2007 Toyota Highlander Hybrid

No clear pattern

0.7% of complaints about the 2007 Toyota Highlander Hybrid arrived in its first year of service. That is an unusual figure for a 2007 vehicle, but with only 142 complaints on record the sample is too small to call it a pattern — the margin of error covers the range where ordinary vehicles sit. The figures below are reported without a verdict. The most-reported system is electrical system (28 complaints), typically at 6.8 yr or about 120,000 miles.

Complaints: 142
Median age at failure: 7.0 yr
Median mileage: 107,000 n=136
Crash / fire / tow: 17.6% of reports
Safety recalls: 2

Safety recalls — NHTSA campaigns

13V396000 2013-09-04

Hybrid propulsion system: inverter

Toyota is recalling certain model year 2006-2010 Highlander hybrid vehicles manufactured February 16, 2005, through July 29, 2010; and model year 2006-2008 Lexus RX400h vehicles manufactured February 23, 2005, through December 2, 2008. The Intelligent Power Module (IPM) inside the inverter module may contain transistors that have higher operating temperatures than the solder can support and the transistors may be heat damaged by the solder. If this occurs, various warning lamps, including the malfunction indicator lamp, slip indicator light, brake system warning light, and master warning lig

The vehicle may enter a fail-safe/limp-home mode that limits the drivability of the vehicle. It is possible that the hybrid system will shut down while the vehicle is being driven, causing the vehicle to stall unexpectedly, increasing the risk of a crash.

11V342000 2011-06-29

Electrical system

TOYOTA IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2006-2007 HIGHLANDER HYBRID AND LEXUS RX400H PASSENGER CARS MANUFACTURED FROM FEBRUARY 16, 2005, THROUGH AUGUST 30, 2006. A MODULE INSIDE THE INVERTER MODULE MAY CONTAIN INADEQUATELY SOLDERED TRANSISTORS THAT DURING HIGH-LOAD DRIVING, MAY BE DAMAGED BY HEAT CAUSED BY THE LARGE CURRENT. IF THIS OCCURS, VARIOUS WARNING LAMPS, INCLUDING THE MALFUNCTION INDICATOR LAMP, SLIP INDICATOR LIGHT, BRAKE SYSTEM WARNING LIGHT, AND MASTER WARNING LIGHT, WILL BE ILLUMINATED ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL.

THE VEHICLE MAY ENTER A FAIL-SAFE/LIMP-HOME MODE THAT LIMITS THE DRIVABILITY OF THE VEHICLE. IT IS POSSIBLE THAT THE HYBRID SYSTEM WILL SHUT DOWN WHILE THE VEHICLE IS BEING DRIVEN, CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO STALL UNEXPECTEDLY, INCREASING THE RISK OF A CRASH.

In owners’ own words

Electrical system 56,500 mi 4.3 yr in service

I OWN 2007 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER HYBRID 4WD CAR WOULD NOT START 56,300. MLS VSC LITE ON -PUT IN PARK (WAS IN PARK) 12V BATTERY DEAD WHEN RESEARCHING HAVE FOUND KNOWN PROBLEM,MY CAR HAS LEXUS ENGINE, KNOWN PROBLEMS, MOST PEOPLE TOLD BATTERY DEAD..REAL PROBLEM BAD INVERTER,SOME HAVE ALMOST DIED HAPPENED WHEN DRIVING SOME MAY HAVE TOYOTA LOOKING OTHER WAY, TELL PEOPLE BAD BATTERY ..HM LAST TOYOTA BATTERY I HAD IN DIF CAR LASTED 7 YRS,PEOPLE NEED TO KNOW I WILL BE IN AFIGHT WITH LOCAL TOYOTA DEALER , PLEASE CHECK THIS OUT I AM A NURSE AND PEOPLE COULD DIE WITH THIS DEFECT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! *TR

Electrical system 55,000 mi 4.7 yr in service

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2007 TOYOTA HIGHLAND HYBRID. WHILE THE CONTACT WAS DRIVING 20 MPH, THE HYBRID SYSTEM WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED WITH A SUDDEN LOSS OF POWER. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER WHO DETECTED AN ACCUMULATION OF WATER WITHIN THE HYBRID BATTERY. THE TECHNICIAN STATED THE WATER ORIGINATED FROM THE REAR SUB FRAME AREA AND AS A RESULT OF THE FAILURE, THE FRAME EXHIBITED TWO CRACKS AND TWO HOLES. THE VEHICLE HAD NOT BEEN REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE DEFECT. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 55,000.

Electrical system mileage not reported 5.2 yr in service

VEHICLE BECAME UNSTABLE AND WOBBLING, ALMOST CAUSED ACCIDENT WITH LOSS OF CONTROL, WHILE IN MOTION AND DISPLAYED WARNING MESSAGES FOR BRAKE AND VEHICLE STABILITY CONTROL WITH CODE P0A7A AND POSSIBLE OTHER CODES. VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO TYSON'S TOYOTA WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED AS HAVING A DEFECTIVE HYBRID INVERTER AND REQUIRES $8000+ IN REPAIRS. WE CONTACTED TOYOTA AND 2 DAYS LATER THEY CONCLUDED THAT THIS IS NOT A DEFECT AND NO ASSISTANCE WILL BR PROVIDED FOR THE REPAIRS. THIS ISSUE IS SIMILAR/IDENTICAL TO ANOTHER TOYOTA RECALL NUMBER 11V342000. *TR

Service brakes 8,000 mi 6.3 yr in service

AFTER PARKING ON AN INCLINE, IN COLD WEATHER, WITH THE EMERGENCY BRAKE ON, THEN STARTING UP THE CAR AND DRIVING SLOWLY, THE REAR TIRES MAKE A GRINDING NOISE. I HAVE TAKEN THE CAR IN TO THE DEALER TWICE TO ADDRESS THE ISSUE, AND THEY HAVE COMPLETELY REPLACED ALL THE BRAKE EQUIPMENT AND STILL THE ISSUE CONTINUES. THEY HAVE SUGGESTED THAT I DON'T NEED TO USE MY EMERGENCY BRAKE WHEN PARKING THE CAR. *TR

Other Highlander Hybrid model years

How to read this

This is what owners reported, not a reliability rating. People file with NHTSA about alarming failures, not routine ones, and complaint volume tracks how many cars were sold.
Failure ages come from the incident date on each complaint, populated on about 83% of records. Mileage is shown where reported — NHTSA’s 2021 system change cut mileage capture to roughly 15%, so it thins out sharply after MY2020.
Every rank compares this vehicle only against others of the same model year. A 2025 car has not had time to accumulate five-year failures, so comparing early-failure share across years is meaningless.
Fourteen make-months distorted by media storms and mass recalls — Toyota in February 2010 ran 11× normal volume across 33 models — are excluded.
Recalls are manufacturer actions and authoritative; complaints are not. A recall listed here may already have been performed on any individual car. Check a specific VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.

2007 Toyota Highlander Hybrid

When each system is reported — middle 50% of complaints

Safety recalls — NHTSA campaigns

In owners’ own words

Other Highlander Hybrid model years

How to read this