Reliable Auto DB

2016 Toyota Highlander reliability

Is it reliable?

Owners have filed 110 complaints with NHTSA about the 2016 Toyota Highlander over 11 years — 15 per year. That is fewer complaints per year than most Highlander years here — under the median of the other years, which is 27. NHTSA has 3 recalls on file, including Electrical system, Wiring, and Labels.

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

110

Per year

15

Recalls

3

Years on the road

11

What owners report

The complaints owners file most often name Service brakes (19 of 110), then Electrical system (14) and Air bags (10). Those filings include 14 that report a crash, 1 that reports a fire, and 7 that report an injury.

Next to 2015 and 2017

The 2015 Highlander has 191 complaints, 24 per year, and the 2017 has 267 complaints, 28 per year. The 2016 has fewer complaints per year than the 2015. The 2016 has fewer complaints per year than the 2017.

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 2016 Toyota Highlander. How we count. Data as of .

Recalls (3)

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 electrical system, wiring 2016-10-24 · NHTSA campaign 16V775000
Summary Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain model year 2016 Highlander vehicles manufactured May 26, 2016, to September 16, 2016. The brake fluid level sensor may not be connected to the wire harness, preventing the sensor from detecting the brake fluid level. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 135, "Light Vehicle Brake Systems."
Remedy Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and, as necessary, connect the wire harness to the sensor, free of charge. The recall began November 14, 2016. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's number for this G03.
Recall Labels 2016-06-09 · NHTSA campaign 16V420000
Summary Southeast Toyota Distributors, LLC (SET) is recalling certain model year 2016 Toyota Camry and Highlander, 2015-2016 Toyota Tundra, Scion FR-S, and tC vehicles. The Load Carrying Capacity Modification Label may not reflect the correct added weight of the installed accessories. As a result, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 110, "Tire Selection and Rims for Passenger Cars."
Remedy SET will notify owners, and provide a corrected label for placement over the inaccurate label, free of charge. The recall began on July 14, 2016. Owners may contact SET customer service at 1-866-405-4226.

Complaints by component (110 total)

Service brakes
19
Electrical system
14
Air bags
10
Engine
9
Exterior lighting
9
Tires
7
Visibility and wipers
7
Steering
6
Electronic stability control (ESC)
4
Seats
4
Speed control
4
Structure
4
Wheels
4
Forward collision avoidance
3
Fuel and propulsion system
3
Suspension
2
Visibility
2
Engine and engine cooling
1
Fuel system, gasoline
1
Latches, locks, and linkages
1
Powertrain
1
Seat belts
1
Show 14 more Show less
Crash-flagged

14

Fire-flagged

1

Injury reports

7

Death reports

0

Complaints filed per year

120151120161820171520182120191120203202110202262023520245202542026
Excerpts from recent NHTSA complaint filings
  • "The contact owns a 2016 Toyota Highlander. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, the rear taillight covers cracked due to the high outdoor temperatures, and there was condensation inside the taillight…"
    Exterior lighting · filed 2026-09-10
  • "Steering column can become worn prematurely causing loose steering and possibly loose control"
    Steering · filed 2026-02-22
  • "I was on Hwy 27 headed south bound at Bellecita Rd in Davenpoerrt, Fl. This is a busy four way intersection. I moved into the left hand turn lane. When the left turn green light came on I began my U-Turn to head north…"
    Steering · filed 2026-02-05
  • "I was driving on a 2-lane road early in the morning with light snowfall. There was about 1" of snow on the road, with the roads not yet plowed or treated as it was the beginning of the snowfall. About 15 minutes into my…"
    Powertrain, Wheels · filed 2026-01-20
  • "**Nature of Safety Defect Within 13,000 miles of normal mixed highway and light off-road use on a Toyota Highland, one tire developed a sidewall bubble and all four tires exhibited extreme and uneven tread wear—far…"
    Tires · filed 2025-11-20

NHTSA crash ratings

Version Overall Front Side Rollover
2016 Toyota Highlander HV SUV AWD 5 stars 4 stars 5 stars 4 stars
2016 Toyota Highlander SUV AWD 5 stars 4 stars 5 stars 4 stars
2016 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 2015 Toyota Highlander Next year 2017 Toyota Highlander See every Toyota Highlander model year →

Frequently asked questions

Is the 2016 Toyota Highlander reliable?

Owners have filed 110 complaints with NHTSA about the 2016 Toyota Highlander over 11 years — 15 per year. That is fewer complaints per year than most Highlander years here — under the median of the other years, which is 27. NHTSA has 3 recalls on file, including Electrical system, Wiring, and Labels.

What are common problems with a 2016 Toyota Highlander?

The complaints owners file most often name Service brakes (19 of 110), then Electrical system (14) and Air bags (10). Those filings include 14 that report a crash, 1 that reports a fire, and 7 that report an injury.

Is the 2016 Toyota Highlander more reliable than the years next to it?

The 2015 Highlander has 191 complaints, 24 per year, and the 2017 has 267 complaints, 28 per year. The 2016 has fewer complaints per year than the 2015. The 2016 has fewer complaints per year than the 2017.

Has the 2016 Toyota Highlander been recalled?

The 2016 Toyota Highlander has 3 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 2016 Toyota Highlander?

Owners have filed 110 complaints about the 2016 Toyota Highlander with NHTSA.

What mpg does a 2016 Toyota Highlander get?

EPA-rated combined fuel economy for the 2016 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.