2024 Toyota Highlander problems, complaints & recalls

Updated from NHTSA data · How we count

Owners have filed 43 complaints with NHTSA about the 2024 Toyota Highlander, most often about fuel, hybrid & EV propulsion. There are 7 recalls for this model year.

Complaints
43
Recalls
7
Crashes
4
Fires
0
Injuries
5
Median mileage
11,678 mi
at time of problem

Key facts

  • Brakes is the most-reported problem area, named in 8 of 43 complaints (19%).
  • Fuel, Hybrid & EV Propulsion (8) and electrical system (6) follow.
  • Half of the complaints that list mileage happened before 11,678 mi.
  • Owners reported 4 crashes, 0 fires and 5 injuries.
  • The 2024 Toyota Highlander has 7 recalls on file.
  • It ranks 12th of 22 Toyota Highlander model years by our severity-weighted complaint score (1st = worst).
  • That is 77% fewer complaints than the 2023 model year (185).

2024 Toyota Highlander problems by category

  • Other / Unknown · 2 crashes
    14 complaints
  • Brakes · 2 crashes
    8 complaints
  • Fuel, Hybrid & EV Propulsion
    8 complaints
  • Electrical System · 1 crash
    6 complaints
  • Body & Structure
    5 complaints
  • Engine · 1 crash
    5 complaints
  • Seats & Seat Belts
    3 complaints
  • Transmission & Drivetrain · 1 crash
    3 complaints
  • Driver Assistance & Safety Tech · 1 crash
    2 complaints
  • Wheels & Tires
    1 complaints
  • Suspension
    1 complaints
  • Acceleration & Cruise Control
    1 complaints
  • Visibility & Wipers
    1 complaints

A complaint can mention more than one problem area, so categories add up to more than the total.

Most-reported components

Component (as filed with NHTSA)Complaints
Unknown or other13
Service brakes8
Fuel/propulsion system7
Electrical system6
Engine5
Power train3
Structure:body2
Seats2

When problems happen (mileage)

1Under 10k210k–30k30k–60k60k–100k100k–150k1150k+
Mileage at the time of the problem, for 2024 Toyota Highlander complaints that list mileage.

2024 Toyota Highlander recalls (7)

  • Recall 26V128000Mar 5, 2026686,588 vehicles
    SEATS:MID/REAR ASSEMBLY:RECLINER

    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.

    Risk: 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.

  • Recall 25V872000Dec 17, 202539 vehicles
    SEAT BELTS:REAR/OTHER:ANCHORAGE

    Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2024-2025 Highlander and Highlander Hybrid vehicles. The third row center seat belt roof anchor may have been installed at an incorrect angle, preventing the seat belt from properly restraining the occupant.

    Risk: A seat belt that does not properly restrain an occupant increases the risk of injury during a crash.

    Remedy: Dealers will reinstall the seat belt anchor with a new bolt, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed January 27, 2026. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's number for this recall is 25TA16.

  • Recall 25V744000Oct 30, 20251,024,407 vehicles
    BACK OVER PREVENTION:DISPLAY FUNCTION

    Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2022-2026 Toyota, Lexus, and Subaru Solterra vehicles equipped with a Panoramic View Monitor (PVM) system. Please see the recall report for a complete list of models. A software error may cause the rearview camera to freeze or display a blank screen when the vehicle is in reverse. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 111, "Rear Visibility."

    Risk: A rearview camera that fails to display an image can reduce the driver's view behind the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.

    Remedy: Dealers will update the parking assist software, free of charge. Owner letters were mailed January 2, 2026. Owners may contact Toyota's customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's numbers for this recall are 25TB13 and 25LB06. Subaru's number for this recall is WRE25.

  • Recall 25V595000Sep 11, 2025591,377 vehicles
    ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: INSTRUMENT CLUSTER/PANEL

    Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2023-2024 Toyota Venza, 2023-2025 RAV4 Prime, RAV4, Highlander, GR Corolla, Crown, 2024-2025 Lexus TX, LS, Toyota Tacoma, Grand Highlander, and 2025 Lexus RX, Toyota Crown Signia, Camry, RAV 4 Plug-in Hybrid (PHEV), and 4 Runner vehicles. Due to an error in the instrument panel software at vehicle startup, the instrument panel may fail to display vehicle speed, brake system, and tire pressure warning lights.

    Risk: An instrument panel display that does not show critical information can increase the risk of a crash or injury.

    Remedy: Dealers will update the instrument panel software over-the-air (OTA) for non-PHEV vehicles, free of charge. For PHEV vehicles, dealers will inspect the instrument panel assembly, and either replace it, or update the software, free of charge. Owner letters were mailed December 5, 2025. Additional letters will be sent, anticipated in May 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 25TB08 and 25TA08. Lexus' numbers for this recall are 25LB05 and 25LA05.

  • Recall 24V548000Jul 23, 202433,848 vehicles
    EQUIPMENT:OTHER:LABELS

    Gulf States Toyota, Inc. (GST) is recalling certain Toyota 2023 GR Supra, 2024 4 Runner, Corolla, Grand Highlander, Grand Highlander Hybrid, Land Cruiser Hybrid, Tacoma, Tacoma Hybrid, 2023-2024 BZ4X, Corolla Cross Hybrid, GR Corolla, GR86, Highlander, Highlander Hybrid, Prius, Prius Prime, Sequoia Hybrid, Tundra, Tundra Hybrid, Venza Hybrid, 2023-2025 Crown, and 2025 Camry Hybrid vehicles equipped with GST accessories. The load carrying capacity modification label may display inaccurate added weight values. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 110, "Tire Selection and Rims."

    Risk: A vehicle with an incorrect maximum capacity weight value may be overloaded, which can increase the risk of a crash.

    Remedy: GST will mail new labels to owners, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed September 16, 2024. Owners may contact GST customer service at 1-800-444-1074. GST's number for this recall is 24R2.

  • Recall 24V452000Jun 18, 20244,763 vehicles
    TIRES

    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."

    Risk: 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.

  • Recall 24V419000Jun 6, 20244,869 vehicles
    TIRES

    Gulf States Toyota, Inc. (GST) is recalling certain 2022-2024 model year Highlander L and Highlander LE vehicles equipped with the Blackout Package that includes 20" black alloy wheels and tires. The installed tires have an insufficient load rating. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 110, "Tire Selection and Rims."

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

    Remedy: GST will inspect and replace the tires as necessary, and install a new tire information label as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed August 8, 2024. Owners may contact GST customer service at 1-800-444-1074. GST's number for this recall is 24R1.

Recent 2024 Toyota Highlander complaints

Excerpts of the newest owner complaints, lightly cleaned of personal details. Complaints are unverified owner reports.

  1. Filed Oct 7, 202610,000 miNYSeats & Seat Belts
    The contact owns a 2024 Toyota Highlander. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 26V128000 (Seats); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that while lowering the 2nd-row seat, the seats failed to remain locked in place as intended. 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…
    NHTSA complaint #11769657 · source
  2. Filed Sep 1, 2026TXFuel, Hybrid & EV PropulsionOther / Unknown
    I have been experiencing a gas smell issue with my Toyota Highlander near the rear of the car by gas cap area upon putting in gas and driving. The smell starts typically when it’s a hot day outside and I only usually get half a tank worth of gas. After getting gas and driving about 15-30 mins. Is when the smell of gas starts. I recently took my car it to the local Toyota dealership and they checked the purge valve, fuel canister and EVAP system. The technician did state that…
    NHTSA complaint #11761388 · source
  3. Filed Aug 27, 2026AZEngineFuel, Hybrid & EV Propulsion
    Driving the vehicle a strong smell of fuel vapor is noticeable coming from rear driver side of vehicle by rear door and fuel cap area. This happens when car is driven for long periods of time or on hot days. I drive my car daily and it happens every day. Smell gets so bad it gets in to the cabin area. Causing me to get headaches or light headed feeling making it unsafe to drive. I have taken vehicle to the dealership but nothing was done. The only thing they said they could…
    NHTSA complaint #11760159 · source
  4. Filed Aug 18, 2026AZFuel, Hybrid & EV Propulsion
    There is a strong odor of gasoline coming from the car, to the point where the fumes are so strong they’re entering our home and making it very unsafe. We brought the vehicle to the Toyota dealership, and they said they couldn’t do anything about it. Keep in mind the car is still under warranty. Upon doing further research from Reddit, this seems to be a common issue with 2023+ Highlander and Grand Highlander models; however, Toyota is refusing to correct these issues. This…
    NHTSA complaint #11757582 · source
  5. Filed Jun 21, 2026ILSeats & Seat Belts
    The third row seat belts in the 2024 Highlander are very difficult to latch. I had to bring my Highlander to the dealership twice over the seatbelt buckles in the third row. The buckle part does not lift up high enough to grab the buckle to latch it. Anytime a child old enough to be in the third row sits back there an adult has to Buckle them because they can’t get the seat belt to latch to the buckle. It’s supposed to be a family friendly vehicle but if a 7 year old can’t…
    NHTSA complaint #11745432 · source
  6. Filed May 8, 2026SCEngineTransmission & Drivetrain
    The vehicle started stalling out randomly on the highway even with it being automatic, after getting home and parking it , it would not back up or drive . Took it to Toyota dealership and they said it’s an internal failure of the transmission which is a UA80 model , it only has 92,000 miles on it they can’t figure out what caused it . There are lawsuits with this vehicle already from other people and Toyota is not fixing the issue and won’t help with mine even after they…
    NHTSA complaint #11736517 · source
  7. Filed May 4, 2026FLOther / Unknown
    I've been waiting for a recall repair based on a recall file nearly 8 months ago now. This recall still appears to have no remedy. I continue to get emails about this issue from my dealer, but when I call to schedule the appointment to fix it, they continue to tell me that no remedy is available yet.
    NHTSA complaint #11735646 · source
  8. Filed Apr 28, 2026155,590 miMTBody & Structure
    The contact owns a 2024 Toyota Highlander. The contact stated that there was a leak coming from the roof rack of the vehicle. The contact stated that previous model years since 2021 had experienced similar failures, which caused damage to the SRS air bag module. The dealer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 155,590.
    NHTSA complaint #11734371 · source

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Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Office of Defects Investigation public data, as of Oct 11, 2026. Complaints are submitted by owners and are not verified by NHTSA or by us; a complaint does not prove a defect exists. View this vehicle on NHTSA.gov Methodology