The 2009 Toyota Highlander Hybrid has 4 NHTSA recall campaigns affecting an estimated 1,977,680 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 55 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the service brakes. Last updated July 5, 2026.
Recall campaigns
VISIBILITY15V6890002015-10-221,814,284 affected
Defect
Toyota Motor Company (Toyota) is recalling certain model year 2009-2011 Tundra, Sequoia, Corolla, Corolla Matrix and Scion xB, 2008-2011 Highlander and Highlander Hybrid, 2007 Camry and Camry Hybrid, 2009 Camry and Camry Hybrid, 2006-2011 RAV4, 2006-2010 Yaris, and 2009-2010 Scion xD and Pontiac Vibe vehicles. …
Consequence
If the sliding electrical contacts are not protected by lubricant, debris and moisture that get into the switch may cause a short circuit and the switch assembly may overheat and melt, increasing the risk of a fire.
Remedy
Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the switch, applying a lubricant if no abnormality is found. If abnormality is found, the PWMS circuit board will be replaced, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin December 20, 2015. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's…
Toyota is recalling certain model year 2006-2010 Highlander hybrid vehicles manufactured February 16, 2005, through July 29, 2010; and model year 2006-2008 Lexus RX400h vehicles manufactured February 23, 2005, through December 2, 2008. The Intelligent Power Module (IPM) inside the inverter module may contain…
Consequence
The vehicle may enter a fail-safe/limp-home mode that limits the drivability of the vehicle. It is possible that the hybrid system will shut down while the vehicle is being driven, causing the vehicle to stall unexpectedly, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy
Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will replace the IPM free of charge. Owners may contact Toyota at 1-800-331-4331. Vehicles that had their IPM replaced under recall 11V-342 are not affected by this campaign.
SEATS13V0140002013-01-163,235 affected
Defect
Southeast Toyota Distributors, LLC (SET) is recalling certain models interspersed through model years 2009 through 2013 as follows: model year 2009-2012 Tacoma, 4Runner, Camry, Camry Hybrid, Prius, and RAV4; model year 2009-2010 Avalon, FJ Cruiser, and Highlander Hybrid; model year 2010-2013 model year Corolla,…
Consequence
If the front passenger seat occupant sensing system is out of calibration, the front passenger airbags may not deploy or they may deploy inappropriately for the passenger's size and position. This could increase the risk of personal injury during the event of a vehicle crash necessitating airbag deployment.
Remedy
Southeast Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will test the sensitivity of the occupant detection sensors, and recalibrate them as necessary. The recall began on March 21, 2013. Owners may contact Southeast Toyota at 1-800-301-6859.
EQUIPMENT09V2230002009-06-1527,080 affected
Defect
TOYOTA IS RECALLING 27,080 MODEL YEAR 2005 THROUGH 2010 PASSENGER CARS BUILT FROM SEPTEMBER 1, 2005 TO MAY 4, 2009. THESE VEHICLES WERE NOT EQUIPPED WITH LOAD CARRYING CAPACITY MODIFICATION LABELS WHICH FAILS TO CONFORM WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 110, "TIRE SELECTION AND RIMS."
Consequence
INCORRECT LOAD CARRYING CAPACITY MODIFICATION LABELS COULD RESULT IN THE VEHICLE BEING OVERLOADED, INCREASING THE RISK OF A CRASH.
Remedy
TOYOTA WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND PROVIDE THEM WITH A NEW, ACCURATE LABEL TO BE INSTALLED OVER THE INACCURATE LABEL FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON AUGUST 18, 2009. OWNERS MAY CONTACT TOYOTA AT 1-888-270-9371.
Complaints by component
SERVICE BRAKES
17
1injuries
SERVICE BRAKES, ELECTRIC
7
1crashes
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC
5
ENGINE
4
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
2
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
2
HYBRID PROPULSION SYSTEM: INVERTER
2
TIRES
2
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
2
1crashes
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
2
1crashes
Total complaints55
What owners report
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal
information removed.
“Tl* the contact owns a 2009 toyota highlander hybrid. While driving up a hill at 20 mph, the vehicle stalled and the abs, traction control, steering system, and battery warning indicators illuminated. In addition, "stop vehicle in a safe place immediately" appeared on the instrument panel. The…”
“Tl* the contact owns a 2009 toyota highlander hybrid. While driving up a hill at 20 mph, the vehicle stalled and the abs, traction control, steering system, and battery warning indicators illuminated. In addition, "stop vehicle in a safe place immediately" appeared on the instrument panel. The…”
“Brakes failed shortly after the abs warning light went off. Dealer diagnosed this as a break actuator assembly failure. It looks like toyota had a warranty enhancement program for vehicle years 2006-2007. However, my 2009 appears to be having exactly the same issue, yet it's not covered by the…”
“Once car was sitting in a lot and another time, running on highway. Abs, brake,traction control, vsc lights came on also message display said abs message and brake message. Codes from abs dtc,s are all a c-0371, 1271 through 1278, 1281, 1346, & 1391. Seems to be same issue as the '06-'07…”
“Takata recall- when fuiling from the pump, nuzzles keep shuting off itself like the tank is already full. Its been happening recently. At the same time, check break system by deler start appering. It takes 3 to 4 push to start the car after this error message. Sometimes it takes longer and…”
“Takata recall- when fuiling from the pump, nuzzles keep shuting off itself like the tank is already full. Its been happening recently. At the same time, check break system by deler start appering. It takes 3 to 4 push to start the car after this error message. Sometimes it takes longer and…”
“The brake system completely went out of order suddenly, during the motion in the street. Although the brake system liquid was renewed in toyota center just few days ago, few days prior to required scheduled maintenance date. Now the price of the brake system repair is catastrophic. As I am asking…”
“Abs and brake malfunction light comes on. Auto repair shop told me the abs actuator needs to be replaced at a cost of $3,500”
Defect investigations
InvestigationDP22005 Opened 2023-01-27 · closed 2023-08-07
Pedestrian alert sounds
NHTSA received a petition on or about July 18, 2022, requesting that Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 141 be applied to all electric and hybrid vehicles operating in the United States. The petition can be reviewed at NHTSA.gov under ODI Number 11486072. FMVSS 141 establishes performance requirements for…
InvestigationEA18006 Opened 2018-11-16 · closed 2024-04-02
Steering Column Separation
On November 16, 2018, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened an Engineering Analysis (EA18-006) as an upgrade to a Preliminary Evaluation (PE18-005). The investigation focused on allegations of steering wheel separation from the lower steering column after using the tilt and/or telescoping mechanism.…
InvestigationEA18006 Opened 2018-11-16 · closed 2024-04-02
Steering Column Separation
On November 16, 2018, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened an Engineering Analysis (EA18-006) as an upgrade to a Preliminary Evaluation (PE18-005). The investigation focused on allegations of steering wheel separation from the lower steering column after using the tilt and/or telescoping mechanism.…
InvestigationPE18005 Opened 2018-05-04 · closed 2018-11-20
Upper Steering Column Separation
On May 4, 2018, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened Preliminary Evaluation PE18-005 to investigate three allegations of steering column separation for Model Year (MY) 2008 through 2013 Toyota Highlander vehicles. Two (2) of the 3 complaints were received by ODI in April 2018 and occurred while the…
InvestigationPE18005 Opened 2018-05-04 · closed 2018-11-20
Upper Steering Column Separation
On May 4, 2018, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened Preliminary Evaluation PE18-005 to investigate three allegations of steering column separation for Model Year (MY) 2008 through 2013 Toyota Highlander vehicles. Two (2) of the 3 complaints were received by ODI in April 2018 and occurred while the…
Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL,
FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 2009 Toyota Highlander Hybrid as of
July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page
contains ads and affiliate links. Full methodology.