"How reliable is the 2003 Toyota Highlander?"

"Based on 316 NHTSA complaints, the 2003 Toyota Highlander has a median complaint mileage of 94000 miles. The most common issue is Engine."

"What are common problems with the 2003 Toyota Highlander?"

"The most frequently reported component in NHTSA complaints for the 2003 Toyota Highlander is Engine, accounting for a significant portion of the 316 total complaints filed."

2003 Toyota Highlander: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 316 complaints

316

Total Complaints

94,000mi

Median Mileage

Engine

Top Issue

Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

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

57,273 25th Percentile

94,000 Median Mileage

124,500 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

Engine

Engine And Engine Cooling

Vehicle Speed Control

Visibility

Service Brakes, Hydraulic

Exterior Lighting

Engine

Electrical System

Body

Service Brakes

Severity Assessment

Crashes

Fires

Injuries

Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"ANNOYING WIND NOISE WHEN DRIVING WITH EITHER OR BOTH REAR WINDOWS OPEN. OPENING FRONT WINDOW ALLEVIATES THE NOISE. FLAWED DESIGN."

"THE AUTOMATIC DOOR LOCKS WERE INOPERATIVE.*JB"

"PASSENGER SIDE DOORS (FRONT & BACK) BECOME OFF BALANCED. THEN THE DOORS HAVE TO BE CLOSED VERY HARD. *JB"

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.

Engine 41 complaints

25th: 97,450 mi Median: 115,000 mi 75th: 139,415 mi

Engine And Engine Cooling 26 complaints

25th: 99,250 mi Median: 112,700 mi 75th: 127,686 mi

Vehicle Speed Control 24 complaints

25th: 56,546 mi Median: 85,000 mi 75th: 101,400 mi

Visibility 19 complaints

25th: 43,500 mi Median: 94,920 mi 75th: 102,000 mi

Service Brakes, Hydraulic 15 complaints

25th: 60,000 mi Median: 93,500 mi 75th: 97,000 mi

Where Are Complaints Coming From?

Top states by complaint count.

CA: 71 FL: 33 TX: 23 GA: 16 OH: 15 NY: 13 NJ: 12 MA: 11 PA: 11 WA: 8

Who Files Complaints?

16.5%

Original Owners

83.5%

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
2002	335	70,000	Visibility	27
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.

Wheels

Campaign 02V339000 | 17/12/2002

IF THE SPARE TIRE/WHEEL IS INSTALLED ON THE VEHICLE USING THE WHEEL NUTS PROVIDED FOR THE UPGRADE ALLOY WHEEL, DAMAGE TO THE WHEEL COULD RESULT AND COULD EVENTUALLY LEAD TO A LOOSE WHEEL.

OWNERS WILL BE PROVIDED WITH DIFFERENT STYLE LUG NUTS, A WARNING LABEL FOR THE SPARE RE/ALLOY WHEEL, AND AN OWNER'S MANUAL ADDENDUM.

Extend Your Engine Life

Based on the most common issues reported for this vehicle.

Change oil on schedule — this is the single most important thing you can do
Use the manufacturer-recommended oil weight and type
Replace the air filter every 15,000-30,000 miles
Don't ignore the check engine light — small issues become expensive fast
Let the engine warm up for 30 seconds before driving hard in cold weather
Address coolant leaks immediately to prevent overheating damage

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