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2020 Toyota Highlander
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2020 Toyota Highlander — Safety Summary
The 2020 Toyota Highlander has 4 NHTSA safety recalls and 298 owner complaints on record. Transport Canada separately lists 5 Canadian recalls for this model. The most frequently reported complaint area is power train. It earned an NHTSA overall safety rating of 5 out of 5. Based on this public data we rate its risk profile as high. Enter your VIN above to confirm which of these apply to your exact vehicle, then get the Smart Buyer Report for AI analysis of this model's reliability, common issues by mileage, and a pre-purchase inspection checklist.
NHTSA Safety Ratings
Government crash test results
NHTSA Recalls
4 recall(s) for this year/model
AIR BAGS
14/10/2020Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2020 Highlander and Highlander hybrid vehicles. Incorrect seat trim covers on one or both of the front seats can prevent the seat-mounted side air bag from deploying properly.
Remedy: Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the front seats and replace the seat trim covers as necessary, free of charge. The recall began December 11, 2020. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's number for this recall is 20TB14 / 20TA14.
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY
19/03/2020Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2020 Highlander vehicles equipped with a 3.5 L, V6 (2GR-FKS) gasoline engine. Due to an Engine Control Unit (ECU) programming error, fuel may not be correctly supplied to the engine while using the stop and restart feature.
Remedy: Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the ECU, free of charge. The recall began May 15, 2020. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-888-270-9371. Toyota's number for this recall is 20TA06.
STRUCTURE:BODY:BUMPERS
26/10/2023Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2020-2023 Highlander & Highlander Hybrid vehicles. During normal vehicle operation, minor impact to the front lower bumper cover may result in the cover coming loose or detaching.
Remedy: Dealers will repair or replace the upper and lower front bumper covers as necessary, free of charge. Owner letters were mailed April 22, 2024. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's number for this recall is 23TB12/23TA12.
AIR BAGS:SENSOR:OCCUPANT CLASSIFICATION
20/12/2023Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2020-2021 Avalon, Avalon Hybrid, Corolla, Highlander, Highlander Hybrid, RAV4, RAV4 Hybrid, Lexus ES350, Lexus RX350, Lexus RX450H, 2021 Sienna Hybrid, Lexus ES250, 2020-2022 Camry, Camry Hybrid, and ES300H vehicles. A short circuit may develop in the Occupant Classification System (OCS) sensor, preventing the front passenger air bag from deploying.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect and replace the sensor as necessary, free of charge. Interim letters notifying owners of the safety risk were mailed in February 2024. Some final remedy owner letters were mailed October 31, 2024. Letters will continue to be mailed in phases through January 2026. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's number for this recall is 23TB15/23TA15 Lexus 23LB03/23LA03.
Transport Canada Recalls
5 Canadian recall(s) from the official Transport Canada database
Powertrain
2020-03-19Issue: On certain vehicles, the engine stop-start system may not work properly and could cause the engine to stall while driving. If this happens, a warning chime will sound and multiple warning lights would turn on to let the driver know that the engine has stopped. Safety Risk: A sudden loss of engine power could increase the risk of a crash. Corrective Actions: Toyota will notify owners by mail and instruct you to take your vehicle to a dealer to update the engine control unit (ECU) software.
Airbag
2020-10-14Issue: On certain vehicles, one or both of the front seats may have an incorrect trim cover installed. This could prevent the front seat-mounted side airbags from inflating properly in a crash. Safety Risk: An airbag that does not work properly could increase the risk of injury in a crash. Corrective Actions: Toyota will notify owners by mail and instruct you to take your vehicle to a dealer to inspect the front seat trim covers. They will be replaced, as necessary.
Brakes
2022-04-13Issue: Under certain conditions, the vehicle stability control (VSC) system may not switch on when the ignition is restarted. This can happen if the driver manually turns off the VSC, depresses the brake pedal, and then turns off and restarts the vehicle while continuously depressing the brake pedal. Canadian regulations require the stability control system to be active each time that you start the vehicle. Safety Risk: A stability control system that is switched off could increase the risk of a crash. Corrective Actions: The company will notify owners by mail and instruct you to take your vehicle to a dealer to update the skid control ECU software.
Structure
2023-10-26Issue: On certain vehicles, the front lower bumper cover may not be attached properly. As a result, if there is a minor impact to the front bumper, the lower bumper cover, engine under cover, and the fender liners could separate from the vehicle while driving. Safety Risk: Parts that detach from the vehicle could create a road hazard for others and increase the risk of a crash. Corrective Action: Toyota will notify owners by mail and advise you to take your vehicle to a dealership to inspect the front bumper cover and secure it. If damage is found, the dealer will also replace the upper and/or lower front bumper cover(s).
Airbag
2023-12-20Issue: On certain vehicles, a sensor for the occupant classification system (OCS) may not have been manufactured properly. As a result, the sensor could short circuit and cause the airbag system to turn off the passenger-front airbag even when a passenger is seated. Note: This problem would cause a warning message to display on the instrument panel and the airbag indicator light would display "passenger airbag off". Safety Risk: An airbag that is turned off could increase the risk of injury to a passenger in a crash. Corrective Actions: Toyota will notify owners by mail and advise you to take your vehicle to a dealership to inspect and, if necessary, replace the OCS sensor.
Contains information sourced from Transport Canada's Vehicle Recalls Database, licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada. Data is provided "as is" from Transport Canada's monthly release and may not reflect real-time updates. Transport Canada does not endorse this service. Always confirm open recalls with the manufacturer or Transport Canada before purchase.
Owner Complaints
298 complaint(s) filed with NHTSA
Top complaint categories:
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The free data above comes from public NHTSA records. The Smart Buyer Report adds AI-powered analysis for this exact model — reliability score, common problems by mileage, real maintenance costs in CAD, a pre-purchase inspection checklist, a market value estimate, and Canadian notes on rust, winter, and fuel.
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Data disclaimer:Vehicle history information on CarHistoryReport.ca is compiled from publicly available government sources, primarily the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Reports may not include all incidents, recalls, or issues related to a specific vehicle. Data is provided "as-is" without warranty of completeness or accuracy. Always obtain a professional pre-purchase inspection before buying any used vehicle. CarHistoryReport.ca is not liable for purchasing decisions made based on report contents.