2008 Toyota Highlander: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 502 complaints
502
Total Complaints
77,900mi
Median Mileage
SERVICE BRAKES
Top Issue
59
Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

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

29,866 25th Percentile
77,900 Median Mileage
122,856 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

SERVICE BRAKES
66
ENGINE
58
AIR BAGS
55
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
42
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
41
STEERING
40
TIRES
23
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
16
ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC)
15
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC
12

Severity Assessment

59
Crashes
19
Fires
63
Injuries
2
Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"TOYOTA HIGHLANDER 2008 LIMITED CAN BE PUT IN REVERSE WITH NO VISIBLE OR AUDIBLE WARNING THAT A DOOR IS OPEN. RESULTED IN BACKING OUT OF GARAGE AND CAUSING PROPERTY DAMAGE. *TR HIGHLANDER HAS LCD SCREEN TO DISPLAY WARNINGS AND OTHER MESSAGES TO THE DRIVER. SAME SCREEN IS USED TO SHOW REAR CAMER..."
"TOYOTA HIGHLANDER 2008 LIMITED CAN BE PUT IN REVERSE WITH NO VISIBLE OR AUDIBLE WARNING THAT A DOOR IS OPEN. RESULTED IN BACKING OUT OF GARAGE AND CAUSING PROPERTY DAMAGE. *TR HIGHLANDER HAS LCD SCREEN TO DISPLAY WARNINGS AND OTHER MESSAGES TO THE DRIVER. SAME SCREEN IS USED TO SHOW REAR CAMER..."
"HAD A ROCK CHIP THAT GREW ACROSS WINDSHIELD WHILE I WAS DRIVING DOWN HIGHWAY. HAD WINDSHIELD REPLACED TWO DAYS LATER VERY SMALL ROCK CHIPPED IT. HAD CHIP FIXED NOW 3WKS LATER LINES ARE APPEARING OUT OF THE FIXED CHIP. ALL REPAIRS WERE DONE BY SAFELIGHT AND IS REPORTED TO INSURANCE. *TR"

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