AutoUtility currently tracks 115 official NHTSA owner defect complaints for the 2016 Toyota Highlander. Brakes & Traction Control issues are the most frequently reported category, appearing in 26 complaints (22.6% of submitted records). Among these NHTSA complaint records, 14 filings cite a crash, 1 cites a fire, 8 report one or more injuries. The 2016 Toyota Highlander belongs to the 3rd Generation (XU50) platform.
Factual proportion of owner complaints categorized by automotive subsystem in NHTSA records
26 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI for this subsystem.
14 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI for this subsystem.
10 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI for this subsystem.
10 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI for this subsystem.
Formal engineering analyses and preliminary evaluations opened by the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation
Representative defect filings submitted by owners to the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation
"Steering column can become worn prematurely causing loose steering and possibly loose control"
"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 bound. The steering wheel would not respond to my input and the vehicle kept..."
"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 trip, I was on a relatively flat and straight stretch of the road and let up on..."
"**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 below the advertised 50,000-mile treadwear warranty. The remaining tread depth on..."
"I was traveling on an interstate going home from work. My speed was approximately 65mph. I noticed traffic slowing up ahead. I began to drop my speed (cost down), as I was approaching the traffic the car in front of me was applying their brakes; I had already began to apply mine. I was applying..."
Reported defect complaint volume across sibling model years (2015–2026)
| Model Year | NHTSA Complaints | Crash Reports | Safety Recalls | Detailed Report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 Toyota Highlander | 194 | 17 | 2 | View 2015 Problems → |
| 2016 Toyota Highlander Current Page | 115 | 14 | 3 | Current |
| 2017 Toyota Highlander | 267 | 18 | 4 | View 2017 Problems → |
| 2018 Toyota Highlander | 268 | 24 | 5 | View 2018 Problems → |
| 2019 Toyota Highlander | 480 | 22 | 3 | View 2019 Problems → |
| 2020 Toyota Highlander | 316 | 15 | 5 | View 2020 Problems → |
| 2021 Toyota Highlander | 512 | 16 | 5 | View 2021 Problems → |
| 2022 Toyota Highlander | 240 | 16 | 6 | View 2022 Problems → |
| 2023 Toyota Highlander | 185 | 12 | 9 | View 2023 Problems → |
| 2024 Toyota Highlander | 41 | 4 | 7 | View 2024 Problems → |
| 2025 Toyota Highlander | 9 | 2 | 3 | View 2025 Problems → |
| 2026 Toyota Highlander | 0 | 0 | 0 | View 2026 Problems → |
Complete distribution of consumer defect reports across all 37 granular NHTSA system and subsystem classifications
| Vehicle Component / System | Total Complaints | Crash Reports | Fire Reports | Injury Entries | Fatality Entries |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Other / Uncategorized NHTSA category: UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Service Brakes NHTSA category: SERVICE BRAKES | 15 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Electrical System NHTSA category: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 8 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Visibility & Wipers NHTSA category: VISIBILITY/WIPER | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Air Bags NHTSA category: AIR BAGS | 5 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| Engine NHTSA category: ENGINE | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Steering NHTSA category: STEERING | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Tires NHTSA category: TIRES | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC) | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Structure & Body NHTSA category: STRUCTURE | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Seats & Restraints NHTSA category: SEATS | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| AIR BAGS,SERVICE BRAKES,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Fuel & Propulsion System NHTSA category: FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Suspension NHTSA category: SUSPENSION | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| TIRES,WHEELS | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,SERVICE BRAKES | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| Visibility / Glass NHTSA category: VISIBILITY | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| AIR BAGS,SEAT BELTS,SEATS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| AIR BAGS,SERVICE BRAKES | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| AIR BAGS,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,EXTERIOR LIGHTING | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Engine & Cooling NHTSA category: ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,SERVICE BRAKES | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Forward Collision Avoidance NHTSA category: FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,ENGINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,WHEELS | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| STEERING,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| STEERING,WHEELS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| STRUCTURE,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,SERVICE BRAKES | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER,VISIBILITY/WIPER | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Wheels & Hubs NHTSA category: WHEELS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Cross-reference safety recalls, crash test safety ratings, and EPA fuel economy for this model year
Key performance indicators, EPA fuel economy specs, powertrain variants, and summary ratings.
Official recall campaigns, safety defect descriptions, and manufacturer free remedy instructions.
NHTSA 5-Star NCAP crash test results, driver assistance systems, and rollover resistance ratings.
EPA fuel economy ratings, electric range, and annual energy cost benchmarks.
Direct, deterministic answers synthesized from verified United States government databases for the 2016 Toyota Highlander
In official NHTSA consumer records, the most frequently cited issue area for the 2016 Toyota Highlander is Brakes & Traction Control, appearing in 26 records (22.6% of submitted filings).
Secondary reported categories include Electrical System (14) and Wheels & Tires (10).
AutoUtility does not issue subjective reliability scores or commercial ratings. In official United States government records, NHTSA tracks 115 consumer defect complaints and 3 safety recall campaigns for the 2016 Toyota Highlander.
Reviewing documented component complaint distributions, recall remedy notices, and active federal investigations provides an objective, evidence-based view of the vehicle's historical safety and defect record.
Among consumer complaint records on file with NHTSA for the 2016 Toyota Highlander, 14 filings cite a crash, 1 cite smoke or fire, and 8 report one or more injuries.
Incident entries represent consumer descriptions at the time of submission to federal authorities and do not establish mechanical causation or legal liability.
NHTSA ODI records list 1 formal defect investigation involving the 2016 Toyota Highlander (all closed).
Federal defect investigations are formal engineering evaluations opened when safety defect trends emerge, and do not by themselves establish a confirmed defect or mandatory recall.
The complaint records on this page are retrieved directly from the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) public database under 49 CFR Part 576.
Local Production Store Compiled: August 2026 • Deterministic Audited Dataset • Zero Dynamic External API Runtime Latency.