2005 Toyota Highlander Problems, Recalls & Reliability
289 owner complaints sit in the federal file for the 2005 Toyota Highlander, alongside 6 recall campaigns and 1 defect investigation. It scores 63/100 on the trouble index — a below-average year for this model. Transmission & drivetrain leads the reports, typically around 50,994 miles.
Below average
Where 2005 sits among all Highlander years
What owners report
“2005 highlander v6 awd. Has a surging effect since day one. Also surges slightly when applying brakes. In traffic stop and go situation, vehicle does not respond for a few seconds and then lunges forward. Very dangerous when trying to change lanes. Dealer said nothing wrong with vehicle. Toyota…”— owner report to NHTSA, 2005 Highlander
“Rear break lights keep going out with fuse blowing. No rear lights at all when this happens. I keep replacing the 10a fuse but can't find cause of failure. Vehicle is in motion on highway. Cause of lights suddenly going out is unknown.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2005 Highlander
“Hewllo my complaint is about the drivers side sun visor.it wont stay up and hasnt for about a year. I have read that a lot of highlander owners are having this problem and it makes it very hard to see.a new costs about 175.00!”— owner report to NHTSA, 2005 Highlander
“Noticed a noise coming from underneath steering column assembly and steering didn't feel right. This happens almost every time we made a turn to either the right or the left. Same thing happened when backing out of the driveway. We then took our 2005 toyota highlander in to our mechanic and he…”— owner report to NHTSA, 2005 Highlander
Mileage when trouble shows up
Among the 210 reports that include an odometer reading, problems most often appear around 55,500 miles. Half of those reports fall between 30,300 and 90,004 miles — a useful range to weigh against the mileage of the exact car you're looking at.
Recalls (6)
Southeast Toyota Distributors, LLC (SET) is recalling certain 2005-2011 4Runner, Highlander, Sequoia, and Sienna, 2005-2010 Avalon and Tundra, 2006-2008 Camry Solara, 2006-2010 Highlander hybrid, 2006-2011 Rav4 and Tacoma, 2007-2010 FJ Cruiser, 2007-2011…
Fix: SET will notify owners, and dealers will disconnect the seat heaters, free of charge, and refund the purchase price of the seat heater accessory. The recall began on July 14, 2016. Owners may contact…
TOYOTA IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2004 AVALON VEHICLES; 2004 AND 2005 CAMRY, CAMRY SOLARA, HIGHLANDER, AND SIENNA VEHICLES, 2006 HIGHLANDER HYBRID; 2004 AND 2005 LEXUS ES330 AND RX330; AND 2006 LEXUS RX400H VEHICLES MANUFACTURED FROM JUNE 1, 2004 THROUGH…
Fix: TOYOTA WILL NOTIFY OWNERS, AND DEALERS WILL CHECK THE CRANKSHAFT PULLEY TO IDENTIFY WHETHER IT WAS PRODUCED BY THE U.S. SUPPLIER. IF SO, THE DEALER WILL REPLACE THE PULLEY WITH A NEW ONE AT NO…
TOYOTA IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2004-2006 HIGHLANDER, HIGHLANDER HYBRID, AND MODEL YEAR 2004-2007 LEXUS RX330, RX350, AND RX400H VEHICLES. IF THE FORWARD RETENTION CLIP USED TO SECURE THE FLOOR CARPET COVER, WHICH IS LOCATED IN FRONT OF THE CENTER…
Fix: DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE FLOOR CARPET COVER WITH A NEWLY DESIGNED ONE FREE OR CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN DURING MARCH 2011. OWNERS MAY CONTACT TOYOTA AT 1-800-331-4331.
TOYOTA IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2005-2006 AVALON, MODEL YEAR 2004-2006 HIGHLANDER, MODEL YEAR 2004-2006 LEXUS RX, AND MODEL YEAR 2006 LEXUS GS AND IS VEHICLES. BRAKE FLUID CONTAINING POLYMERS IS USED THAT ACTS AS LUBRICANTS FOR CERTAIN BRAKE SYSTEM…
Fix: DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE SEAL WITH A NEWLY DESIGNED ONE. THIS SERVICE WILL BE PERFORMED FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON NOVEMBER 15, 2010. OWNERS MAY CONTACT TOYOTA AT 1-800-331-4331…
GULF STATES TOYOTA IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2005-2010 VEHICLES FOR FAILING TO COMPLY WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 110, "TIRE SELECTION AND RIMS." THESE VEHICLES WERE SOLD BETWEEN SEPTEMBER 1, 2005 AND JUNE 2, 2008…
Fix: DEALERS WILL MAIL TO CONSUMERS THE CORRECTED LABEL OR THE CUSTOMER WILL HAVE THE OPTION FOR DEALERS TO INSTALL THE LABEL FREE OF CHARGE. DEALERS WILL ALSO CORRECT THE OWNER'S MANUAL. THE SAFETY…
ON CERTAIN SPORT UTILITY AND HYBRID VEHICLES, THE TWO RETAINING CLIPS FOR THE DRIVER'S SIDE FORWARD CENTER CONSOLE CAN BECOME LOOSE. IF BOTH CLIPS SEPARATE FROM THE FLOOR CARPET COVER, THE COVER MAY LEAN TOWARD THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL, CAUSING INTERFERENCE…
Fix: DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE TWO FLOOR CARPET COVER RETAINING CLIPS FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON JULY 24, 2006, AND SHOULD BE COMPLETED BY EARLY SEPTEMBER 2006. OWNERS MAY CONTACT TOYOTA AT…
Federal defect investigations
Led to recall campaign 11V112000.
Complaint history for this model year
When owners filed their reports — a long tail means problems kept surfacing for years.
Questions buyers ask
Is the 2005 Toyota Highlander reliable?
The 2005 Toyota Highlander drew 289 complaints in federal safety records — a below-average year for this model. Its trouble index is 63/100, scored against the model's worst year (2008).
What are the most common 2005 Toyota Highlander problems?
The top reported problems for the 2005 Toyota Highlander are transmission & drivetrain (54 complaints), speed control (40), and electrical (34).
At what mileage do 2005 Toyota Highlander problems show up?
Owners most often report 2005 Toyota Highlander problems around 55,500 miles. Half of all reports that include an odometer reading fall between 30,300 and 90,004 miles.
Does the 2005 Toyota Highlander have recalls?
6 recall campaigns apply to the 2005 Toyota Highlander. Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer.
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. Check any specific vehicle's open recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.