KnownCarProblemsHome › Toyota › Highlander › 2020
2020 Toyota Highlander Problems and Recalls
Owners filed 320 complaints with NHTSA about the 2020 Toyota Highlander, most often about the transmission (39% of complaints, typically around 73,000 miles). It is 4th of 26 Highlander model years by number of complaints and has 4 recalls.
Most common 2020 Toyota Highlander problems
Transmission
126 complaints · 39%Half of these problems showed up before 73,000 miles. Parts named most often: driveline, automatic transmission.
The contact owns a 2020 Toyota Highlander. The contact stated while driving at speeds above 20 MPH, there was a loud whining sound coming from the transmission. The vehicle was taken to the local mechanic and the contact was informed that the sound was an indication of transmission failure. The cause of the failure…
The contact owns a 2020 Toyota Highlander. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle made an abnormal sound while failing to shift gear or accelerate. The vehicle was taken to a dealer and was diagnosed with transmission failure. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The…
Other or unspecified
44 complaints · 14%Blind spot monitoring is not working. Took it to dealership thy said it needed re-calibration but it still doesn't see semi trucks. My wife accidentally ran another women off road because she trusted this Toyota system. System is currently still working intermittently.
We were driving in the freeway and suddenly we heard like a "bang" sound, like an explosion. We looked around US and wondered what it was. Then we heard the air from the roof seeping through and we took an exit, it was a shattered sunroof. Since the rain is in the forecast and we were going on a cross country…
Brakes
40 complaints · 13%Half of these problems showed up before 15,500 miles.
I was at a stop sign in my 2020 Highlander waiting to turn left onto a busy road. Upon turning left onto pa state highway 999, the Highlander engine turned off and the steering wheel was "locked" into a left position. This caused the car to continue turning into the opposing left lane resulting in a head-on collision…
The contact owns a 2020 Toyota Highlander. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the brake pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to stop as intended. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to stop, and the vehicle jerked abnormally. No warning lights were illuminated. The…
Air bags
32 complaints · 10%The contact's wife owns a 2020 Toyota Highlander. 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 audible seat belt chime sounded after the front passenger's side seat occupant had buckled the…
The contact owns a 2022 Toyota corolla. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, a passing vehicle suddenly attempted to merge lanes and struck the vehicle on the passenger side door at approximately 45 MPH. No warning lights were illuminated. The contact stated that the air bags did not deploy.…
Body and structure
30 complaints · 9%Half of these problems showed up before 21,000 miles. Parts named most often: body, frame and members.
The contact's wife owns a 2020 Toyota Highlander. The contact stated while the vehicle was parked, his wife noticed that the front passenger's side carpeting was extremely wet. Upon investigating the failure, both the contact and his wife noticed that the carpeting underneath was extremely soaked. The contact stated…
The contact owns a 2020 Toyota Highlander. The contact stated while driving approximately 50 mhp, the contact's husband became aware that there was unknown part had loosened on the front of the vehicle. The contact pulled over to the side of the road and upon inspecting the vehicle, the contact became aware that the…
Fuel system
20 complaints · 6%Half of these problems showed up before 5,000 miles.
When re-fueling the vehicle with dte of less than 30 miles, the fuel shuts off around 12 gal. 2nd click for fuel stoppage may yield another 0.5 gal. Nothing adds up to 17.1 gal of fuel in the tank. Going beyond the 1st click is bad for the system, yet only fills the car up to 7/8 full on the fuel gauge.
2020 Toyota Highlander hybrid AWD. When filling from almost empty (per low fuel warning light and distance to empty reading almost 0), tank only accepts ~12.5 gallons before gas station fuel nozzle auto clicks off. The fuel gage at this point indicates that the vehicle is ~7/8 filled. The owners manual warns about not…
Electrical
18 complaints · 6%Half of these problems showed up before 11,000 miles. Parts named most often: instrument panel, starter assembly.
The contact owns a 2020 Toyota Highlander. The contact stated that upon turning off the vehicle and locking the vehicle with the key fob, the doors were intermittently unlocked upon returning to the vehicle. The contact stated that over the years, the failure had become more frequent, but had become constant. The…
Blind spot monitoring is not working. Took it to dealership thy said it needed re-calibration but it still doesn't see semi trucks. My wife accidentally ran another women off road because she trusted this Toyota system. System is currently still working intermittently.
Engine
17 complaints · 5%Half of these problems showed up before 8,000 miles.
We recently purchased our Highlander and it has a little over 4,000 miles. Today while driving down the road at about 45 MPH, the car just lost power and the check engine light came on. 1. Check engine - reduced engine power 2. Secondary collision brake system malfunction we had to park and wait for the Toyota…
Driving 50 miles/ hour vehcle started loosing power and started to shake. Engine light came on and two different messages in dashboard pop out. One about hybrid malfunction and the other output power reduced.
Complaints are owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects. One complaint can name several components, so shares add up to more than 100%.
2020 Toyota Highlander recalls
Air bags: occupant classification
Risk: An air bag that does not deploy during a crash increases the risk of injury.
Fix: 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 customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's number for this recall is 23tb15/23ta15 lexus 23lb03/23la03.
Full defect summary
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 in the occupant classification system (ocs) sensor, preventing the front passenger air bag from deploying.
Body and structure: bumpers
Risk: A detached front bumper cover can become a road hazard, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: 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.
Full defect summary
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.
Seats
Risk: Improper deployment of the seat-mounted side air bag increases the risk of injury in the event of a crash.
Fix: 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.
Full defect summary
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.
Engine
Risk: Improper fuel supply programming can result in a vehicle stall, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: 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.
Full defect summary
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.
Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer. Enter your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which recalls are still open on your car.
Questions about the 2020 Toyota Highlander
- What are the most common problems with the 2020 Toyota Highlander?
- By NHTSA owner complaints: transmission (126 complaints, typically around 73,000 miles); other or unspecified (44 complaints); brakes (40 complaints, typically around 15,500 miles).
- How many recalls does the 2020 Toyota Highlander have?
- 4 recalls listed by NHTSA, the latest from December 20, 2023 (air bags). Check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which ones are still open on your car.
- Is the 2020 a bad year for the Toyota Highlander?
- It is 4th of 26 Highlander model years by number of complaints, with 320 complaints. Complaint counts are not adjusted for how many cars were sold, so popular years collect more of them, and the newest years have had less time to.