"How reliable is the 2002 Toyota Highlander?"

"Based on 335 NHTSA complaints, the 2002 Toyota Highlander has a median complaint mileage of 70000 miles. The most common issue is Visibility."

"What are common problems with the 2002 Toyota Highlander?"

"The most frequently reported component in NHTSA complaints for the 2002 Toyota Highlander is Visibility, accounting for a significant portion of the 335 total complaints filed."

2002 Toyota Highlander: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 335 complaints

335

Total Complaints

70,000mi

Median Mileage

Visibility

Top Issue

Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

Distribution of NHTSA complaints by vehicle mileage at time of report.

45,000 25th Percentile

70,000 Median Mileage

101,507 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

Visibility

108

Vehicle Speed Control

Structure

Visibility/Wiper

Unknown Or Other

Engine

Electrical System

Engine And Engine Cooling

Air Bags

Exterior Lighting

Severity Assessment

Crashes

Fires

Injuries

Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"EXTREME AIR PRESSURE WHEN DRIVING ABOVE 35 MPH, AND EITHER REAR WINDOWS ARE OPEN. IT FEELS AS THOUGH RIDING IN AN AIRPLANE. IT MAKES EARS FEEL FUNNY.*AK"

"WHILE DRIVING A TOYOTA HIGHLANDER, THAT WE LEASED ON 01/08/2002, WE NOTICED THAT THE VEHICLE HAS A PROBLEM: WHEN THE WINDOWS ON THE REAR DOORS ARE LOWERED, THE VEHICLE MAKES A VERY LOUD TURBULANCE NOISE AND VIBRATION OCCURS, THAT MAKES THE VEHICLE DIFFICULT TO STEER. ON 01/12/2002, ACCOMPANIED BY MY..."

"THIS IS A 4-DOOR MODEL. WHEN FRONT WINDOWS ARE CLOSED AND REAR DOOR WINDOWS ARE LOWERED IT SOUNDS LIKE AN AIRPLANE FLEW OVER THE BACK SEAT; NOISE CREATED IS HORRENDOUS. YOU CANNOT CONTINUE DRIVING WITH THE NOISE. ROLLING DOWN "A" FRONT WINDOW ELIMINATES THE PROBLEM. I CAN'T IMAGINE THE CONSEQUENCES ..."

Source: NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Names and identifying details omitted.

When Were Complaints Filed?

Number of complaints by the year the issue occurred.

When Does Each Component Fail?

Median mileage at complaint for top components.

Visibility 108 complaints

25th: 40,000 mi Median: 58,750 mi 75th: 80,650 mi

Vehicle Speed Control 29 complaints

25th: 45,000 mi Median: 61,000 mi 75th: 90,100 mi

Structure 23 complaints

25th: 47,250 mi Median: 55,000 mi 75th: 71,250 mi

Visibility/Wiper 16 complaints

25th: 64,000 mi Median: 80,000 mi 75th: 122,000 mi

Unknown Or Other 14 complaints

Median: 10,000 mi

Where Are Complaints Coming From?

Top states by complaint count.

CA: 69 TX: 23 FL: 17 OH: 13 IL: 13 WA: 13 MA: 12 VA: 12 NY: 12 NC: 11

Who Files Complaints?

25.7%

Original Owners

74.3%

Second+ Owners

Toyota Highlander — Other Years

See how this model compares across different model years.

Year	Complaints	Median Mileage	Top Issue	Crashes
2001	158	53,000	Vehicle Speed Control	28
2003	316	94,000	Engine	43
2004	335	55,675	Automatic Transmission	42
2005	289	52,991	Vehicle Speed Control	50
2006	344	68,483	Service Brakes	38
2007	159	60,500	Service Brakes	15
2008	502	77,900	Service Brakes	59
2009	177	58,000	Engine	7
2010	271	52,000	Electrical System	28
2011	228	52,355	Steering	16
2012	228	48,000	Steering	20
2013	279	30,500	Steering	44
2014	155	38,500	Electrical System	8
2015	242	30,800	Electrical System	19
2016	137	24,000	Unknown Or Other	22
2017	348	20,380	Power Train	32
2018	328	15,163	Service Brakes	38
2019	576	10,000	Power Train	38
2020	318	12,995	Power Train	19
2021	516	15,000	Power Train	29
2022	252	17,781	Service Brakes	22
2023	194	28,000	Unknown Or Other	14
2024	42	-	Unknown Or Other	9

Active Recalls (2)

Federal safety recalls issued for this vehicle.

Latch

Campaign 04V181000 | 15/04/2004

THIS CONDITION COULD ALLOW THE DOOR TO BE OPENED WITH THE INSIDE WHILE THE OPERATOR BELIEVES THAT THE CPL WAS ACTIVATED. IF THE DOOR WERE OPENED FROM THE INSIDE WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS IN MOTION, AN OCCUPANT COULD FALL OUT AND BE INJURED.

DEALERS WILL SHORTEN THE CPL LEVER. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN MAY 7, 2004. OWNERS SHOULD CONTACT TOYOTA AT 1-800-331-4331.

Mounting

Campaign 02V208000 | 30/07/2002

IN THE WORST CASE, NOZZLE BREAKAGE COULD RESULT IN FUEL LEAKAGE IF THE VEHICLE ROLLS-OVER AFTER A HIGH SPEED FRONTAL CRASH.

DEALERS WILL ROTATE THE SPECIFIED CLAMP. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN SEPTEMBER 23, 2002. OWNERS WHO TAKE THEIR VEHICLES TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER ON AN AGREED UPON SERVICE DATE AND DO NOT RECEIVE THE FREE REMEDY WITHIN A REASONABLE TIME SHOULD CONTACT TOYOTA AT 1-800-331-4331.

General Vehicle Maintenance

Based on the most common issues reported for this vehicle.

Follow the manufacturer's maintenance schedule in your owner's manual
Don't ignore warning lights — early diagnosis prevents expensive repairs
Keep records of all maintenance and repairs
Use OEM or equivalent-quality parts for repairs
Address unusual noises, vibrations, or smells promptly

Compare Toyota Highlander

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Vehicle Rankings

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Data source: View this vehicle on NHTSA.gov | NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Public domain.

Methodology: Complaint counts and mileage distributions are computed directly from consumer-reported NHTSA complaints. This data represents reported issues, not failure rates — vehicles without complaints are not represented. Full methodology.

Data through: 2026-03-28