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Owner-Reported Problems · NHTSA

2011 Toyota Highlander — Problems & Complaints

NHTSA has 186 owner complaints on file for this vehicle. Every report below was filed by a real owner with the US government's road-safety agency.

186
Complaints
filed with NHTSA
14
Involved a Crash
owner-reported
0
Involved Fire
owner-reported
8
Injuries
across all reports
Years to Avoid

Toyota Highlander — Complaints by Model Year

Years flagged AVOID have at least twice this model's average complaint count — the strongest public-data signal of a bad year.

238 complaints

186 complaints

191 complaints

212 complaints

136 complaints

192 complaints

111 complaints

270 complaints

268 complaints

Problem Areas

What Owners Complain About Most

Steering 34 reports
Structure 27 reports
Visibility/wiper 25 reports
Electrical System 23 reports
Engine 18 reports
Service Brakes 18 reports
Power Train 16 reports
Unknown Or Other 15 reports
In Their Own Words

Recent Owner Reports

Structure ODI 10817273 12/31/2015

THE GLASS ON THE DRIVER SIDE WINDOW IS OFF THE RAILS AND WOULD COME OFF THE WINDOW AT AN ANGLE WHEN ITS BEING RAISED. CURRENTLY WE CANNOT ROLL THE WINDOW GLASS UP AND DOWN. SIMILAR SYMPTONS ARE BEING SEEN ON THE PASSENGER SIDE WINDOW NOW . I HAVE OWNED CARS IN THE PAST AND THIS IS THE FIRST TIME I AM SEEING THIS KIND OF AN ISSUE AND TOYOTA REFUSES TO CONSIDER THIS AS A QUAL…

Structure ODI 10816623 12/28/2015

I PRESSED THE REAR HATCH BUTTON TO CLOSE IT FROM DRIVER'S SEAT, HATCH ARM BROKE AND SPEWED PLASTIC AND METAL PARTS WHILE PARKED, ONTO MALL PARKING LOT. TOYOTA STATES "ROD HAS FALLEN OFF OF MOTOR CONNECT...T-SB-0038-15 POWER BACK DOOR DOES NOT CLOSE PROPERLY...BIG GAP ON DRIVER SIDE HINGE FOR BACK HATCH."TOYOTA SOLD ME $2299 SERVICE CONTRACT W/PORTFOLIO ELITE PROTECTION PLAN W…

Steering ODI 11163579 12/26/2018

INTERMEDIATE SHAFT ISSUES. HAD ONE INTERMEDIATE SHAFT REPLACED UNDER WARRANTY A YEAR OR TWO AFTER PURCHASE. INTERMEDIATE SHAFT ISSUES RETURNED IN THE LAST YEAR. TOYOTA DEALERSHIP WANTS $500 TO REPLACE A SHAFT THEY KNOW HAS BEEN DEFECTIVE FOR YEARS LEADING UP TO THIS MODEL. THIS IS THE PRIMARY VEHICLE FOR MY WIFE AND CHILDREN. I AM CONCERNED ABOUT THERE SAFETY WITH THIS MATTER…

Unknown Or Other ODI 10816236 12/26/2015

HEATER/AC ASSEMBLY IS LEAKING ONTO A CONTROL MODULE UNDER THE DASH WHICH I BELIEVE THE THE AIRBAG MODULE AND SOAKING THE FRONT DRIVERS AND PASSENGERS CARPETS AND PADDING. CHECKED FOR BLOCKAGE IN DRAIN TUBE. NONE, USED COMPRESSED AIR TO BLOW OUT DRAIN TUBE JUST IN CASE. DID NOT SOLVE ISSUE. REMOVED PASSENGERS SIDE PANEL AND FOUND THAT THE FACTORY SEAM OF THE AC/HEATER ASSEMBLY…

Structure ODI 10668027 12/23/2014

THE AUTO LIFTGATE FOR THE REAR DOOR WOULD NOT GO UP AND DOWN. TOYOTA HAS REFUSED TO FIX THIS PROBLEM EVEN THOUGH A SERVICE BULLETIN HAS GONE OUT FOR THIS DEFECT! *TR

Same Vehicle

Recalls & Crash Tests

Complaints are one half of the picture — see the official recalls and NHTSA crash-test stars for the 2011 Toyota Highlander, or check your exact car by VIN with the free VIN lookup.

Check Another Car

Problems Checker

Any year, make and model: open the Car Problems Checker. Data: NHTSA (US DOT, public domain), cached up to 7 days.

Questions

FAQ

Is the 2011 Toyota Highlander reliable?
Owners have filed 186 safety complaints with NHTSA for the 2011 Toyota Highlander, most often about steering. Compare the complaint counts across model years above — a year with far more complaints than the model's average is the strongest 'avoid' signal in public data.
Which Toyota Highlander years should I avoid?
The rule of thumb used by analysts: a model year whose complaint count is well above the model's own average (we flag 2× or more) usually had a real manufacturing or design problem — not just noisy reporting. Use the year-by-year strip on this page.
Where do these complaints come from?
Directly from NHTSA, the US government road-safety agency. Any owner can file a Vehicle Owner Questionnaire; NHTSA publishes them as public domain data. We cache each lookup for up to 7 days.
Do complaints mean a recall is coming?
Sometimes. NHTSA opens defect investigations when complaint patterns emerge, and investigations can end in recalls. Check the recalls page for this vehicle to see what has already been recalled.