The 2021 Toyota Highlander Hybrid has 4 NHTSA recall campaigns affecting an estimated 2,758,813 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 17 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the air bags. Last updated July 5, 2026.
Recall campaigns
SEATS26V1280002026-03-05550,007 affected
Defect
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2021-2024 Highlander and Highlander Hybrid vehicles. The second-row seat backs may fail to lock into position during seat back adjustment.
Consequence
A seat back that fails to lock may not properly restrain an occupant during a crash, increasing the risk of injury.
Remedy
Dealers will replace the return springs in the seat back recliner assemblies, free of charge. Interim letters notifying owners of the safety risk were mailed April 27, 2026. Additional letters will be sent once the final remedy is available. Owners may contact Toyota’s customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's…
AIR BAGS23V8650002023-12-20999,901 affected
Defect
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…
Consequence
An air bag that does not deploy during a crash increases the risk of injury.
Remedy
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…
STRUCTURE23V7200002023-10-26750,795 affected
Defect
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.
Consequence
A detached front bumper cover can become a road hazard, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy
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.
ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC)22V2390002022-04-13458,110 affected
Defect
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…
Consequence
Driving with a deactivated stability control system increases the risk of a crash.
Remedy
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.
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal
information removed.
“The contact owns a 2021 toyota highlander hybrid. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, the instrument panel lights were flashing. The vehicle then independently turned off and restarted repeatedly. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where it was determined that the battery level…”
“The contact owns a 2021 toyota highlander hybrid. The contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 23v865000 (air bags); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair.…”
“The contact owns a 2021 toyota highlander hybrid. The contact stated that the vehicle was taken to the dealer to be repaired nhtsa campaign number: 23v865000 (air bags); and the vehicle was partially repaired. Additionally, the contact was informed that the air bag sensor had been deactivated…”
“The contact owns a 2021 toyota highlander hybrid. The contact received notifications of nhtsa campaign numbers: 23v720000 (structure) and 23v865000 (air bags); however, the parts to do the recall repairs were not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the…”
“The contact owns a 2021 toyota highlander hybrid. The contact received notifications of nhtsa campaign numbers: 23v720000 (structure) and 23v865000 (air bags); however, the parts to do the recall repairs were not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the…”
“The contact owns a 2021 toyota highlander hybrid. The contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 23v865000 (air bags); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair.…”
“The contact owns a 2021 toyota highlander hybrid. The contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 23v865000 (air bags); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated while driving at undisclosed speeds, the master warning light remained…”
“The contact owns a 2021 toyota highlander hybrid. The contact stated that the hatchback failed to open completely. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, and the dealer recommended that the hatchback motor be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and…”
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…
Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL,
FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 2021 Toyota Highlander Hybrid as of
July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page
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