2021 Toyota Highlander problems and complaints
Owners have filed 538 complaints with NHTSA about the 2021 Toyota Highlander. The most-reported areas: Power Train (232), Service Brakes (68), Unknown Or Other (67).
Key takeaways
- 538 owner complaints on file with NHTSA.
- 17 involve a crash, 4 a fire, 19 reported injuries.
- Complaints are unverified owner reports; recalls are confirmed defects.
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Power Train | 232 | 43% |
| Service Brakes | 68 | 13% |
| Unknown Or Other | 67 | 12% |
| Structure | 52 | 10% |
| Engine | 47 | 9% |
| Air Bags | 42 | 8% |
| Fuel/Propulsion System | 31 | 6% |
| Electrical System | 28 | 5% |
| Forward Collision Avoidance | 12 | 2% |
| Visibility/Wiper | 10 | 2% |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 9 | 2% |
| Steering | 9 | 2% |
One complaint can name several components, so shares add up to more than 100%.
Parts for the 2021 Toyota Highlander
GarageDex's verified specs for this car. Each Buy button searches Amazon for that exact part.
- Battery
- Engine oil
- Oil filter
- Engine air filter
- Cabin air filter
- Wiper blades
- Headlight bulb
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| Version | Overall | Front | Side | Rollover |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 Toyota HIGHLANDER SUV AWD | 5/5 | 4/5 | 5/5 | 4/5 |
| 2021 Toyota HIGHLANDER SUV FWD | 5/5 | 4/5 | 5/5 | 4/5 |
Latest complaints, as filed
Owner-written and unverified by NHTSA.
Power Train - filed 2026-11-05
The transmission started whistling around 66k miles. It was diagnosed by 3 different dealerships, including Toyota, as a transmission failure. It was diagnosed as a known issue with this year Highlander, with no fix on the market. I am having to pay $10k out of pocket because this is out of warranty by 6k miles. Hi...
Power Train - filed 2026-11-04
I purchased my 2021 Toyota Highlander AWD brand new in March 2021. In May 2026, at approximately 120,000 miles, I began hearing a high-pitched whining noise coming from the transmission. The noise became louder as I accelerated. Toyota disregarded the noise and advise that it was normal due to the mileage of the vehic...
Power Train - filed 2026-11-04
**Component:** The 8-speed automatic transmission (Aisin UA80F, AWD) failed internally. A Toyota dealer test-drove the vehicle on 10/09/2026 and verified the noise comes from transmission internals. The repair order states: "Internal transmission failure causing whining noise while driving/accelerating." **Safety risk...
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More for the 2021 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.