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Toyota · NHTSA safety record

2025 Toyota Highlander

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

9

Complaints

2

Crashes

0

Fires

1

Injuries

0

Deaths

Owners of the 2025 Toyota Highlander have filed 9 safety complaints with NHTSA between July 2025 and July 2026. The most complained-about system is forward collision avoidance, named in 2 of them (22%). The typical failure was reported at 4,299 miles, the median across the 2 complaints that gave an odometer reading.

NHTSA has issued 3 recalls covering this vehicle.

Recalls (3)

SEAT BELTS:REAR/OTHER:ANCHORAGE

25V872000 · December 17, 2025

The defect
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2024-2025 Highlander and Highlander Hybrid vehicles. The third row center seat belt roof anchor may have been installed at an incorrect angle, preventing the seat belt from properly restraining the occupant.
The risk
A seat belt that does not properly restrain an occupant increases the risk of injury during a crash.
The remedy
Dealers will reinstall the seat belt anchor with a new bolt, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed January 27, 2026. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's number for this recall is 25TA16.

Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing · up to 39 vehicles across all model years covered

BACK OVER PREVENTION:DISPLAY FUNCTION

25V744000 · October 30, 2025

The defect
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2022-2026 Toyota, Lexus, and Subaru Solterra vehicles equipped with a Panoramic View Monitor (PVM) system. Please see the recall report for a complete list of models. A software error may cause the rearview camera to freeze or display a blank screen when the vehicle is in reverse. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 111, "Rear Visibility."
The risk
A rearview camera that fails to display an image can reduce the driver's view behind the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
The remedy
Dealers will update the parking assist software, free of charge. Owner letters were mailed January 2, 2026. Owners may contact Toyota's customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's numbers for this recall are 25TB13 and 25LB06. Subaru's number for this recall is WRE25.

Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing · up to 1,024,407 vehicles across all model years covered

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: INSTRUMENT CLUSTER/PANEL

25V595000 · September 11, 2025

The defect
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2023-2024 Toyota Venza, 2023-2025 RAV4 Prime, RAV4, Highlander, GR Corolla, Crown, 2024-2025 Lexus TX, LS, Toyota Tacoma, Grand Highlander, and 2025 Lexus RX, Toyota Crown Signia, Camry, RAV 4 Plug-in Hybrid (PHEV), and 4 Runner vehicles. Due to an error in the instrument panel software at vehicle startup, the instrument panel may fail to display vehicle speed, brake system, and tire pressure warning lights.
The risk
An instrument panel display that does not show critical information can increase the risk of a crash or injury.
The remedy
Dealers will update the instrument panel software over-the-air (OTA) for non-PHEV vehicles, free of charge. For PHEV vehicles, dealers will inspect the instrument panel assembly, and either replace it, or update the software, free of charge. Owner letters were mailed December 5, 2025. Additional letters will be sent, anticipated in May 2026. This is a phased recall. Owners may contact Toyota's customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's numbers for this recall are 25TB08 and 25TA08. Lexus' numbers for this recall are 25LB05 and 25LA05.

Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing · up to 591,377 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 9.

FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 2 22%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 2 22%
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 2 22%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 1 11%
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING 1 11%
SEAT BELTS 1 11%
SERVICE BRAKES 1 11%
STEERING 1 11%
VISIBILITY 1 11%

When the complaints arrived

By the year NHTSA received them, which is not the year the failures happened. They peaked in 2026 at 6.

2025 2026
2025 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.

STEERING

1 injured · crash · towed

[XXX] was turning left onto [XXX] from [XXX]. Two lanes turn left. She was in the inside lane. The traffic light was red, and when it turned green, she started to turn. Partway through the turn, the steering became unresponsive. She couldn't get it to turn left, and she could not complete the turn, and crashed into the pole that holds the traffic signal. She traveled less than 100 ft total from the light to the pole. The accident was at 1:30 PM on a dry and clear day. The car has 8087 miles on it. There were no observed indications of warning lights and no symptoms of a problem. The vehicle was towed to a salvage lot, the Insurance company inspected it and declared it a total loss. All the

NHTSA complaint 11750944, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

crash · towed

I was backing up the vechial accelerated the steering wheel was turning rapid & a grinding noise causing me too hit another vechial about a month before my husband was driving & the vechial accelerated going toward also we had had some issues with back camera not doing a warning signal with a object behind vechial when the accident happened my vechial has braking system that stops you if something is behind you this time it didn’t I called the dealership when accident happed which was May 21 2026 & reported it they said they had accelerations before & advised me to call Toyota engadgment which I did they did a diagnostic test June 5 & to this day I’ve never heard back from them

NHTSA complaint 11753999. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

VISIBILITY:SUN/MOON ROOF ASSEMBLY

8,498 miles

The contact owns a 2025 Toyota Highlander. The contact stated that while she and her husband were driving at 60 MPH, she heard a loud explosion noise from above her head and felt air whipping on top of her head. The contact stated that the sunroof exploded; however, the sunroof shield prevented the glass from entering the vehicle. The vehicle was steered to the side of the road and inspected, but the contact did not find anything wrong at that time. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that a rock may have hit the sunroof. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 8,498.

NHTSA complaint 11741757. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
The speedometer registers speed up to 7mph over actual speed for the first 15 miles then returns to matching GPS speed. Reported to Toyota, dealer said they have seen this before but not identified a fix as of today

NHTSA complaint 11740832. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:EXHAUST SYSTEM

100 miles

The contact owns a 2025 Toyota Highlander. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was an abnormally strong odor entering the cabin of the vehicle through the vents. The windows were rolled down due to the obnoxious odor. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and the contact was informed that the vehicle was tested for leaks in the exhaust; however, no leaks were found. The contact was informed that the fumes were possibly from burning wires or a new vehicle odor because the vehicle was a brand-new vehicle. In addition, the contact was offered the option to trade the vehicle in for a new vehicle. The contact stated that the odor was extremely strong and foul, and the

NHTSA complaint 11712542, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER
I am reporting a safety defect in the 2025 Toyota Highlander Hybrid Nightshade involving the multifunction turn signal switch. The interior trim adhesive on the steering column has experienced a chemical breakdown (adhesive migration), causing the turn signal stalk to become stiff and bind. This obstruction makes it difficult to engage the turn signal and occasionally prevents the signal from "auto-canceling" after a turn. The dealership has acknowledged the adhesive failure by authorizing the replacement of the steering column covers but refuses to replace the contaminated turn signal switch. Operating a vehicle with a binding turn signal switch is a direct safety hazard, as it compromises

NHTSA complaint 11711474, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

Compare

Other years of the Toyota Highlander

Model year Complaints Recalls Deaths
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
2015 189 1
2014 134 4 1
2013 205 3
2012 181 2
2011 181 5
2010 216 10

Other 2025 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