2004 Toyota Highlander problems and complaints
Owners have filed 286 complaints with NHTSA about the 2004 Toyota Highlander. The most-reported areas: Power Train (58), Vehicle Speed Control (40), Steering (35).
Key takeaways
- 286 owner complaints on file with NHTSA.
- 32 involve a crash, 3 a fire, 23 reported injuries.
- Complaints are unverified owner reports; recalls are confirmed defects.
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Power Train | 58 | 20% |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 40 | 14% |
| Steering | 35 | 12% |
| Service Brakes | 24 | 8% |
| Visibility | 21 | 7% |
| Engine And Engine Cooling | 20 | 7% |
| Electrical System | 18 | 6% |
| Engine | 16 | 6% |
| Hydraulic | 16 | 6% |
| Electronic Stability Control (esc) | 15 | 5% |
| Exterior Lighting | 14 | 5% |
| Equipment | 11 | 4% |
One complaint can name several components, so shares add up to more than 100%.
| Version | Overall | Front | Side | Rollover |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 Toyota Highlander 4-DR. | Not rated | Not rated | Not rated | Not rated |
Latest complaints, as filed
Owner-written and unverified by NHTSA.
Steering,engine - filed 2026-05-22
Hello, I am the Buyer of the subject Vehicle, Upon doing my research, I found out several reports stating that The subject vehicle's 2.4L engine has manufacturing defect, that causes Head Bolts to get stripped/melt down in to oil causing Engine failures and Life threating risk in the middle of the road.
Air Bags,wheels - filed 2024-10-09
My car malfunctioned my tire locked up while I was driving on the high way causing me to spin out of control and skid all the way into a guard rail totalled my car out and not one air bag went off
Air Bags - filed 2024-02-16
The passenger airbag occupancy sensor in my car has stopped sensing a passenger has been stuck on "OFF" for the past 2-6 months (I believe) even when an adult is sitting in the seat. I don't know exactly when this problem began because there was never any warning light or error message which is a massive safety oversi...
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More for the 2004 Toyota Highlander
Complaints are reports filed by owners with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. NHTSA publishes them without verifying them, and counts rise with how many cars were sold, so compare years of the same model rather than different models. Crash ratings are NHTSA's own 5-Star Safety Ratings results.