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The 2023 Toyota Highlander has 166 NHTSA owner complaints and 1 active recall campaign on file. Here's the breakdown — what's serious, what's noise, and what a working mechanic would actually do about it.
The 2023 Toyota Highlander has 166 NHTSA owner complaints and 1 recall on file (U.S. federal records, as of July 2026). The most-reported system is body at 29 complaints, typically surfacing around 59,050 miles (~$1,500 to repair). Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation.
| Model year | Owner complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 Highlander | 300 | 2 |
| 2021 Highlander | 478 | 0 |
| 2022 Highlander | 227 | 1 |
| 2023 Highlander (this page) | 166 | 1 |
| 2024 Highlander | 39 | 3 |
| 2025 Highlander | 8 | 2 |
| 2026 Highlander | 1 | 0 |
Solid reliability overall. Common issues are concentrated in a few systems.
Worth owning if you verify the specific issues below before you buy.
Our read of the federal NHTSA complaint and recall record for this exact year and model — not a substitute for a pre-purchase inspection. How we score.
Driver-assist features on the tested model: Electronic stability control: Standard · Forward collision warning: Standard · Lane departure warning: Standard
Source: NHTSA New Car Assessment Program — tested configuration: 2023 Toyota HIGHLANDER SUV AWD. Stars rate crash protection in NHTSA's tests, not overall reliability — see the owner-complaint data below for what actually goes wrong.
Here's what this model is known to do — so you can inspect for it, price it in, or make the seller fix it before you sign.
⚠ The one to take seriously: body is flagged severe on this model , showing up around 59,050 mi. Inspect it closely on a test drive.
Run the VIN from the listing — 1 active recall on this model. Recall repairs are always free.
Verdict for buyers: 7.4/10 model. The priciest documented failure is engine (~$3,100) — get the seller's service records for it or inspect closely. Otherwise an average-risk used buy at a fair price.
We tell you what this model is known for and what to inspect — a vehicle-history report tells you what this exact car has been through. Smart buyers get both.
See the full pre-purchase inspection checklist →A noise, a warning light, a repair quote, "should I buy this?" — get an answer grounded in this vehicle's actual NHTSA record, not generic advice.
Answers use this vehicle's NHTSA complaint & recall record — owner-reported and unverified, not a diagnosis. Verify anything safety-critical with a mechanic.
The contact owns a 2023 Toyota Highlander. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the contact heard an abnormal sound coming from behind the dashboard and the rear passenger-side door. The contact stated that it sounded as if something was loose. No…
A vehicle turned in front of me as I was going down the highway and I collided with the vehicle at 44 mph. The airbags of my car did not deploy but the airbags of the other vehicle did deploy.
On November 24, I took the vehicle into Gene Messer Toyota in Lubbock, TX to have them diagnose a noise in the front end. They confirmed hearing the noise but assured me the vehicle was safe to drive. No repairs were performed. 10 days later, on December 10, the front driver…
When applying the brakes sometimes, particularly when breaking at the bottom of a hill, the car lunges forward before the brake catches and it stops. The transition is jarring and does not seem safe at all. I've been told by mechanics at the Toyota shop that it is normal for a…
Drag to your current mileage. Numbers are derived from this vehicle's complaint history.
A detached front bumper cover can become a road hazard, increasing the risk of a crash.
Mostly yes. With a reliability score of 7.4 out of 10 based on 166 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, the 2023 Toyota Highlander is generally a sound vehicle. The areas to watch are listed in the top problem section above — most are budget items, not deal-breakers.
The 2023 Toyota Highlander is acceptable, with specific caveats. Worth owning if you verify the specific issues below before you buy. The record behind that call: Body: 29 complaints, classified severe; Reliability score 7.4/10 — around the segment average; 1 recall campaign on file. This is our read of the federal complaint and recall data — not a substitute for a pre-purchase inspection.
Inspect the body first — it's the most-reported issue on this model, with 29 owner complaints filed. Typical failure occurs around 59,050 miles. Average repair cost runs about $1,500 at an independent shop. Also confirm any open recalls have been completed by running the VIN, and ask for service records covering the problem areas listed above.
It scores 7.4 out of 10 on our NHTSA-based read of 166 owner complaints. The main thing to watch is body. Typical failure occurs around 59,050 miles. Priced fairly and clean on inspection, it's a reasonable used buy. Our data covers what this model is known for — pair it with a vehicle-history report on the VIN to see what that specific car has been through.
Based on NHTSA records, the most-reported issue is body, with 29 complaints filed. Typical failure occurs around 59,050 miles. Average repair cost runs about $1,500 at an independent shop.
The body is one of the costlier repair items. Average repair cost runs about $1,500 at an independent shop. Typical failure occurs around 59,050 miles. Catching early warning signs can sometimes extend life by 20–30,000 miles.
Paste your VIN into the decoder at the top of this page. We pull live from NHTSA, so you'll see exactly which campaigns apply to your vehicle and whether the dealer has logged the fix. Recall repairs are always free regardless of mileage or warranty status.
Math is straightforward: a quality service contract runs $1,800–3,500 over 3 years. With 166 complaints on file and the costliest repair averaging $1,500, one major failure more than pays for it. The catch is reading the contract — many providers exclude wear items and require pre-authorization, so cheaper plans are not always better value.