AutoUtility currently tracks 267 official NHTSA owner defect complaints for the 2017 Toyota Highlander. Powertrain & Transmission issues are the most frequently reported category, appearing in 71 complaints (26.6% of submitted records). Among these NHTSA complaint records, 18 filings cite a crash, 2 cite a fire, 15 report one or more injuries. The 2017 Toyota Highlander belongs to the 3rd Generation (XU50) platform.
- • Total NHTSA Complaints: 267 reports
- • #1 Reported Problem Area: Powertrain & Transmission (71 reports • 26.6% of submitted complaints)
- • Secondary Problem Areas: Electrical System (47), Engine & Cooling (44)
- • Crash-Citing Complaints: 18 filings
- • Fire-Citing Complaints: 2 filings
- • Complaints Reporting Injuries / Fatalities: 15 injury filings • 0 fatality filings
Most Reported Problems for 2017 Toyota Highlander
Top automotive subsystem defect categories ranked by unique owner complaint volume in federal records
Powertrain & Transmission
Electrical System
NHTSA records list 1 official safety recall campaign for this model year involving the same broad component area:
- Campaign #18E107000 ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Engine & Cooling
Fuel & Propulsion System
NHTSA records list 1 official safety recall campaign for this model year involving the same broad component area:
- Campaign #20V682000 FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:FUEL PUMP
Brakes & Traction Control
Symptoms Mentioned in NHTSA Owner Reports for 2017 Toyota Highlander
Specific mechanical, electrical, and driver-assist defect symptoms identified via deterministic narrative analysis
AutoUtility uses deterministic phrase matching to identify recurring symptom descriptions within consumer-submitted NHTSA complaint narratives.
Loss of Motive Power While Driving
Recent NHTSA Owner Reports for 2017 Toyota Highlander
Representative defect filings submitted by owners to the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation
"My 2017 Toyota Highlander, VIN [XXX], has just under 85,000 miles. I was notified at the dealership (Stevinson Toyota in Lakewood Colorado) who inspected the vehicle yesterday that the vehicle has developed a timing cover oil leak on the passenger side. After further research I learned this is..."
"I had been shopping, as I attempted to increase speed, my car wouldn't respond. I smelled something burning and I switched lanes because I needed a safe place to stop. I turned onto [XXX] in Pembroke (I think) and still had no forward (or backward) movement. The lower gears (D5 & D4 ) DID NOT show..."
"I was driving down the road about 50 miles an hour just south of otter Valley Union, high school and Brandon Vermont when I heard an extremely loud poof/thud sound. It also caused my ears to pop. I pulled over and realized it was the front sunroof that had basically shattered. Now there is a big..."
"The engine stalled because the fuel pump is failing. We have found that many 2017 Toyota Highlanders have had the fuel pump recalled for this exact issue, yet our VIN is not included in this recall. We experienced the exact issue the recall was issued for stalling while driving. Issue on July 24,..."
"Vehicle is a 2017 Toyota Highlander (VIN [XXX]) experiencing the UA80 8-speed transmission whine defect (T-SB-0160-18) upon acceleration. An authorized Toyota dealership test drove and officially verified the transmission failure and recommended a full replacement. However, Toyota Corporate is..."
Complaint History for Toyota Highlander
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 | 115 | 14 | 3 | View 2016 Problems → |
| 2017 Toyota Highlander Current Page | 267 | 18 | 4 | Current |
| 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 → |
Detailed NHTSA Component Breakdown for 2017 Toyota Highlander
Complete distribution of consumer defect reports across all 68 granular NHTSA system and subsystem classifications
| Vehicle Component / System | Total Complaints | Crash Reports | Fire Reports | Reported Injury Entries | Reported Fatality Entries |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Powertrain NHTSA category: POWER TRAIN | 54 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| Other / Uncategorized NHTSA category: UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 27 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Engine NHTSA category: ENGINE | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Fuel & Propulsion System NHTSA category: FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 16 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Visibility & Wipers NHTSA category: VISIBILITY/WIPER | 12 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Electrical System NHTSA category: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 11 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE | 8 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Fuel System NHTSA category: FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Service Brakes NHTSA category: SERVICE BRAKES | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Air Bags NHTSA category: AIR BAGS | 7 | 4 | 0 | 7 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SERVICE BRAKES | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,ENGINE | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Seat Belts NHTSA category: SEAT BELTS | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Structure & Body NHTSA category: STRUCTURE | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,SERVICE BRAKES | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Engine & Cooling NHTSA category: ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,ENGINE | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER,SERVICE BRAKES | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Visibility / Glass NHTSA category: VISIBILITY | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| CARRY HANDLE, SHELL, BASE | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Seats & Restraints NHTSA category: SEATS | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Service Brakes NHTSA category: SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Tires NHTSA category: TIRES | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Vehicle Speed Control NHTSA category: VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Wheels & Hubs NHTSA category: WHEELS | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| AIR BAGS,SERVICE BRAKES | 1 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 0 |
| AIR BAGS,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC),SERVICE BRAKES | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE,VISIBILITY/WIPER | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SERVICE BRAKES,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC) | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,WHEELS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,WHEELS,ENGINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC),ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC),FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ENGINE,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING,EQUIPMENT | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Lane Departure Warning NHTSA category: LANE DEPARTURE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SERVICE BRAKES | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,SEATS,EQUIPMENT | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,STRUCTURE,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| SERVICE BRAKES,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| SERVICE BRAKES,LANE DEPARTURE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| STEERING,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| STEERING,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| STEERING,SUSPENSION | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| STEERING,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,SERVICE BRAKES | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| STRUCTURE,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| STRUCTURE,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,SERVICE BRAKES | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| SUSPENSION,EXTERIOR LIGHTING,STRUCTURE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| SUSPENSION,FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| SUSPENSION,POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,ENGINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| WHEELS,SERVICE BRAKES,ENGINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| WHEELS,SERVICE BRAKES,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Official NHTSA Defect Investigations (1)
Formal safety defect inquiries and engineering analyses opened by the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI)
Pedestrian alert sounds
NHTSA received a petition on or about July 18, 2022, requesting that Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 141 be applied to all electric and hybrid vehicles operating in the United States. The petition can be reviewed at NHTSA.gov under ODI Number 11486072. FMVSS 141 establishes performance requirements for pedestrian alert sounds for motor vehicles. The standard applies to hybrid and electric vehicles that have a gross vehicle weight ra...
The complaint records on this page are retrieved directly from the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) public database.
Local Production Store Compiled: August 2026 • Deterministic Audited Dataset • Zero Dynamic External API Runtime Latency.