NHTSA lists 4 safety recalls and 270 owner complaints for the 2018 Toyota Highlander (including the hybrid).
4Safety recalls
270Owner complaints
24Complaints citing a crash
2Complaints citing a fire
Data: NHTSA recall and complaint filesUpdated Sep 27, 2026
Recalled components: fuel system, brakes, and equipment. Most-reported area: powertrain (65 complaints, 24%). Includes the Highlander Hybrid. Excludes the larger Grand Highlander.
4 safety recalls for the 2018 Toyota Highlander
Newest first. Summaries are NHTSA's own wording. Open a recall for the fix and the full notice.
Risk: If the fuel pump fails, the engine can stall while driving, increasing the risk of a crash.
The fix and full notice
Fix: Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will replace the fuel pump assembly with an improved one, free of charge. Owners of specific models were notified that remedy parts were available starting January 21, 2021. Owners of other models will be notified as remedy parts become available. Remedy parts should be available for all affected vehicles by late March 2021. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-888-270-9371 or Lexus customer service at 1-800-255-3987. Note: This recall is an expansion of recall 20V-012. Toyota's number for this recall is 20TA02. Lexus' number for this recall is 20LA01.
NHTSA listing: HIGHLANDER. Toyota campaign 20TA02, 20LA01.
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) recalled certain 2018-2019 4Runner, Highlander, Camry, Land Cruiser, Sequoia, Sienna, Tacoma and Tundra, and Lexus RC 300, RC 350, GS 350, GX 460, IS 300, LC 500, LS 500, LX 570, RX 350L, and 2019 Toyota Avalon and Corolla, and certain Lexus NX 300, and ES 350 vehicles on January 13, 2020. On March 4, 2020, Toyota expanded the recall to include certain 2014-2015 Toyota 4Runner and Land Cruiser, 2018 Avalon, Corolla, 2014 FJ Cruiser, 2017 Sienna and Lexus 2018 ES 350, 2018-2019 GS 300, 2013-2014 GS350, 2014-2015 GX 460, IS 350 and LX 570, 2014 IS F, 2018-2019 IS 350, LC 500H and LS 500H, 2013-2015 LS 460, 2015 NX 200T and RC350, 2017 RC 200T and RX 350. Toyota also removed the 2018-2019 Toyota 4Runner and Land Cruiser and 2018-2019 Lexus GX 460 and LX 570 and 2019 NX300 from inclusion in this recall. On March 19, 2020, Toyota expanded the recall to include 2015 Lexus GS350 vehicles. The low-pressure fuel pump inside the fuel tank may fail.
Risk: If the fuel pump fails, the engine can stall while driving, increasing the risk of a crash.
The fix and full notice
Fix: Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will replace the fuel pump, free of charge. The recall began May 4, 2020. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-888-270-9371 or Lexus customer service at 1-800-255-3987. Toyota's numbers for this recall are 20TB02 and 20TA02 for Toyota vehicles and 20LB01 and 20LA01 for Lexus vehicles.
NHTSA listing: HIGHLANDER. Toyota campaign 20TB02/20TA02/20LB01.
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2018 Toyota Camry and Highlander vehicles, 2017 Toyota Sienna and Tacoma vehicles and 2017 Lexus RX350 vehicles. During the manufacturing process, the oil galley in the rotor for the brake booster vacuum pump assembly may have been improperly machined possibly resulting in a sudden loss of brake assist.
Risk: A sudden loss of braking assist can increase the risk of a crash.
The fix and full notice
Fix: Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will replace the brake booster vacuum pump, free of charge. The recall began on May 9, 2018. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-888-270-9371, or Lexus customer service at 1-800-255-3987. Toyota's numbers for this recall are J0K/JLD.
NHTSA listing: HIGHLANDER. Toyota campaign J0K/JLD.
Equipment
Dec 20, 2017
labels
Fails federal standard 110 (tire and rim labeling)
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2017-2018 Toyota 4Runner and Tundra, 2018 Toyota Highlander, RAV4 and Lexus GX460 and 2017 Toyota Sienna and Tacoma vehicles. These vehicles may have incorrect load carrying capacity modification labels. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 110, "Tire Selection and Rims."
Risk: An incorrect load information label can result in the operator overloading the vehicle and increasing the risk of a crash.
The fix and full notice
Fix: Toyota will notify owners and provide them with corrected labels, free of charge. The recall began on January 23, 2018. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's numbers for this recall are H0Z for Toyota vehicles, and HLF for Lexus vehicles.
NHTSA listing: HIGHLANDER. Toyota campaign Toyota H0Z Lexus HLF.
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 also lists 1 equipment recall for parts sold for this vehicle, not the vehicle itself: Electrical system (Fujian Wanda Automobile Glass Industry C, 18E-107).
What owners report
The areas named in the 270 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2018 Highlander. NHTSA does not verify complaints.
Powertrain65 · 24%
Brakes59 · 22%
Median 18,800 miles at failure (24 reports)
Engine34 · 13%
Median 14,400 miles at failure (18 reports)
Electrical system24 · 9%
Fuel and propulsion system23 · 9%
Air bags19 · 7%
Fuel system14 · 5%
Unknown or other45 · 17%
Median 8,000 miles at failure (29 reports)
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 2018 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 2018 drew 102.
Owner complaints
2018: 270 complaintsTap or drag across the chart for other years.
Show as a table
Owner complaints by model year, Toyota Highlander
Model year
Complaints
2016
116
2017
270
2018
270
2019
488
2020
324
2021
532
2022
255
2023
190
2024
42
2025
10
2026
2
Safety recalls
2018: 4 recallsTap or drag across the chart for other years.
Show as a table
Safety recalls by model year, Toyota Highlander
Model year
Recalls
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.
Tested version
Overall
Frontal
Side
Rollover
Toyota Highlander Hybrid SUV AWD
Rollover risk 16.9%
Toyota Highlander SUV AWD
Rollover risk 16.9%
Toyota Highlander SUV FWD
Rollover risk 18.5%
Questions
What are the most common 2018 Highlander problems?
The areas owners name most often in NHTSA complaints: powertrain (65), brakes (59), engine (34). NHTSA does not verify complaints, and one complaint can name several areas.
Is the 2018 Toyota Highlander safe?
In NHTSA crash tests every tested version of the 2018 Toyota Highlander earns 5 stars overall. The table above lists each tested version.
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.
Sources and method
NHTSA recalls file (NHTSA datasets), dated Sep 27, 2026; every campaign checked against NHTSA's recalls API.
NHTSA owner complaints file, dated Sep 26, 2026. Counted by complaint number, so a complaint naming three components counts once in the total.
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.