Toyota Highlander Engine Problems by Year

By CarWhere Research · Updated

Not unusually. Owners have filed 497 engine complaints with NHTSA for the 2008–2025 Toyota Highlander. For the Toyota Highlander, that's 0.14 engine complaints per 1,000 sold across the 2015–2022 cohorts, below the 0.44 median of the 53 models we can rate. The worst years are 2008, 2019 and 2017.

Engine complaints

497

Filed with NHTSA, 2008–2025 models

Per 1,000 sold

0.14

2015–2022 cohorts

Share of all complaints

11.6%

of 4,270 complaints for this model

Engine recalls

0

NHTSA campaigns, all years

Toyota Highlander engine complaints by model year

Owner complaints filed with NHTSA whose component list includes Engine and Engine Cooling, and per 1,000 vehicles sold where a published U.S. sales figure exists. Worst years are highlighted.

Toyota Highlander engine complaints filed with NHTSA, by model year
Model yearEngine complaintsPer 1,000 soldShare of all complaintsCrash / fire / injuryEngine recallsEngine TSBs*
2008WORST89—14.8%8—46
200933—19%4—48
201018—7.6%3—54
201122—11.8%0—49
201219—10%2—43
201334—16.2%2—36
20143—2.2%0—16
2015120.086.3%2—13
2016100.058.7%0—10
2017WORST490.2318.6%5—51
2018320.1312.4%1—51
2019WORST720.315.3%4—41
2020160.085.2%2—30
2021440.179%6—31
2022120.055.3%0—23
202327—15.8%2—21
20244—10.3%1—14
20251—14.3%0—4
  • Per 1,000 sold = complaints ÷ published U.S. calendar-year sales × 1,000. Calendar-year sales stand in for the model-year cohort. A dash means no published figure or fewer than 5,000 sold, too small to divide by.
  • Older model years have had more time on the road to collect complaints, so compare neighboring years, not 2010 against 2024.
  • Crash / fire / injury = complaints where the owner reported a crash, a fire or an injury.
  • *Technical service bulletins in the year's leading TSB categories that name the engine.

Common Toyota Highlander engine problems owners describe

We searched the narratives of all 497 engine complaints for symptom keywords. One complaint can mention several, so the shares don't add up to 100%.

Stalling or shutting off while driving93 · 18.7%
Misfire or check-engine light76 · 15.3%
Oil consumption or oil leaks65 · 13.1%
Smoke, burning smell or fire46 · 9.3%
Engine failure, seizure or replacement44 · 8.9%
Loss of power or limp mode31 · 6.2%
Overheating or coolant loss31 · 6.2%
Knocking, ticking or rattling25 · 5%
Timing chain or belt6 · 1.2%

Toyota Highlander years to avoid for the engine

2008 Toyota Highlander

89 engine complaints (14.8% of the year's 603). Most often described: oil consumption or oil leaks.

2019 Toyota Highlander

72 engine complaints (15.3% of the year's 470), 0.3 per 1,000 sold. Most often described: stalling or shutting off while driving.

2017 Toyota Highlander

49 engine complaints (18.6% of the year's 263), 0.23 per 1,000 sold. Most often described: misfire or check-engine light.

Worst years are those with at least 10 engine complaints and at least 1.5 times the model's median year. For every year's overall verdict, including other systems, see the Toyota Highlander years to avoid.

Related research

Frequently asked questions

Does the 2008 Toyota Highlander have engine problems?

Yes, it is one of the worst years. Owners filed 89 engine complaints with NHTSA for the 2008 Toyota Highlander, 14.8% of all 603 complaints for that year. The most common description is "oil consumption or oil leaks" (23 complaints). 8 of those complaints report a crash, fire or injury.

Does the 2019 Toyota Highlander have engine problems?

Yes, it is one of the worst years. Owners filed 72 engine complaints with NHTSA for the 2019 Toyota Highlander, 15.3% of all 470 complaints for that year, or 0.3 per 1,000 sold. The most common description is "stalling or shutting off while driving" (26 complaints). 4 of those complaints report a crash, fire or injury.

Does the 2017 Toyota Highlander have engine problems?

Yes, it is one of the worst years. Owners filed 49 engine complaints with NHTSA for the 2017 Toyota Highlander, 18.6% of all 263 complaints for that year, or 0.23 per 1,000 sold. The most common description is "misfire or check-engine light" (12 complaints). 5 of those complaints report a crash, fire or injury.

Which Toyota Highlander years have the most engine complaints?

2008 (89), 2019 (72) and 2017 (49), by owner complaints filed with NHTSA that name the engine. Raw counts favor older and higher-selling years, so compare the per-1,000-sold column too.

What are the most common Toyota Highlander engine problems?

In the 497 engine complaints, owners most often describe stalling or shutting off while driving (18.7%), misfire or check-engine light (15.3%) and oil consumption or oil leaks (13.1%). One complaint can mention several symptoms.

Is this a engine failure rate?

No. These are complaints owners chose to file with NHTSA. Many failures are never reported, and one complaint is not a confirmed defect. Dividing by sales shows how often owners complain relative to how many were sold, which makes models of different sizes comparable.

How we count

Counts are unique owner complaints (by NHTSA ODI number) filed with NHTSA for each Toyota Highlander model year, from NHTSA's public complaints data fetched July 2026 to November 2026. A complaint counts as a engine complaint when NHTSA's component list for it includes Engine and Engine Cooling.

Per 1,000 sold divides complaints by published U.S. calendar-year sales for that year. A year needs at least 5,000 sales to get a rate, and a model needs at least 3 such years for its overall rate. The comparison median covers every model with at least 50 engine complaints that clears those floors.

These are complaint rates, not failure rates. Owners report some problems more than others, and a complaint is not a confirmed defect.

Sources

  1. NHTSA complaints by vehicle (owner complaints API) — National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
  2. NHTSA recalls by vehicle — National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
  3. Report a vehicle safety problem — National Highway Traffic Safety Administration