Toyota Highlander Years to Avoid: No Year Stands Out

Years to avoid: No year stands out Every ranked year drew 40 to 152 complaints, under twice the 114 complaints of a typical Highlander year.
Best years: 2016 and 2017 Under three quarters of the 114 complaints of a typical Highlander year since 2016, with no open NHTSA investigation or do-not-drive or park-outside recall. The 2020 drew few complaints too, but its first three years fell in the pandemic, when people drove less.

Based on owner complaints filed with NHTSA in each model year's first three years, not adjusted for sales. The 2024 to 2026 models are too new to judge. See every year ranked

Data: US EPA and NHTSAUpdated Nov 12, 2026

Every model year since 2010 in one place: EPA fuel economy, NHTSA recalls, owner complaints and crash test ratings. The best fuel economy rating, 36 mpg combined, arrived in 2020. Includes the Highlander Hybrid. Excludes the larger Grand Highlander.

Highlander problems by year, ranked by owner complaints

How the years are ranked

Model years ranked by owner complaints filed with NHTSA in their first three years (model year Y: filed by the end of Y+2), so every year is measured over the same time on the road. Years without three full years of data, and launch or final years with very few sold, are left out. Counts are not adjusted for how many were sold.

A typical Highlander year drew 114 complaints in its first three years: the median of its years since 2016, higher than the median of all its ranked years (78). Years to avoid drew at least twice that, and at least 50. Best years are up to three years since 2016 with the fewest complaints, each under three quarters of a typical year since 2016 (114), with no open NHTSA investigation and no do-not-drive or park-outside recall that covers all versions; the 2020 is never picked, as its first three years fell in the pandemic. How the verdict works.

Model year	First 3 years	All complaints	Recalls
2019 Highlander Most described: transmission failure or replacement	152	517	3
2023 Highlander Most described: hesitation or slow acceleration	133	201	9
2021 Highlander Most described: transmission failure or replacement	126	554	5
2022 Highlander Most described: transmission failure or replacement	126	273	6
2018 Highlander Most described: transmission failure or replacement	102	281	4
2017 Highlander Best Most described: loss of power or limp mode	85	275	3
2013 Highlander Most described: hesitation or slow acceleration	81	212	3
2015 Highlander Most described: infotainment or touchscreen failures and door lock or latch problems	75	197	1
2020 Highlander Most described: transmission failure or replacement	68	332	5
2010 Highlander Most described: unintended acceleration or surging	54	238	11
2016 Highlander Best Most described: a shattered sunroof	49	117	2
2011 Highlander Most reported: steering	44	187	5
2012 Highlander Most described: steering rack problems such as sticking, play or pulling	44	191	2
2014 Highlander Most described: liftgate or tailgate problems	40	138	4

Compare other models' worst years in the worst model years guide.

Check your Highlander for open recalls

Opens NHTSA's lookup in a new tab; your VIN goes to NHTSA, not to us. The VIN is on the driver's side dashboard, the door jamb and your registration. Safety recall repairs are free at Toyota dealers for vehicles up to 15 years old from first sale.

How to check a car for recalls, step by step

Get a vehicle history report from EpicVIN (opens in a new tab): a paid report with the car's title, odometer and salvage records, from an approved NMVTIS data provider. Affiliate link: we earn a commission if you buy. If you typed a full VIN above, the link sends it to EpicVIN and opens its checkout page for that VIN. Check the price before you pay: EpicVIN's $1 trial lasts 3 days, then becomes a monthly subscription until you cancel ($49.99 to $99.99 a month on its pages as of Oct 2, 2026). Disclosure

Year by year

Model year	Best rating	Recalls	Complaints	Crash test
2026 MPG · Recalls and problems	35 mpg Hybrid	0	4
2025 MPG · Recalls and problems	35 mpg Hybrid	4	11
2024 MPG · Recalls and problems	36 mpg Hybrid	7	43
2023 MPG · Recalls and problems	36 mpg Hybrid	9	201
2022 MPG · Recalls and problems	36 mpg Hybrid	6	273
2021 MPG · Recalls and problems	36 mpg Hybrid	5	554
2020 MPG · Recalls and problems	36 mpg Hybrid	5	332
2019 MPG · Recalls and problems	29 mpg Hybrid	3	517
2018 MPG · Recalls and problems	29 mpg Hybrid	4	281
2017 MPG · Recalls and problems	29 mpg Hybrid	3	275
2016 MPG · Recalls and problems	28 mpg Hybrid	2	117
2015 MPG · Recalls and problems	28 mpg Hybrid	1	197
2014 MPG · Recalls and problems	28 mpg Hybrid	4	138
2013 MPG · Recalls and problems	28 mpg Hybrid	3	212
2012 MPG · Recalls and problems	28 mpg Hybrid	2	191
2011 MPG · Recalls and problems	28 mpg Hybrid	5	187
2010 MPG · Recalls and problems	26 mpg Hybrid	11	238	Not rated

Owner complaints by model year

All complaints filed so far. Counts rise with sales volume and with time on the road, so recent years look better than they may turn out. The highlighted bar is the model year with the most complaints in its first three years.

2019: 517 complaints

Show as a table

Owner complaints by model year, Toyota Highlander
Model year	Complaints
2010	238
2011	187
2012	191
2013	212
2014	138
2015	197
2016	117
2017	275
2018	281
2019	517
2020	332
2021	554
2022	273
2023	201
2024	43
2025	11
2026	4

Best combined rating by model year

The best-rated version in each model year. Gas: 22 to 25 mpg (every year from 2010 to 2026); highest in 2023. Hybrid: 26 to 36 mpg (every year from 2010 to 2026); highest in 2020.

Best gas version
Best hybrid version

2026: gas 24 mpg · hybrid 35 mpg

Show as a table

Toyota Highlander best combined mpg by model year
Model year	Best gas version	Best hybrid version
2010	22	26
2011	22	28
2012	22	28
2013	22	28
2014	22	28
2015	22	28
2016	22	28
2017	23	29
2018	23	29
2019	23	29
2020	24	36
2021	24	36
2022	24	36
2023	25	36
2024	25	36
2025	25	35
2026	24	35

Every Highlander year's ratings in one table

Comparisons

Questions

Which Toyota Highlander years should you avoid?

No Toyota Highlander year stands out enough to avoid: none drew twice the 114 owner complaints of a typical Highlander year or more in its first three years. Counts ranged from 40 to 152. Complaints can't tell you whether a particular car is sound, so whatever the year, check its open recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls before you buy. Safety recall repairs are free at Toyota dealers for vehicles up to 15 years old from first sale.

What are the best Toyota Highlander years?

The 2016 and 2017 Highlander are the best years: they drew 49 and 85 owner complaints in their first three years, each under three quarters of the 114 complaints of a typical Highlander year since 2016, and none has an open NHTSA investigation or recall telling owners not to drive or to park outside. The 2020 drew few complaints too, but its first three years fell in the pandemic, when people drove less. Only years since 2016 are considered, since owners filed fewer complaints in the early 2010s. The 2024, 2025, and 2026 are not ranked yet: they have had fewer than three full years on the road.

Which Toyota Highlander years have the most problems?

Counting owner complaints filed with NHTSA in each model year's first three years, the 2019 (152) drew the most, then the 2023 (133). Owners of the 2019 most often describe transmission failure or replacement.

Which Toyota Highlander years have the most recalls?

The 2010 has the most safety recalls in NHTSA's file (11), then the 2023 (9). A recall can cover a problem that affects only a few cars, so open a year's page to see what each one covers. No recall for 2010 to 2026 models tells owners not to drive the car or to park it outside.

What are the most common Toyota Highlander problems?

In the 3,771 owner complaints NHTSA lists for 2010 to 2026 models, owners most often describe transmission failure or replacement (423 complaints, most of them for the 2019 and 2021); jerking, lurching or harsh shifting (166 complaints); and stalling or shutting off (164 complaints, most of them for the 2017, 2018, and 2019). One complaint can describe several problems. Each year's recalls and problems page lists what owners describe for that year.

Which Toyota Highlander year has the best MPG?

The best EPA fuel economy is 36 mpg combined, first reached by the 2020 hybrid version.

Sources and method

US EPA fuel economy data (fueleconomy.gov), file dated Nov 4, 2026.
NHTSA recall file dated Nov 12, 2026 and owner complaint file dated Nov 11, 2026; NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings.

Complaint counts are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume. How we build these pages. Spotted an error? Tell us.