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2015 Toyota Highlander

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

Similar to other model years

Owner complaints for the 2015 Toyota Highlander do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 186.5.

About this comparison →

When problems were reported

Mileage at the reported incident

124 reports with mileage · 67 unknown

NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.

What to inspect

Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.

  • Electrical System. Review the 52 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Structure. Review the 31 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Steering. Review the 25 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

17 crash reports6 fire reports12 injury reports

What owners actually said

191 reports
Mileage unknown · Jan 17, 2020
Electrical System

IN DECEMBER OF 2018 I STARTED HAVING PROBLEMS WITH MY DOORS,GOT IT CHECKED AT TOYOTA,3 DOOR ACTUATORS HAD GONE BAD ,TOYOTA SAID IT WAS NOT A RECALL,CHECKED TOYOTA BULLETIN NUMEROUS OWNERS WERE HAVING THIS PROBLEM, TOYOTA WAS NOT GOING TO FIX PROBLEM COST 3 HUNDRED PLUS FOR EACH ACTUATOR PLUS LABOR,HAD TO BUY ON AMAZON AND FIX M…

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IN DECEMBER OF 2018 I STARTED HAVING PROBLEMS WITH MY DOORS,GOT IT CHECKED AT TOYOTA,3 DOOR ACTUATORS HAD GONE BAD ,TOYOTA SAID IT WAS NOT A RECALL,CHECKED TOYOTA BULLETIN NUMEROUS OWNERS WERE HAVING THIS PROBLEM, TOYOTA WAS NOT GOING TO FIX PROBLEM COST 3 HUNDRED PLUS FOR EACH ACTUATOR PLUS LABOR,HAD TO BUY ON AMAZON AND FIX MYSELF.

NHTSA ODI #11300030

41,000 miles · Jan 16, 2020
Electrical SystemElectronic Stability Control (esc)Steering

OUR 2015 HIGHLANDER STEERING INTERMITTENTLY LOCKS UP AND HAS A COMPLETE LOSS OF POWER. FIRST HAPPENED WHEN STARTING THE VEHICLE AND HAD TO SIT AND START AND STOP OVER 15 TIMES AND THE STEERING FINALLY CAME BACK. WE IMMEDIATELY CONTACTED TOYOTA AND THEY SAID THIS VEHICLE HAD NO RECALLED PARTS AND THERE IS NO PROBLEM. WHEN IT HAPP…

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OUR 2015 HIGHLANDER STEERING INTERMITTENTLY LOCKS UP AND HAS A COMPLETE LOSS OF POWER. FIRST HAPPENED WHEN STARTING THE VEHICLE AND HAD TO SIT AND START AND STOP OVER 15 TIMES AND THE STEERING FINALLY CAME BACK. WE IMMEDIATELY CONTACTED TOYOTA AND THEY SAID THIS VEHICLE HAD NO RECALLED PARTS AND THERE IS NO PROBLEM. WHEN IT HAPPENED THE SECOND TIME WE TOOK IT IN AND THEY SAID IT HAD A BAD BATTERY AND THE PROBLEM WAS FIXED. WE PAID A HEFTY SERVICE FEE AND PAID FOR A REALLY EXPENSIVE BATTERY. TWO DAYS LATER IT HAPPENED AGAIN AND WHILE MOVING ON A CITY STREET ABOUT 35/40 MPH. WE GOT OVER SAFELY BUT WAS SO DANGEROUS. TOOK IT BACK TO TOYOTA AND THEY ARE TELLING US THE VEHICLE HAS NO PROBLEM AND WE JUST NEED TO USE IT TILL IT HAPPENS AGAIN AND BRING IT BACK! IF WE DON'T KILL OURSELVES OR ANOTHER MOTORIST! AFTER DOING OUR OWN RESEARCH WE FIND OUR CAR IS DOING EXACTLY WHAT THE VEHICLES WITH THE RECALL ARE DOING BUT THEY WILL NOT REPLACE THE EPS SYSTEM AND TOYOTA IS PUTTING US BACK ON THE ROAD IN A DANGEROUS VEHICLE. SO NOW WE ONLY HAVE ONE VEHICLE AND STRUGGLING TO GET BY. I FIND IT COMPLETELY UNACCEPTABLE THAT TOYOTA CUSTOMER RELATIONS WAS OF NO HELP AND RUDE ON THE PHONE. NOW WE HAVE BOUGHT A $40,000.00 CAR WE CAN NOT DRIVE AND BE SAFE ON THE ROAD WITH. HOW CAN THEY NOT HELP US AND FIX THE PROBLEM? WE WILL HAVE TO GET A SECOND OPINION AND END UP PAYING MORE MONEY TO FIX THE PROBLEM. THANKS TOYOTA WE WILL NOT BUY ANOTHER.

NHTSA ODI #11299797

31,288 miles · Jan 14, 2020
Electrical System

THE LOCKING MECHANISM FOR THE REAR GATE REMAINS IN THE LOCKED POSITION WHICH KEEPS THE HATCH UNABLE TO ENGAGE ALLOWING THE GATE TO FLY OPEN WHEN DRIVING. THIS CAUSES A DANGER TO PETS AND MATERIAL STORED IN THE REAR OF THE 2015 HIGHLANDER ON A CITY STREET WHILE MOVING IN A STRAGHT LINE..

NHTSA ODI #11299246

85,000 miles · Nov 30, 2019
Unknown Or Other

MY SON DROPPED ME OFF AT THE AIRPORT. I FORGOT TO LEAVE HIM THE KEYLESS DEVICE THAT KEEPS THE VEHICLE RUNNING. HE CALLED AND LET ME KNOW HE MADE IT HOME (30 MILES APPROX.TO HIS HOME) AND I DIDN'T LEAVE HIM THE KEYLESS DEVICE. SHOULD THIS BE A SAFETY RECALL? AND HOW COULD THIS HAPPEN?

NHTSA ODI #11283053

70,000 miles · Nov 23, 2019
Unknown Or Other

DRIVER SIDE DOOR LOCK MECHANISM WORKED ONLY INTERMITTENTLY. HAD TO CRAWL THROUGH PASSENGER SIDE TO UNLOCK DOOR MANUALLY BY PULLING ON THE DOOR HANDLE. REPLACED DOOR LOCK MECHANISM AT DEALERSHIP. NOW THE LEFT REAR DOOR IS STARTING TO MALFUNCTION. SOMETIMES PASSENGER IS UNABLE TO OPEN DOOR FROM INSIDE OF CAR AND THE DOOR HAS T…

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DRIVER SIDE DOOR LOCK MECHANISM WORKED ONLY INTERMITTENTLY. HAD TO CRAWL THROUGH PASSENGER SIDE TO UNLOCK DOOR MANUALLY BY PULLING ON THE DOOR HANDLE. REPLACED DOOR LOCK MECHANISM AT DEALERSHIP. NOW THE LEFT REAR DOOR IS STARTING TO MALFUNCTION. SOMETIMES PASSENGER IS UNABLE TO OPEN DOOR FROM INSIDE OF CAR AND THE DOOR HAS TO BE OPENED FROM THE OUTSIDE.

NHTSA ODI #11281918

75,000 miles · Aug 26, 2019
Visibility/wiper

REAR WINDOW EXPLODED INWARD WHILE DRIVING. VERY LOUD BANG SOUND. NOTHING HIT IT. TEMP WAS 66 DEGREES, CLEAR SKIES. I HAD THE FRONT DRIVER'S WINDOW PARTIALLY OPENED WHEN THIS HAPPENED.

NHTSA ODI #11246348

55,000 miles · Aug 21, 2019
Electrical System

VEHICLE'S RADIO, MAPS, ENTUNES, WILL FREEZE. AS WELL AS THE NAVIGATION SYSTEM. IT WILL THEN RESET ITSELF AFTER A FEW MINUTES OF BEING FROZEN AND UNABLE TO USE ANY FEATURES. THIS OCCURS SEVERAL TIMES A DAY WHILE DRIVING. THIS HAS OCCURRED MANY TIMES A WEEK OVER THE LAST SEVERAL MONTHS.

NHTSA ODI #11245584

52,250 miles · Aug 12, 2019
Electrical SystemUnknown Or Other

WHILE DRIVING, THE RADIO AND MAPPING SYSTEM WILL SUDDENLY STOP WORKING. THERE THEN IS NO WAY TO RESET THE MAP AND/OR RADIO, OTHER THAN TO STOP THE VEHICLE, TURN IT OFF AND THEN RESTART IT. SOMETIMES, IT TAKES MORE THAN ONE RESTART TO HAVE THE SYSTEM BACK TO RUNNING NORMAL. THIS HAPPENS WHEN THE VEHICLE IS IN MOTION AND ON VAR…

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WHILE DRIVING, THE RADIO AND MAPPING SYSTEM WILL SUDDENLY STOP WORKING. THERE THEN IS NO WAY TO RESET THE MAP AND/OR RADIO, OTHER THAN TO STOP THE VEHICLE, TURN IT OFF AND THEN RESTART IT. SOMETIMES, IT TAKES MORE THAN ONE RESTART TO HAVE THE SYSTEM BACK TO RUNNING NORMAL. THIS HAPPENS WHEN THE VEHICLE IS IN MOTION AND ON VARIOUS TYPES OF ROADWAYS OR HIGHWAYS. IT HAS HAPPENED ON VARIOUS DATES, BUT THE MOST RECENT OCCURRENCE WAS ON AUG. 10, 2019.

NHTSA ODI #11243225

83,000 miles · Aug 7, 2019
Unknown Or Other

THREE OF THE DOOR LOCK ACTUATORS FAILED ON THIS VEHICLE AT THE SAME TIME. MY WIFE CANNOT UNLOCK THE CAR DOORS WITHOUT GOING TO THE ONE DOOR THAT IS WORKING WHEN SHE PUSHES THE UNLOCK BUTTON ON HER REMOTE. THIS IS A MAJOR SAFETY ISSUE AND THERE ARE THOUSANDS OF ARTICLES AND MESSAGE BOARD POSTS ON THE INTERNET RELATED TO DOOR LO…

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THREE OF THE DOOR LOCK ACTUATORS FAILED ON THIS VEHICLE AT THE SAME TIME. MY WIFE CANNOT UNLOCK THE CAR DOORS WITHOUT GOING TO THE ONE DOOR THAT IS WORKING WHEN SHE PUSHES THE UNLOCK BUTTON ON HER REMOTE. THIS IS A MAJOR SAFETY ISSUE AND THERE ARE THOUSANDS OF ARTICLES AND MESSAGE BOARD POSTS ON THE INTERNET RELATED TO DOOR LOCK ACTUATORS FAILING ON TOYOTA VEHICLES. TOYOTA IS PROVIDING SOME FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE TO REPAIR THE ISSUE BUT IT IS NOT NEAR ENOUGH TO COVER IT ALL AND I AM OUT OF POCKET FOR A LARGE AMOUNT OF THE REPAIR. DUE TO THE SCOPE OF THE ISSUE I BELIEVE THIS SHOULD BE HANDLED THROUGH A RECALL.

NHTSA ODI #11242278

60,200 miles · Jul 28, 2019
Electrical System

DRIVER-SIDE DOOR DOES NOT LOCK/UNLOCK WHEN USING THE KEY FOB, DOOR HANDLE, OR THE SWITCH INSIDE THE VEHICLE. ISSUE WAS SPORADIC AT FIRST BUT NOW OCCURS ALMOST EVERY TIME WE (TRY TO) LOCK/UNLOCK THE DOORS. I BELIEVE THE ISSUE TO BE THE DOOR LOCK ACTUATOR, WHICH I INTEND ON REPLACING.

NHTSA ODI #11240165

Official recalls

1

15V144000 · Steering:electric Power Assist System

Mar 13, 2015

Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain model year 2015 Camry, Camry Hybrid, Highlander, and Highlander Hybrid, and 2014-2015 Rav4 vehicles. A component of the electric power steering (EPS) electronic control unit (ECU) may have been damaged during the manufacturing process. Over time, this damage may result in failure of the electric power steering system.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: An unexpected loss of power steering increases the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the serial number of the EPS ECU or steering column assembly. If the number is within the affected range, the EPS ECU will be replaced, free of charge. The recall began on May 7, 2015. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331.

Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗

NHTSA investigations

0

No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.