2024 Toyota Highlander problems & reliability
39 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2024 Toyota Highlander, alongside 7 safety recall campaigns. Last verified Aug 7, 2026. Complaints are unverified reports submitted by owners to the federal Office of Defects Investigation.
Each complaint is counted once (by NHTSA case number), even when it names several vehicles.
4 complaints report injuries (5 injured).
Most reported problems
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Unknown OR Other | 12 | 31% |
| Service Brakes | 8 | 21% |
| Electrical System | 6 | 15% |
| Engine | 4 | 10% |
| Fuel/propulsion System | 4 | 10% |
| Structure | 4 | 10% |
| Power Train | 3 | 8% |
| Back Over Prevention | 1 | 3% |
| Forward Collision Avoidance | 1 | 3% |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 1 | 3% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“The third row seat belts in the 2024 Highlander are very difficult to latch. I had to bring my Highlander to the dealership twice over the seatbelt buckles in the third row. The buckle part does not lift up high enough to grab the buckle to latch it. Anytime a child old enough to be in the third row sits back there an…”
Seat Belts · filed Jun 21, 2026
“The trunk will not close using any of the buttons. This is an on going issue on so many newer highlanders.”
Structure · filed Jun 8, 2026
“The vehicle started stalling out randomly on the highway even with it being automatic, after getting home and parking it , it would not back up or drive . Took it to Toyota dealership and they said it’s an internal failure of the transmission which is a UA80 model , it only has 92,000 miles on it they can’t figure out…”
Engine · filed May 8, 2026
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Technical service bulletins
64 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 2024 Toyota Highlander. The 10 most recent:
Some 2020 – 2026 model year Highlander and Highlander Hybrid vehicles may exhibit a water leak from the roof rack attachment clips. This may be caused by the sealant in the roof channel obstructing the proper seating…
T-SB-0040-24 Rev1 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jun 25, 2026
Some 2020 – 2024 model year Highlander and Highlander Hybrid vehicles may exhibit a condition in which the air conditioner does not cool due to a leak and/or corrosion in the rear underbody air conditioner tube and…
T-SB-0021-26 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Mar 18, 2026
Some 2005 – 2026 Toyota vehicles that have undergone water intrusion may exhibit a condition in which a musty odor is present. Follow the procedures in this bulletin to remediate the odor and address this condition. The…
T-SB-0055-24 Rev2 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jan 7, 2026
A new head unit software update is available for 2022 – 2025 model year Tundra, and Tundra Hybrid; 2023 – 2025 model year Corolla Cross, Corolla Cross Hybrid, Highlander, Highlander Hybrid, Mirai, and Sequoia Hybrid…
T-SB-0083-25 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Nov 7, 2025
Although the HV Floor Under Wire Harness and Rear Traction Motor Cable is covered by Toyota’s New Vehicle Limited Warranty for 3 years or 36,000 miles (whichever comes first), we at Toyota care about the customers’…
22TE09 · Service Campaign · issued Sep 17, 2025
The air conditioning dye injection tool kit has been developed to aid in identifying the location of air conditioning refrigerant leaks. The procedures outlined in this Service Bulletin aid in locating, inspecting, and…
T-SB-0058-23 Rev1 · Service Campaign · issued Jun 13, 2025
To assist with the early detection and early resolution of audio related concerns you may be asked to recover MMR data from the head unit. The following steps are instructions on how to retrieve the data from the system…
T-TT-0779-25 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Apr 2, 2025
To assist with the early detection and early resolution of audio related concerns you may be asked to recover MMR data from the head unit. The following steps are instructions on how to retrieve the data from the system…
T-TT-0779-25 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Apr 2, 2025
OBSOLETE NOTICE February 11, 2025: This bulletin is now obsolete. Please see T-SB-0021-25.
T-SB-0107-20 Rev2 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Feb 12, 2025
Flash reprogramming allows the Electronic Control Unit (ECU) software to be updated without replacing the ECU. Flash calibration updates for specific vehicle models/ECUs are released as field-fix procedures described in…
T-SB-0021-25 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Feb 10, 2025
TSBs are repair guidance manufacturers send to dealers — they are not recalls and repairs are not automatically free. Full documents are available on NHTSA’s site.
Safety recalls
The 2024 Toyota Highlander has 7 NHTSA recall campaigns — recall repairs are free at franchised dealers regardless of the vehicle’s age.
Check whether your specific vehicle is affected
Recall campaigns often cover only certain VIN ranges. Enter your VIN on the official NHTSA site to confirm whether your vehicle is included and whether the repair is still open.
Check VIN on NHTSA →Buying a used 2024 Toyota Highlander?
- · Decode the seller’s VIN with our free VIN decoder to confirm the exact year, engine and trim.
- · Check for unrepaired recalls by VIN on NHTSA’s official lookup — recall repairs are free.