Reliable Auto DB

2025 Toyota Highlander reliability

Is it reliable?

Owners have filed 9 complaints with NHTSA about the 2025 Toyota Highlander over 2 years — 5 per year. It is too early to rank against other Highlander years: a year is compared here only after 3 years on the road. NHTSA has 4 recalls on file, including Recliner, Anchorage, and Display.

2020 Toyota Highlander LE
Photo by Kevauto, resized from the original. Wikimedia Commons CC BY-SA 4.0
Complaints

9

Per year

5

Recalls

4

Years on the road

2

What owners report

The complaints owners file most often name Forward collision avoidance (2 of 9), then Speed control (2) and Electrical system (1). Those filings include 2 that report a crash and 1 that reports an injury.

Next to 2024 and 2026

The 2024 Highlander has 42 complaints, 14 per year, and the 2026 has 0 complaints, 0 per year.

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 2025 Toyota Highlander. How we count. Data as of .

Recalls (4)

Recall seats, middle or rear assembly, recliner 2026-03-05 · NHTSA campaign 26V128000
Summary Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2021-2025 Highlander and Highlander Hybrid vehicles. The second-row seat backs may fail to lock into position during seat back adjustment.
Remedy Dealers will replace the return springs in the seat back recliner assemblies, free of charge. Owner letters were mailed September 9, 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 26TB06 and 26TA06.
Recall seat belts, rear or other, anchorage 2025-12-17 · NHTSA campaign 25V872000
Summary 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.
Recall back-over prevention, display 2025-10-30 · NHTSA campaign 25V744000
Summary 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.
Recall electrical system, instrument cluster 2025-09-11 · NHTSA campaign 25V595000
Summary 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.

Complaints by component (9 total)

Forward collision avoidance
2
Speed control
2
Electrical system
1
Engine and engine cooling
1
Seat belts
1
Service brakes
1
Steering
1
Visibility
1
Crash-flagged

2

Fire-flagged

0

Injury reports

1

Death reports

0

Complaints filed per year

3202562026
Excerpts from recent NHTSA complaint filings
  • "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…"
    Electrical system, Speed control, Forward collision avoidance · filed 2026-07-31
  • "[XXX] was turning left onto [XXX] from [XXX]. Two lanes turn left. She was in the inside lane. The traffic light was red, and when it turned green, she started to turn. Partway through the turn, the steering became…"
    Steering · filed 2026-07-16
  • "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…"
    Visibility · filed 2026-06-03
  • "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"
    Speed control, Forward collision avoidance · filed 2026-05-29
  • "The contact owns a 2025 Toyota Highlander. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was an abnormally strong odor entering the cabin of the vehicle through the vents. The windows were rolled down…"
    Engine and engine cooling · filed 2026-01-21

NHTSA crash ratings

Version Overall Front Side Rollover
2025 Toyota HIGHLANDER HYBRID SUV AWD 5 stars 4 stars 5 stars 4 stars
2025 Toyota HIGHLANDER SUV AWD 5 stars 4 stars 5 stars 4 stars
2025 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 2.4L, 4-cyl Automatic (8-speed) Front-wheel drive 22 29 25 MPG $2600
Highlander 2.4L, 4-cyl Automatic (8-speed) Front-wheel drive 21 28 24 MPG $2700
Highlander all-wheel drive 2.4L, 4-cyl Automatic (8-speed) All-wheel drive 21 28 24 MPG $2700
Highlander hybrid all-wheel drive 2.5L, 4-cyl Automatic (AV-S6) All-wheel drive 35 35 35 MPG $1850
Highlander hybrid all-wheel drive LTD/PLAT 2.5L, 4-cyl Automatic (AV-S6) All-wheel drive 35 34 35 MPG $1850

Specs and fitment

5th generation, 2020–present
Body styles SUV
Oil 0W-20 (SAE 5W-20 may be used; 0W-20 preferred) , 5.8 qt capacity
Tire size 235/65R18, 235/55R20
Towing capacity 5,000 lbs

Known issues for this generation

Recall 20V-162 covers certain 2020 Highlander vehicles with the 3.5 L V6 gasoline engine where an engine control unit programming error may fail to supply fuel correctly while the stop-and-restart feature is active, which can stall the engine; dealers reprogram the ECU, free of charge. Recall 20V-633 covers certain 2020 Highlander and Highlander hybrid vehicles where incorrect front seat trim covers can prevent the seat-mounted side air bag from deploying properly; dealers inspect and replace the trim covers as necessary. Recall 23V-720 covers certain 2020-2023 Highlander and Highlander Hybrid vehicles where minor front bumper impacts may leave the lower front bumper cover loose or detached; dealers repair or replace the bumper covers. Recall 23V-865 covers certain 2020-2021 Highlander and Highlander Hybrid vehicles (among other Toyota and Lexus models) where a short circuit in the Occupant Classification System sensor may prevent the front passenger air bag from deploying; dealers inspect and replace the sensor as necessary. Recall 26V-128 covers certain 2021-2025 Highlander and Highlander Hybrid vehicles whose second-row seat backs may fail to lock during adjustment; dealers replace the return springs in the seat back recliner assemblies as necessary.

Compare

Previous year 2024 Toyota Highlander See every Toyota Highlander model year →

Frequently asked questions

Is the 2025 Toyota Highlander reliable?

Owners have filed 9 complaints with NHTSA about the 2025 Toyota Highlander over 2 years — 5 per year. It is too early to rank against other Highlander years: a year is compared here only after 3 years on the road. NHTSA has 4 recalls on file, including Recliner, Anchorage, and Display.

What are common problems with a 2025 Toyota Highlander?

The complaints owners file most often name Forward collision avoidance (2 of 9), then Speed control (2) and Electrical system (1). Those filings include 2 that report a crash and 1 that reports an injury.

Is the 2025 Toyota Highlander more reliable than the years next to it?

The 2024 Highlander has 42 complaints, 14 per year, and the 2026 has 0 complaints, 0 per year.

Has the 2025 Toyota Highlander been recalled?

The 2025 Toyota Highlander has 4 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 2025 Toyota Highlander?

Owners have filed 9 complaints about the 2025 Toyota Highlander with NHTSA.

What mpg does a 2025 Toyota Highlander get?

EPA-rated combined fuel economy for the 2025 Toyota Highlander is 28.6 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.