Toyota · Highlander · 2020
2020 Toyota Highlander: problems & reliability
NHTSA has logged 323 owner complaints and 4 safety recalls for the 2020 Toyota Highlander. The most-reported problem area is the transmission & powertrain (39% of complaints), followed by brakes and airbags. Make sure every open recall has been fixed by a dealer before you buy.
Common 2020 Toyota Highlander problems
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Transmission & powertrain problems
127 owner complaints to NHTSA (39% of all complaints for this model year) involve the transmission & powertrain, including 2 crashes, 1 injury. One owner reported: “The contact owns a 2020 toyota highlander. The contact stated that while the vehicle was turned off and in the park position in order for their mother to unload the trunk, the vehicle suddenly rolled away in reverse. The vehicle rolled…”
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Brakes problems
41 owner complaints to NHTSA (13% of all complaints for this model year) involve the brakes, including 7 crashes, 8 injuries. One owner reported: “Incident: [XXX] Conditions: Clear daylight, dry pavement, normal highway conditions Crash/Injuries: Allstate Claim #[XXX]; several people injured At approximately [XXX], I was driving my 2020 Toyota Highlander Hybrid at about 55 mph in the…”
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Airbags problems
32 owner complaints to NHTSA (10% of all complaints for this model year) involve the airbags, including 3 crashes, 5 injuries. One owner reported: “Air bags didn’t deploy in severe accident. Vehicle is available for inspection. Air bags not deploying in accident could have led to injuries. No service or dealerships has seen the vehicle. Police didn’t inspect the vehicle. Insurance…”
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Body & structure problems
30 owner complaints to NHTSA (9% of all complaints for this model year) involve the body & structure, including 1 crash. One owner reported: “Several times pulling out from stop signs I failed to see cars coming from the passenger side. On August 4th 2021 I failed to see a car until it was directly in front of me and I collided with it. Wondering how I could have failed to see…”
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Fuel system problems
20 owner complaints to NHTSA (6% of all complaints for this model year) involve the fuel system, including 2 crashes, 3 injuries. One owner reported: “I am having fuel pump issues and my VIN was excluded from the recall from Toyota for similar issues. Toyota’s low-pressure fuel pump recall (originally announced Jan 2020, expanded multiple times through Jan 2025) covers vehicles across…”
Owner complaints by area
| Area | Complaints | Share | Chart |
|---|---|---|---|
| Transmission & powertrain | 127 | 39% | |
| Brakes | 41 | 13% | |
| Airbags | 32 | 10% | |
| Body & structure | 30 | 9% | |
| Fuel system | 20 | 6% | |
| Electrical system | 18 | 6% | |
| Engine | 17 | 5% | |
| Speed control & acceleration | 10 | 3% |
323 complaints filed with NHTSA in total, reporting 16 crashes, 20 injuries. A complaint can involve more than one area.
2020 Toyota Highlander recalls
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Air bags › Sensor › Occupant classification
Risk: An air bag that does not deploy during a crash increases the risk of injury.
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.
Full recall summary
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.
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Structure › Body › Bumpers
Risk: A detached front bumper cover can become a road hazard, increasing the risk of a crash.
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.
Full recall summary
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.
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Air bags
Risk: Improper deployment of the seat-mounted side air bag increases the risk of injury in the event of a crash.
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.
Full recall summary
Toyota 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.
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Fuel system, gasoline › Delivery
Risk: Improper fuel supply programming can result in a vehicle stall, increasing the risk of a crash.
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.
Full recall summary
Toyota 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.
Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer. To check whether a specific car’s recalls have been repaired, enter its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
2020 Toyota Highlander crash-test ratings
NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings for the 2020 Toyota HIGHLANDER SUV AWD. Ratings can differ between body styles and drivetrains (2 versions tested or listed).
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Specifications
- Drivetrains
- AWD, FWD
- Body styles
- SUV
Other Toyota Highlander years
About this data
Problems, complaint counts, recalls and crash-test ratings come from the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) public databases, last checked 2026-11-03. Complaints are reports from owners and have not all been verified by NHTSA.
How we score reliability: every model year starts at 100. Points come off for the number of owner complaints (on a log scale, up to 40 points), for each safety recall (2 points each, up to 15) and for complaints involving crashes, fires, injuries or deaths (up to 15). Popular vehicles get more complaints simply because more are on the road, so compare scores between similar vehicles. More about our method.
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