Major Problems with Toyota Highlander Hybrid Derived from Complaints & Recalls

Learn about the common problems with a used Toyota Highlander Hybrid to avoid purchasing a bad year of the model.

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Best and Worst Years for Toyota Highlander Hybrid

Explore the chart showing how many complaints have been filed for each year of Toyota Highlander Hybrid.

Model Year	Complaints
2019 Highlander Hybrid	3
2018 Highlander Hybrid	4
2017 Highlander Hybrid	2
2016 Highlander Hybrid	5
2015 Highlander Hybrid	4
2014 Highlander Hybrid	2
2013 Highlander Hybrid	5
2012 Highlander Hybrid	9
2011 Highlander Hybrid	5
2010 Highlander Hybrid	22
2009 Highlander Hybrid	40
2008 Highlander Hybrid	193
2007 Highlander Hybrid	108
2006 Highlander Hybrid	367

Worst 3 Toyota Highlander Hybrid complaints

2006 Toyota Highlander Hybrid VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL Victims: 5 Mileage: 27000 miles

2008 Toyota Highlander Hybrid VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL Victims: 2 Mileage: 8200 miles

2006 Toyota Highlander Hybrid VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL Victims: 2 Mileage: 30000 miles

Browse Toyota Highlander Hybrid complaints by category

Problems with SERVICE BRAKES, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM and VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL are the most frequent issues recorded by the NHTSA from Toyota Highlander Hybrid owners.

Problem Category	Number of Problems
SERVICE BRAKES 8/1/2016 2013 highlander hybrid was traveling at 60mph when lights on dash started blinking with a loud beeping noise. brake...	225 ~ 120484 miles
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM car was driven from home location at approximately 3 pm on february 4 2015. after a quarter of a mile...	139 ~ 100642 miles
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL my highlander hybrid: pushed start button and behaved normally. upon being placed in gear the vehicle attempted to accelerate as...	69 ~ 75217 miles
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC tl* the contact owns a 2010 toyota highlander hybrid. the contact was driving approximately 20 mph during braking there was...	69 ~ 27014 miles
ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL 8/1/2016 2013 highlander hybrid was traveling at 60mph when lights on dash started blinking with a loud beeping noise. brake...	62 ~ 112810 miles
INVERTER > HYBRID PROPULSION SYSTEM the inverter failed and the car stalled on a busy freeway (i-5) during a dark rainy evening. the car could...	62 ~ 99692 miles
ENGINE tl* the contact owns a 2011 toyota highlander hybrid. while driving approximately 40 mph a grinding noise was present coming...	53 ~ 104928 miles
SERVICE BRAKES, ELECTRIC brakes fade for a brief moment -- perhaps half of a second -- and then come back. although the brakes...	39 ~ 22757 miles
STEERING the vehicle developed a clunk or knock type noise when turning the steering wheel left or right. it occurred at...	36 ~ 86504 miles
UNKNOWN OR OTHER water is leaking into the vehicle soaking carpet and the floor everytime it rains. lots of water remains in the...	36 ~ 64081 miles
POWER TRAIN over night my parked suv moved 10 feet backwards on a very slight up sloped parking space at my home....	33 ~ 84010 miles
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING tl* the contact owns a 2010 toyota highlander hybrid. the contact was driving approximately 20 mph during braking there was...	27 ~ 79630 miles
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM the inverter failed and the car stalled on a busy freeway (i-5) during a dark rainy evening. the car could...	26 ~ 98881 miles
TIRES factory installed tires by many 2009 highlander owners have reported premature and dangerous tread wear. *tr...	17 ~ 26635 miles
EXTERIOR LIGHTING while driving on the highway the lights in the vehicle all began flashing to check hybrid system. i was unable...	16 ~ 75391 miles
AIR BAGS tl*the contact owns a 2013 toyota highlander hybrid. the contact stated that while driving at approximately 65 mph the airbag...	14 ~ 68201 miles
BODY > STRUCTURE we recently had our highlander completely totaled by our insurance after a failure to have our air conditioning drain properly....	12 ~ 58895 miles
VISIBILITY/WIPER mirrors are way to big and cause a massive blind spot. *tr...	10 ~ 83749 miles
HYBRID PROPULSION SYSTEM no prior history of hybrid problems during previous 65 000 miles. on monday morning the highlander hybrid started up fine....	8 ~ 99625 miles
WHEELS i had a tire blowout on intrastate highway damaging wheel. that highway is recently repaired and there were no road...	8 ~ 57266 miles
ENGINE > ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING tl*the contact owns a 2007 toyota highlander hv. while driving 10 mph the vehicle stalled. three warning lights on the...	7 ~ 80614 miles
VISIBILITY 2006 toyota highlander hybrid sun visor drops down unexpectedly hindering drivers view. could not see traffic light which changed to...	6 ~ 66963 miles
TRACTION CONTROL SYSTEM 2010 toyota highlander hybrid. consumer states that vehicle is suppose to be all wheel drive however the hybrid system is...	5 ~ 26400 miles
TREAD/BELT > TIRES factory installed tires by many 2009 highlander owners have reported premature and dangerous tread wear. *tr...	5 ~ 14700 miles
SUSPENSION 2008 toyota highlander. consumer states excessive tire wear probably due to suspension problem. *tgw...	5 ~ 43642 miles
AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION > POWER TRAIN since i owned the car in speeds between 40 and 45 mph there is a hesitation back and fourth this	4 ~ 11713 miles
SEATS the mid-row seats shake and rattle when driving and no one is sitting on them....	3 ~ 34413 miles
FUEL SYSTEM, OTHER took the vehicle in for the 15 000 miles check up. this vehicle isn't even a year old. they told...	3 ~ 91482 miles
DEFROSTER/DEFOGGER/HVAC SYSTEM > VISIBILITY tl*the contact owns a 2008 toyota highlander hybrid. the contact purchased his vehicle fifteen days ago. the windshield remains fogged....	3 ~ 83500 miles
12V/24V/48V BATTERY > ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 2009 toyota highlander hybrid. consumer states issues with battery. *tgw the consumer stated when he went to start the vehicle...	3 ~ 30700 miles
POWER WINDOW DEVICES AND CONTROLS > VISIBILITY the driver's door power window switch is defective and dangerous. the driver window will surprise by rolling itself down at...	2 ~ 47500 miles
EQUIPMENT keyless fob resulted in car being left on all night in enclosed garage. the design defect in not automatically turning...	2 ~ 4750 miles
SEAT BELTS 2009 toyota highlander hybrid. we have several safety related complaints: 1. my wife has never had an accident & to...	2 ~ 6750 miles
FRAME AND MEMBERS > STRUCTURE tl* the contact owns a 2008 toyota highlander hybrid(na). he experienced premature tread wear on the tires. the manufacturer was...	2 ~ 32500 miles
CONTROL UNIT/MODULE > ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP > SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC toyota highlander hybrid 2008... brakes feel like they are not catching especially if going over a bump. happens frequently since	2 ~ 3000 miles
ACCELERATOR PEDAL > VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL i bought new a 2007 highlander hybrid . the brakes have continually performed spongy and the accelerator would stick ....	2 ~ 14500 miles
ELECTRIC POWER ASSIST SYSTEM > STEERING the steering wheel suddenly pulled to the left in the direction of oncoming traffic then to the right and left...	2
FRONTAL > AIR BAGS dt*: the contact stated while traveling 35 mph on a clear day with dry road conditions the vehicle entered into...	2 ~ 10500 miles
INTERIOR LIGHTING 2015 toyota highlander. consumer writes in regards to an issue with the ambient lighting going out. ld js...	1
SOFTWARE > ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 2015 toyota highlander. consumer writes in regards to vehicle entune system crashing and rebooting at various times. *smd the consumer...	1
TRACTION BATTERY > PROPULSION SYSTEM > ELECTRICAL SYSTEM tl* the contact owns a 2006 toyota highlander hybrid. the contact stated that while the vehicle was parked an unknown...	1 ~ 110000 miles
GLASS, SIDE/REAR > VISIBILITY both rear windows keep coming off track. *tr...	1
ABS WARNING LIGHT > ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP > SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC tl* the contact owns a 2006 toyota highlander hybrid. the contact stated that while driving 45 mph the brakes where...	1 ~ 72000 miles
ACCESSORY SCISSOR/SCREW/BOTTLE JACK/LIFT > MECHANICAL > EQUIPMENT after having a flat tire i pulled out the jack supplies by toyota. i found as i was using the...	1 ~ 56000 miles
IGNITION > ELECTRICAL SYSTEM tl* the contact owns a 2006 toyota highlander hybrid. the contact was driving approximately 25 mph when the engine stalled...	1 ~ 55000 miles
SIDEWALL > TIRES the tires on my 2009 toyota highlander hybrid failed and had to be replaced. the car was unsafe to drive	1 ~ 27233 miles
LUGS/NUTS/BOLTS > WHEELS while changing tires one of the five right front wheel studs broke off. inspection reveals a faulty void (air bubble)...	1 ~ 28000 miles
FRONT > SUSPENSION while changing tires one of the five right front wheel studs broke off. inspection reveals a faulty void (air bubble)...	1 ~ 28000 miles
STRUCTURE in august i purchased a used pre-certified 2008 toyota highlander from stevinson toyota in aurora co. about a month ago...	1
DRIVELINE > POWER TRAIN my 2006 toyota highlander hybrid loses all power on ice or any slippery surface. this has caused my car to...	1 ~ 10000 miles
CONTROL MODULE > ANTI-THEFT > IGNITION the toyota dealership where i bought my 2006 highlander hybrid new installed a car alarm at the time of purchase....	1 ~ 1000 miles
VALVE > TIRES i purchased 4 sumitomo tires from ntb on wednesday 12-15-09. on friday 12-17 just 2 days later i packed up...	1 ~ 36925 miles
EQUIPMENT ADAPTIVE/MOBILITY 2009 toyota highlander hybrid. we have several safety related complaints: 1. my wife has never had an accident & to...	1 ~ 12000 miles
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE 2006 hybrid toyota highlander - accelerator pedal seems to depress on its own when driver's foot is on it feels...	1
EXHAUST SYSTEM > ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING we drove our 2006 toyota highlander hybrid home from town at about 7:00 p.m. on a cool evening (six miles)...	1 ~ 25590 miles
ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP > SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC have been experiencing braking problems ... driving in traffic or coming to a complete stop fairly quickly (i.e. stop sign)...	1 ~ 15000 miles
GASOLINE > ENGINE > ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING have been experiencing braking problems ... driving in traffic or coming to a complete stop fairly quickly (i.e. stop sign)...	1 ~ 15000 miles
AIR CONDITIONER > APPLIANCE > EQUIPMENT new 2006 highlander hybrid 7200 miles well under both factory and extended warranty. no a/c -air conditioning not working- found...	1 ~ 7250 miles

FAQ

What year Toyota Highlander Hybrid is the most reliable?

Speaking of the models produced in the last 14 years, Toyota Highlander Hybrid models of 2017, 2014, 2019 year of manufacture have had the least number of complaints.

What year was a bad year for Toyota Highlander Hybrid?

Toyota Highlander Hybrid models of 2006 and 2008 are probably the years to be avoided like the plague due to a higher than an average number of issues reported.

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