2003 Toyota Highlander

Typical pattern

8.4% of complaints about the 2003 Toyota Highlander came in the first year, which is unremarkable for a 2003 vehicle — around the middle of the 228 model-years on record. The median complaint arrives at 8.3 yr in service. The most-reported system is engine cooling (49 complaints), typically at 7.5 yr or about 105,000 miles.

Complaints: 285
Median age at failure: 8.3 yr
Median mileage: 95,310 n=238
Crash / fire / tow: 11.6% of reports
Safety recalls: 2

When each system is reported — middle 50% of complaints

System

0y2y4y6y8y10y12y14y

Engine cooling

49 reports · 105,000 mi

7.5 yr

Engine

41 reports · 115,000 mi

10.6 yr

2.4%

Visibility

28 reports · 94,000 mi

6.3 yr

Speed control

20 reports · 90,000 mi

8.2 yr

55%

Structure

18 reports · 36,100 mi

9.3 yr

16.7%

Service brakes, hydraulic

17 reports · 67,000 mi

3.2 yr

23.5%

Electrical system

15 reports · 120,000 mi

11.3 yr

6.7%

Exterior lighting

15 reports · 124,000 mi

11.3 yr

Safety recalls — NHTSA campaigns

04V181000 2004-04-15

Latches/locks/linkages:doors:latch

CERTAIN SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES HAVE A CHILD PROTECTION LOCK (CPL) SYSTEM ON BOTH OF THE REAR SIDE DOORS. WHEN AN OPERATOR OF THE VEHICLE CLOSES THE DOOR VERY HARD WITH THE CPL LEVER SET TO THE LOCK POSITION, THERE IS A POSSIBILITY THAT THE LEVER MAY CONTACT THE BODY PANEL, CAUSING THE CPL LEVER TO MOVE INTO THE UNLOCK POSITION.

THIS CONDITION COULD ALLOW THE DOOR TO BE OPENED WITH THE INSIDE WHILE THE OPERATOR BELIEVES THAT THE CPL WAS ACTIVATED. IF THE DOOR WERE OPENED FROM THE INSIDE WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS IN MOTION, AN OCCUPANT COULD FALL OUT AND BE INJURED.

02V339000 2002-12-17

Wheels

ON CERTAIN SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH FIVE FACTORY ALLOY WHEELS (MODEL 6934 AND 6936), WITH FACTORY LLAT, AND WITH PORT INSTALLED WR4, FOUR ALLOY WHEEL UPGRADE PROCESSED AT THE JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA PORT AND DISTRIBUTED BY SOUTHEAST TOYOTA DISTRIBUTORS IN THE STATES OF ALABAMA, FLORIDA, GEORGIA, NORTH AND SOUTH CAROLINA, WHEN THE VEHICLES WERE PROCESSED AT THE PORT, AN ALLOY TIRE/WHEEL UPGRADE WAS INSTALLED. THE UPGRADE INCLUDED 4 ALLOY WHEELS. THE ORIGINAL SPARE TIRE/ALLOY WHEEL WAS NOT CHANGED. THE SPARE TIRE REQUIRES THE USE OF A DIFFERENT STYLE OF WHEEL NUT TO ATTACH IT TO TH

IF THE SPARE TIRE/WHEEL IS INSTALLED ON THE VEHICLE USING THE WHEEL NUTS PROVIDED FOR THE UPGRADE ALLOY WHEEL, DAMAGE TO THE WHEEL COULD RESULT AND COULD EVENTUALLY LEAD TO A LOOSE WHEEL.

In owners’ own words

Structure 193 mi 4 mo in service

PASSENGER SIDE DOORS (FRONT & BACK) BECOME OFF BALANCED. THEN THE DOORS HAVE TO BE CLOSED VERY HARD. *JB

Structure mileage not reported 6 mo in service

WIND NOISE INSIDE VEHICLE WITH WINDOWS OPEN MAKES A DRUMMING NOISE THAT BORDERS ON BEING PAINFUL AT ANY SPEED OVER 30 MPH. OPENING ONE OF THE FRONT WINDOWS LESSENS THE NOISE BUT DOES NOT ELIMINATE IT. IT IS VIRTUALLY IMPOSSIBLE TO DRIVE THE CAR WITH ONE OR MORE WINDOWS OPEN.

Structure 178 mi 1.0 yr in service

WITH REAR WINDOWS LOWERED A DEAFENING BUFFETING VIBRATION OCCURS FROM THE AFT CARGO COMPARTMENT. WHEN THE SPEED IS INCREASED, THE BUFFETING INCREASES TO AN UNBEARABLE LEVEL. DEALER DID NOT DISCLOSE THIS INFORMATION PRIOR TO PURCHASE. *JB

Service brakes, hydraulic 4,500 mi 7 mo in service

THE CONSUMER NOTICED THAT THE VEHICLES BRAKES WERE SOFT AND THE VEHICLE EXPERIENCED EXTENDED STOPPING DISTANCE. NLM THE VEHICLE WAS PULLED INTO A PARKING SPACE WHEN THE BRAKES HAD GONE TO THE FLOOR AND JUMPED THE CURB. A WEEK BEFORE, THE CONSUMER NOTICED (2 OR 3 TIMES) WHEN THE BRAKES WERE APPLIED, THE VEHICLE STOPPED BUT THE PEDAL SLOWLY WENT TO THE FLOOR. THE DEALER CURRENTLY STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS FINE. SCC

Other Highlander 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.