2012 Toyota Highlander: owner complaints and recalls
Analysis of 190 owner complaints filed with NHTSA and 2 recall campaigns. Updated 2026-07-25.
190
Complaints
2
Recalls
16
Crash reports
3
Fire reports
13
Injuries
97.9
Severity index
Severity index 97.9 - High. This weights crashes, fires, injuries and fatalities per 100 complaints; see methodology.
Among the 129 2012 vehicles we track with at least 40 complaints on file, the 2012 Toyota Highlander ranks 31 of 129 by severity, where 1 is the worst. Its severity is higher than 76% of its model-year peers. See the full 2012 ranking.
What actually fails
| Component | Complaints | Share of complaints citing it |
|---|---|---|
| STEERING | 47 | 24.7% |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 30 | 15.8% |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 24 | 12.6% |
| STRUCTURE | 22 | 11.6% |
| ENGINE | 17 | 8.9% |
| VISIBILITY/WIPER | 15 | 7.9% |
| SERVICE BRAKES | 14 | 7.4% |
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | 14 | 7.4% |
The single most-reported system is STEERING, cited in 47 of 190 complaints (24.7%). One complaint can name several systems, so these shares overlap and do not total 100%.
Complaints filed per year
| Year | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 2012 | 13 |
| 2013 | 13 |
| 2014 | 18 |
| 2015 | 20 |
| 2016 | 13 |
| 2017 | 17 |
| 2018 | 26 |
| 2019 | 27 |
| 2020 | 12 |
| 2021 | 9 |
| 2022 | 8 |
| 2023 | 5 |
| 2024 | 3 |
| 2025 | 5 |
| 2026 (year to date) | 1 |
Complaint volume is declining, consistent with a defect that was addressed by recall or that affected early builds.
Recall campaigns
| Campaign | Reported | Component | Summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 13V014000 | 16/01/2013 | AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:SENSOR/CONTROL MODULE-INACTIVE | Southeast Toyota Distributors, LLC (SET) is recalling certain models interspersed through model years 2009 through 2013 as follows: model year 2009-2012 Tacoma, 4Runner, Camry, Camry Hybrid, Prius, and RAV4; model year 2009-2010 Avalon, FJ Cruiser, and Highlander Hybrid; model ye |
| 13V123000 | 09/04/2013 | EQUIPMENT:OTHER:LABELS | Southeast Toyota is recalling certain model year 2008 and 2010-2013 Toyota Tundra, 2010-2012 Rav4, 2012 Toyota Sequoia, 2010-2011 Toyota Corolla, 2010-2011 Toyota Camry and Camry Hybrid, 2010-2013 Toyota Highlander and Highlander Hybrid, 2010-2013 Toyota FJ Cruiser, 2011 Toyota L |
Source. US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration public complaint and recall APIs (api.nhtsa.gov), retrieved 2026-07-25. Complaints are unverified consumer reports; volume is influenced by how many units were sold and how long the vehicle has been on the road. Not affiliated with NHTSA or any manufacturer.