2025 Toyota Highlander: problems, recalls and reliability
3 recalls and 9 owner complaints on record; most reports concern forward collision avoidance.
Data updated weekly · 2 new complaints in the last 90 days · latest recall Dec 2025
All counts are reports filed with NHTSA in the United States - US market only, not worldwide totals.
Common problems
Computed from 9 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for this exact model year.
“The contact owns a 2025 Toyota Highlander. The contact stated that while she and her husband were driving at 60 MPH, she heard a loud explosion noise from above her head and felt air whipping on top of her head. The contact stated that the sunroof exploded; however, the sunroof shield prevented the glass from entering the vehicle. The vehicle was steered to the side of the road and inspected, but the contact did not find anything wrong at that time. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that a rock may have hit the sunroof. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 8,498.”Owner report · Visibility · Jun 2026
“I was backing up the vechial accelerated the steering wheel was turning rapid & a grinding noise causing me too hit another vechial about a month before my husband was driving & the vechial accelerated going toward also we had had some issues with back camera not doing a warning signal with a object behind vechial when the accident happened my vechial has braking system that stops you if something is behind you this time it didn’t I called the dealership when accident happed which was May 21 2026 & reported it they said they had accelerations before & advised me to call Toyota engadgment which I did they did a diagnostic test June 5 & to this day I’ve never heard back from them”Owner report · Electrical System,Vehicle Speed Control,Forward Collision Avoidance · May 2026
“The speedometer registers speed up to 7mph over actual speed for the first 15 miles then returns to matching GPS speed. Reported to Toyota, dealer said they have seen this before but not identified a fix as of today”Owner report · Vehicle Speed Control,Forward Collision Avoidance · Jan 2026
Show 2 more owner reports
“While waiting for a traffic light to change, I pressed the pedal to accelerate, and the car would not move. Like my pedal was dead. I have experienced this issue three times. I have also experienced bucking or jerking issues.”Owner report · Unknown Or Other · Sep 2025
“Passenger seat belt won't extend half of the time. We have tried with engine on or off, put it in park and in gear, door open or closed and every other trick. We have pulled the belt straight up and down and every other angle. We have adjusted the height for tall or short riders. We took to the auto dealership, and they said it would not work for them at first then it started to work. We have had riders in the passenger front seat ride with no seat belt on because they couldn't extend it and gave up. It should work every time there because it is a safety issue that should be fixed.”Owner report · Seat Belts · Mar 2025
When filing, owners marked a crash in 2 of these complaints and injuries in 1 - self-reported to NHTSA, not verified accident statistics.
Recalls - 3 campaigns
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.
Remedy: 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.
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."
Remedy: 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.
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2024-2025 Highlander and Highlander Hybrid vehicles. The third row center seat belt roof anchor may have been installed at an incorrect angle, preventing the seat belt from properly restraining the occupant.
Remedy: Dealers will reinstall the seat belt anchor with a new bolt, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed January 27, 2026. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's number for this recall is 25TA16.
Specifications
Factory options offered for the 2025 model year, decoded from the NHTSA vPIC database. Individual vehicles have one of each.
How other years compare
Check your exact Highlander by VIN
Recalls and equipment differ between individual vehicles. Decode your VIN to see what applies to yours.
Open VIN decoderFrequently asked questions
Is the 2025 Toyota Highlander reliable?
NHTSA has 9 owner complaints and 3 recall campaigns on record for the 2025 Toyota Highlander. The most complained-about area is forward collision avoidance.
Does the 2025 Toyota Highlander have open recalls?
3 recall campaigns have been issued, the latest concerning electrical system: instrument cluster/panel. Check your specific vehicle by VIN - recall repairs are free at franchised dealers.
Source: NHTSA recall campaigns and owner complaints (public domain). Counts reflect reports on file and are not a defect rate.