AutoUtility currently tracks 185 official NHTSA owner defect complaints for the 2023 Toyota Highlander. Body & Structure issues are the most frequently reported category, appearing in 37 complaints (20% of submitted records). Among these NHTSA complaint records, 12 filings cite a crash, 11 report one or more injuries. The 2023 Toyota Highlander belongs to the 4th Generation (XU70) platform.
Factual proportion of owner complaints categorized by automotive subsystem in NHTSA records
37 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI for this subsystem.
21 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI for this subsystem.
19 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI for this subsystem.
19 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI for this subsystem.
Representative defect filings submitted by owners to the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation
"Transmission failure under 50k miles. Replaced under powertrain warranty. UA81E incurred a whine that was prevalent at light acceleration over 40 mph. This is a known issue that spans multiple years at some point someone has to admit this is a design flaw."
"I own a 2023 Toyota Highlander Hybrid LE, purchased new in 2023, with approximately 55,000 miles. My vehicle is affected by NHTSA Safety Recall 26V-128 concerning the second-row seat recliner assemblies/return springs. Toyota advised that the second-row seat backs may not properly lock into..."
"we had a recall on this car for so long and the dealership is not providing remedy date for this recall"
"See attached document for complaint."
"I have a 2023 Toyota Highlander XSE with 77,015 miles on it. Last week we noticed that when pushing on the gas pedel to accelerate that the car started making a terrible whinning noise that did not go away. i scheduled a service call with dealership i purchased it from and where i take it for all..."
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 | 512 | 16 | 5 | View 2021 Problems → |
| 2022 Toyota Highlander | 240 | 16 | 6 | View 2022 Problems → |
| 2023 Toyota Highlander Current Page | 185 | 12 | 9 | Current |
| 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 54 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 | 31 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Structure & Body NHTSA category: STRUCTURE | 29 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Seats & Restraints NHTSA category: SEATS | 13 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Service Brakes NHTSA category: SERVICE BRAKES | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Powertrain NHTSA category: POWER TRAIN | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Engine NHTSA category: ENGINE | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Air Bags NHTSA category: AIR BAGS | 6 | 4 | 0 | 6 | 0 |
| Electrical System NHTSA category: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Tires NHTSA category: TIRES | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Fuel & Propulsion System NHTSA category: FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Vehicle Speed Control NHTSA category: VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Seat Belts NHTSA category: SEAT BELTS | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,ENGINE | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Visibility / Glass NHTSA category: VISIBILITY | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Wheels & Hubs NHTSA category: WHEELS | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| AIR BAGS,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Doors, Latches & Locks NHTSA category: LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,ENGINE | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Steering NHTSA category: STEERING | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Visibility & Wipers NHTSA category: VISIBILITY/WIPER | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| AIR BAGS,LANE DEPARTURE | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| AIR BAGS,SEAT BELTS | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| AIR BAGS,STRUCTURE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| AIR BAGS,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| CHEST CLIP, BUCKLE, HARNESS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,AIR BAGS,SERVICE BRAKES | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,LANE DEPARTURE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SERVICE BRAKES | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM,LANE DEPARTURE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Fuel System NHTSA category: FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Lane Departure Warning NHTSA category: LANE DEPARTURE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,ENGINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| SEAT BELTS,SEATS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| SERVICE BRAKES,BACK OVER PREVENTION | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| SERVICE BRAKES,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| SERVICE BRAKES,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| SERVICE BRAKES,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| STEERING,STRUCTURE,WHEELS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| STRUCTURE,ENGINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| STRUCTURE,SERVICE BRAKES,ENGINE | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| STRUCTURE,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER,LANE DEPARTURE,BACK OVER PREVENTION | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER,LANE DEPARTURE,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 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 2023 Toyota Highlander
In official NHTSA consumer records, the most frequently cited issue area for the 2023 Toyota Highlander is Body & Structure, appearing in 37 records (20% of submitted filings).
Secondary reported categories include Driver Assistance & Safety Tech (21) and Powertrain & Transmission (19).
AutoUtility does not issue subjective reliability scores or commercial ratings. In official United States government records, NHTSA tracks 185 consumer defect complaints and 9 safety recall campaigns for the 2023 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 2023 Toyota Highlander, 12 filings cite a crash, 0 cite smoke or fire, and 11 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.
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.