AutoUtility currently tracks 512 official NHTSA owner defect complaints for the 2021 Toyota Highlander. Powertrain & Transmission issues are the most frequently reported category, appearing in 206 complaints (40.2% of submitted records). Among these NHTSA complaint records, 16 filings cite a crash, 3 cite a fire, 12 report one or more injuries. The 2021 Toyota Highlander belongs to the 4th Generation (XU70) platform.
Factual proportion of owner complaints categorized by automotive subsystem in NHTSA records
206 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI for this subsystem.
66 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI for this subsystem.
55 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI for this subsystem.
52 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI for this subsystem.
Specific mechanical, electrical, and driver-assist defect symptoms identified via deterministic narrative analysis
24 complaint narratives describe this symptom.
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
"It's about the problem with the automatic transmission UA80 already has the buzz That many customers are complaining sometimes it has jerks too."
"The car's transmission is failing. •The "Whine of Death": The most common early warning sign is a high-pitched, airplane-like whining noise that rises in pitch with vehicle speed/engine RPM, especially once the transmission reaches operating temperature. •Technical Service Bulletins (TSBs): Toyota..."
"At 66,000 miles the transmission on my 2021 toyota highlander is failing. This is a known issue with these transmissions and toyota is actively working against people to help get the parts replaced at their cost."
"Lift gate does not open. Hydraulic struts have failed and the lift gate will only open with significant manual effort. This means that the rear door cannot be opened from inside the car."
"My system information warning signal and chime indicates that an unbuckled passenger is present in my front passenger seat when nobody is there. Additionally, buckling the seat belt does not turn off the signal and chime. The sporadic signal and chime can continue for a very long time before..."
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 | 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 Current Page | 512 | 16 | 5 | Current |
| 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 84 granular NHTSA system and subsystem classifications
| Vehicle Component / System | Total Complaints | Crash Reports | Fire Reports | Injury Entries | Fatality Entries |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Powertrain NHTSA category: POWER TRAIN | 185 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Service Brakes NHTSA category: SERVICE BRAKES | 42 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Structure & Body NHTSA category: STRUCTURE | 38 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| Other / Uncategorized NHTSA category: UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 38 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Air Bags NHTSA category: AIR BAGS | 35 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| Fuel & Propulsion System NHTSA category: FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 24 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Engine NHTSA category: ENGINE | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,ENGINE | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Tires NHTSA category: TIRES | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Visibility & Wipers NHTSA category: VISIBILITY/WIPER | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| AIR BAGS,STRUCTURE | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Visibility / Glass NHTSA category: VISIBILITY | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Seats & Restraints NHTSA category: SEATS | 4 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| STRUCTURE,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Electrical System NHTSA category: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Lane Departure Warning NHTSA category: LANE DEPARTURE | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,AIR BAGS | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SERVICE BRAKES | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SERVICE BRAKES,ENGINE | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,STRUCTURE | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Forward Collision Avoidance NHTSA category: FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE,LANE DEPARTURE | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Seat Belts NHTSA category: SEAT BELTS | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| SERVICE BRAKES,ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| SERVICE BRAKES,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER,SERVICE BRAKES,ENGINE | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,ENGINE | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| AIR BAGS,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| AIR BAGS,SEATS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| AIR BAGS,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Back Over Prevention / Camera NHTSA category: BACK OVER PREVENTION | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| CHEST CLIP, BUCKLE, HARNESS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,AIR BAGS,LANE DEPARTURE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,AIR BAGS,SERVICE BRAKES | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,EXTERIOR LIGHTING,SERVICE BRAKES | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,STRUCTURE,ENGINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,STRUCTURE,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING,AIR BAGS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| INSERT, PADDING | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| LANE DEPARTURE,BACK OVER PREVENTION | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Doors, Latches & Locks NHTSA category: LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| OTHER/I AM NOT SURE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,AIR BAGS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,SERVICE BRAKES | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,SERVICE BRAKES,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,ENGINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Service Brakes NHTSA category: SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| SERVICE BRAKES,ENGINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| SERVICE BRAKES,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Steering NHTSA category: STEERING | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| STEERING,AIR BAGS | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| STEERING,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,BACK OVER PREVENTION | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| STEERING,LANE DEPARTURE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| STEERING,POWER TRAIN | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| STEERING,POWER TRAIN,SERVICE BRAKES | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| STEERING,SUSPENSION,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| STEERING,SUSPENSION,WHEELS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| STRUCTURE,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,VISIBILITY/WIPER | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| STRUCTURE,VISIBILITY | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| STRUCTURE,VISIBILITY/WIPER | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Suspension NHTSA category: SUSPENSION | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| SUSPENSION,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,SERVICE BRAKES | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER,SERVICE BRAKES | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER,SERVICE BRAKES,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Vehicle Speed Control NHTSA category: VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,HYBRID PROPULSION SYSTEM | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,SERVICE BRAKES,ENGINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,SERVICE BRAKES,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| VISIBILITY,BACK OVER PREVENTION | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| WHEELS,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,SERVICE BRAKES | 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 2021 Toyota Highlander
In official NHTSA consumer records, the most frequently cited issue area for the 2021 Toyota Highlander is Powertrain & Transmission, appearing in 206 records (40.2% of submitted filings).
Secondary reported categories include Brakes & Traction Control (66) and Body & Structure (55).
AutoUtility does not issue subjective reliability scores or commercial ratings. In official United States government records, NHTSA tracks 512 consumer defect complaints and 5 safety recall campaigns for the 2021 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 2021 Toyota Highlander, 16 filings cite a crash, 3 cite smoke or fire, and 12 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 2021 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.