2013 Toyota Highlander: Reliability Data
Source: NHTSA — 279 complaints
279
Total Complaints
30,500mi
Median Mileage
Steering
Top Issue
44
Crash Reports
When Do Complaints Happen?
Distribution of NHTSA complaints by vehicle mileage at time of report.
7,150
25th Percentile
30,500
Median Mileage
60,000
75th Percentile
What Fails?
Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.
Steering
46
Vehicle Speed Control
31
Engine
31
Electrical System
25
Unknown Or Other
22
Air Bags
16
Service Brakes
15
Body
13
Fuel/Propulsion System
12
Power Train
11
Severity Assessment
44
Crashes
0
Fires
23
Injuries
0
Deaths
Sample Complaint Reports
"MY WIFE WAS MANEUVERING THE SUV INTO SMALL AREA PARKING LOT ONTO A CORNER SPACE, ON THE FIRST FORWARD AND BACK MOTION TO MANEUVER THE BRAKE WAS OK, THEN ON THE SECOND MANEUVER THE BRAKE DIDN'T WORK AND THE TIRE WENT OVER THE CONCRETE PARKING BLOCK THEN HITTING THE STRUCTURE OF THE DOCTORS OFFICE. ..."
"WHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY, MY SON OPENED THE REAR PASSENGER WINDOW, WHEN HE OPENED THE WINDOW THE NOISE AND PRESSURE ON OUR EARS WAS UNBEARABLE, IT WAS LIKE AN EXTREMELY LOUD HELICOPTER NOISE. WE EVEN TRIED OPENING OTHER WINDOWS IN THE CAR TO REDUCE THE PRESSURE AND NOISE, WHILE THE NOISE AND PRE..."
"VEHICLE HESITATES WHEN ACCELERATING. DOES NOT HAPPEN ALL THE TIME, WHEN TRYING TO GET VEHICLE UP TO HIGHWAY SPEED WILL DEPRESS GAS PEDAL AND NOTHING WILL HAPPEN FOR 3-4 SECONDS, THEN ALL OF A SUDDEN VEHICLE WILL SPEED UP. THIS ONLY STARTED TO HAPPEN AFTER 1300 MILES . TOOK VEHICLE TO TOYOTA DEALERS..."
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.
Steering
46 complaints
25th: 41,500 mi
Median: 54,426 mi
75th: 60,750 mi
Vehicle Speed Control
31 complaints
25th: 1,262 mi
Median: 9,000 mi
75th: 16,750 mi
Engine
31 complaints
25th: 1,261 mi
Median: 6,300 mi
75th: 19,500 mi
Electrical System
25 complaints
25th: 15,750 mi
Median: 38,150 mi
75th: 49,156 mi
Unknown Or Other
22 complaints
25th: 8,750 mi
Median: 55,094 mi
75th: 75,000 mi
Where Are Complaints Coming From?
Top states by complaint count.
CA: 42
TX: 21
NY: 20
WA: 19
VA: 15
PA: 12
MD: 11
FL: 11
NJ: 10
MA: 10
Who Files Complaints?
1.4%
Original Owners
98.6%
Second+ Owners
Toyota Highlander — Other Years
See how this model compares across different model years.
Active Recalls (3)
Federal safety recalls issued for this vehicle.
Seats
Campaign 14V148000 | 27/03/2014
If the seat does not lock into the seat track, there may be an increased risk of injury to an occupant in the event of a crash.
Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will modify the second row left hand seat so that it will lock into the seat track, free of charge. The recall began on May 21, 2014. Owners may contact Toyota at 1-800-331-4331.
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-
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.
Protect Your Steering System
Based on the most common issues reported for this vehicle.
- Get a wheel alignment annually or after hitting a significant pothole
- Don't hold the steering wheel at full lock for more than a few seconds
- Check power steering fluid monthly on hydraulic systems
- Address wandering, vibration, or play in the wheel promptly
- Replace worn tie rod ends before they cause tire wear
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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