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Free public service · Official NHTSA & EPA data

2016 Toyota Highlander

Verified August 31, 2026Sources: NHTSA · EPA · vPIC

Compare
Safety
5
of 5 stars
Recalls
3
on record
MPG
27
combined

Open recalls on record

3 safety recalls. Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer — check the VIN before you buy.

Vehicle Summary

2016 Toyota Highlander

3 recalls
109 complaints
27 MPG combined
5/5 safety rating

Before You Buy

Confirm all 3 recalls were repaired — a dealer checks by VIN, free
Read the 14 complaints reporting a crash
Review the 109 owner complaints on record
Get a pre-purchase inspection
Check vehicle history report
Verify title is clean

Safety record at a glance

Recall campaigns
3
Owner complaints
109
Complaints citing a crash
14

These are raw counts from NHTSA records. They are not normalized by how many of these vehicles are on the road, so a model that sold in large numbers will tend to show more of everything. We do not publish a composite safety or reliability score.

3 Recalls on Record

These recalls have been issued by the manufacturer. Contact any authorized dealer to verify they have been completed — repairs are free.

Enter your VIN to check if specific recalls apply to your vehicle.

Safety recalls

3 NHTSA campaigns affecting this model year.

  • 18E107000high

    Electrical issue

    ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

    Fujian Wanda Automobile Glass Industry (Wanda) is recalling certain aftermarket Replacement Windshields sold for use in 2014-2018 Toyota Highlander vehicles. The windshields have an attached wire harness that water may leak into, possibly causing damage to the vehicle's Engine Control Module (ECM).

    Consequence

    The ECM damage may result in the engine stalling, increasing the risk of a crash.

    Remedy

    Wanda will notify owners, and service centers will replace the windshields, and inspect the ECM for damage, having it replaced, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began January 29, 2019. Owners may contact Wanda customer service at 1-864-281-2760.

    Full campaign record
  • 16V775000high

    Wiring harness issue

    ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING

    Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain model year 2016 Highlander vehicles manufactured May 26, 2016, to September 16, 2016. The brake fluid level sensor may not be connected to the wire harness, preventing the sensor from detecting the brake fluid level. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 135, "Light Vehicle Brake Systems."

    Consequence

    If the brake fluid level is low and is not detected, the braking performance may be decreased, increasing the risk of a crash.

    Remedy

    Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and, as necessary, connect the wire harness to the sensor, free of charge. The recall began November 14, 2016. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's number for this G03.

    Full campaign record
  • 16V420000high

    Incorrect or missing label

    EQUIPMENT:OTHER:LABELS

    Southeast Toyota Distributors, LLC (SET) is recalling certain model year 2016 Toyota Camry and Highlander, 2015-2016 Toyota Tundra, Scion FR-S, and tC vehicles. The Load Carrying Capacity Modification Label may not reflect the correct added weight of the installed accessories. As a result, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 110, "Tire Selection and Rims for Passenger Cars."

    Consequence

    An incorrect label may lead an owner to overload the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.

    Remedy

    SET will notify owners, and provide a corrected label for placement over the inaccurate label, free of charge. The recall began on July 14, 2016. Owners may contact SET customer service at 1-866-405-4226.

    Full campaign record

NHTSA crash-test ratings

NCAP star ratings and the underlying test breakdown for the 2016 Toyota Highlander.

  • Frontal crash

    Driver
    4 / 5
    Passenger
    5 / 5
  • Side crash

    Driver
    5 / 5
    Passenger
    5 / 5
    Side pole
    5 / 5
  • Rollover

    Rollover risk
    18.5%
    Dynamic tip
    No Tip

Driver-assistance technologies

Electronic stability control
Standard
Forward collision warning
Optional
Lane departure warning
Optional

What the ratings mean

NHTSA gives the 2016 Toyota Highlander 5 out of 5 stars overall. NHTSA does not publish enough comparable results for this class and year to rank it against peers.

NHTSA published results for every NCAP test in this program, so the overall star rating rests on a complete set of crash and rollover results.

NHTSA's dynamic test put this vehicle's rollover probability at 18.5% in a single-vehicle crash — the figure behind the rollover star rating, published here because the star alone hides how wide each band is.

NHTSA crash tests

2016 Toyota Highlander Frontal crash crash test
Frontal crash Video
2016 Toyota Highlander Side crash crash test
Side crash Video
2016 Toyota Highlander Side pole crash test
Side pole Video

Fuel economy & emissions

EPA figures for the 2016 Toyota Highlander, with tailpipe CO₂ and class context.

22

City

34

Hwy

27

Comb

Annual fuel cost
$1,944
Tailpipe CO₂
329 g/mi

How this compares

The EPA holds too few vehicles in this class and model year to rank the 2016 Toyota Highlander against its peers.

Tailpipe CO₂ is 329 grams per mile — about 4.9 metric tons over 15,000 miles of driving.

Consumer complaints

109 owner reports filed with NHTSA.

109
Total
14
Crashes
1
Fires
10
Injuries

Most reported components

  • OTHER22
  • BRAKES16
  • ENGINE11
  • ELECTRICAL11
  • AIR BAGS10

Notable Issues

109 consumer complaints filed with NHTSA. 10 reports involve injuries. 14 reports involve a crash.

Most reported problems

miscellaneous issues22
brake problems (soft pedal, noise, failure)16
engine problems (stalling, power loss, warning lights)11

Safety timeline

Every dated recall and NHTSA investigation for the 2016 Toyota Highlander, newest first.

  1. Recall

    Recall 18E107000

    The ECM damage may result in the engine stalling, increasing the risk of a crash.

  2. Recall

    Recall 16V775000

    If the brake fluid level is low and is not detected, the braking performance may be decreased, increasing the risk of a crash.

  3. Recall

    Recall 16V420000

    An incorrect label may lead an owner to overload the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.

Dates are the NHTSA report-received date for recalls and the ODI open/close date for investigations. Crash-test ratings are not shown here because the source does not provide a reliable publication date for them.

Specifications & ratings

Specifications

Body class
Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV)
Drive type
FWD
Engine
2.5L 4-cyl
Fuel type
Regular Gasoline
Transmission
Automatic
Seats
5

Fuel economy

22

City

34

Hwy

27

Comb

Annual cost
$1,944
Fuel
Regular Gasoline

NHTSA crash ratings

Overall
Frontal
Side
Rollover

Explore related

Safety timeline

Full timeline
  1. Recall

    Recall 18E107000

    The ECM damage may result in the engine stalling, increasing the risk of a crash.

  2. Recall

    Recall 16V775000

    If the brake fluid level is low and is not detected, the braking performance may be decreased, increasing the risk of a crash.

  3. Recall

    Recall 16V420000

    An incorrect label may lead an owner to overload the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.