Representative model. Photo: IFCAR, Wikimedia Commons, Public domain

Recalls & complaints · NHTSA data

2011 Toyota Highlander recalls

Every recall campaign and owner complaint NHTSA has on file for the 2011 model year. Not every vehicle is affected by every campaign: check a specific car by VIN below.

Recall campaigns: 5
Park-it warnings: 0
Complaints: 186
Latest campaign: Jun 2, 2016

Recall summary by component5

NHTSA Recalls API · cached ≤24 h

Component	Campaigns	Latest	Campaign IDs
Seats	2	Jun 2, 2016	16V396000 14V743000
Visibility	1	Oct 22, 2015	15V689000
Equipment	1	Apr 9, 2013	13V123000
Air bags	1	Jan 16, 2013	13V014000

Safety recalls5

NHTSA Recalls API · cached ≤24 h

0Park-it warnings

0Fixable over the air

Jun 2, 2016Latest campaign


Jun 2, 201616V396000	Seats: front assembly seat heater/cooler If damaged, the copper strand heating element may short circuit, increasing the risk of a fire. DetailsHide details for campaign 16V396000 What's wrong 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 2005-2010 Camry, and 1989 and 2009-2010 Corolla vehicles equipped with aftermarket accessory seat heaters with a copper strand heating element. The electrical wiring in the seat heaters may be damaged when the seat cushion is compressed. Risk 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. Filed under Highlander Campaign NHTSA 16V396000 · Jun 2, 2016
Oct 22, 201515V689000	Visibility: power window devices and controls 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… DetailsHide details for campaign 15V689000 What's wrong 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. During the manufacturing of the Power Window Master Switch (PWMS), grease lubricant may have been inconsistently applied to the sliding electrical contacts. Risk 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 number for this recall is C0M. Filed under Highlander, Highlander Hybrid Campaign NHTSA 15V689000 · Oct 22, 2015
Nov 19, 201414V743000	Seats: front assembly seat heater/cooler 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. DetailsHide details for campaign 14V743000 What's wrong 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 experience compression of the seat cushion which may damage the seat heater wiring. Risk 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. Filed under Highlander Campaign NHTSA 14V743000 · Nov 19, 2014
Apr 9, 201313V123000	Equipment: other labels An inaccurate label could lead to owners overloading their vehicles and tires. DetailsHide details for campaign 13V123000 What's wrong 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, 2010-2011 Toyota 4Runner, 2010-2013 Toyota Tacoma, 2011-2012 Toyota Sienna, 2012 Toyota Prius, 2013 Scion FR-S, 2011 Scion XD, 2011 Scion XB, and 2012 Scion TC vehicles. These vehicles were sold with labels that were outside the allowable one percent of accuracy of actual weight added. Thus, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) Number 110, "Tire Selection and Rims." Risk 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. Filed under Highlander Campaign NHTSA 13V123000 · Apr 9, 2013
Jan 16, 201313V014000	Air bags: frontal sensor/control module-inactive 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… DetailsHide details for campaign 13V014000 What's wrong 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, Sienna and Tundra; model year 2009-2013 Highlander and Venza; model year 2012 Prius V; and model year 2010-2012 Sequoia. During modification by SET to include accessories such as leather seat covers, seat heaters or headrest DVD systems, these vehicles may not have had the passenger seat occupant sensing system calibration tested. Without passing the calibration test, the occupant sensing system may not operate as designed. Risk 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. Filed under Highlander Campaign NHTSA 13V014000 · Jan 16, 2013

Merged from NHTSA model names: Highlander, Highlander Hybrid. Not every vehicle of a model year is affected by every campaign.

To see whether a recall is still open on your car, enter the VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls or the Toyota recall lookup. Recall repairs are free at a franchised dealer (federal law; see limits).

Owner complaints by component186

NHTSA Complaints API · cached ≤24 h

186Complaints filed

14Involving a crash

0Involving a fire

8Injuries reported

Component	Complaints	%	Crashes	Injuries
Steering	34	18	0	0
Structure	27	15	0	1
Visibility/wiper	25	13	0	0
Electrical system	23	12	0	0
Engine	18	10	0	0
Service brakes	18	10	3	1
Power train	16	9	0	0
Unknown or other	15	8	0	0
Vehicle speed control	14	8	5	0
Visibility	10	5	0	0
Air bags	8	4	5	6
Engine and engine cooling	5	3	0	0
Exterior lighting	5	3	1	0
Seat belts	4	2	2	2
Tires	3	2	0	0

9 more components with fewer complaints not shown. An owner can tag several components, so percentages add up to more than 100. Complaints are unverified owner reports, de-duplicated by NHTSA ODI number, merged from NHTSA model names Highlander, Highlander HV.

Latest reports

Electrical system
“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.”
Filed 06/04/2026 · ODI 11742114
Power train
“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).”
Filed 11/26/2025 · ODI 11701620
Air bags
“Steering wheel air bag did not deploy in front end MVA”
Filed 10/11/2024 · ODI 11619420

Other Toyota Highlander model years

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2011 Toyota Highlander recall questions

How many recalls does the 2011 Toyota Highlander have?

NHTSA lists 5 safety recall campaigns for the 2011 Toyota Highlander. The most recent, 16V396000 (reported June 2, 2016), concerns seats. Not every vehicle is covered by every campaign; check a specific car by VIN.

What are the 2011 Toyota Highlander recalls for?

The largest group is seats, with 2 campaigns. Others: visibility (1), equipment (1), air bags (1). Each campaign below lists the defect, the risk and the free remedy.

What is the most common complaint about the 2011 Toyota Highlander?

Steering is the most-reported component, named in 34 complaints out of 186 filed with NHTSA (18%). Across all complaints, owners reported 14 crashs and 0 fires. Complaints are unverified owner reports.

How do I check if a recall is open on my 2011 Toyota Highlander?

Enter the 17-character VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls or the Toyota recall lookup. That shows campaigns still unrepaired on that exact car. Safety recall repairs are free at a franchised Toyota dealer.

Check a specific Toyota by VIN

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