NHTSA lists 5 safety recalls and 324 owner complaints for the 2020 Toyota Highlander (including the hybrid).
5Safety recalls
324Owner complaints
15Complaints citing a crash
0Complaints citing a fire
Data: NHTSA recall and complaint filesUpdated Sep 27, 2026
Recalled components: air bags, body structure, stability control, and fuel system. Most-reported area: powertrain (125 complaints, 39%; median mileage when it happened: 73,000). Includes the Highlander Hybrid. Excludes the larger Grand Highlander.
5 safety recalls for the 2020 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 2020-2021 Avalon, Avalon Hybrid, Corolla, Highlander, Highlander Hybrid, RAV4, RAV4 Hybrid, Lexus ES350, Lexus RX350, Lexus RX450H, 2021 Sienna Hybrid, Lexus ES250, 2020-2022 Camry, Camry Hybrid, and ES300H vehicles. A short circuit may develop in the Occupant Classification System (OCS) sensor, preventing the front passenger air bag from deploying.
Risk: An air bag that does not deploy during a crash increases the risk of injury.
The fix and full notice
Fix: Dealers will inspect and replace the sensor as necessary, free of charge. Interim letters notifying owners of the safety risk were mailed in February 2024. Some final remedy owner letters were mailed October 31, 2024. Letters will continue to be mailed in phases through January 2026. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's number for this recall is 23TB15/23TA15 Lexus 23LB03/23LA03.
NHTSA listings: HIGHLANDER, HIGHLANDER HYBRID. Toyota campaign 23TA15, 23LA03.
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2020-2023 Highlander & Highlander Hybrid vehicles. During normal vehicle operation, minor impact to the front lower bumper cover may result in the cover coming loose or detaching.
Risk: A detached front bumper cover can become a road hazard, increasing the risk of a crash.
The fix and full notice
Fix: Dealers will repair or replace the upper and lower front bumper covers as necessary, free of charge. Owner letters were mailed April 22, 2024. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's number for this recall is 23TB12/23TA12.
NHTSA listings: HIGHLANDER, HIGHLANDER HYBRID. Toyota campaign 23TB12 / 23TA12.
Stability control
Apr 13, 2022
control module · software
Fails federal standard 126 (electronic stability control)
Toyota Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2022 Lexus LX 600, Lexus NX 350h, Lexus NX 450h+, Toytoa RAV4 Hybrid, 2021-2022 Lexus LS 500h, Toyota Mirai, RAV4 PRIME, Sienna, Venza, and 2020-2022 Toyota Highlander Hybrid vehicles. The Skid Control ECU software may not turn on the Vehicle Stability Control (VSC) system when the vehicle is restarted after the driver has disabled the VSC system. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 126, "Electronic Stability Control Systems."
Risk: Driving with a deactivated stability control system increases the risk of a crash.
The fix and full notice
Fix: Dealers will update the Skid Control ECU software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed May 27, 2022. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's number for this recall is 22TA03. Lexus' number for this recall is 22LA01.
NHTSA listing: HIGHLANDER HYBRID. Toyota campaign 22TA03, 22LA01.
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2020 Highlander and Highlander hybrid vehicles. Incorrect seat trim covers on one or both of the front seats can prevent the seat-mounted side air bag from deploying properly.
Risk: Improper deployment of the seat-mounted side air bag increases the risk of injury in the event of a crash.
The fix and full notice
Fix: Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the front seats and replace the seat trim covers as necessary, free of charge. The recall began December 11, 2020. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's number for this recall is 20TB14 / 20TA14.
NHTSA listings: HIGHLANDER, HIGHLANDER HYBRID. Components: Air bags; Seats. Toyota campaign 20TB14 / 20TA14.
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2020 Highlander vehicles equipped with a 3.5 L, V6 (2GR-FKS) gasoline engine. Due to an Engine Control Unit (ECU) programming error, fuel may not be correctly supplied to the engine while using the stop and restart feature.
Risk: Improper fuel supply programming can result in a vehicle stall, increasing the risk of a crash.
The fix and full notice
Fix: Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the ECU, free of charge. The recall began May 15, 2020. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-888-270-9371. Toyota's number for this recall is 20TA06.
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.
What owners report
The areas named in the 324 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2020 Highlander. NHTSA does not verify complaints.
Powertrain125 · 39%
Median 73,000 miles at failure (15 reports)
Brakes41 · 13%
Air bags36 · 11%
Body structure30 · 9%
Most named: body (17); body, bumpers (3)
Fuel and propulsion system19 · 6%
Electrical system18 · 6%
Engine17 · 5%
Unknown or other43 · 13%
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 2020 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 2020 drew 68.
Owner complaints
2020: 324 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
2020: 5 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 HYBRID SUV AWD
Rollover risk 16.4%
Toyota HIGHLANDER HYBRID SUV FWD
Rollover risk 16.9%
Toyota HIGHLANDER SUV AWD
Rollover risk 16.4%
Toyota HIGHLANDER SUV FWD
Rollover risk 16.9%
Questions
What are the most common 2020 Highlander problems?
The areas owners name most often in NHTSA complaints: powertrain (125), brakes (41), air bags (36). NHTSA does not verify complaints, and one complaint can name several areas.
Is the 2020 Toyota Highlander safe?
In NHTSA crash tests every tested version of the 2020 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.