The 2011 Toyota Highlander has 5 NHTSA recall campaigns affecting an estimated 1,836,026 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 229 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the steering. Last updated July 5, 2026.
Recall campaigns
SEATS16V3960002016-06-027,749 affected
Defect
Southeast Toyota Distributors, LLC (SET) is recalling certain 2005-2011 4Runner, Highlander, Sequoia, and Sienna, 2005-2010 Avalon and Tundra, 2006-2008 Camry Solara, 2006-2010 Highlander hybrid, 2006-2011 Rav4 and Tacoma, 2007-2010 FJ Cruiser, 2007-2011 Camry hybrid, 2009-2010 Venza, 2010-2012 Prius, 1988-1990 and…
Consequence
If damaged, the copper strand heating element may short circuit, increasing the risk of a fire.
Remedy
SET will notify owners, and dealers will disconnect the seat heaters, free of charge, and refund the purchase price of the seat heater accessory. The recall began on July 14, 2016. Owners may contact SET customer service at 1-866-405-4226. SET number for this recall is SET16B.
VISIBILITY15V6890002015-10-221,814,284 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…
SEATS14V7430002014-11-193,233 affected
Defect
Southeast Toyota Distributors, LLC (SET) is recalling certain model year 2010-2011 Prius and Corolla, 2009-2011 Venza, 2006-2010 Avalon, 2007-2010 FJ Cruiser, 2005-2011 Sienna and Sequoia, 2006-2011 Tacoma 4x2 and 4x4, Camry, Highlander, Tundra 4x2 and 4x4, and 2007-2011 Rav4 and 4Runner. The affected vehicles may…
Consequence
Damage to the seat heater wiring could cause the wires to short, increasing the risk of the seat burning and causing personal injury to the occupant.
Remedy
SET will notify owners, and dealers will disconnect the heaters with copper strand heating elements and refund the purchase price of the seat heater accessory, free of charge. The recall is expected to began in January 2015. Owners may contact SET customer service at 1-866-405-4226.
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
33
VISIBILITY/WIPER
25
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
20
ENGINE
17
POWER TRAIN
15
STRUCTURE:BODY
15
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
14
SERVICE BRAKES
13
3crashes1injuries
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
12
5crashes
VISIBILITY
10
Total complaints229
What owners report
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal
information removed.
“1. The 3.5l v6 engine (2gr-fe) failed due to the subsequent loss of lubrication caused by the rupture of the oil cooler pipe (rubber component), a manufacturing defect known under tsb t-sb-0201-11 (ze2 program). The failed engine is currently available for inspection by request at the independent…”
“1. The 3.5l v6 engine (2gr-fe) failed due to the subsequent loss of lubrication caused by the rupture of the oil cooler pipe (rubber component), a manufacturing defect known under tsb t-sb-0201-11 (ze2 program). The failed engine is currently available for inspection by request at the independent…”
“1. The 3.5l v6 engine (2gr-fe) failed due to the subsequent loss of lubrication caused by the rupture of the oil cooler pipe (rubber component), a manufacturing defect known under tsb t-sb-0201-11 (ze2 program). The failed engine is currently available for inspection by request at the independent…”
“Odometer fraud. The contact purchased a 2011 toyota highlander. It was discovered that there was a mileage discrepancy. The vehicle was a private sale but contacted by a dealer. At the time of purchase, the vehicle mileage was 122,000, and at the time of registration, it was discovered that the…”
“Steering wheel air bag did not deploy in front end mva”
“Dear sir/madam, I am writing to file a formal complaint regarding persistent safety issues with my 2011 toyota highlander v6 awd. Specifically, I have experienced significant problems related to the engine timing guide, timing chain, transmission system, which pose a risk to both vehicle occupants…”
“Dear sir/madam, I am writing to file a formal complaint regarding persistent safety issues with my 2011 toyota highlander v6 awd. Specifically, I have experienced significant problems related to the engine timing guide, timing chain, transmission system, which pose a risk to both vehicle occupants…”
“Our car had a major oil leak from the engine oil cooler pipe manifold at the bottom of the engine (front). My research has concluded that this has been a known issue with various toyota models with the 2gr-fe engine, however toyota has not issued a recall and the local dealership has never…”
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 2011 Toyota Highlander as of
July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page
contains ads and affiliate links. Full methodology.