Toyota Highlander Years to Avoid — and the Years to Buy
Every Toyota Highlander model year from 1997 to 2026, benchmarked against each other with 7,094 federal complaints, 54 recall campaigns, and the odometer readings owners put in their reports.
Avoid: 2008, 2019, 2021. These years top the Highlander's complaint rankings by volume and severity.
The trouble strip
One cell per model year. The whole answer in one glance — click any year for the full report.
The defining problem
Transmission & drivetrain tops the Toyota Highlander file with 917 complaints, concentrated in the 2019–2021 model years, most often reported around 59,236 miles. The year pages break down what fails and when.
Every year, ranked
| Year | Verdict | Complaints | Recalls | Top problem | Trouble index |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Few reports | 1 | 0 | — | 0 |
| 2025 | Few reports | 13 | 3 | — | 3 |
| 2024 | Too early to call | 54 | 7 | Other | 12 |
| 2023 | Below average | 230 | 9 | Other | 42 |
| 2022 | Below average | 303 | 5 | Transmission & drivetrain | 48 |
| 2021 | Avoid | 612 | 4 | Transmission & drivetrain | 92 |
| 2020 | Below average | 363 | 4 | Transmission & drivetrain | 62 |
| 2019 | Avoid | 622 | 3 | Transmission & drivetrain | 95 |
| 2018 | Below average | 350 | 5 | Transmission & drivetrain | 65 |
| 2017 | Below average | 366 | 4 | Transmission & drivetrain | 64 |
| 2016 | Typical | 137 | 3 | Other | 28 |
| 2015 | Below average | 250 | 2 | Electrical | 45 |
| 2014 | Typical | 161 | 5 | Electrical | 27 |
| 2013 | Below average | 281 | 3 | Steering | 56 |
| 2012 | Below average | 228 | 2 | Steering | 36 |
| 2011 | Below average | 229 | 5 | Visibility & wipers | 36 |
| 2010 | Below average | 272 | 10 | Electrical | 45 |
| 2009 | Typical | 178 | 9 | Engine | 28 |
| 2008 | Avoid | 502 | 13 | Brakes & stability | 100 |
| 2007 | Typical | 159 | 4 | Brakes & stability | 26 |
| 2006 | Below average | 346 | 7 | Brakes & stability | 65 |
| 2005 | Below average | 289 | 6 | Transmission & drivetrain | 63 |
| 2004 | Below average | 337 | 5 | Transmission & drivetrain | 63 |
| 2003 | Below average | 316 | 2 | Engine | 55 |
| 2002 | Below average | 335 | 2 | Visibility & wipers | 60 |
| 2001 | Typical | 158 | 3 | Visibility & wipers | 33 |
| 1998 | Few reports | 1 | 0 | — | 0 |
| 1997 | Few reports | 1 | 0 | — | 0 |
Questions buyers ask
What Toyota Highlander years should I avoid?
Federal complaint records point to 2008, 2019, 2021 as the Toyota Highlander years to avoid — they drew the highest volume of serious complaints relative to the model's other years.
What is the most common Toyota Highlander problem?
Transmission & drivetrain tops the Toyota Highlander file with 917 complaints, concentrated in the 2019–2021 model years, most often reported around 59,236 miles.
Every number on this page is a count of records in the federal complaint, recall, and investigation files published by NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation. Counts cover the Toyota Highlander only, scored against this model's own worst year — not against other models. Check any specific vehicle's open recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.