NHTSA lists 2 safety recalls and 191 owner complaints for the 2012 Toyota Highlander (including the hybrid).
Recalled components: equipment and air bags. Most-described problem: steering rack problems such as sticking, play or pulling (23 complaints, 12%). Most-reported area: steering (47 complaints, 25%; median mileage when it happened: 68,000).
Fewer complaints than a typical Highlander year
The 2012 drew 44 owner complaints in its first three years, against 114 for a typical Highlander year. Best years are picked only from 2016 on, since counts for older years say less: owners filed fewer complaints in the early 2010s.
No Highlander year stands out enough to avoid; best years: 2016 and 2017. Based on owner complaints, not adjusted for sales.
These vehicles were sold with labels that were outside the allowable one percent of accuracy of actual weight added. Thus, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) Number 110, "Tire Selection and Rims."
Risk: An inaccurate label could lead to owners overloading their vehicles and tires. An overloaded vehicle can result in a tire failure which may result in a vehicle crash, personal injury, or property damage.
The fix and full notice
Fix: Southeast Toyota will notify owners and provide a corrected label with instructions concerning its installation. A small group of the affected vehicles will need additonal remedies which are still being developed. The recall began on May 28, 2013. Owners may contact Southeast Toyota at 1-800-301-6859.
Southeast Toyota is recalling certain model year 2008 and 2010-2013 Toyota Tundra, 2010-2012 Rav4, 2012 Toyota Sequoia, 2010-2011 Toyota Corolla, 2010-2011 Toyota Camry and Camry Hybrid, 2010-2013 Toyota Highlander and Highlander Hybrid, 2010-2013 Toyota FJ Cruiser, 2011 Toyota Land Cruiser, 2010-2013 Toyota Venza, 2010-2011 Toyota 4Runner, 2010-2013 Toyota Tacoma, 2011-2012 Toyota Sienna, 2012 Toyota Prius, 2013 Scion FR-S, 2011 Scion XD, 2011 Scion XB, and 2012 Scion TC vehicles.
Southeast Toyota Distributors, LLC (SET) is recalling certain models interspersed through model years 2009 through 2013 as follows: model year 2009-2012 Tacoma, 4Runner, Camry, Camry Hybrid, Prius, and RAV4; model year 2009-2010 Avalon, FJ Cruiser, and Highlander Hybrid; model year 2010-2013 model year Corolla, Sienna and Tundra; model year 2009-2013 Highlander and Venza; model year 2012 Prius V; and model year 2010-2012 Sequoia. During modification by SET to include accessories such as leather seat covers, seat heaters or headrest DVD systems, these vehicles may not have had the passenger seat occupant sensing system calibration tested. Without passing the calibration test, the occupant sensing system may not operate as designed.
Risk: If the front passenger seat occupant sensing system is out of calibration, the front passenger airbags may not deploy or they may deploy inappropriately for the passenger's size and position. This could increase the risk of personal injury during the event of a vehicle crash necessitating airbag deployment.
The fix and full notice
Fix: Southeast Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will test the sensitivity of the occupant detection sensors, and recalibrate them as necessary. The recall began on March 21, 2013. Owners may contact Southeast Toyota at 1-800-301-6859.
NHTSA listing: HIGHLANDER. Components: Air bags: frontal, sensor/control module-inactive; Seats.
Questions about any of these recalls: call NHTSA's Vehicle Safety Hotline at 888-327-4236 (TTY 888-275-9171) or check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
NHTSA investigations
NHTSA has opened 2 investigations that name the 2012 Toyota Highlander; both are closed. An investigation means NHTSA is reviewing reports of a problem. It is not a finding that the vehicle has a defect.
Steering column separation
Engineering analysis EA18006Closed Apr 2, 2024 (opened Nov 16, 2018)
On November 16, 2018, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened an Engineering Analysis (EA18-006) as an upgrade to a Preliminary Evaluation (PE18-005).
Preliminary evaluation PE18005Closed Nov 20, 2018 (opened May 4, 2018)
On May 4, 2018, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened Preliminary Evaluation PE18-005 to investigate three allegations of steering column separation for Model Year (MY) 2008 through 2013 Toyota Highlander… NHTSA's full summary
A preliminary evaluation is NHTSA's first step, to gather information and decide whether to look further. An engineering analysis is a deeper review, usually opened after a preliminary evaluation. NHTSA lists investigations by make, model and model year only, so one can apply to only some versions of a model, such as one engine; its summary says which.
What owners report
Owners have filed 191 complaints with NHTSA about the 2012 Highlander. Below, they are sorted by the problems owners describe and by the areas NHTSA files them under. NHTSA does not verify complaints.
Problems owners describe
Steering rack problems: sticking, play or pulling23 · 12%
Median 55,000 miles at failure, from 20 reports with mileage
Median 68,000 miles at failure, from 40 reports with mileage
Electrical system30 · 16%
Median 48,500 miles at failure, from 18 reports with mileage
Body structure22 · 12%
Most named: body (16)
Engine17 · 9%
Brakes15 · 8%
Visibility/wiper15 · 8%
Speed control14 · 7%
Unknown or other24 · 13%
A complaint can name more than one area, so shares add up to more than 100%. Mileage is shown where at least 15 owners reported it.
Toyota Highlander recalls and complaints by model year
The highlighted bars are the 2012 model year. Newer model years have had less time on the road, so their counts are lower. Counting complaints filed in each model year's first three years, the 2019 Highlander drew the most (152) and the 2012 drew 44.
Owner complaints
2012: 191 complaintsTap or drag across the chart for other years.
Show as a table
Owner complaints by model year, Toyota Highlander
Model year
Complaints
2010
238
2011
186
2012
191
2013
212
2014
138
2015
196
2016
116
2017
270
2018
271
2019
492
2020
326
2021
537
2022
265
2023
191
2024
42
2025
10
2026
2
Safety recalls
2012: 2 recallsTap or drag across the chart for other years.
Show as a table
Safety recalls by model year, Toyota Highlander
Model year
Recalls
2010
11
2011
5
2012
2
2013
3
2014
4
2015
1
2016
2
2017
3
2018
4
2019
3
2020
5
2021
5
2022
6
2023
9
2024
7
2025
4
2026
0
Crash test ratings
NHTSA's 5-Star Safety Ratings for each version it tested. Rollover risk is NHTSA's estimate of the chance of rolling over in a single-vehicle crash.
What are the most common 2012 Highlander problems?
In the 191 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2012 Toyota Highlander, the problems described most are steering rack problems such as sticking, play or pulling (23), door lock or latch problems (15), and unintended acceleration or surging (8). NHTSA does not verify complaints, and one complaint can describe several problems.
Is the 2012 Toyota Highlander safe?
In NHTSA crash tests every tested version of the 2012 Toyota Highlander earns 4 stars overall. The table above lists each tested version.
Is NHTSA investigating the 2012 Toyota Highlander?
No. NHTSA's investigations file, dated Oct 2, 2026, lists no open investigations for the 2012 Toyota Highlander. It lists 2 closed ones; the most recent closed on Apr 2, 2024.
How do I check if my Highlander has an open recall?
Enter the 17-character VIN from your dashboard, door jamb or registration at nhtsa.gov/recalls. The lookup lists unrepaired recalls for that exact vehicle. Safety recall repairs are free at Toyota dealers for vehicles up to 15 years old from first sale.
Sources and method
NHTSA recalls file (NHTSA datasets), dated Oct 2, 2026; every campaign checked against NHTSA's recalls API.
NHTSA owner complaints file, dated Oct 2, 2026. Counted by complaint number, so a complaint naming three components counts once in the total.
NHTSA investigations file, dated Oct 2, 2026. Defect petitions, which ask NHTSA to open an investigation, are listed apart and only while open. Audit queries, which check whether a company met its recall and reporting duties rather than whether a vehicle has a problem, are not listed.
NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings (NCAP).
NHTSA model names covered: HIGHLANDER, HIGHLANDER HYBRID.
Complaint counts are unverified owner reports. They rise with sales volume and time on the road, so compare model years with care. How we build these pages. Spotted an error? Tell us.