2010 Toyota HIGHLANDER

Problems, Recalls & Reliability Report

Avoid This Year

Quick Summary

The 2010 Toyota HIGHLANDER has 272 owner complaints filed with NHTSA — that's 3.4x the segment average of 80. The most common issue is electrical problems (20% of all complaints), specifically: tl*the contact owns a 2010 toyota highlander. the contact stated that when he turned the headlights on, he could not see objects on the side of the vehicle. while driving approximately 35 mph and various speeds if he hit a dip or curve in the road, the visibility would drop to less than 2 feet in fr. ⚠️ 5 fire reports filed.

5 fire reports 18 crash reports 4 injuries

272

Total Complaints

Recalls Issued

—/5

Safety Stars

3.4x

vs Segment Avg

Known Problems

ELECTRICAL

54 complaints

20%

• TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2010 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHEN HE TURNED THE HEADLIGHTS ON, HE COULD NOT SEE OBJECTS ON THE SIDE OF THE VEHICLE. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 35 MPH AND VARIOUS SPEEDS IF HE HIT A DIP OR CURVE IN THE ROAD, THE VISIBILITY WOULD DROP TO LESS THAN 2 FEET IN FR
• 2010 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER. S10 APPROPRIATE HANDLING- LETTER FROM REGARDING TOYOTA PROBLEMS *TGW THE CONSUMER STATED THE VEHICLE WAS DELIVERED TO HIM AND HIS WIFE DURING THE SALES SUSPENSION PERIOD OF TOYOTA VEHICLES WITHOUT THE ACCELERATOR RECALL WORK BEING COMPLETED. ALSO, AFTER OWNING THE VEHICLE F
• 2010 HIGHLANDER 4WD: SYSTEM CHECK PANEL I INDICATING THE REAR DOOR IS OPEN, WHEN IT'S NOT. BEEN TO DEALER 3 TIMES. CAR HAS 6000 MILES ON IT. THE REAR DOOR OPEN INDICATOR EFFECTS DOOR LOCKING ABILITY WITH KEY FOB AS WELL AS CONTINUAL CHIME INDICATING REAR DOOR IS OPEN IN CONJUNCTION WITH TURNING DOM

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500🔥 2 fire reports💥 1 crashes

“TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2010 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHEN HE TURNED THE HEADLIGHTS ON, HE COULD NOT SEE OBJECTS ON THE SIDE OF THE VEHICLE. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 35 MPH AND VARIOUS SPEEDS IF HE HIT A DIP OR CURVE IN THE ROAD, THE VISIBILITY WOULD DROP TO LESS THAN 2 FEET IN FR”

— NHTSA complaint filing

VISIBILITY

43 complaints

16%

• IMMEDIATELY AFTER PURCHASING OUR CAR, WE NOTICED THAT THE FRONT WINDSHIELD WAS DEFECTIVE. IT HAS WAVES, CAUSING VISION DISTORTION AND HEADACHES. WE HAVE CONTACTED TOYOTA AND ALSO HAD A TOYOTA CORP REP LOOK AT IT, WITHOUT US BEING PRESENT, AND THEY SIMPLY DENY THIS PROBLEM EXISTS. WE HAVE COMPARED IT
• WE HAVE CONTACTED TOYOTA ABOUT OUR 2010 HIGHLANDER & ITS DEFECTIVE WINDSHIELD WHICH, BASED ON CONVERSATIONS WE'VE HAD WITH REPAIR SHOPS AND TOYOTA EMPLOYEES, IS LIKELY CAUSED BY THE PLASTIC FILM PRESSED BETWEEN THE GLASS. THIS DEFECT CAUSES VISUAL DISTORTION AND IS INCREDIBLY DISTRACTIVE WHILE DRIVI
• TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2010 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHEN HE TURNED THE HEADLIGHTS ON, HE COULD NOT SEE OBJECTS ON THE SIDE OF THE VEHICLE. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 35 MPH AND VARIOUS SPEEDS IF HE HIT A DIP OR CURVE IN THE ROAD, THE VISIBILITY WOULD DROP TO LESS THAN 2 FEET IN FR

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500

“IMMEDIATELY AFTER PURCHASING OUR CAR, WE NOTICED THAT THE FRONT WINDSHIELD WAS DEFECTIVE. IT HAS WAVES, CAUSING VISION DISTORTION AND HEADACHES. WE HAVE CONTACTED TOYOTA AND ALSO HAD A TOYOTA CORP REP LOOK AT IT, WITHOUT US BEING PRESENT, AND THEY SIMPLY DENY THIS PROBLEM EXISTS. WE HAVE COMPARED IT”

— NHTSA complaint filing

BRAKES

30 complaints

11%

• 2010 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER LIMITED HYBRID--BRAKING PROBLEMS. WHEN THE BRAKES ARE FIRST APPLIED, THEY ARE SOFT AND MUSHY. IF YOU SLAM ON THE BRAKES IN AN EMERGENCY, THEY STOP, BUT IN EVERYDAY STOP AND GO TRAFFIC, THE BRAKE PEDAL GOES DOWN BUT DOESN'T SEEM TO ENGAGE UNTIL YOU REALLY PUT SOME WEIGHT ON I
• MY WIFE AND I HAVE NOTICED THAT OUR NEW 2010 HIGHLANDER HYBRID LIMITED HAS A DELAY FROM THE TIME YOU PUSH THE BRAKES TO THE TIME THE BRAKES RESPOND. THIS OCCURS CONSISTENTLY, ESPECIALLY AT LOW SPEEDS LIKE WHEN PARKING OR STOPPING AT A STOP SIGN. I WOULD GUESS THAT THIS IS THE SAME ISSUE THAT THE P
• ON DECEMBER 2, 2009, I TOOK DELIVERY OF A NEW 2010 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER SPORT MODEL, WITH A V-6 ENGINE AND 2 WHEEL DRIVE. THIS VEHICLE SUBSEQUENTLY WAS IDENTIFIED IN THE JANUARY & FEBRUARY, 2010 RECALL NOTICES AS BEING ONE OF THE VEHICLES AFFECTED BY THE STICKING GAS PEDAL PROBLEM. HOWEVER, PRECEDIN

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500💥 5 crashes

“2010 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER LIMITED HYBRID--BRAKING PROBLEMS. WHEN THE BRAKES ARE FIRST APPLIED, THEY ARE SOFT AND MUSHY. IF YOU SLAM ON THE BRAKES IN AN EMERGENCY, THEY STOP, BUT IN EVERYDAY STOP AND GO TRAFFIC, THE BRAKE PEDAL GOES DOWN BUT DOESN'T SEEM TO ENGAGE UNTIL YOU REALLY PUT SOME WEIGHT ON I”

— NHTSA complaint filing

SPEED CONTROL

22 complaints

• ON JAN.26,2010, I WAS STOPPED BEHIND CARS AT A TRAFFIC LIGHT. MY 2010 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER STARTED CREEPING FORWARD/I THOUGHT I'D TAKEN MY FOOT OFF THE BRAKE, AND THEN THE ENGINE STARTED REVVING TO AN OUTRAGEOUS LEVEL. THE HARDER I BRAKED THE MORE THE ENGINE REVVEDAND THE CAR TRIED TO JUMP FORWARD. IT
• GAS PEDAL OF 2010 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER GOT STUCK ON THE WEATHERTECH DRIVER'S SIDE FLOOR LINER WHILE PASSING ANOTHER VEHICLE. LUCKILY, MY HUSBAND WAS DRIVING AND WAS ABLE TO PUT CAR IN NEUTRAL AND PULL CAR OVER TO SIDE OF THE ROAD AND WE DID NOT GET INTO AN ACCIDENT. WHEN MY HUSBAND REMOVED THE FLOOR LI
• UNCONTROLLABLE ACCELERATION 2010 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER. 3 TIMES ON 2-10-10. *TR

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500💥 6 crashes

“ON JAN.26,2010, I WAS STOPPED BEHIND CARS AT A TRAFFIC LIGHT. MY 2010 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER STARTED CREEPING FORWARD/I THOUGHT I'D TAKEN MY FOOT OFF THE BRAKE, AND THEN THE ENGINE STARTED REVVING TO AN OUTRAGEOUS LEVEL. THE HARDER I BRAKED THE MORE THE ENGINE REVVEDAND THE CAR TRIED TO JUMP FORWARD. IT ”

— NHTSA complaint filing

STEERING

21 complaints

• TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2010 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER. WHILE DRIVING 25 MPH WHEN THE STEERING WHEEL DRIFTED TO THE LEFT AND THEN TO THE RIGHT AND HE LOST CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE. HE ALSO APPLIED THE BRAKES AND THEY DID NOT ENGAGE; HOWEVER, AFTER 5 SECONDS THE VEHICLE BEGAN DRIVING NORMAL. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKE
• TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2010 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHEN DRIVING IN EXCESS OF 50 MPH, THE VEHICLE WOULD UNCONTROLLABLY DRIFT FROM SIDE TO SIDE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER WHERE THE CONTACT WAS TOLD THAT THE FAILURE WAS DUE TO THE ELECTRONIC POWER STEERING. THE C
• I'D STOPPED ON THE RESIDENTIAL STREET TO LET A CAR PASS. AFTER THE CAR PASSED, I ATTEMPTED TO PULL UP ALONG THE CURB TO PARK, BUT THE CAR ACCELERATED AND CRASHED INTO A TREE. THE BRAKES DID NOT RESPOND AND THE STEERING DID NOT SEEM TO RESPOND. THE SPACE BETWEEN ACCELERATION AND IMPACT WAS 10-15 F

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500💥 1 crashes

“TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2010 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER. WHILE DRIVING 25 MPH WHEN THE STEERING WHEEL DRIFTED TO THE LEFT AND THEN TO THE RIGHT AND HE LOST CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE. HE ALSO APPLIED THE BRAKES AND THEY DID NOT ENGAGE; HOWEVER, AFTER 5 SECONDS THE VEHICLE BEGAN DRIVING NORMAL. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKE”

— NHTSA complaint filing

Estimated Repair Costs

ELECTRICAL(~50K mi)

$500

VISIBILITY(~50K mi)

$500

BRAKES(~50K mi)

$500

SPEED CONTROL(~50K mi)

$500

STEERING(~50K mi)

$500

Estimates based on average reported repair costs. Actual costs vary by location, shop, and severity.

🔍 Pre-Purchase Inspection Checklist

Based on 272 owner complaints for this specific year, here's what to check or ask about:

☐
ELECTRICAL: TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2010 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHEN HE TURNED THE HEADLIGHTS ON, HE COULD NOT SEE OBJECTS ON THE SIDE OF THE VEHICLE. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 35 MPH AND VARIOUS SPEEDS IF HE HIT A DIP OR CURVE IN THE ROAD, THE VISIBILITY WOULD DROP TO LESS THAN 2 FEET IN FR
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
VISIBILITY: IMMEDIATELY AFTER PURCHASING OUR CAR, WE NOTICED THAT THE FRONT WINDSHIELD WAS DEFECTIVE. IT HAS WAVES, CAUSING VISION DISTORTION AND HEADACHES. WE HAVE CONTACTED TOYOTA AND ALSO HAD A TOYOTA CORP REP LOOK AT IT, WITHOUT US BEING PRESENT, AND THEY SIMPLY DENY THIS PROBLEM EXISTS. WE HAVE COMPARED IT
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
BRAKES: 2010 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER LIMITED HYBRID--BRAKING PROBLEMS. WHEN THE BRAKES ARE FIRST APPLIED, THEY ARE SOFT AND MUSHY. IF YOU SLAM ON THE BRAKES IN AN EMERGENCY, THEY STOP, BUT IN EVERYDAY STOP AND GO TRAFFIC, THE BRAKE PEDAL GOES DOWN BUT DOESN'T SEEM TO ENGAGE UNTIL YOU REALLY PUT SOME WEIGHT ON I
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
SPEED CONTROL: ON JAN.26,2010, I WAS STOPPED BEHIND CARS AT A TRAFFIC LIGHT. MY 2010 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER STARTED CREEPING FORWARD/I THOUGHT I'D TAKEN MY FOOT OFF THE BRAKE, AND THEN THE ENGINE STARTED REVVING TO AN OUTRAGEOUS LEVEL. THE HARDER I BRAKED THE MORE THE ENGINE REVVEDAND THE CAR TRIED TO JUMP FORWARD. IT
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
General: Get a pre-purchase inspection from an independent mechanic ($100-$200)