NHTSA lists 5 safety recalls and 332 owner complaints for the 2020 Toyota Highlander (including the hybrid).
Recalled components: air bags, body structure, stability control, and fuel system. Most-described problem: transmission failure or replacement (71 complaints, 21%). Most-reported area: powertrain (127 complaints, 38%; median mileage when it happened: 73,000).
Fewer complaints than a typical Highlander year
The 2020 drew 68 owner complaints in its first three years, against 114 for a typical Highlander year. It is not picked as a best year: its first three years fell in the pandemic, when people drove less.
No Highlander year stands out enough to avoid; best years: 2016 and 2017. Based on owner complaints, not adjusted for sales.
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2020-2021 Avalon, Avalon Hybrid, Corolla, Highlander, Highlander Hybrid, RAV4, RAV4 Hybrid, Lexus ES350, Lexus RX350, Lexus RX450H, 2021 Sienna Hybrid, Lexus ES250, 2020-2022 Camry, Camry Hybrid, and ES300H vehicles. A short circuit may develop in the Occupant Classification System (OCS) sensor, preventing the front passenger air bag from deploying.
Risk: An air bag that does not deploy during a crash increases the risk of injury.
The fix and full notice
Fix: Dealers will inspect and replace the sensor as necessary, free of charge. Interim letters notifying owners of the safety risk were mailed in February 2024. Some final remedy owner letters were mailed October 31, 2024. Letters will continue to be mailed in phases through January 2026. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's number for this recall is 23TB15/23TA15 Lexus 23LB03/23LA03.
NHTSA listings: HIGHLANDER, HIGHLANDER HYBRID. Toyota campaign 23TA15, 23LA03.
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2020-2023 Highlander & Highlander Hybrid vehicles. During normal vehicle operation, minor impact to the front lower bumper cover may result in the cover coming loose or detaching.
Risk: A detached front bumper cover can become a road hazard, increasing the risk of a crash.
The fix and full notice
Fix: Dealers will repair or replace the upper and lower front bumper covers as necessary, free of charge. Owner letters were mailed April 22, 2024. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's number for this recall is 23TB12/23TA12.
NHTSA listings: HIGHLANDER, HIGHLANDER HYBRID. Toyota campaign 23TB12 / 23TA12.
Stability control
Apr 13, 2022
control module · software
Fails federal standard 126 (electronic stability control)
Toyota Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2022 Lexus LX 600, Lexus NX 350h, Lexus NX 450h+, Toytoa RAV4 Hybrid, 2021-2022 Lexus LS 500h, Toyota Mirai, RAV4 PRIME, Sienna, Venza, and 2020-2022 Toyota Highlander Hybrid vehicles. The Skid Control ECU software may not turn on the Vehicle Stability Control (VSC) system when the vehicle is restarted after the driver has disabled the VSC system. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 126, "Electronic Stability Control Systems."
Risk: Driving with a deactivated stability control system increases the risk of a crash.
The fix and full notice
Fix: Dealers will update the Skid Control ECU software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed May 27, 2022. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's number for this recall is 22TA03. Lexus' number for this recall is 22LA01.
NHTSA listing: HIGHLANDER HYBRID. Toyota campaign 22TA03, 22LA01.
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2020 Highlander and Highlander hybrid vehicles. Incorrect seat trim covers on one or both of the front seats can prevent the seat-mounted side air bag from deploying properly.
Risk: Improper deployment of the seat-mounted side air bag increases the risk of injury in the event of a crash.
The fix and full notice
Fix: Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the front seats and replace the seat trim covers as necessary, free of charge. The recall began December 11, 2020. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's number for this recall is 20TB14 / 20TA14.
NHTSA listings: HIGHLANDER, HIGHLANDER HYBRID. Components: Air bags; Seats. Toyota campaign 20TB14 / 20TA14.
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2020 Highlander vehicles equipped with a 3.5 L, V6 (2GR-FKS) gasoline engine. Due to an Engine Control Unit (ECU) programming error, fuel may not be correctly supplied to the engine while using the stop and restart feature.
Risk: Improper fuel supply programming can result in a vehicle stall, increasing the risk of a crash.
The fix and full notice
Fix: Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the ECU, free of charge. The recall began May 15, 2020. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-888-270-9371. Toyota's number for this recall is 20TA06.
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's investigations file, dated Nov 12, 2026, lists no investigations for the 2020 Toyota Highlander.
What owners report
Owners have filed 332 complaints with NHTSA about the 2020 Highlander. Below, they are sorted by the problems owners describe and by the areas NHTSA files them under. NHTSA does not verify complaints.
Median 73,000 miles at failure, from 15 reports with mileage
Brakes43 · 13%
Air bags36 · 11%
Body structure31 · 9%
Most named: body (18); body, bumpers (3)
Fuel and propulsion system19 · 6%
Electrical system18 · 5%
Engine17 · 5%
Unknown or other46 · 14%
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 2020 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 2020 drew 68.
Owner complaints
2020: 332 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
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
Safety recalls
2020: 5 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 2020 Highlander problems?
In the 332 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2020 Toyota Highlander, the problems described most are transmission failure or replacement (71), a shattered sunroof (18), and jerking, lurching or harsh shifting (14). NHTSA does not verify complaints, and one complaint can describe several problems.
Is the 2020 Toyota Highlander safe?
In NHTSA crash tests every tested version of the 2020 Toyota Highlander earns 5 stars overall. The table above lists each tested version.
Is NHTSA investigating the 2020 Toyota Highlander?
No. NHTSA's investigations file, dated Nov 12, 2026, lists no investigations for the 2020 Toyota Highlander.
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 Nov 12, 2026; every campaign checked against NHTSA's recalls API.
NHTSA owner complaints file, dated Nov 11, 2026. Counted by complaint number, so a complaint naming three components counts once in the total.
NHTSA investigations file, dated Nov 12, 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.