"How reliable is the 2003 Toyota Highlander?"

"Based on 316 NHTSA complaints, the 2003 Toyota Highlander has a median complaint mileage of 94000 miles. The most common issue is ENGINE."

"What are common problems with the 2003 Toyota Highlander?"

"The most frequently reported component in NHTSA complaints for the 2003 Toyota Highlander is ENGINE, accounting for a significant portion of the 316 total complaints filed."

2003 Toyota Highlander: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 316 complaints

316

Total Complaints

94,000mi

Median Mileage

ENGINE

Top Issue

Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

Distribution of NHTSA complaints by vehicle mileage at time of report.

57,273 25th Percentile

94,000 Median Mileage

124,500 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

ENGINE

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

VISIBILITY

SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC

EXTERIOR LIGHTING

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

STRUCTURE:BODY

SERVICE BRAKES

Severity Assessment

Crashes

Fires

Injuries

Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"ANNOYING WIND NOISE WHEN DRIVING WITH EITHER OR BOTH REAR WINDOWS OPEN. OPENING FRONT WINDOW ALLEVIATES THE NOISE. FLAWED DESIGN."

"THE AUTOMATIC DOOR LOCKS WERE INOPERATIVE.*JB"

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

Source: NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Names and identifying details omitted.

Data source: View this vehicle on NHTSA.gov | NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Public domain.

Methodology: Complaint counts and mileage distributions are computed directly from consumer-reported NHTSA complaints. This data represents reported issues, not failure rates — vehicles without complaints are not represented. Full methodology.

Data through: 2026-03-28