Reliable Auto DB

2014 Toyota Highlander reliability

Is it reliable?

NHTSA's file on the 2014 Toyota Highlander holds 135 complaints after 13 years, a rate of 13 per year. That is the fewest complaints per year among the 13 Highlander years on this site. NHTSA has 5 recalls on file, including Electrical system, Hoses and fittings, and Electrical system, software.

2014 Toyota Highlander
Photo by Lord of the Wings© from Toronto, Canada, resized from the original. Wikimedia Commons CC BY-SA 2.0
Complaints

135

Per year

13

Recalls

5

Years on the road

13

What owners report

The complaints owners file most often name Electrical system (35 of 135), then Structure (32) and Powertrain (8). Those filings include 5 that report a crash, 1 that reports a fire, 6 that report an injury, and 1 that reports a death.

Next to 2013 and 2015

The 2013 Highlander has 212 complaints, 27 per year, and the 2015 has 191 complaints, 24 per year. The 2014 has fewer complaints per year than the 2013. The 2014 has fewer complaints per year than the 2015.

The complaint rate is complaints filed in this year’s first 3 years on the road, divided by however many of those years have passed. Recalls are a separate count. The numbers are for the US-market 2014 Toyota Highlander. How we count. Data as of .

Recalls (5)

Recall Electrical system 2018-11-27 · NHTSA campaign 18E107000
Summary Fujian Wanda Automobile Glass Industry (Wanda) is recalling certain aftermarket Replacement Windshields sold for use in 2014-2018 Toyota Highlander vehicles. The windshields have an attached wire harness that water may leak into, possibly causing damage to the vehicle's Engine Control Module (ECM).
Remedy Wanda will notify owners, and service centers will replace the windshields, and inspect the ECM for damage, having it replaced, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began January 29, 2019. Owners may contact Wanda customer service at 1-864-281-2760.
Recall gasoline fuel system, delivery, hoses and fittings 2014-09-19 · NHTSA campaign 14V576000
Summary Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain model year 2014 Toyota Avalon, Camry, Sienna, and Highlander and model year 2015 Lexus RX350 vehicles. Fuel may leak from the one of the fuel delivery pipes in the engine compartment.
Remedy Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will replace any of the suspect fuel delivery pipes free of charge. The recall began November 17, 2014. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331.
Recall electrical system, software 2014-05-22 · NHTSA campaign 14V272000
Summary Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain model year 2014 Highlander and Highlander Hybrid vehicles. The affected vehicles may have improper software installed in the air bag electronic control unit (ECU) for the operation of the front passenger seat belt force limiter, and as a result, the force limiter may use the restraint setting designed for small occupants, such as those that weigh approximately 110 pounds, for all occupants regardless of their size. As such, some of these vehicles do not conform to Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 208, "Occupant Crash Protection."
Remedy Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will install a software update in the air bag electronic control unit, free of charge. The recall began on June 27, 2014. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331.
Recall seats, middle or rear assembly 2014-05-22 · NHTSA campaign 14V274000
Summary Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain model year 2014 Highlander vehicles manufactured April 23, 2014, through April 29, 2014. The affected vehicles may have a second row right-hand seat assembly that does not fully lock into the inboard seat track in the forward first, second and third adjusting positions. As such, these vehicles do not conform to Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 207, "Seating Systems."
Remedy Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and, if necessary, replace the second row right-hand seat, free of charge. The recall began in July 2014. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331.
Recall seat belts, rear or other 2014-02-07 · NHTSA campaign 14V051000
Summary Toyota is recalling certain model year 2014 Highlander vehicles manufactured November 20, 2013, through January 18, 2014. The third row middle seat belt assembly might not have been properly secured to the vehicle floor anchorage during vehicle assembly. As such, these vehicles fail to conform to the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 210, "Seat Belt Assembly Anchorages."
Remedy Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the third row middle seat belt anchor, and, if necessary, properly secure it to the vehicle floor anchorage, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin in March 2014. Owners may contact Toyota at 1-800-331-4331.

Complaints by component (135 total)

Electrical system
35
Structure
32
Powertrain
8
Visibility and wipers
6
Seat belts
5
Speed control
5
Steering
4
Suspension
4
Tires
4
Visibility
4
Engine
3
Service brakes
3
Wheels
3
Air bags
2
Equipment
2
Exterior lighting
2
Latches, locks, and linkages
2
Seats
2
Electronic stability control (ESC)
1
Show 11 more Show less
Crash-flagged

5

Fire-flagged

1

Injury reports

6

Death reports

1

Complaints filed per year

12201414201512201612201724201820201992020920214202282023120244202562026
Excerpts from recent NHTSA complaint filings
  • "Component: Latches/Locks — Power Door Lock Actuator I am the original owner of a 2014 Toyota Highlander AWD, currently with 88,000 miles on it. I have experienced six power door lock actuator failures on this vehicle.…"
    Latches, locks, and linkages · filed 2026-08-30
  • "The radio keeps freezing up all the time along with the back tail light area going in and out. I keep smelling like burnt wire smell. Engine sound really rough."
    Electrical system, Wheels, Visibility and wipers · filed 2026-07-15
  • "The driver’s-side rear spoiler on my 2014 Toyota Highlander Limited AWD has melted, bubbled, and warped. The vehicle has been stored 100% of the time in a fully enclosed garage with no windows since new. It has only…"
    Structure · filed 2026-05-05
  • "I noticed the smell of wires burning, a billow of smoke started emitting from the two levers used to heat the seats near the gear shift area. I was on the freeway and immediately pulled to the side of the road, turned…"
    Electrical system · filed 2026-05-04
  • "The contact owns a 2014 Toyota Highlander. The contact stated that a hybrid system warning alert was displayed. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed and determined that the windshield…"
    Electrical system, Visibility · filed 2026-02-02

NHTSA crash ratings

Version Overall Front Side Rollover
2014 Toyota Highlander HV SUV AWD 5 stars 4 stars 5 stars 4 stars
2014 Toyota Highlander SUV AWD 5 stars 4 stars 5 stars 4 stars
2014 Toyota Highlander SUV FWD 5 stars 4 stars 5 stars 4 stars

Stars are how this vehicle did in NHTSA crash tests. They are a safety result, separate from the complaint record. Not rated means that test was not run for this version.

Fuel economy

Trim Engine Transmission Drive City Hwy Combined Annual fuel cost
Highlander two-wheel drive 2.7L, 4-cyl Automatic (6-speed) Front-wheel drive 20 25 22 MPG $2950
Highlander two-wheel drive 3.5L, 6-cyl Automatic (6-speed) Front-wheel drive 19 25 21 MPG $3100
Highlander all-wheel drive 3.5L, 6-cyl Automatic (6-speed) All-wheel drive 18 24 20 MPG $3250
Highlander hybrid all-wheel drive 3.5L, 6-cyl Automatic (AV-S6) All-wheel drive 27 28 28 MPG $2300
Highlander hybrid all-wheel drive LE Plus 3.5L, 6-cyl Automatic (AV-S6) All-wheel drive 28 28 28 MPG $2300

Specs and fitment

4th generation, 2014–2019
Body styles SUV
Oil 0W-20 (SAE 5W-20 may be used; 0W-20 preferred) , 5.8 qt capacity
Tire size 245/60R18, P245/60R18, 245/55R19
Towing capacity 5,000 lbs

Known issues for this generation

Recall 14V-272 covers certain model year 2014 Highlander and Highlander Hybrid vehicles whose air bag electronic control unit may use the restraint setting designed for small occupants for all front passenger sizes; dealers install a software update in the air bag ECU, free of charge. Recall 14V-576 covers certain model year 2014 Highlander vehicles (with 2014 Toyota Avalon, Camry, and Sienna and 2015 Lexus RX350) where fuel may leak from one of the fuel delivery pipes in the engine compartment, increasing fire risk; dealers replace suspect fuel delivery pipes. Recall 20V-012 and its expansion 20V-682 cover certain 2017-2019 Highlander vehicles, among many other Toyota and Lexus models, where the low-pressure fuel pump may fail and stall the engine while driving; dealers replace the fuel pump, with 20V-682 specifying an improved assembly. Toyota Special Service Campaign 19TC04 addresses the engine oil cooler pipe on certain 2017-2019 Highlander Hybrid (Highlander HV) vehicles, where a manufacturing issue may allow a small oil cooler leak that can lead to low-oil warnings if ignored; dealers replace the pipe, free of charge.

Compare

Previous year 2013 Toyota Highlander Next year 2015 Toyota Highlander See every Toyota Highlander model year →

Frequently asked questions

Is the 2014 Toyota Highlander reliable?

NHTSA's file on the 2014 Toyota Highlander holds 135 complaints after 13 years, a rate of 13 per year. That is the fewest complaints per year among the 13 Highlander years on this site. NHTSA has 5 recalls on file, including Electrical system, Hoses and fittings, and Electrical system, software.

What are common problems with a 2014 Toyota Highlander?

The complaints owners file most often name Electrical system (35 of 135), then Structure (32) and Powertrain (8). Those filings include 5 that report a crash, 1 that reports a fire, 6 that report an injury, and 1 that reports a death.

Is the 2014 Toyota Highlander more reliable than the years next to it?

The 2013 Highlander has 212 complaints, 27 per year, and the 2015 has 191 complaints, 24 per year. The 2014 has fewer complaints per year than the 2013. The 2014 has fewer complaints per year than the 2015.

Has the 2014 Toyota Highlander been recalled?

The 2014 Toyota Highlander has 5 recalls on file with NHTSA. See the recalls table on this page for dates, components, and remedies.

How many complaints have owners filed about the 2014 Toyota Highlander?

Owners have filed 135 complaints about the 2014 Toyota Highlander with NHTSA.

What mpg does a 2014 Toyota Highlander get?

EPA-rated combined fuel economy for the 2014 Toyota Highlander is 23.8 MPG. See the fuel economy table on this page for city and highway figures by engine and transmission.

What oil does a Toyota Highlander take?

US gasoline Highlanders in these generations prefer 0W-20 (5W-20 may be used temporarily). Approx. capacities with filter: ~6.4 qt (2012-2013 3.5L), ~5.8 qt (2014+ 3.5L V6).

Does recall 20V-162 cover the Toyota Highlander?

It covers certain 2020 Highlander vehicles with the 3.5L V6: an ECU programming error may fail to supply fuel correctly during stop-and-restart; dealers update the ECU software.

What generation is the 2020 Toyota Highlander?

5th generation (2020 onward). 2014-2019 are 4th generation; 2012-2013 are late 3rd generation in this catalog.