2016 Toyota Highlander Hybrid Recalls
No NHTSA recalls on record for the 2016 Toyota Highlander Hybrid. That means NHTSA has no open safety campaign for this vehicle — it does not guarantee the absence of problems. Owners have filed 9 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the service brakes. Last updated July 5, 2026.
Complaints by component
What owners report
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal information removed.
“We were driving on the highway on 5/16/20. We were driving around 65 mph straight. We were driving on black asphalt and then when we drove over a bridge with white/grayish concrete, the car's emergency braking system activated and applied sudden braking even though we were normally driving. The…”
“We were driving on the highway on 5/16/20. We were driving around 65 mph straight. We were driving on black asphalt and then when we drove over a bridge with white/grayish concrete, the car's emergency braking system activated and applied sudden braking even though we were normally driving. The…”
“Brake booster is bad. Brake is spongy. Repeated attempts to take to dealer lead to no action after complaining loudly and the dealer said my wife just has high blood pressure. But that is not the case, my highlander has low brake pressure not "high blood pressure. Toyota does not share information…”
“Stopped in intersection waiting to make a left turn. When attempting to accelerate engine did not start hybrid warning stated hybrid system failure stop immediately. Glided to a parking space. Attempted to restart engine continue to get same warning. After three attempts called aaa and toyota…”
“Stopped in intersection waiting to make a left turn. When attempting to accelerate engine did not start hybrid warning stated hybrid system failure stop immediately. Glided to a parking space. Attempted to restart engine continue to get same warning. After three attempts called aaa and toyota…”
“I was stopped and in park with the vehicle running when the "check vsc system," "check abs, brake malfunction" warning lights came on. They have since gone away and returned intermittently. Fortunately, there was no failure while in motion, but dealer estimated $4600 for repair. If this is the…”
“Tl* the contact owns a 2016 toyota highlander hybrid. While driving 40 mph using the factory compact spare tire, the contact lost control of the steering when driving over grooved roads. The contact filed a complaint with the manufacturer, but there was no resolution. The dealer was not contacted.…”
“Tl* the contact owns a 2016 toyota highlander hybrid. While driving 40 mph using the factory compact spare tire, the contact lost control of the steering when driving over grooved roads. The contact filed a complaint with the manufacturer, but there was no resolution. The dealer was not contacted.…”
Defect investigations
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 2016 Toyota Highlander Hybrid as of July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page contains ads and affiliate links. Full methodology.