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Toyota · NHTSA safety record

2020 Toyota Highlander

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

Owners have filed 317 safety complaints about the 2020 Toyota Highlander with the US government. Of those, 15 describe a crash, 20 people were injured and no death is recorded. 4 recall campaigns are open against it.

The most complained-about system is the power train, named in 125 complaints, 39% of the total. The typical failure was reported at 20,500 miles, the median across the 60 complaints that gave an odometer reading.

Compiled from NHTSA's complaint, recall and investigation files · Covers March 2020 to September 2026 · How this is counted

What is on file

317 complaints on file

317

Complaints

15

Describe a crash

0

Mention fire

20

People injured

0

Deaths

A complaint is an unverified account by the person who filed it, not a finding of fault. One complaint is one ODI number, which is how NHTSA counts them.

Complaints rose 35% year on year: 104 in the twelve months to 2026-Q2, against 77 in the twelve before.

A recall is the manufacturer conceding a defect, and the repair is free. Whether one covers your particular car is a question only its VIN can answer, because a campaign covers a production range rather than a model year.

Which system owners named

Complaints naming each system
POWER TRAIN 125 · 39%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 44 · 14%
SERVICE BRAKES 37 · 12%
AIR BAGS 32 · 10%
STRUCTURE 29 · 9%
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 19 · 6%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 18 · 6%
ENGINE 17 · 5%
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 10 · 3%
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 6 · 2%
SEAT BELTS 6 · 2%
STEERING 6 · 2%
0 50 100

Red marks a system with a recall campaign against it. One complaint can name several systems, so these add up to more than 317.

When the complaints arrived

By the year NHTSA received them

By the year NHTSA received them, which is not the year the failures happened. They peaked in 2025 at 100.

108 81 54 27
20 21 22 23 24 25 26

This is the year the complaint was filed, not the year the failure happened. The range runs from 2020 to 2026, the last of them a part year, which is why its column is drawn faint.

Crash test ratings

NHTSA New Car Assessment Program

NHTSA crashes a car into a barrier and a pole and measures what happens to the dummies inside. This is what it awarded the 2020 Toyota HIGHLANDER, and it is a separate question from what owners report going wrong later.

Test SUV AWD SUV FWD
Overall
Frontal crash
Frontal, driver
Frontal, passenger
Side crash
Side barrier
Side pole
Rollover
Chance of rollover 16.4% 16.9%
Stability control standard Forward collision warning standard Lane departure warning standard

A rating belongs to a tested body style and drivetrain, not to the model as a whole, which is why more than one is listed. A dash means NHTSA did not rate that test for this vehicle.

Recall campaigns

4 on file

AIR BAGS:SENSOR:OCCUPANT CLASSIFICATION

23V865000 · December 20, 2023

The defect
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2020-2021 Avalon, Avalon Hybrid, Corolla, Highlander, Highlander Hybrid, RAV4, RAV4 Hybrid, Lexus ES350, Lexus RX350, Lexus RX450H, 2021 Sienna Hybrid, Lexus ES250, 2020-2022 Camry, Camry Hybrid, and ES300H vehicles. A short circuit may develop in the Occupant Classification System (OCS) sensor, preventing the front passenger air bag from deploying.
The risk
An air bag that does not deploy during a crash increases the risk of injury.
The remedy
Dealers will inspect and replace the sensor as necessary, free of charge. Interim letters notifying owners of the safety risk were mailed in February 2024. Some final remedy owner letters were mailed October 31, 2024. Letters will continue to be mailed in phases through January 2026. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's number for this recall is 23TB15/23TA15 Lexus 23LB03/23LA03.

Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing · up to 999,901 vehicles across all model years covered

STRUCTURE:BODY:BUMPERS

23V720000 · October 26, 2023

The defect
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2020-2023 Highlander & Highlander Hybrid vehicles. During normal vehicle operation, minor impact to the front lower bumper cover may result in the cover coming loose or detaching.
The risk
A detached front bumper cover can become a road hazard, increasing the risk of a crash.
The remedy
Dealers will repair or replace the upper and lower front bumper covers as necessary, free of charge. Owner letters were mailed April 22, 2024. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's number for this recall is 23TB12/23TA12.

Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing · up to 750,795 vehicles across all model years covered

AIR BAGS

20V633000 · October 14, 2020

The defect
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2020 Highlander and Highlander hybrid vehicles. Incorrect seat trim covers on one or both of the front seats can prevent the seat-mounted side air bag from deploying properly.
The risk
Improper deployment of the seat-mounted side air bag increases the risk of injury in the event of a crash.
The remedy
Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the front seats and replace the seat trim covers as necessary, free of charge. The recall began December 11, 2020. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's number for this recall is 20TB14 / 20TA14.

Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing · up to 3,121 vehicles across all model years covered

FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY

20V162000 · March 19, 2020

The defect
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2020 Highlander vehicles equipped with a 3.5 L, V6 (2GR-FKS) gasoline engine. Due to an Engine Control Unit (ECU) programming error, fuel may not be correctly supplied to the engine while using the stop and restart feature.
The risk
Improper fuel supply programming can result in a vehicle stall, increasing the risk of a crash.
The remedy
Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the ECU, free of charge. The recall began May 15, 2020. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-888-270-9371. Toyota's number for this recall is 20TA06.

Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing · up to 38,810 vehicles across all model years covered

In owners’ own words

Quoted from the complaint file

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

SERVICE BRAKES

5 injured · crash · towed

Incident: [XXX] Conditions: Clear daylight, dry pavement, normal highway conditions Crash/Injuries: Allstate Claim #[XXX]; several people injured At approximately [XXX], I was driving my 2020 Toyota Highlander Hybrid at about 55 mph in the slow/right lane. The vehicle ahead suddenly made a hard stop. I immediately and forcefully applied the brakes for an emergency stop. My front-seat passenger, [XXX], also saw the danger and yelled for me to stop at the same time. Based on our recollection, approximately five seconds elapsed between his warning and the collision. Despite the rapidly closing distance, the Toyota Pre-Collision System (PCS) did not appear to activate. There was no audible

NHTSA complaint 11759973, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ENGINE

2 injured · crash · towed

In my 2020 Highlander I approached a stop sign at a "T" intersection behind 4 other cars. After stopping and looking to see road was clear of oncoming traffic, I pulled out and started my left turn. As I was turning into my lane the car engine turned OFF and the steering wheel was LOCKED in the left position. There was no power for the brakes, which left me jamming on the brake pedal as hard as I could only slowing the car slightly. The steering wheel was LOCKED LEFT and I thought I was going to break it trying to force it back. With no ability to move the steering wheel or brake, I braced myself as the Highlander continued turning in the left direction into the other lane. The result was a

NHTSA complaint 11417587, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

AIR BAGS

2 injured · crash · towed

While making a legal left turn on a green arrow, we were struck on the passenger side of our vehicle by a vehicle that did not stop at the red light.

NHTSA complaint 11432992. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

AIR BAGS

2 injured · crash · towed

Air bags didn’t deploy in severe accident. Vehicle is available for inspection. Air bags not deploying in accident could have led to injuries. No service or dealerships has seen the vehicle. Police didn’t inspect the vehicle. Insurance company is going to look at the vehicle on February 13, 2023. No indication of any service lights for air bags on vehicle’s dash.

NHTSA complaint 11505912. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

STEERING
The steering wheel heating component burned my fingers twice due to a malfunction. I had to attempt to pull over immediately because the steering wheel began smoking and the pain from my finger/hand. Dealership confirmed and fixed issue and the wheel is no longer available to inspect. I was burned while holding the steering wheel and could have steered into another car/pedestrian while driving. I brought it to Toyota and they confirmed a defect and replaced parts of the wheel. I did not bring this up with any other entity. There were no warnings on my dash/anywhere in the vehicle. Smoke appeared after I burned my finger each time. I have attached an image of the smoke, but the only smoke I

NHTSA complaint 11767521, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER
My 2020 Toyota Highlander only has 68,826 miles on it. It began making a high-pitched whining sound three months ago. I have taken it to my mechanic and he said the transmission is about to go out. Toyota is not willing to fix it out of good faith/Goodwill since my warranty has ended. My argument is I bought that car thinking it would go 150,000 miles at least.

NHTSA complaint 11767181. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ENGINE

towed · 29,296 miles

The contact owns a 2020 Toyota Highlander. The contact stated that while driving, the vehicle stalled and abruptly stopped in traffic at a traffic light. The driver exited the vehicle. The vehicle failed to restart, and the steering wheel was inoperable. The contact was concerned the vehicle might move forward. The check engine warning light was flashing, and the message “High Power Consumption” was displayed. The ignition and steering warning lights were illuminated, and “Low Power” message was displayed. The vehicle was running but failed to move. The contact associated the failure with NHTSA Campaign Number: 20V162000 (Fuel System, Gasoline, Engine) and Special Service Campaign 21TC05.

NHTSA complaint 11764961, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

POWER TRAIN
My Highlander started making a whining noise while accelerating. Took it to my local dealership and was told I need a new transmission. I have 87,000 miles on it! Total cost = $8,000.

NHTSA complaint 11765030. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

141,597 miles

develop a high-pitched whine, shuddering, or harsh shifting between 25 and 45 mph, which can lead to premature wear or complete failure. Also, On/ Off from no where and stopped in the middle of the road

NHTSA complaint 11765107. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER
I was traveling on hwy US1 South about 56-58 mph when I heard what sounded like a gunshot. I immediately slowed down and pulled off the road. As I drove off road on grass/gravel I heard crumbling of glass above on sunroof. The sunroof glass exploded. I called the nonemergency 911 for a police officer to come to the scene. I explained what happened and that there was no rock or large debris. He inspected and suggested I contact my insurance and if they needed a police report it would be in the system.

NHTSA complaint 11765140. 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 10 3 —
2024 42 7 —
2023 182 9 —
2022 259 5 1
2021 522 4 —
2019 486 3 —
2018 266 4 —
2017 267 3 —
2016 110 2 —
2015 192 1 —
2014 136 4 1
2013 207 3 —
2012 182 2 —
2011 181 5 —
2010 216 10 —

Other 2020 Toyota models

RAV4 635 Corolla 306 Camry 274 Tacoma 87 C-HR 64 Tundra 46 Sienna 38 4Runner 33

Complaints on file, same model year.

Every Toyota on this site — 281 vehicles.

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. How many repair attempts it takes, and how long you have to file, is set by the state you bought in and by nothing on this page.

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