DOES NOT HAVE ANY SIDE AIR BAG MOUNTED PASSENGER DRIVER SEAT AIR BAG OF THE FRONT PASSENGER DRIVER ALL THE ROW FILTER IN THE GUIDE DOES NOT HAVE AIR BAG AND THE SEAT BELTS DO NOT WORK.
2016 Toyota Highlander
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Similar to other model years
Owner complaints for the 2016 Toyota Highlander do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 186.5.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Highlander years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
All reported categories
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
71 reports with mileage · 39 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.
- Service Brakes. Review the 19 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Electrical System. Review the 14 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Air Bags. Review the 10 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
Seats complaints
4 reports2ND ROW PASSENGER SEAT, 60 PORTION SQUEAK ON BUMPY ROADS, ISSUE COMING FROM FOLDING CABLES MECHANISM, DEALERSHIP CAN'T REPLACE THE SEAT DUE TO HIGH COST AND ALSO CAN'T FIGURE OUT A SOLUTION TO THE ISSUE, VERY ANNOYING NOISE FOR AN EXPENSIVE CAR MODEL XLE
WHEN SEATED ON FRONT PASSENGER RIGHT SIDE THE SEAT DOES RETURN TO NORMAL SHAPE. CONTACTED TOYOTA THEY REFUSED TO ADDRESS THE PROBLEM
WE SPECIAL ORDERED THE 2016 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER LIMITED PLATINUM MODEL. WE PURCHASED THE VEHICLE IN A TOWN APPROX 180 MILES AWAY. I WAS THE DRIVER BACK HOME. I AM 6' 1" AND WIFE IS 5' 3". WE ORDERED THE ADJUSTABLE MEMORY SEATS WHICH ARE GOOD. THE SAFETY PROBLEM WE HAVE EXPERIENCED IS THE HEADRESTS. FOR SHORTER PEOPLE THEY ARE TILT…
Read full complaint
WE SPECIAL ORDERED THE 2016 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER LIMITED PLATINUM MODEL. WE PURCHASED THE VEHICLE IN A TOWN APPROX 180 MILES AWAY. I WAS THE DRIVER BACK HOME. I AM 6' 1" AND WIFE IS 5' 3". WE ORDERED THE ADJUSTABLE MEMORY SEATS WHICH ARE GOOD. THE SAFETY PROBLEM WE HAVE EXPERIENCED IS THE HEADRESTS. FOR SHORTER PEOPLE THEY ARE TILTED FORWARD IN A AWKWARD POSITION. OTHER THAN AND UP AND DOWN POSITION THERE IS NO WAY TO PROPERLY ADJUST THEM. MY WIFE HAS COMPLAINED THAT SHE CANNOT BE SAFELY POSITIONED OR COMFORTABLE DRIVING WITH THE HEADREST IN THE TILTED DOWN AND FORWARD POSITION. ADJUSTING THE SEATS DOES NOT RESOLVE THE PROBLEM EITHER. THIS JUST MAKES THE VIEWING MORE DIFFICULT CREATING BLIND SPOTS. WE PAID OVER $52,000 FOR THIS EQUIPMENT VEHICLE AND EXPECTED COMFORT AND PAID FOR THE EXTRA SAFETY FEATURES. HOWEVER MY WIFE IS THE PRIMARY DRIVER (90%) OF THE TIME. HER SAFETY AS WELL AS OTHERS SHE MAY NOT BE ABLE TO SEE IS MOST IMPORTANT. I IMMEDIATELY CONTACTED THE DEALER AND EXPRESSED THE DETAILS AND SAFETY CONCERNS AS WELL AS REQUESTING A WORKABLE SOLUTION. THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT SAID THERE WAS NOTHING THEY COULD DO. THE SALES CONSULTANT WE PURCHASED THE VEHICLE FFROM SAID HE WAS AWARE OF THESE HEADREST COMPLAINTS. HE RECOMMENDED DOING WHAT OTHER DRIVERS HAVE HE TOLD US TO REVERSE THE HEADRESTS? I REMOVED AND REVERSED THEM. THIS DID NOT ACCOMPLISH A SAFE RESOLUTION. INSTEAD THE HEADRESTS SIT BACK MUCH FARTHER ENOUGH THAT WHEN THERE WOULD BE A COLLISION THE DRIVER OR FRONT PASSENGER COULD SUSTAIN SEVERE NECK INJURIES OR WORSE POSSIBLE PARALYSIS OR DEATH. I CAN JUST PLACE MY HEAD BACK ENOUGH TO TOUCH THE HEADRESTS BUT I AM THEN LOOKING UP TO THE ROOF. I IMMEDIATELY BEGAN A SAFETY COMPLAINT AND CASE WITH TOYOTA, I WAS TOLD THEY WOULD CONTACT ME IN 7 DAYS. IT'S 23 DAYS LATER. I RESEARCHED THE COMPLIANT AND FOUND THERE ARE MANY OTHER DISSATISFIED OWNERS ! UNACCEPTABLE!
Official recalls
216V775000 · Electrical System:wiring; Service Brakes, Hydraulic:fluid
Oct 24, 2016
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain model year 2016 Highlander vehicles manufactured May 26, 2016, to September 16, 2016. The brake fluid level sensor may not be connected to the wire harness, preventing the sensor from detecting the brake fluid level. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 135, "Light Vehicle Brake Systems."
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: If the brake fluid level is low and is not detected, the braking performance may be decreased, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and, as necessary, connect the wire harness to the sensor, free of charge. The recall began November 14, 2016. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's number for this G03.
Additional source detail variants (2)
Electrical System:wiring
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain model year 2016 Highlander vehicles manufactured May 26, 2016, to September 16, 2016. The brake fluid level sensor may not be connected to the wire harness, preventing the sensor from detecting the brake fluid level. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 135, "Light Vehicle Brake Systems."
Consequence: If the brake fluid level is low and is not detected, the braking performance may be decreased, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and, as necessary, connect the wire harness to the sensor, free of charge. The recall began November 14, 2016. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's number for this G03.
Service Brakes, Hydraulic:fluid
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain model year 2016 Highlander vehicles manufactured May 26, 2016, to September 16, 2016. The brake fluid level sensor may not be connected to the wire harness, preventing the sensor from detecting the brake fluid level. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 135, "Light Vehicle Brake Systems."
Consequence: If the brake fluid level is low and is not detected, the braking performance may be decreased, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and, as necessary, connect the wire harness to the sensor, free of charge. The recall began November 14, 2016. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's number for this G03.
16V420000 · Equipment:other:labels
Jun 9, 2016
Southeast Toyota Distributors, LLC (SET) is recalling certain model year 2016 Toyota Camry and Highlander, 2015-2016 Toyota Tundra, Scion FR-S, and tC vehicles. The Load Carrying Capacity Modification Label may not reflect the correct added weight of the installed accessories. As a result, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 110, "Tire Selection and Rims for Passenger Cars."
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: An incorrect label may lead an owner to overload the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: SET will notify owners, and provide a corrected label for placement over the inaccurate label, free of charge. The recall began on July 14, 2016. Owners may contact SET customer service at 1-866-405-4226.
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
0No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.
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