- Safety
- 5
- of 5 stars
- Recalls
- 9
- on record
- MPG
- 24
- combined
Heavily recalled
9 safety recalls on record. Confirm with the seller that every campaign has been completed.
Vehicle Summary
2023 Toyota Highlander
Before You Buy
Safety record at a glance
- Recall campaigns
- 9
- Owner complaints
- 166
- Complaints citing a crash
- 12
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 We do not publish a composite safety or reliability score.
9 Recalls on Record
These recalls have been issued by the manufacturer. Contact any authorized dealer to verify they have been completed — repairs are free.
Safety recalls
9 NHTSA campaigns affecting this model year.
- 23V480000high
Steering issue
STEERING:COLUMN
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2023 Corolla, Corolla Cross, Corolla Cross Hybrid, Highlander, Highlander Hybrid, Tacoma, 2023 Lexus RX350, RX350 Hybrid, RX500 Hybrid, 2023-2024 Lexus NX250, NX350, and NX350 Hybrid vehicles. An electrical connection inside the steering column's spiral cable assembly may be insufficiently welded, causing the connection to separate and deactivate the driver's air bag. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 208, "Occupant Crash Protection."
Consequence
A deactivated driver's air bag that does not deploy as intended increases the risk of injury during a crash.
Full campaign recordRemedy
Dealers will inspect and replace the spiral cable assembly, if necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed September 8, 2023. Owners may contact Toyota's customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's number for this recall is 23TA08. Lexus' number for this recall is 23LA02.
- 23V720000high
Body/structure issue
STRUCTURE:BODY:BUMPERS
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.
Consequence
A detached front bumper cover can become a road hazard, increasing the risk of a crash.
Full campaign recordRemedy
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.
- 24V419000high
Tire/wheel issue
TIRES
Gulf States Toyota, Inc. (GST) is recalling certain 2022-2024 model year Highlander L and Highlander LE vehicles equipped with the Blackout Package that includes 20" black alloy wheels and tires. The installed tires have an insufficient load rating. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 110, "Tire Selection and Rims."
Consequence
Tires with an insufficient load rating may be overloaded and fail, increasing the risk of a crash.
Full campaign recordRemedy
GST will inspect and replace the tires as necessary, and install a new tire information label as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed August 8, 2024. Owners may contact GST customer service at 1-800-444-1074. GST's number for this recall is 24R1.
- 24V452000high
Tire/wheel issue
TIRES
Southeast Toyota Distributors, LLC (SET) is recalling certain 2021-2024 Highlander vehicles. The 20-inch accessory tires with an insufficient load rating for the vehicle's Gross Axle Weight Rating (GAWR) were installed. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 110, "Tire Selection and Rims."
Consequence
Tires with an insufficient load rating can be overloaded and fail, increasing the risk of a crash.
Full campaign recordRemedy
SET will inspect and replace the tires and information placard, as necessary free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed August 16, 2024. Owners may contact SET's customer service at 1-866-405-4226. SET's number for this recall is SET24A.
- 24V548000high
Incorrect or missing label
EQUIPMENT:OTHER:LABELS
Gulf States Toyota, Inc. (GST) is recalling certain Toyota 2023 GR Supra, 2024 4 Runner, Corolla, Grand Highlander, Grand Highlander Hybrid, Land Cruiser Hybrid, Tacoma, Tacoma Hybrid, 2023-2024 BZ4X, Corolla Cross Hybrid, GR Corolla, GR86, Highlander, Highlander Hybrid, Prius, Prius Prime, Sequoia Hybrid, Tundra, Tundra Hybrid, Venza Hybrid, 2023-2025 Crown, and 2025 Camry Hybrid vehicles equipped with GST accessories. The load carrying capacity modification label may display inaccurate added weight values. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 110, "Tire Selection and Rims."
Consequence
A vehicle with an incorrect maximum capacity weight value may be overloaded, which can increase the risk of a crash.
Full campaign recordRemedy
GST will mail new labels to owners, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed September 16, 2024. Owners may contact GST customer service at 1-800-444-1074. GST's number for this recall is 24R2.
- 25V040000high
Steering issue
STEERING:COLUMN
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2023 Toyota Corolla, Corolla Cross, Corolla Cross Hybrid, Highlander, Highlander Hybrid, Tacoma, Lexus RX350, 2023-2024 NX250, and NX350 vehicles that may have been incorrectly repaired under previous NHTSA recall number 23V-480. An electrical connection inside the steering column's spiral cable assembly may be insufficiently welded, causing the connection to separate and deactivate the driver's air bag. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 208, "Occupant Crash Protection."
Consequence
A deactivated driver's air bag will not deploy as intended, increasing the risk of injury during a crash.
Full campaign recordRemedy
Dealers will inspect and replace the spiral cable assembly as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed March 17, 2025. Owners may contact Toyota's customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's number for this recall is 25TA02. Lexus' number for this recall is 25LA02.
- 25V595000high
Electrical issue
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: INSTRUMENT CLUSTER/PANEL
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2023-2024 Toyota Venza, 2023-2025 RAV4 Prime, RAV4, Highlander, GR Corolla, Crown, 2024-2025 Lexus TX, LS, Toyota Tacoma, Grand Highlander, and 2025 Lexus RX, Toyota Crown Signia, Camry, RAV 4 Plug-in Hybrid (PHEV), and 4 Runner vehicles. Due to an error in the instrument panel software at vehicle startup, the instrument panel may fail to display vehicle speed, brake system, and tire pressure warning lights.
Consequence
An instrument panel display that does not show critical information can increase the risk of a crash or injury.
Full campaign recordRemedy
Dealers will update the instrument panel software over-the-air (OTA) for non-PHEV vehicles, free of charge. For PHEV vehicles, dealers will inspect the instrument panel assembly, and either replace it, or update the software, free of charge. Owner letters were mailed December 5, 2025. Additional letters will be sent, anticipated in May 2026. This is a phased recall. Owners may contact Toyota's customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's numbers for this recall are 25TB08 and 25TA08. Lexus' numbers for this recall are 25LB05 and 25LA05.
- 25V744000high
Rear-visibility system issue
BACK OVER PREVENTION:DISPLAY FUNCTION
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2022-2026 Toyota, Lexus, and Subaru Solterra vehicles equipped with a Panoramic View Monitor (PVM) system. Please see the recall report for a complete list of models. A software error may cause the rearview camera to freeze or display a blank screen when the vehicle is in reverse. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 111, "Rear Visibility."
Consequence
A rearview camera that fails to display an image can reduce the driver's view behind the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
Full campaign recordRemedy
Dealers will update the parking assist software, free of charge. Owner letters were mailed January 2, 2026. Owners may contact Toyota's customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's numbers for this recall are 25TB13 and 25LB06. Subaru's number for this recall is WRE25.
- 26V128000high
Safety restraint issue
SEATS:MID/REAR ASSEMBLY:RECLINER
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2021-2024 Highlander and Highlander Hybrid vehicles. The second-row seat backs may fail to lock into position during seat back adjustment.
Consequence
A seat back that fails to lock may not properly restrain an occupant during a crash, increasing the risk of injury.
Full campaign recordRemedy
Dealers will replace the return springs in the seat back recliner assemblies, free of charge. Interim letters notifying owners of the safety risk were mailed April 27, 2026. Additional letters will be sent once the final remedy is available, anticipated August 27, 2026. This is a phased recall. Owners may contact Toyota’s customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's numbers for this recall are 26TB06 and 26TA06.
NHTSA crash-test ratings
NCAP star ratings and the underlying test breakdown for the 2023 Toyota Highlander.
Frontal crash
- Driver
- 4 / 5
- Passenger
- 4 / 5
Side crash
- Driver
- 5 / 5
- Passenger
- 5 / 5
- Side pole
- 5 / 5
Rollover
- Rollover risk
- 16.4%
- Dynamic tip
- No Tip
Driver-assistance technologies
- Electronic stability control
- Standard
- Forward collision warning
- Standard
- Lane departure warning
- Standard
What the ratings mean
NHTSA gives the 2023 Toyota Highlander 5 out of 5 stars overall, level with the 5-star median for the 10 comparable 2023 vehicles NHTSA rated in this class.
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 16.4% in a single-vehicle crash — the figure behind the rollover star rating, published here because the star alone hides how wide each band is.
Fuel economy & emissions
EPA figures for the 2023 Toyota Highlander, with tailpipe CO₂ and class context.
21
City
28
Hwy
24
Comb
- Annual fuel cost
- $2,550
- Tailpipe CO₂
- 370 g/mi
How this compares
At 24 MPG combined, the 2023 Toyota Highlander ranks 11th of 13 small SUVs (2WD) EPA rated for 2023 — 4.3 MPG short of the 28.3 MPG median for that group.
That places it in the lower third of its class. If annual mileage is high, the running-cost gap against a class-average rival compounds quickly.
EPA puts annual fuel spend at about $2,550, $500 more than the $2,050 typical for the class. Over five years at 15,000 miles a year that is roughly $12,750, a $2,500 difference against a class-median vehicle.
Tailpipe CO₂ is 370 grams per mile — about 5.6 metric tons over 15,000 miles of driving.
Consumer complaints
166 owner reports filed with NHTSA.
- 166
- Total
- 12
- Crashes
- 0
- Fires
- 12
- Injuries
Most reported components
- OTHER35
- ENGINE33
- STRUCTURE27
- BRAKES16
- SEAT BELTS13
Notable Issues
166 consumer complaints filed with NHTSA. 12 reports involve injuries. 12 reports involve a crash.
Most reported problems
Safety timeline
Every dated recall and NHTSA investigation for the 2023 Toyota Highlander, newest first.
- Recall
A seat back that fails to lock may not properly restrain an occupant during a crash, increasing the risk of injury.
- Recall
A rearview camera that fails to display an image can reduce the driver's view behind the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Recall
An instrument panel display that does not show critical information can increase the risk of a crash or injury.
- Recall
A deactivated driver's air bag will not deploy as intended, increasing the risk of injury during a crash.
- Recall
A vehicle with an incorrect maximum capacity weight value may be overloaded, which can increase the risk of a crash.
- Recall
Tires with an insufficient load rating can be overloaded and fail, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Recall
Tires with an insufficient load rating may be overloaded and fail, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Recall
A detached front bumper cover can become a road hazard, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Recall
A deactivated driver's air bag that does not deploy as intended increases the risk of injury during 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
21
City
28
Hwy
24
Comb
- Annual cost
- $2,550
- Fuel
- Regular Gasoline
NHTSA crash ratings
- Overall
- Frontal
- Side
- Rollover
Explore related
Safety timeline
Full timeline- Recall
A seat back that fails to lock may not properly restrain an occupant during a crash, increasing the risk of injury.
- Recall
A rearview camera that fails to display an image can reduce the driver's view behind the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Recall
An instrument panel display that does not show critical information can increase the risk of a crash or injury.
- Recall
A deactivated driver's air bag will not deploy as intended, increasing the risk of injury during a crash.
- Recall
A vehicle with an incorrect maximum capacity weight value may be overloaded, which can increase the risk of a crash.