The 2020 Toyota Highlander Hybrid has 4 NHTSA recall campaigns affecting an estimated 2,211,927 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 9 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the air bags. Last updated July 5, 2026.
Recall campaigns
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.
SEATS20V6330002020-10-143,121 affected
Defect
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2020 Highlander and Highlander hybrid vehicles. Incorrect seat trim covers on one or both of the front seats can prevent the seat-mounted side air bag from deploying properly.
Consequence
Improper deployment of the seat-mounted side air bag increases the risk of injury in the event of a crash.
Remedy
Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the front seats and replace the seat trim covers as necessary, free of charge. The recall began December 11, 2020. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's number for this recall is 20TB14 / 20TA14.
Complaints by component
AIR BAGS
4
SERVICE BRAKES
1
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC
1
STRUCTURE
1
TIRES
1
VISIBILITY:DEFROSTER/DEFOGGER/HVAC SYSTEM
1
Total complaints9
What owners report
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal
information removed.
“After driving on an interstate and having my foot on the brake - the car jumps forward and accelerates. It has done this for a couple years, and it continues to happen more frequently. Sometimes it just jumps forward when you are driving through town and go to slow down. This seems like a safety…”
“The contact owns a 2020 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 local dealer was contacted, and it was confirmed that the part was not available. The contact stated…”
“The contact owns a 2020 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 local dealer was contacted, and it was confirmed that the part was not yet available. The contact…”
“The contact owns a 2020 toyota highlander hybrid. The contact stated that while driving on the highway at 75 mph, the front passenger’s and driver’s side top shield assembly and the engine cover under components became detached from the vehicle. There was no warning light illuminated. The…”
“The contact owns a 2020 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 2020 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 that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall…”
“The contact owns a 2020 toyota highlander. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the brake pedal would depress to the floorboard and the vehicle would fail to stop. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where the mechanic repaired the brake…”
“The contact owns a 2020 toyota highlander hybrid. The contact stated that the climate control system failed to defrost the windows during rainy or cold weather conditions. As a result, the contact was unable to defrost the windows, making it difficult to see the roadway. The contact was concerned…”
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 2020 Toyota Highlander Hybrid as of
July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page
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