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2013 Toyota Highlander recalls, complaints and safety ratings

There are 3 US recalls for the 2013 Toyota Highlander, and 2 in Canada. Owners filed 207 complaints with NHTSA, most often about steering. Its best NHTSA overall crash rating is 4 stars.

3US recalls
0urgent recalls
207owner complaints
4★overall crash rating

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 (3)

Seats

2014-03-27 · campaign 14V148000 · 46,757 vehicles

Toyota is recalling certain model year 2013 Highlander vehicles manufactured March 13, 2013, through August 6, 2013. In the affected vehicles, the second row left hand seat may not lock in place when positioned in the forward front or second adjusting position. As such, the vehicles do not conform to Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 207, "Seating Systems."

Risk and remedy

Risk: If the seat does not lock into the seat track, there may be an increased risk of injury to an occupant in the event of a crash.

Remedy: Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will modify the second row left hand seat so that it will lock into the seat track, free of charge. The recall began on May 21, 2014. Owners may contact Toyota at 1-800-331-4331.

Equipment: other, labels

2013-04-09 · campaign 13V123000 · 7,525 vehicles

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 and remedy

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.

Seats

2013-01-16 · campaign 13V014000 · 3,235 vehicles

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 and remedy

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.

Canadian recalls (2)

Show 2 Canadian recalls

Electrical

2021-11-24 · campaign 2021-723

Issue: This recall is for certain block heater kits installed on certain vehicles or sold as accessories at Toyota or Lexus dealerships. On certain vehicles, the engine block heater cable may not have enough heat protection and could be damaged by high temperatures. If this happens, the cable could short circuit while plugged in, and cause the wiring to overheat or melt. Note: This recall only affects the following block heater/cord part numbers: C014003034 PK5A408J09 PU14000904 C014003151 PK5A408J13 PU14000905 C014000885 PK5A489J11 PU14000907 C014000888 PK5A489J22 PU14000909 C014000907 PK5A410H00 PU14000911 C014100904 PU14000900 PU14000913 C014100907 PU14000901 PU14003571 C014100911 PU14000902 PK5A489J14 PK5A408J05 PU14000903 Safety Risk: Engine block heater wiring that overheats or melts could create the risk of a fire. Corrective Actions: Toyota recommends that you should stop using the engine block heater immediately. Toyota will notify owners by mail and instruct you to take your vehicle to a dealer to disable the engine block heater. For some vehicles, the corrective actions for this recall are under development. For others, a new engine block heater cannot be installed, and the owner will receive a refund of the purchase price of the engine block heater.

Seats and restraints

2014-03-27 · campaign 2014-098

Certain vehicles may fail to comply with the requirements of Canada Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 207 – Anchorage of Seats. The seat track, located on the inboard side of the left second row seat, may not fully lock in the forward first and second adjustment positions. If this were to occur, the seat anchorage could fail to meet the strength requirements of the standard. This could increase the risk of injury in a crash. Correction: Dealers will affect repairs.

Owner complaints (207)

Owners filed 207 complaints with NHTSA about the 2013 Toyota Highlander (26 crashes, 12 injuries reported). Among 28 model years of this model, it ranks #14 for the most complaints (median 207).

Most-reported problemComplaints
Steering46
Engine32
Vehicle speed control31
Electrical system26
Unknown or other23
Structure18
Air bags17
Service brakes16

Crash test ratings

NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings for the 2013 Toyota Highlander.

VersionOverallFrontalSideRollover
2013 Toyota Highlander SUV FWD4★4★5★4★
2013 Toyota Highlander SUV AWD4★4★5★4★

Fuel economy

EPA ratings for each 2013 Toyota Highlander version.

VersionCity MPGHighway MPGCombinedYearly fuel cost
Highlander 2WD 2.7 L Automatic (S6)202522$3,050
Highlander 2WD 3.5 L Automatic (S5)182420$3,350
Highlander 4WD 3.5 L Automatic (S5)172219$3,550
Highlander Hybrid 4WD 3.5 L Automatic (variable gear ratios)282828$2,400
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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.