2010 Toyota Highlander: Reliability Data
Source: NHTSA — 271 complaints
271
Total Complaints
52,000mi
Median Mileage
Electrical System
Top Issue
28
Crash Reports
When Do Complaints Happen?
Distribution of NHTSA complaints by vehicle mileage at time of report.
22,100
25th Percentile
52,000
Median Mileage
83,000
75th Percentile
What Fails?
Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.
Electrical System
50
Visibility/Wiper
31
Service Brakes
25
Steering
21
Vehicle Speed Control
18
Unknown Or Other
15
Air Bags
14
Engine
12
Exterior Lighting
10
Body
10
Severity Assessment
28
Crashes
5
Fires
16
Injuries
0
Deaths
Sample Complaint Reports
"IMMEDIATELY AFTER PURCHASING OUR CAR, WE NOTICED THAT THE FRONT WINDSHIELD WAS DEFECTIVE. IT HAS WAVES, CAUSING VISION DISTORTION AND HEADACHES. WE HAVE CONTACTED TOYOTA AND ALSO HAD A TOYOTA CORP REP LOOK AT IT, WITHOUT US BEING PRESENT, AND THEY SIMPLY DENY THIS PROBLEM EXISTS. WE HAVE COMPARED IT..."
"WE HAVE CONTACTED TOYOTA ABOUT OUR 2010 HIGHLANDER & ITS DEFECTIVE WINDSHIELD WHICH, BASED ON CONVERSATIONS WE'VE HAD WITH REPAIR SHOPS AND TOYOTA EMPLOYEES, IS LIKELY CAUSED BY THE PLASTIC FILM PRESSED BETWEEN THE GLASS. THIS DEFECT CAUSES VISUAL DISTORTION AND IS INCREDIBLY DISTRACTIVE WHILE DRIVI..."
"TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2010 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHEN HE TURNED THE HEADLIGHTS ON, HE COULD NOT SEE OBJECTS ON THE SIDE OF THE VEHICLE. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 35 MPH AND VARIOUS SPEEDS IF HE HIT A DIP OR CURVE IN THE ROAD, THE VISIBILITY WOULD DROP TO LESS THAN 2 FEET IN FR..."
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.
Electrical System
50 complaints
25th: 46,000 mi
Median: 66,000 mi
75th: 90,000 mi
Visibility/Wiper
31 complaints
25th: 40,750 mi
Median: 50,000 mi
75th: 57,750 mi
Service Brakes
25 complaints
25th: 40,500 mi
Median: 69,300 mi
75th: 151,000 mi
Steering
21 complaints
25th: 38,450 mi
Median: 81,000 mi
75th: 100,075 mi
Vehicle Speed Control
18 complaints
25th: 2,325 mi
Median: 5,100 mi
75th: 42,700 mi
Where Are Complaints Coming From?
Top states by complaint count.
CA: 41
VA: 18
GA: 16
NC: 14
MD: 14
TX: 14
NY: 14
CO: 13
AZ: 11
IL: 11
Who Files Complaints?
2.6%
Original Owners
97.4%
Second+ Owners
Toyota Highlander — Other Years
See how this model compares across different model years.
Active Recalls (10)
Federal safety recalls issued for this vehicle.
Seat Heater/Cooler
Campaign 14V743000 | 19/11/2014
Damage to the seat heater wiring could cause the wires to short, increasing the risk of the seat burning and causing personal injury to the occupant.
SET will notify owners, and dealers will disconnect the heaters with copper strand heating elements and refund the purchase price of the seat heater accessory, free of charge. The recall is expected to began in January 2015. Owners may contact SET customer service at 1-866-405-4226.
Seat Heater/Cooler
Campaign 16V396000 | 02/06/2016
If damaged, the copper strand heating element may short circuit, increasing the risk of a fire.
SET will notify owners, and dealers will disconnect the seat heaters, free of charge, and refund the purchase price of the seat heater accessory. The recall began on July 14, 2016. Owners may contact SET customer service at 1-866-405-4226. SET number for this recall is SET16B.
Inflator Module
Campaign 14V168000 | 09/04/2014
If the FFC is damaged, connectivity to the driver's air bag module could be lost and the air bag deactivated. The failure of the driver's air bag to deploy in the event of a crash that typically necessitates deployment increases the risk of injury to the driver.
Toyota will notify the Toyota vehicle owners, and General Motors will notify the Pontiac Vibe owners. Toyota sent owners an interim notification letter in May 2014 to advise owners of the recall. Toyota will mail owners a second letter when remedy parts are available. General Motors sent Pontiac V
Power Window Devices And Controls
Campaign 15V689000 | 22/10/2015
If the sliding electrical contacts are not protected by lubricant, debris and moisture that get into the switch may cause a short circuit and the switch assembly may overheat and melt, increasing the risk of a fire.
Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the switch, applying a lubricant if no abnormality is found. If abnormality is found, the PWMS circuit board will be replaced, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin December 20, 2015. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-
Sensor/Control Module-Inactive
Campaign 13V014000 | 16/01/2013
If the front passenger seat occupant sensing system is out of calibration, the front passenger airbags may not deploy or they may deploy inappropriately for the passenger's size and position. This could increase the risk of personal injury during the event of a vehicle crash necessitating airbag de
Southeast Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will test the sensitivity of the occupant detection sensors, and recalibrate them as necessary. The recall began on March 21, 2013. Owners may contact Southeast Toyota at 1-800-301-6859.
Labels
Campaign 13V123000 | 09/04/2013
An inaccurate label could lead to owners overloading their vehicles and tires. An overloaded vehicle can result in a tire failure which may result in a vehicle crash, personal injury, or property damage.
Southeast Toyota will notify owners and provide a corrected label with instructions concerning its installation. A small group of the affected vehicles will need additonal remedies which are still being developed. The recall began on May 28, 2013. Owners may contact Southeast Toyota at 1-800-301-
Labels
Campaign 10V035000 | 03/02/2010
THIS DOES NOT MEET THE STANDARD REQUIREMENTS.
DEALERS WILL MAIL TO CONSUMERS THE CORRECTED LABEL OR THE CUSTOMER WILL HAVE THE OPTION FOR DEALERS TO INSTALL THE LABEL FREE OF CHARGE. DEALERS WILL ALSO CORRECT THE OWNER'S MANUAL. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON MAY 27, 2010. OWNERS MAY CONTACT GULF STATES TOYOTA AT 713-580-3300.
Labels
Campaign 10V036000 | 03/02/2010
A DRIVER MAY OVERLOAD A VEHICLE WHICH MAY INCREASE THE RISK OF A CRASH.
DEALERS WILL MAIL TO CONSUMERS THE CORRECTED LABEL OR THE CUSTOMER WILL HAVE THE OPTION FOR DEALERS TO INSTALL THE LABEL FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON MAY 27, 2010. OWNERS MAY CONTACT SOUTHEAST TOYOTA AT 1-800-301-6859.
Accelerator Pedal
Campaign 10V023000 | 27/01/2010
A STUCK OPEN ACCELERATOR PEDAL MAY RESULT IN VERY HIGH VEHICLE SPEEDS AND MAKE IT DIFFICULT TO STOP THE VEHICLE, WHICH COULD CAUSE A CRASH, SERIOUS INJURY OR DEATH.
TOYOTA WILL MODIFY OR REPLACE THE ACCELERATOR PEDALS ON THE SUBJECT VEHICLES. FLOOR SURFACE MODIFICATIONS ARE ALSO BEING CONSIDERED AND WILL BE INCLUDED FOR ANY MODEL FOR WHICH IT IS DEEMED APPROPRIATE. INITIALLY, DEALERS WILL BE INSTRUCTED ON HOW TO RESHAPE THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL FOR THE REPAIR. AS
Accelerator Pedal
Campaign 10V017000 | 21/01/2010
THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL MAY BECOME HARD TO DEPRESS, SLOW TO RETURN TO IDLE, OR, IN THE WORST CASE, MECHANICALLY STUCK IN A PARTIALLY DEPRESSED POSITION, INCREASING THE RISK OF A CRASH.
DEALERS WILL INSTALL A REINFORCEMENT BAR IN THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL WHICH WILL ALLOW THE PEDAL TO OPERATE SMOOTHLY. GM WILL NOTIFY OWNERS FOR THE PONTIAC VIBE PLEASE SEE 10V-018. THIS SERVICE WILL BE PERFORMED FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN ON FEBRUARY 5, 2010 AND WILL BE CO
Maintain Your Electrical System
Based on the most common issues reported for this vehicle.
- Clean battery terminals annually with baking soda and water
- Replace the battery every 3-5 years before it leaves you stranded
- Don't leave accessories running with the engine off
- Check for corroded ground connections if you have intermittent electrical issues
- Replace dim headlights promptly — they're a safety issue and a wiring symptom
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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