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Owner-Reported Problems · NHTSA

2023 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
12
Involved a Crash
owner-reported
0
Involved Fire
owner-reported
12
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.

111 complaints

270 complaints

268 complaints

495 complaints

320 complaints

531 complaints

262 complaints

186 complaints

43 complaints

10 complaints

0 complaints

Problem Areas

What Owners Complain About Most

Unknown Or Other 39 reports
Structure 32 reports
Engine 28 reports
Power Train 20 reports
Service Brakes 19 reports
Seats 19 reports
Fuel/propulsion System 16 reports
Air Bags 12 reports
In Their Own Words

Recent Owner Reports

Structure ODI 11707789 12/30/2025

The contact owns a 2023 Toyota Highlander. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the contact heard an abnormal sound coming from behind the dashboard and the rear passenger-side door. The contact stated that it sounded as if something was loose. No warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that the abnormal sound started after the vehicle was serv…

Air Bags ODI 11707839 12/30/2025

A vehicle turned in front of me as I was going down the highway and I collided with the vehicle at 44 mph. The airbags of my car did not deploy but the airbags of the other vehicle did deploy.

Wheels ODI 11705395 12/16/2025

On November 24, I took the vehicle into Gene Messer Toyota in Lubbock, TX to have them diagnose a noise in the front end. They confirmed hearing the noise but assured me the vehicle was safe to drive. No repairs were performed. 10 days later, on December 10, the front driver wheel detached while my husband was driving at highway speed.

Service Brakes ODI 11705422 12/16/2025

When applying the brakes sometimes, particularly when breaking at the bottom of a hill, the car lunges forward before the brake catches and it stops. The transition is jarring and does not seem safe at all. I've been told by mechanics at the Toyota shop that it is normal for a hybrid vehicle, but if that is the case they need to not sell hybrid vehicles or find a way to avoid…

Chest Clip ODI 11630075 12/11/2024

My daughter is 20 months old and I thought it was a fluke but not she 100% know how to unbuckle the chest clip. We will be driving down the road and she will undo the chest clip and wiggle out of her seat. I have reached out to Evenflo and got no help. Yesterday alone we were in the car for 2 hours and she continuously would unbuckle and try climbing out while driving. She isn…

Same Vehicle

Recalls & Crash Tests

Complaints are one half of the picture — see the official recalls and NHTSA crash-test stars for the 2023 Toyota Highlander, or check your exact car by VIN with the free VIN lookup.

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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 2023 Toyota Highlander reliable?
Owners have filed 186 safety complaints with NHTSA for the 2023 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.