NHTSA lists 2 safety recalls and 116 owner complaints for the 2016 Toyota Highlander (including the hybrid).
2Safety recalls
116Owner complaints
14Complaints citing a crash
1Complaints citing a fire
Data: NHTSA recall and complaint filesUpdated Sep 27, 2026
Recalled components: electrical system and equipment. Most-reported area: brakes (22 complaints, 19%; median mileage when it happened: 28,000). Includes the Highlander Hybrid. Excludes the larger Grand Highlander.
2 safety recalls for the 2016 Toyota Highlander
Newest first. Summaries are NHTSA's own wording. Open a recall for the fix and the full notice.
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain model year 2016 Highlander vehicles manufactured May 26, 2016, to September 16, 2016. The brake fluid level sensor may not be connected to the wire harness, preventing the sensor from detecting the brake fluid level. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 135, "Light Vehicle Brake Systems."
Risk: If the brake fluid level is low and is not detected, the braking performance may be decreased, increasing the risk of a crash.
The fix and full notice
Fix: Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and, as necessary, connect the wire harness to the sensor, free of charge. The recall began November 14, 2016. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's number for this G03.
Southeast Toyota Distributors, LLC (SET) is recalling certain model year 2016 Toyota Camry and Highlander, 2015-2016 Toyota Tundra, Scion FR-S, and tC vehicles. The Load Carrying Capacity Modification Label may not reflect the correct added weight of the installed accessories. As a result, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 110, "Tire Selection and Rims for Passenger Cars."
Risk: An incorrect label may lead an owner to overload the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
The fix and full notice
Fix: SET will notify owners, and provide a corrected label for placement over the inaccurate label, free of charge. The recall began on July 14, 2016. Owners may contact SET customer service at 1-866-405-4226.
NHTSA listing: HIGHLANDER. Toyota campaign SET-16C.
Questions about any of these recalls: call NHTSA's Vehicle Safety Hotline at 888-327-4236 (TTY 888-275-9171) or check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
NHTSA also lists 1 equipment recall for parts sold for this vehicle, not the vehicle itself: Electrical system (Fujian Wanda Automobile Glass Industry C, 18E-107).
What owners report
The areas named in the 116 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2016 Highlander. NHTSA does not verify complaints.
Brakes22 · 19%
Median 28,000 miles at failure (17 reports)
Electrical system14 · 12%
Air bags10 · 9%
Engine9 · 8%
Exterior lighting9 · 8%
Steering7 · 6%
Tires7 · 6%
Unknown or other22 · 19%
Median 30,000 miles at failure (15 reports)
A complaint can name more than one area, so shares add up to more than 100%. Mileage is shown where at least 15 owners reported it.
Toyota Highlander recalls and complaints by model year
The highlighted bars are the 2016 model year. Newer model years have had less time on the road, so their counts are lower. Counting complaints filed in each model year's first three years, the 2019 Highlander drew the most (152) and the 2016 drew 49.
Owner complaints
2016: 116 complaintsTap or drag across the chart for other years.
Show as a table
Owner complaints by model year, Toyota Highlander
Model year
Complaints
2016
116
2017
270
2018
270
2019
488
2020
324
2021
532
2022
255
2023
190
2024
42
2025
10
2026
2
Safety recalls
2016: 2 recallsTap or drag across the chart for other years.
Show as a table
Safety recalls by model year, Toyota Highlander
Model year
Recalls
2016
2
2017
3
2018
4
2019
3
2020
5
2021
5
2022
6
2023
9
2024
7
2025
4
2026
0
Crash test ratings
NHTSA's 5-Star Safety Ratings for each version it tested. Rollover risk is NHTSA's estimate of the chance of rolling over in a single-vehicle crash.
Tested version
Overall
Frontal
Side
Rollover
Toyota Highlander HV SUV AWD
Rollover risk 16.9%
Toyota Highlander SUV AWD
Rollover risk 16.9%
Toyota Highlander SUV FWD
Rollover risk 18.5%
Questions
What are the most common 2016 Highlander problems?
The areas owners name most often in NHTSA complaints: brakes (22), electrical system (14), air bags (10). NHTSA does not verify complaints, and one complaint can name several areas.
Is the 2016 Toyota Highlander safe?
In NHTSA crash tests every tested version of the 2016 Toyota Highlander earns 5 stars overall. The table above lists each tested version.
How do I check if my Highlander has an open recall?
Enter the 17-character VIN from your dashboard, door jamb or registration at nhtsa.gov/recalls. The lookup lists unrepaired recalls for that exact vehicle. Safety recall repairs are free at Toyota dealers.
Sources and method
NHTSA recalls file (NHTSA datasets), dated Sep 27, 2026; every campaign checked against NHTSA's recalls API.
NHTSA owner complaints file, dated Sep 26, 2026. Counted by complaint number, so a complaint naming three components counts once in the total.
NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings (NCAP).
NHTSA model names covered: HIGHLANDER, HIGHLANDER HYBRID.
Complaint counts are unverified owner reports. They rise with sales volume and time on the road, so compare model years with care. How we build these pages. Spotted an error? Tell us.