The 2013 Toyota Highlander has 3 NHTSA recall campaigns affecting an estimated 57,517 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 280 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the steering. Last updated July 5, 2026.
Recall campaigns
SEATS14V1480002014-03-2746,757 affected
Defect
Toyota is recalling certain model year 2013 Highlander vehicles manufactured March 13, 2013, through August 6, 2013. In the affected vehicles, the second row left hand seat may not lock in place when positioned in the forward front or second adjusting position. As such, the vehicles do not conform to Federal Motor…
Consequence
If the seat does not lock into the seat track, there may be an increased risk of injury to an occupant in the event of a crash.
Remedy
Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will modify the second row left hand seat so that it will lock into the seat track, free of charge. The recall began on May 21, 2014. Owners may contact Toyota at 1-800-331-4331.
EQUIPMENT13V1230002013-04-097,525 affected
Defect
Southeast Toyota is recalling certain model year 2008 and 2010-2013 Toyota Tundra, 2010-2012 Rav4, 2012 Toyota Sequoia, 2010-2011 Toyota Corolla, 2010-2011 Toyota Camry and Camry Hybrid, 2010-2013 Toyota Highlander and Highlander Hybrid, 2010-2013 Toyota FJ Cruiser, 2011 Toyota Land Cruiser, 2010-2013 Toyota Venza,…
Consequence
An inaccurate label could lead to owners overloading their vehicles and tires. An overloaded vehicle can result in a tire failure which may result in a vehicle crash, personal injury, or property damage.
Remedy
Southeast Toyota will notify owners and provide a corrected label with instructions concerning its installation. A small group of the affected vehicles will need additonal remedies which are still being developed. The recall began on May 28, 2013. Owners may contact Southeast Toyota at 1-800-301-6859.
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.
Complaints by component
STEERING
46
3crashes1injuries
ENGINE
31
1crashes1injuries
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
31
7crashes2injuries
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
25
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
22
1injuries
AIR BAGS
16
10crashes5injuries
SERVICE BRAKES
16
8crashes1injuries
STRUCTURE:BODY
13
5crashes2injuries
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
12
POWER TRAIN
11
1crashes1injuries
Total complaints280
What owners report
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal
information removed.
“A persistent smell of fuel occurred while in slow moving traffic and after vehicle was parked after use. Upon close inspection, the fuel injector fuel rail end cap exhibited a slow fuel leak. This component caused a recall for year model highlanders for 2014 production year describing the same…”
“I own a toyota and have always been a strong supporter of the brand — I truly believe toyota’s reliability and build quality are unmatched. That’s why I was shocked and disappointed to discover that the paint on the roof of my car, especially near the sunroof, had started peeling. I left for…”
“Driver side airbags (curtain and left seat) spontaneously deployed while I was parking the car. I did not hit anything. I was not injured but my safety was put at risk because I likely would have crashed if it had happened while I was driving. I contacted toyota and they sent an investigator to…”
“Driver side airbags (curtain and left seat) spontaneously deployed while I was parking the car. I did not hit anything. I was not injured but my safety was put at risk because I likely would have crashed if it had happened while I was driving. I contacted toyota and they sent an investigator to…”
“After a hard braking session because of a car that pulled quickly in front of me the abs light and check engine light came on with a code of c1391 - abnormal leak in accumulator. A warning message came on the info center saying I needed to take it to the dealer to have the brake system checked for…”
“The contact owns a 2013 toyota highlander. The contact stated that while driving in negative 10-degree weather at 75 mph, the driver's and passenger’s side curtain air bags deployed without warning or impact. The local dealer was contacted, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The…”
“The contact owns a 2013 toyota highlander. The contact stated that while driving in negative 10-degree weather at 75 mph, the driver's and passenger’s side curtain air bags deployed without warning or impact. The local dealer was contacted, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The…”
“The contact owns a 2013 toyota highlander. The contact stated while the vehicle was parked, the contact discovered that the paint on the top of the vehicle was peeling. The contact did research and was made aware of the customer support program: zkg however, the vin was not included. No warning…”
Defect investigations
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 2013 Toyota Highlander as of
July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page
contains ads and affiliate links. Full methodology.