2011 Toyota Highlander Hybrid Recalls

Recalls on record Updated July 2026

The 2011 Toyota Highlander Hybrid has 1 NHTSA recall campaign affecting an estimated 1,814,284 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 5 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the vehicle speed control. Last updated July 5, 2026.

Recall campaigns

VISIBILITY 15V689000 2015-10-22 1,814,284 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…

Complaints by component

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
2
ENGINE
1
SERVICE BRAKES
1
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
1
Total complaints5

What owners report

Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal information removed.

“Tl* the contact owns a 2011 toyota highlander hybrid. While driving approximately 40 mph, a grinding noise was present coming from the engine. The vehicle was taken to north brook toyota (1530 frontage rd, north brook, il) where it was diagnosed that the rubber oil hose was damaged. The failure…”

ENGINE · reported 2019-03-01

“Tl* the contact owns a 2011 toyota highlander hybrid. While driving at low speeds, the vehicle accelerated without warning. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer and dealer were not contacted. The failure mileage was 60,000.”

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL · reported 2019-02-09

“Break light warnings all came on. Brakes went out while in motion on a city street. Had to shove break pedal down with both feet to the floor going uphill to stop. Dealership told us it's the break actuator pump and will be $5000 to repair. This is a serious hardship on us. I'm a foster parent and…”

SERVICE BRAKES · reported 2018-05-26

“The back-up camera has started shown more of the bumper... It has started pointing more to it. The camera did not see loose. But I see the more bumper on the screen. When I contacted to the dealership, where I purchased include the extended warranty in 2011. I was told that I still have to pay the…”

UNKNOWN OR OTHER · reported 2015-03-10

“My highlander hybrid: pushed start button, and behaved normally. Upon being placed in gear, the vehicle attempted to accelerate as if the gas pedal was pushed to the floor. Only heavy brake pressure prevented a seriously dangerousness condition of full acceleration in a small parking lot. When…”

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL · reported 2014-05-03

Defect investigations

Investigation DP22005 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…

Investigation EA18006 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.…

Investigation EA18006 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.…

Investigation PE18005 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…

Investigation PE18005 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…

Sources & methodology

Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL, FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 2011 Toyota Highlander Hybrid as of July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page contains ads and affiliate links. Full methodology.