The 2020 Toyota Highlander has 4 NHTSA recall campaigns affecting an estimated 1,792,627 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 348 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the power train. 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.
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.
ENGINE20V1620002020-03-1938,810 affected
Defect
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2020 Highlander vehicles equipped with a 3.5 L, V6 (2GR-FKS) gasoline engine. Due to an Engine Control Unit (ECU) programming error, fuel may not be correctly supplied to the engine while using the stop and restart feature.
Consequence
Improper fuel supply programming can result in a vehicle stall, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy
Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the ECU, free of charge. The recall began May 15, 2020. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-888-270-9371. Toyota's number for this recall is 20TA06.
Complaints by component
POWER TRAIN
114
2crashes1injuries
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
40
2crashes2injuries
AIR BAGS
32
3crashes5injuries
SERVICE BRAKES
32
3crashes1injuries
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
17
1crashes2injuries
ENGINE
16
2crashes3injuries
STRUCTURE:BODY
16
1crashes
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
13
STRUCTURE
10
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
10
2crashes2injuries
Total complaints348
What owners report
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal
information removed.
“I am submitting this complaint regarding a sudden and unexpected transmission failure in my 2020 toyota highlander. The vehicle experienced a major transmission malfunction without any prior warning signs, dashboard warning lights, diagnostic messages, or noticeable drivability issues. The failure…”
“The transmission (the ua80) has been known to have several issues and my transmission has normal driving on it, has had its fluids replaced, and is now experiencing the same issue that others are experiencing.”
“The 8 speed toyota transmission is defective and my transmission started to whine very loudly. I was told that it could freeze/lock up on me at any time so I had a rebuilt transmission put in my car. I am told toyota new about this defect.”
“My 2020 hylander, which has under 50,000 miles, started to whine with any use of gas pedal/acceleration. None of the warning lights were triggered. My mechanic informed me today it needs a new transmission, and for safety reasons, the car shouldn’t be driven. I’ve been reading how there are…”
“My transmission failed in my 2020 toyota highlander after about 75,000 miles. This is a know issue technical service bulletin # t-sb-0008-21. The dealership acknowledged the known issue and instructed me to reach out to toyota corporate for goodwill assistance which I did. They are reviewing my…”
“The transmission has been making a whining noise since about 75k miles. Had the transmission fluid changed at about 110k miles. Still makes whining noise and now has a rumble occasionally. We took it to the dealer and they said the transmission needs replaced. Over $8k in charges for the repair.”
“The contact owns a 2020 toyota highlander. The contact stated that while driving, the back driver side , the minor child occupant expressed an issue with the seatbelt which began to tighten, the vehicle was stopped to assist the minor child occupant, the seatbelt became tighter and the contact had…”
“The contact owns a 2020 toyota highlander. The contact stated that while driving to the dealer for a service appointment, the vehicle made an abnormally high-pitched sound. The vehicle was diagnosed with a ua80 transmission failure. No further information was available. There was no warning light…”
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 as of
July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page
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