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Toyota · NHTSA safety record

2015 Toyota Highlander

Every safety complaint, recall and defect investigation the US government holds on this vehicle.

189

Complaints

17

Crashes

6

Fires

16

Injuries

0

Deaths

Owners of the 2015 Toyota Highlander have filed 189 safety complaints with NHTSA between December 2014 and August 2026. The most complained-about system is the electrical system, named in 51 of them (27%). The typical failure was reported at 30,650 miles, the median across the 124 complaints that gave an odometer reading.

NHTSA has issued 1 recall covering this vehicle.

Recalls (1)

STEERING:ELECTRIC POWER ASSIST SYSTEM

15V144000 · March 13, 2015

The defect
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain model year 2015 Camry, Camry Hybrid, Highlander, and Highlander Hybrid, and 2014-2015 Rav4 vehicles. A component of the electric power steering (EPS) electronic control unit (ECU) may have been damaged during the manufacturing process. Over time, this damage may result in failure of the electric power steering system.
The risk
An unexpected loss of power steering increases the risk of a crash.
The remedy
Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the serial number of the EPS ECU or steering column assembly. If the number is within the affected range, the EPS ECU will be replaced, free of charge. The recall began on May 7, 2015. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331.

Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing · up to 110,085 vehicles across all model years covered

What owners report

Complaints naming each system. One complaint can name several, so these add up to more than 189.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 51 27%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 42 22%
STRUCTURE 30 16%
STEERING 25 13%
SERVICE BRAKES 15 8%
VISIBILITY/WIPER 12 6%
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 11 6%
EXTERIOR LIGHTING 10 5%
ENGINE 9 5%
AIR BAGS 8 4%
POWER TRAIN 7 4%
ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC) 4 2%

When the complaints arrived

By the year NHTSA received them, which is not the year the failures happened. They peaked in 2015 at 27.

2014 2015 2026
2014 to 2026, the last of them a part year

In owners' own words

Quoted from NHTSA's complaint file. These are unverified accounts by the people who filed them, not findings of fault.

AIR BAGS

2 injured · crash · towed

We were involved in a car accident on 04/29/2021 and the front airbags that are suppose to come out the wheel and dashboard didn't deploy just the rear airbags. Toyota told me the impact wasn't hard enough for them to deploy but as you will see from the pictures attached the whole front end of the car is gone. Please see attached police report and photos for more details.

NHTSA complaint 11421270. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

2 injured · crash · towed

On [XXX] my vehicle suffered an unintended acceleration on a very busy highway of The Dominican Republic, reaching a speed of 100 MPH. I was able to drive the car into the bushes of the highway service road hitting all king of obstacles such as trees, wall, advertising signs and safety barriers. The car damages resulted in a total loss. My life and my family life were in extremely dangerous situation. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA complaint 11665465. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

1 injured · fire · towed · 104,000 miles

The contact owns a 2015 Toyota Highlander. While stopped at a gas station with the engine on, the contact's wife smelled an abnormal, burning odor coming from the vehicle without warning. Upon inspecting the vehicle, the contact's wife saw flames shooting from the dashboard near the infotainment system; the contact's wife and children immediately exited the vehicle. The fire department was called to the scene and extinguished the fire. The contact's wife suffered minor burns on her right hand but did not seek medical attention. The contact had the vehicle towed back home where it remained in the contact's possession. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and a claim was filed. The

NHTSA complaint 11581700, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

AIR BAGS

1 injured · crash · towed · 236 miles

MY DRIVER'S SIDE AIRBAG FAILED TO DEPLOY. I HIT MY CHEST ON THE STEERING WHEEL. I WAS IN A CAR ACCIDENT ON SEPTEMBER 30, 2015 AT 10:00 AM ON HIGHWAY 95, THE SPEED LIMIT WAS 65. A MAN HYDROPLANED IN FRONT OF ME, I HAD TO BE GOING AT LEAST 40......UPDATED 10/19/15 *BF.. ...UPDATED 12/29/15 *BF *JS *JS

NHTSA complaint 10779757. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

STRUCTURE:BODY
The factory paint on my 2015 Toyota Highlander, Blizzard Pearl (Toyota code 070), is delaminating from the primer. The base coat lifts and peels in sheets, starting on the roof, fender, and pillars — the panels with the greatest UV exposure. There has been no collision, repaint, or chemical damage; this is spontaneous adhesion loss between the factory base coat and primer. First noticed 5/5/2026 at ~137,193 miles, it has spread across the roof and pillars, with the largest piece so far (~4"x2") flying off the vehicle. Delamination lines radiating under the paint indicate more will detach, and the defect affects all painted surfaces. On 7/20/2026, while driving at highway speed, a large

NHTSA complaint 11754797, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

STRUCTURE:BODY
The paint is severely peeling on the outside. This can likely flake off and damages other vehicles, property, and roadway infrastructure. This is the factory coat of paint. Color is Toyota Blizzard Pearl (070)

NHTSA complaint 11751753. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

STRUCTURE:BODY:HATCHBACK/LIFTGATE

133,000 miles

The contact owns a 2015 Toyota Highlander. The contact stated that the power liftgate consistently failed halfway through while opening and closing the liftgate. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact became aware of information online about Technical Service Bulletin: SB0023/16, NHTSA ID Number: 10134306 (Structure, Electrical System); and associated the failure with the TSB. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that the vehicle was not covered under warranty, TSB, or a recall. The failure mileage was approximately 133,000.

NHTSA complaint 11750990. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

STEERING

99,800 miles

The contact owns a 2015 Toyota Highlander. The contact stated that while driving on several occasions at various speeds, the infotainment screen would go blank and the system would turn on inadvertently. This issue became more frequent, occurring approximately every 10 seconds. The power steering warning light also illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an auto parts store where a handheld diagnostic machine did not detect any failures or codes. The contact stated that while driving on several occasions at various speeds, the steering wheel became extremely stiff. On one occasion while his daughter was driving and turning the vehicle on a curved road, the vehicle veered into oncoming

NHTSA complaint 11741329, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Door lock actuators, yes it is available for inspection. Doors cannot be locked or unlocked with a remote key fob or the interior power door locks. Lock defect poses a significant safety hazard in that a single or multiple doors may not lock at any time, whether the vehicle is on or off and despite actions or commands by the driver. The alleged defect is dangerous to passengers as it can cause unintentional door openings while a vehicle is in use, result in inoperable doors during emergency situations, and leave a vehicle and any contents therein more vulnerable to theft. This poses serious safety concerns, for example when vehicles are involved in vehicular accidents because the occupants

NHTSA complaint 11736019, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER
The moon roof in my car completely shattered out of no where while I was driving down the road and fell all into my backseat. If my children were in the car, they would have had glass all over them.

NHTSA complaint 11725954. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

Compare

Other years of the Toyota Highlander

Model year Complaints Recalls Deaths
2025 9 3
2024 39 7
2023 172 9
2022 230 5 1
2021 488 4
2020 305 4
2019 472 3
2018 259 4
2017 262 3
2016 109 2
2014 134 4 1
2013 205 3
2012 181 2
2011 181 5
2010 216 10

Other 2015 Toyota models

Every Toyota on this site — 272 vehicles, 370 recall campaigns and 3 open investigation s.

If this is your car and a dealer keeps failing to fix it, your state's lemon law may require the manufacturer to replace it or buy it back. What each state asks for , read from the statutes.

Where these numbers come from

A complaint is one owner's account and has not been verified by NHTSA or by us. A vehicle with more complaints is not necessarily worse: models that sold in larger numbers collect more of them. How this is counted.

Compiled and maintained by
Independent developer and analyst