Is your car affected?
Check by VIN to confirm the
exact model and see every recall for it.
Recalls are issued for a make, model and model year. Whether the repair has already been done on one specific car is known only to its manufacturer and dealers. Check your vehicle's official status at nhtsa.gov/recalls or with a dealer.
US recalls (2)
Latches/locks/linkages: doors, latch
CERTAIN SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES HAVE A CHILD PROTECTION LOCK (CPL) SYSTEM ON BOTH OF THE REAR SIDE DOORS. WHEN AN OPERATOR OF THE VEHICLE CLOSES THE DOOR VERY HARD WITH THE CPL LEVER SET TO THE LOCK POSITION, THERE IS A POSSIBILITY THAT THE LEVER MAY CONTACT THE BODY PANEL, CAUSING THE CPL LEVER TO MOVE INTO THE UNLOCK POSITION.
Risk and remedy
Risk: THIS CONDITION COULD ALLOW THE DOOR TO BE OPENED WITH THE INSIDE WHILE THE OPERATOR BELIEVES THAT THE CPL WAS ACTIVATED. IF THE DOOR WERE OPENED FROM THE INSIDE WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS IN MOTION, AN OCCUPANT COULD FALL OUT AND BE INJURED.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL SHORTEN THE CPL LEVER. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN MAY 7, 2004. OWNERS SHOULD CONTACT TOYOTA AT 1-800-331-4331.
Wheels
ON CERTAIN SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH FIVE FACTORY ALLOY WHEELS (MODEL 6934 AND 6936), WITH FACTORY LLAT, AND WITH PORT INSTALLED WR4, FOUR ALLOY WHEEL UPGRADE PROCESSED AT THE JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA PORT AND DISTRIBUTED BY SOUTHEAST TOYOTA DISTRIBUTORS IN THE STATES OF ALABAMA, FLORIDA, GEORGIA, NORTH AND SOUTH CAROLINA, WHEN THE VEHICLES WERE PROCESSED AT THE PORT, AN ALLOY TIRE/WHEEL UPGRADE WAS INSTALLED. THE UPGRADE INCLUDED 4 ALLOY WHEELS. THE ORIGINAL SPARE TIRE/ALLOY WHEEL WAS NOT CHANGED. THE SPARE TIRE REQUIRES THE USE OF A DIFFERENT STYLE OF WHEEL NUT TO ATTACH IT TO THE VEHICLE.
Risk and remedy
Risk: IF THE SPARE TIRE/WHEEL IS INSTALLED ON THE VEHICLE USING THE WHEEL NUTS PROVIDED FOR THE UPGRADE ALLOY WHEEL, DAMAGE TO THE WHEEL COULD RESULT AND COULD EVENTUALLY LEAD TO A LOOSE WHEEL.
Remedy: OWNERS WILL BE PROVIDED WITH DIFFERENT STYLE LUG NUTS, A WARNING LABEL FOR THE SPARE RE/ALLOY WHEEL, AND AN OWNER'S MANUAL ADDENDUM.
Canadian recalls (1)
Show 1 Canadian recall
Other
2004-04-07 · campaign 2004-127
On certain vehicles, if the rear side doors are closed very hard with the Child Protection Lock (CPL) lever in the lock position, there is a possibility that the lock lever may contact the body panel due to insufficient clearance, causing the CPL lever to move into the unlock position. This condition could allow the doors to be opened with the inside door handles while the operator believes that the child protection lock was activated. Correction: Dealer will shorten the CPL levers.
Owner complaints (258)
Owners filed 258 complaints with NHTSA about the 2003 Toyota Highlander (33 crashes, 1 fires, 11 injuries reported). Among 28 model years of this model, it ranks #11 for the most complaints (median 207).
| Most-reported problem | Complaints | |
|---|
| Engine and engine cooling | 46 | |
| Engine | 41 | |
| Visibility | 31 | |
| Vehicle speed control | 28 | |
| Service brakes, hydraulic | 22 | |
| Structure | 18 | |
| Electrical system | 15 | |
| Exterior lighting | 15 | |
Crash test ratings
NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings for the 2003 Toyota Highlander.
| Version | Overall | Frontal | Side | Rollover |
|---|
| 2003 Toyota Highlander 4-DR. | – | – | – | 3★ |
Fuel economy
EPA ratings for each 2003 Toyota Highlander version.
| Version | City MPG | Highway MPG | Combined | Yearly fuel cost |
|---|
| Highlander 2WD 2.4 L Automatic 4-spd | 19 | 25 | 22 | $3,050 |
| Highlander 2WD 3.0 L Automatic 4-spd | 17 | 21 | 18 | $3,700 |
| Highlander 4WD 2.4 L Automatic 4-spd | 17 | 22 | 19 | $3,550 |
| Highlander 4WD 3.0 L Automatic 4-spd | 16 | 21 | 18 | $3,700 |
Need this data in your app?
Recalls, complaints, crash ratings and fuel economy as a JSON API. Decode up to 50 VINs per call and get a daily feed of new recalls.
Explore the API →Sources: NHTSA recalls, complaints and 5-Star Safety Ratings, US EPA fuel economy and Transport
Canada's Vehicle Recalls Database (contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada).
Recalls updated 2026-10-30.