2021 Toyota Highlander
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Decode a VIN4 recalls and 511 owner complaints on record for this model year.
Almost all of this describes the model year, not the individual car. Nothing here can tell you about this vehicle’s mileage, accidents or ownership — no identifier encodes those.
Vehicle had a very loud high pitch whining noise the rapid accelerated I was braking and brakes were not working vehicle screen was flashing Vehicle Malfunction. yes vehicle is available. I could not stop the vehicle I struck three signs and a lady fell down as i was approaching the the building very fast, hit a wrought iron black fence and it fell on a park vehicle and then i hit a park vehicle and it stop i threw it in park. i am not sure. Insurance company After the vehicle accelerated there was a message saying VEHICLE MALFUNCTION, not before the accident.
The contact owns a 2021 Toyota Highlander. The contact stated that on various occasions, water was leaking into the vehicle from the roof rack. The contact stated that there was a bad odor in the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer, where the failure could not be duplicated, and the mechanic stated the smell was possibly from a spill. The failure reoccurred, and the vehicle was taken back to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that there was black mold in the air bags, floorboards, headliner, and various other areas and that the vehicle needed to be detailed to remove the mold. The vehicle was repaired; however, the contact then stated that there was condensation seen in various areas inside the vehicle, windows were failing to operate, and the headliner was sagging. The vehicle was not taken back to the dealer. The contact stated that after seeking medical attention for herself and her children for ongoing unknown symptoms, they needed to be prescribed asthma and allergy medication, and she sought legal advice. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 10,000.
Traveling south bound on SC11 (in Seneca South Carolina) a vehicle that was traveling east bound, failed to stop and traveled across my path. The front end of my vehicle impacted the drivers side / passenger door area of the other vehicle. The momentum of the crash, caused the other vehicle to spin counter clock wise and impact me again...on the drovers side passenger door. Our 2021 Toyota Highlander was 4 weeks old with 2K miles on it. Weather conditions were excellent. I immediately stepped on the brakes when I realized the other person was not even slowing down. Our anti lock brakes worked good, but none of the air bags deployed. The drivers side passenger door and pillar is being numerous items to be replaced. Not sure if this is correct information... the Body shop employee stated that air bag sensors are located in the pillar and from end / bumper area? I have photos. I have never been in an accident. I'm surprised the air bags did not deploy! I'll be glad to talk to Toyota folks at some point...thought it my civic duty to report to you folks first. Thank you, [XXX] INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).
Varias veces mientras conduzco en la ruta la velocidad permitida, el carro frena, pierde potencia el motor, el sistema de aceleración no responde, esas veces me salve de accidentes mortales junto a mi familia, reclame a toyota corporación indicar eso y para ellos no paso nada nunca tomaron en serio, mientras que el carro para reparar eso, paso más de 25 días en las veces que se daño xq prácticamente el carro no es seguro para manejar
The contact owned a 2021 Toyota Highlander. The contact stated that while his wife was driving at an undisclosed low speed and in the process of merging into the highway, the vehicle was suddenly rear-ended in the rear quarter panel area, near the rear tire, causing the vehicle to face oncoming traffic. The driver-side and passenger-side air bags did not deploy. The message "Park Brake Malfunction" was displayed. The contact transported his wife to an urgent care clinic the evening of the incident for a medical check-up because the contact's wife was pregnant and was starting to feel pain. The contact's wife sustained neck injuries. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to a tow yard. The insurance company was notified of the incident and towed the vehicle to Copart to be inspected. The vehicle was totaled. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 51,000.
Headed westbound on 285 in Georgia; hit on passenger side front door and vehicle swerved several lanes and hit a wall going 60 miles per hour. The airbags did not deploy. I was injured badly and the vehicle was totaled.
On XXX, I was driving my 2021 Toyota Highlander at approximately 55 mph when a deer entered the roadway and I had to brake suddenly to avoid a collision. My [XXX] daughter was properly seated in the second-row seat and was properly restrained by her seatbelt. During the braking event, the second-row seat unexpectedly folded forward while she was seated in it. As a result, my daughter experienced rib pain and soreness that lasted several days. After the incident, the seat was returned to the upright position and appeared to latch normally. The vehicle is subject to a recall involving the second-row seat. I contacted Toyota Customer Care on XXX, and Toyota provided a rental vehicle on XXX, while the recall issue is being addressed. I am reporting this incident because the recalled seat failed during an emergency braking event and resulted in injury to a child passenger. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
The contact owned a 2021 Toyota Highlander. The contact stated while driving approximately 50 MPH with a passenger in the rear passenger seat, she heard an abnormal popping sound and the sunroof exploded from the inside-out without warning or impact. The shattered pieces of glass were propelled outside the vehicle. The occupant in the rear passenger seat sustained a cut on the finger but did not seek medical assistance. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer where it was diagnosed that the sunroof glass panel needed to be replaced and it was confirmed that the failure was not due to an impact to the sunroof. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The contact stated that she was concerned about a potential reoccurrence of the failure. As a result, she traded the vehicle. The failure mileage was approximately 7,500.
We had to cut a seatbelt because it was cutting into a child’s stomach. The child was screaming and complaining and it left a scar on his stomach. If we would have taken into the dealer which was 20 min away it would have done more damage to the child. We tried using the steps in the book to release it, didn’t work. As an emergency we had to cut the seat belt to release it.
I was vacuuming the second row carpet in my vehicle. I was leaning into my vehicle and pulled the second row seat release to move the seat back. The back of the seat flipped forward hitting me in the right side of my head so hard it resulted in a pinched nerve at C5-C6. It was a substantial blow. I had to stop what I was doing and sit down. I would be very concerned at that amount of force hitting a child. Has Toyota measured the force and done a risk analysis to the vehicle occupant?
The answer to the above questions is UNKNOWN. I do not clearly remember the moments leading up to the incident. I was parked on the driveway of my daughters house. I was in my Toyota Highlander Hybrid 2021. We were stationary at the top of the driveway after returning because we had forgotten something. My grandsons were in the car but they were not hurt. The driveway is on an incline. I am not sure what happened from here. As I exited the car it started to roll backwards. I tried to get back in to stop it but got knocked down by the open door and moving car. I fell. The car rolled over my legs, dragged me down the incline and I was stuck under the front bumper. The car stopped either because of the ABS when I was as the front of the bumper or because it was on level ground at that point. My son-in-law tried to put the car in reverse to move it off of me but said they could not get it to start. I was barely stuck and the neighbors just lifted the front bumper a bit and I rolled out. I have some soft tissue damage (full thickness degloving to the bone on my left calf and 4 fractures (1 in each leg and a couple in my pelvis). I have been to the operating room 4 times, the emergency room three times and spent 19 days in the hospital. It is the first car I have had with a key fob, no physical emergency break and I have safely parked in on this driveway for 5 months. It does not make sense that it would be in neutral as I never use that gear but that seems to be what would have had to have happened for this to occur. l bought this car for all of the safety features yet this still happened so I am sharing it with you in case there are further safety features that can be developed to prevent such accidents in the future. If it had a real key and real emergency brake I do not think this would have happened.
On August 24, 2026, my vehicle was parked, turned off, and locked for more than 6 hours in a parking lot. Without warning, the vehicle experienced a spontaneous thermal event/self combustion. The fire and thermal damage were entirely localized to the dashboard area inside the passenger cabin. The engine compartment, battery area and front mechanical components remained completely unaffected by the fire. The vehicle was off, motor was cold and car was closed and parked for about 6 hours when this incident occurred.
My vehicle was parked for about an hr 30 min , and it started smoking from dashboard area and immediately went into flames .
The Check Engine light came on and I took it into Toyota of Downtown dealership where I was receiving periodic maintenance. After 2 days, they said the light was out but they hadn't found the cause. I could either leave if for a few more days or take it and bring it back if the light came on again. This was early August. I chose to take the car & when the Check Engine warning light came on again, I took it in on Aug 15, 2024 before I left to Portland to give them more time. I returned on Monday & couldn't reach them. The next day they informed me that while on a test drive, there was a loud bang, it started smoking and by the time 911 arrived it was on fire. After a 2 month investigation by Toyota's Engineering Analysis fire inspection, they concluded Toyota was not involved. The dealership has not provided me with the report although I've requested it but they aren't accepting responsibility either although it was in their possession when the fire occurred.
I had been driving for about 20 minutes at approximately 50-55 MPH when the check engine light came on. Seconds later, the red hybrid malfunction message displayed and I lost the ability to accelerate. I was able to pull over and I saw grayish smoke and flames coming from under the hood on the right side. I exited the vehicle and called 911. It took moments from the start to being completely engulfed in flames. Several loud pops or explosions happened during this period. The police and fire department arrived and extinguished it.
Filed by owners of this model year and unverified by NHTSA — one person’s account, not an established fact.
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2021-2025 Highlander and Highlander Hybrid vehicles. The second-row seat backs may fail to lock into position during seat back adjustment.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the return springs in the seat back recliner assemblies, free of charge. Owner letters were mailed September 9, 2026. This is a phased recall. Owners may contact Toyota’s customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's numbers for this recall are 26TB06 and 26TA06.
Southeast Toyota Distributors, LLC (SET) is recalling certain 2021-2024 Highlander vehicles. The 20-inch accessory tires with an insufficient load rating for the vehicle's Gross Axle Weight Rating (GAWR) were installed. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 110, "Tire Selection and Rims."
Remedy: SET will inspect and replace the tires and information placard, as necessary free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed August 16, 2024. Owners may contact SET's customer service at 1-866-405-4226. SET's number for this recall is SET24A.
Toyota 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.
Toyota 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.
Published by model year, not by VIN — may not apply to this vehicle, or may already have been done. Confirm with a dealer.
Due to a software issue, the Parking Assist control unit that works with the Panoramic View Monitor (PVM) to show the rearview camera image may briefly freeze when backing up if reverse gear is selected shortly after starting the vehicle. In addition, the rearview camera may not appear the next time the vehicle is started if the vehicle is turned on and off again within a short time window. This may increase the risk of a crash with a person or another vehicle during a backing event. The product does not comply with the Regulation on the approval and market surveillance of Motor Vehicles and their trailers, and of systems, components and separate technical units intended for such vehicles.
A flaw in the vehicle's combination meter programming causes it to deteriorate its memory. Due to this the display of the monitor may not work, removing access to the speedometer and warnings. This increases the risk of accidents. The product does not comply with the Regulation on the approval and market surveillance of motor vehicles and their trailers, and of systems, components and separate technical units intended for such vehicles.
The seat back of second row seats may not remain in a locked position. A seat back that has not been secured in a locked position may fail to restrain occupants properly, increasing the risk of injuries in the event of an accident. The product does not comply with the Regulation on the approval and market surveillance of motor vehicles and their trailers, and of systems, components and separate technical units intended for such vehicles.
The second-row split mid-bar seat back frame has an incorrect radius. When only one of the two seats in this seat row is folded, the rear occupants may come into contact with the mid-bar end and get injured. The product does not comply with the Regulation on the approval and market surveillance of motor vehicles and their trailers, and of systems, components and separate technical units intended for such vehicles.
The lower front bumper cover can easily come off, resulting in that the engine skid plate and fender liners may also detach from the vehicle while driving, creating a risk of injuries. The product does not comply with the Regulation on the approval and market surveillance of motor vehicles and their trailers, and of systems, components and separate technical units intended for such vehicles.
Due to a specific software update error that can cause an abrupt reset, the data communication module (DCM) may not restart at the next ignition cycle. It will no longer be possible to initiate an emergency call using the eCall system, increasing the risk of injuries, delayed assistance in the event of an accident. The product does not comply with the Regulation on the approval and market surveillance of motor vehicles and their trailers, and of systems, components and separate technical units intended for such vehicles.
Matched on brand and model name — Safety Gate publishes no VIN. Check the production dates, and quote the recall code to a dealer.