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Owner-Reported Problems · NHTSA

2016 Toyota Highlander — Problems & Complaints

NHTSA has 111 owner complaints on file for this vehicle. Every report below was filed by a real owner with the US government's road-safety agency.

111
Complaints
filed with NHTSA
14
Involved a Crash
owner-reported
1
Involved Fire
owner-reported
11
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

495 complaints

320 complaints

531 complaints

262 complaints

186 complaints

Problem Areas

What Owners Complain About Most

Unknown Or Other 21 reports
Service Brakes 19 reports
Electrical System 14 reports
Air Bags 10 reports
Exterior Lighting 9 reports
Engine 9 reports
Tires 7 reports
Visibility/wiper 7 reports
In Their Own Words

Recent Owner Reports

Unknown Or Other ODI 10816603 12/28/2015

WHEN I PURCHASED THIS 2016 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER LE IN MID DECEMBER, I DID NOT REALIZE UNTIL I GOT IT HOME, THERE WAS NO INTERIOR REAR DOOR RELEASE. NO RELEASE BUTTON ON THE DASH AND NO INTERIOR DOOR HANDLE. I WENT BACK TO THE DEALERSHIP, FOUND MY SALESMAN AND ASKED HIM IF THERE WAS AN INTERIOR DOOR RELEASE. HE TOLD ME THERE WAS NOT AND "THAT'S WHY THEY OFFER THE LE PLUS MODEL WHI…

Electrical System ODI 11561849 12/26/2023

2016 toyota highlander le model v-6 cylinder. The FUEL PUMP runs after engine has been turned off for several hours, even up to as many as 8 hours. This situation can be heard in a closed in garage, in the completely quiet of night time, and at multiple times during the same time period. It happens intermittently with various levels of gas in the tank. The length of tim…

Electrical System ODI 10937219 12/23/2016

MY CAR ENGINE STARTED ON ITS OWN AFTER BEING TURNED OFF. I WENT SHOPPING AT WALMART AND PARKED MY 2016 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER XLE IN THE PARKING LOT. I PUT THE CAR IN PARK AND PUSHED THE ENGINE START/STOP BUTTON TO TURN OFF THE CAR. MY FAMILY AND I EXITED THE CAR AND I USED THE KEYLESS ENTRY PAD TO LOCK THE DOORS. WE SHOPPED FOR APPROXIMATELY 45 MIN. WHEN WE RETURNED TO THE CA…

Structure ODI 11055626 12/20/2017

I LOADED A KAYAK THAT IS ABOUT 13' LONG AND WEIGHS 60 LBS. ONTO MY TOYOTA FACTORY CROSSBARS. WHEN DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY WE HEARD CRACKING AND POPPING NOISES. THINKING IT WAS THE STRAPS IN THE WIND, I PULLED OVER ONLY TO FIND THE STRAPS SECURE. WE WERE ON A TRIP AND KEPT GOING. AFTER HEARING THE NOISE ON AND OFF WE GOT TO OUR DESTINATION AND FOUND A WARPED ROOF AND DENTS I…

Engine ODI 11631008 12/16/2024

The water pump on my 2016 Toyota Highlander XLE disintegrated while I was driving in heavy traffic. The pulley came loose from the water pump shaft. I have the water pump. Our safety was at risk because this happen in heavy traffic and it could have effected my control of the vehicle if it had came off completely. The pulley was wedge between the wheel well and fame. I sent a…

Same Vehicle

Recalls & Crash Tests

Complaints are one half of the picture — see the official recalls and NHTSA crash-test stars for the 2016 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 2016 Toyota Highlander reliable?
Owners have filed 111 safety complaints with NHTSA for the 2016 Toyota Highlander, most often about unknown or other. 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.