2011 Toyota Highlander

Problems, recalls and owner-reported issues

Steering is the leading concern among 186 owner complaints filed for this model year. This is the 17th highest complaint count among 25 Highlander model years with reports.

Complaints by model year
  1. 186

Of the 2011 reports, 14 involved a crash. 8 people were injured.

Primary concernSteering34 reports · 18% of complaints
Owner complaints186Filed with NHTSA
Recall relationship5 safety recallsNHTSA campaign records

What owners report most often

  1. Steering34
  2. Structure27
  3. Visibility/wiper25
  4. Electrical system23
  5. Engine18
  6. Service brakes18
  7. Power train16
  8. Other or unspecified15

Recalls and investigations

  1. Seats, front assembly, seat heater/coolerJun 2, 2016

    Southeast Toyota Distributors, LLC (SET) is recalling certain 2005-2011 4Runner, Highlander, Sequoia, and Sienna, 2005-2010 Avalon and Tundra, 2006-2008 Camry Solara, 2006-2010 Highlander hybrid, 2006-2011 Rav4 and Tacoma, 2007-2010 FJ Cruiser, 2007-2011 Camry hybrid, 2009-2010 Venza, 2010-2012 Prius, 1988-1990 and 2005-2010 Camry, and 1989 and 2009-2010 Corolla vehicles equipped with aftermarket accessory seat heaters with a copper strand heating element. The electrical wiring in the seat heaters may be damaged when the seat cushion is compressed.

    If damaged, the copper strand heating element may short circuit, increasing the risk of a fire.

    SET will notify owners, and dealers will disconnect the seat heaters, free of charge, and refund the purchase price of the seat heater accessory. The recall began on July 14, 2016. Owners may contact SET customer service at 1-866-405-4226. SET number for this recall is SET16B.

    Campaign 16V396000 on NHTSA.gov

  2. Visibility, power window devices and controlsOct 22, 2015

    Toyota Motor Company (Toyota) is recalling certain model year 2009-2011 Tundra, Sequoia, Corolla, Corolla Matrix and Scion xB, 2008-2011 Highlander and Highlander Hybrid, 2007 Camry and Camry Hybrid, 2009 Camry and Camry Hybrid, 2006-2011 RAV4, 2006-2010 Yaris, and 2009-2010 Scion xD and Pontiac Vibe vehicles. During the manufacturing of the Power Window Master Switch (PWMS), grease lubricant may have been inconsistently applied to the sliding electrical contacts.

    If the sliding electrical contacts are not protected by lubricant, debris and moisture that get into the switch may cause a short circuit and the switch assembly may overheat and melt, increasing the risk of a fire.

    Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the switch, applying a lubricant if no abnormality is found. If abnormality is found, the PWMS circuit board will be replaced, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin December 20, 2015. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's number for this recall is C0M.

    Campaign 15V689000 on NHTSA.gov

  3. Seats, front assembly, seat heater/coolerNov 19, 2014

    Southeast Toyota Distributors, LLC (SET) is recalling certain model year 2010-2011 Prius and Corolla, 2009-2011 Venza, 2006-2010 Avalon, 2007-2010 FJ Cruiser, 2005-2011 Sienna and Sequoia, 2006-2011 Tacoma 4x2 and 4x4, Camry, Highlander, Tundra 4x2 and 4x4, and 2007-2011 Rav4 and 4Runner. The affected vehicles may experience compression of the seat cushion which may damage the seat heater wiring.

    Damage to the seat heater wiring could cause the wires to short, increasing the risk of the seat burning and causing personal injury to the occupant.

    SET will notify owners, and dealers will disconnect the heaters with copper strand heating elements and refund the purchase price of the seat heater accessory, free of charge. The recall is expected to began in January 2015. Owners may contact SET customer service at 1-866-405-4226.

    Campaign 14V743000 on NHTSA.gov

  4. Equipment, other, labelsApr 9, 2013

    Southeast Toyota is recalling certain model year 2008 and 2010-2013 Toyota Tundra, 2010-2012 Rav4, 2012 Toyota Sequoia, 2010-2011 Toyota Corolla, 2010-2011 Toyota Camry and Camry Hybrid, 2010-2013 Toyota Highlander and Highlander Hybrid, 2010-2013 Toyota FJ Cruiser, 2011 Toyota Land Cruiser, 2010-2013 Toyota Venza, 2010-2011 Toyota 4Runner, 2010-2013 Toyota Tacoma, 2011-2012 Toyota Sienna, 2012 Toyota Prius, 2013 Scion FR-S, 2011 Scion XD, 2011 Scion XB, and 2012 Scion TC vehicles. These vehicles were sold with labels that were outside the allowable one percent of accuracy of actual weight added. Thus, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) Number 110, "Tire Selection and Rims."

    An inaccurate label could lead to owners overloading their vehicles and tires. An overloaded vehicle can result in a tire failure which may result in a vehicle crash, personal injury, or property damage.

    Southeast Toyota will notify owners and provide a corrected label with instructions concerning its installation. A small group of the affected vehicles will need additonal remedies which are still being developed. The recall began on May 28, 2013. Owners may contact Southeast Toyota at 1-800-301-6859.

    Campaign 13V123000 on NHTSA.gov

  5. Air bags, frontal, sensor/control module-inactiveJan 16, 2013

    Southeast Toyota Distributors, LLC (SET) is recalling certain models interspersed through model years 2009 through 2013 as follows: model year 2009-2012 Tacoma, 4Runner, Camry, Camry Hybrid, Prius, and RAV4; model year 2009-2010 Avalon, FJ Cruiser, and Highlander Hybrid; model year 2010-2013 model year Corolla, Sienna and Tundra; model year 2009-2013 Highlander and Venza; model year 2012 Prius V; and model year 2010-2012 Sequoia. During modification by SET to include accessories such as leather seat covers, seat heaters or headrest DVD systems, these vehicles may not have had the passenger seat occupant sensing system calibration tested. Without passing the calibration test, the occupant sensing system may not operate as designed.

    If the front passenger seat occupant sensing system is out of calibration, the front passenger airbags may not deploy or they may deploy inappropriately for the passenger's size and position. This could increase the risk of personal injury during the event of a vehicle crash necessitating airbag deployment.

    Southeast Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will test the sensitivity of the occupant detection sensors, and recalibrate them as necessary. The recall began on March 21, 2013. Owners may contact Southeast Toyota at 1-800-301-6859.

    Campaign 13V014000 on NHTSA.gov

Representative owner complaints: structure

27 reports, newest first. Show all

  1. Structure, Jul 12, 2012

    TOYOTA HAS ISSUED A TSB FOR WARPING HINGES FOR THE POWER REAR HATCH. THE HATCH EVENTUALLY WILL NOT CLOSE PROPERLY OR AT ALL. THIS IS MAINLY DUE TO THE MOTOR PUTTING TOO MUCH PRESSURE ON THE DRIVERS SIDE HINGE. THIS IS HAPPENING TO ALL HIGHLANDER RIGHT NOW WITH POWER OPEN CLOSE FEATURES. EVEN THE ONES WITH THE NEW DESIGN HINGES. TOYOTA IS ALSO SAYING THAT THEY WILL NOT COVER THESE HINGES OUT OF WARRANTY. MINE ARE BEING REPLACED RIGHT NOW. BUT THE 2012 HIGHLANDER RENTAL I HAVE RIGHT NOW HAS THE SAME ISSUE. AND THIS ONE WOULD NOT BE INCLUDED IN THE TSB SINCE IT HAS THE NEW HINGES. I AM WORRIED THAT DOWN THE ROAD THIS HATCH WILL OPEN AT HIGH SPEEDS ON THE HIGHWAY OR ANYWHERE.. HOW WOULD YOU KNOW SOMETIMES THAT THE HATCH DID NOT CLOSE? I HAD TO PUT A ACCIDENT DATE ABOVE TO FILE. THERE IS NO ACCIDENT, I AM TRYING TO PREVENT ONE. *TR

  2. Visibility, Structure, Feb 26, 2011

    FRONT WINDSHIELD SEALER BEAD NOT ADHERED TO THE GLASS. TOYOTA TACOMA. *TR