tires. Note: the previous CrossClimate has had a recall for the same issue.

NHTSA ODI #11440523

2,000 miles · Nov 4, 2021
Power TrainCrash

The contact owns a 2021 Toyota Highlander. The contact stated his wife pulled into a parking spot and turned off the engine while the vehicle was in reverse. The vehicle then switched gears to neutral on its own, started reversing, and slightly crashed into the rear of another vehicle. The warning message "Put Transmission Into …

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The contact owns a 2021 Toyota Highlander. The contact stated his wife pulled into a parking spot and turned off the engine while the vehicle was in reverse. The vehicle then switched gears to neutral on its own, started reversing, and slightly crashed into the rear of another vehicle. The warning message "Put Transmission Into park Illuminated". The dealer and the manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 2000.

NHTSA ODI #11439378

Mileage unknown · Sep 29, 2021
Fuel/propulsion SystemVehicle Speed Control

I have a 2021 FWD Highlander Hybrid, running in ECO mode with just over 5K miles. I just had this problem happen this afternoon. Pulling into a parking spot at the grocery store. I was going pretty slow, almost stopped, and then the car engine revs and lurches forward. Thank goodness I had my foot on the brake, otherwise the car…

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I have a 2021 FWD Highlander Hybrid, running in ECO mode with just over 5K miles. I just had this problem happen this afternoon. Pulling into a parking spot at the grocery store. I was going pretty slow, almost stopped, and then the car engine revs and lurches forward. Thank goodness I had my foot on the brake, otherwise the car would of jumped the curb/parking block. Also, happened to me previously coming out of our neighborhood on to a busy street. I'm stopping at the stop sign, going pretty slow, and then all of a sudden the car engine revs and lurches forward. Quite frankly I consider this a huge safety concern. If my foot was not already on the brake the car would of moved forward into on coming traffic The car was just in for its 5K mile service at the Toyota Dealership, and there are no warning lamps or messages displayed when the problem occurs

NHTSA ODI #11434865

Mileage unknown · Sep 18, 2021
Fuel/propulsion System

Toyota claims that the 2021 Highlander Hybrid had a fuel tank capacity of 17.1 however I am not able to fill my gas tank to this level. At most I am only getting about 12-13 gallon. This issue seems very similar to the Rav 4 one. We need a fix asap.

NHTSA ODI #11433475

Mileage unknown · Sep 4, 2021
Unknown Or OtherCrash

While driving a piece popped off of the passenger door mirror. It flew off and hit the passenger door causing scuff marks before flying into traffic and causing the car behind me to swerve in traffic to avoid it from hitting their car or driving over it, which could have caused an accident. I wasn't able to recover the piece d…

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While driving a piece popped off of the passenger door mirror. It flew off and hit the passenger door causing scuff marks before flying into traffic and causing the car behind me to swerve in traffic to avoid it from hitting their car or driving over it, which could have caused an accident. I wasn't able to recover the piece due to the incident occurring on the interstate. I did take the vehicle to the dealership (Serra Toyota - Birmingham, AL) in July and was told by the service technician that they had three other cars to come in with the same issue within the last month. Also, I was told that the entire mirror would have to be replaced since the manufacturer didn't make the piece alone. I was told that it would cost me $800 to replace the entire mirror. I should not be responsible for a faulty piece on the vehicle that was just purchased at the end of April. The technician told me that he would put in a ticket with the manufacturer, but I have not received a response.

NHTSA ODI #11431694

Mileage unknown · Sep 3, 2021
Unknown Or Other

The fixed moonroof appears to have exploded on its own while parked. No alarm was set off and no objects were found inside the vehicle suggesting an impact. There was no debris around the car. There were no storms or the vehicle is not parked near trees or ball fields. Dealer denies any known occurrence and states this must be f…

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The fixed moonroof appears to have exploded on its own while parked. No alarm was set off and no objects were found inside the vehicle suggesting an impact. There was no debris around the car. There were no storms or the vehicle is not parked near trees or ball fields. Dealer denies any known occurrence and states this must be from an impact and is not covered by warranty.

NHTSA ODI #11431601

Mileage unknown · Aug 31, 2021
SteeringSuspensionUnknown Or Other

I was forced to change lanes quickly from the left lane to the left shoulder of an interstate when a double tandem tractor trailer moved into my lane of traffic. The interstate was dry and the left shoulder was in excellent condition and wide enough to accommodate my vehicle easily. All lane assist options were turned off, …

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I was forced to change lanes quickly from the left lane to the left shoulder of an interstate when a double tandem tractor trailer moved into my lane of traffic. The interstate was dry and the left shoulder was in excellent condition and wide enough to accommodate my vehicle easily. All lane assist options were turned off, the driving mode was set to “economy” and the cruise control was turned to “off”. A few seconds after entering the left shoulder of the interstate, I felt the rear end of my vehicle sway from side to side for a few seconds. After the swaying ended, I thought there was a brief loss of vehicle control after which the vehicle returned completely to my control. My vehicle is a Toyota Highlander Limited AWD gas engine SUV with about 2700 miles when this occurred. I drove my vehicle without any emergency steering maneuvers 2700 miles prior to and 500 miles after this incident without any problems. I had my Toyota dealer examine the suspension, steering and event recorder of the vehicle and test drive it. They found the vehicle to be performing within manufacturers specifications and without any defect in the steering or suspension and found no codes found in the event recorder.

NHTSA ODI #11431183

Mileage unknown · Aug 19, 2021
Tires

Bridgestone Alenza Sport OEM 235/65R18 tire. I was driving about 40 MPH. I noticed increased vibration. Suddenly the left rear tire failed. The driver behind me said that the tire "exploded." She had never seen anything like it before. The outer part of the tire had completely separated from the part attached to the metal w…

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Bridgestone Alenza Sport OEM 235/65R18 tire. I was driving about 40 MPH. I noticed increased vibration. Suddenly the left rear tire failed. The driver behind me said that the tire "exploded." She had never seen anything like it before. The outer part of the tire had completely separated from the part attached to the metal wheel. There was some damage to the wheel well.

NHTSA ODI #11429680

Official recalls

4

26V128000 · Seats:mid/rear Assembly:recliner

Mar 5, 2026

Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2021-2025 Highlander and Highlander Hybrid vehicles. The second-row seat backs may fail to lock into position during seat back adjustment.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: A seat back that fails to lock may not properly restrain an occupant during a crash, increasing the risk of injury.

Remedy: Dealers will replace the return springs in the seat back recliner assemblies, free of charge. Owner letters were mailed September 9, 2026. This is a phased recall. Owners may contact Toyota’s customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's numbers for this recall are 26TB06 and 26TA06.

24V452000 · Tires

Jun 18, 2024

Southeast Toyota Distributors, LLC (SET) is recalling certain 2021-2024 Highlander vehicles. The 20-inch accessory tires with an insufficient load rating for the vehicle's Gross Axle Weight Rating (GAWR) were installed. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 110, "Tire Selection and Rims."

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: Tires with an insufficient load rating can be overloaded and fail, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy: SET will inspect and replace the tires and information placard, as necessary free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed August 16, 2024. Owners may contact SET's customer service at 1-866-405-4226. SET's number for this recall is SET24A.

23V865000 · Air Bags:sensor:occupant Classification

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 & remedy

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.

23V720000 · Structure:body:bumpers

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 & remedy

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.

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.