UsedScore

2013 Toyota Highlander: Use caution

Owners filed 109 complaints with NHTSA about the 2013 Toyota Highlander in its first five years on the road, about 87 for every 100,000 sold: 1.3× the rate of a typical Highlander year. That's above average, so use caution.

The biggest problem area, counting serious complaints more, is speed control (27% of complaints, median 7,000 miles).

Complaint index
1.3×
per vehicle sold, vs. a typical Highlander year
Rank
12th of 14
1st = fewest complaints
Complaints
109
first five years; 87 per 100,000 sold
Recalls
3
campaigns
2nd generation, 2008–2013 · Updated September 24, 2026 · How we rate
2011–2013 Toyota Highlander

Photo: 2011–2013 Toyota Highlander · MercurySable99, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Problem areas

Ranked by severity-weighted complaints · share · median miles
  1. Speed control27% · 29 complaints · median 7,000 miles
  2. Air bags9% · 10 complaints · median 17,000 miles
  3. Brakes10% · 11 complaints · median 12,000 miles
  4. Engine20% · 22 complaints · median 3,000 miles
  5. Body and structure10% · 11 complaints · median 30,000 miles
  6. Fuel and propulsion11% · 12 complaints · median 10,000 miles
  7. Steering9% · 10 complaints · median 31,000 miles
  8. Powertrain7% · 8 complaints · median 10,000 miles
  9. Electrical13% · 14 complaints · median 23,000 miles
  10. Suspension1% · 1 complaints

Bars rank problem areas by complaints weighted for severity (crashes, fires, injuries and deaths count more). A complaint can name more than one area. Mileage is reported on about half of complaints.

What owners describe

Air bags

Owners report their Highlander's air bags did not deploy during collisions, including T-bone and frontal crashes, while others describe air bags deploying on their own with no impact. Some also mention persistent dashboard warnings about the air bag system that dealers struggled to fix.

Warning signs:
Some owners noticed a "check SRS air bag system" or airbag-off warning light before the failure, while others report no warning at all.
What shops did:
Dealers sometimes recalibrated or reset the sensor, but the warning often returned, and in several cases dealers or Toyota could not diagnose or repair the problem.
Mileage:
most between 15,000 and 100,000 miles, among 13 complaints that give it

“Driver side airbags (curtain and left seat) spontaneously deployed while I was parking the car. I did not hit anything.”

“The passenger side front airbag sensor has failed on 4 occasions. The dealership has claimed that the airbag system is fine, but it needs to be recalibrated each time.”

Brakes

Owners describe sudden brake failures or malfunctions, sometimes with the car lurching forward instead of stopping, often paired with dashboard warnings. Some resolved the issue with part replacements, but others say shops could not find a cause.

Warning signs:
Owners report warning messages like "brake malfunction," ABS/traction lights, loud knocking noises, heavy or unresponsive pedal feel, and pulsating or squeaking before failures.
What shops did:
Some owners had the brake actuator, brake booster, or ABS module replaced, while others said dealers or mechanics could not duplicate or find the problem.
Mileage:
most between 10,000 and 50,000 miles, among 17 complaints that give it

“Brake malfunction, check ABS was reading on the information screen”

“the ABS light and check engine light came on with a code of C1391 - Abnormal leak in Accumulator”

Speed control

Owners describe a Highlander that sometimes hesitates for a few seconds when accelerating from a stop or low speed, and in other cases suddenly lunges forward or backward on its own. Dealers frequently couldn't reproduce or fix either issue, leaving many owners uncertain when it might happen again.

Warning signs:
Many report a pause of a few seconds with no response after pressing the gas, especially from a stop, in turns, or on inclines, sometimes followed by abrupt surging.
What shops did:
Dealers often could not duplicate the hesitation or find diagnostic codes, and in some cases told owners the vehicle was operating as designed; others could not diagnose or repair the sudden acceleration incidents.
Mileage:
most between 0 and 15,000 miles, among 30 complaints that give it

“Press on gas pedal for acceleration and vehicle does not go, hesitates, then does accelerate”

“I stopped at an intersection and when I tried to accelerate there was no response. I thought the engine had died.”

Summaries are written with AI from the owner complaints shown on NHTSA's site and checked against them; quotes are word for word.

Recalls (3)

Check a VIN on NHTSA ›
  • NHTSA 14V148000March 201446,757 vehicles

    Seats

    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: 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.

    Fix: 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.

  • NHTSA 13V123000April 20137,525 vehicles

    Equipment: other: labels

    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.

    Fix: Southeast Toyota will notify owners and provide a corrected label with instructions concerning its installation.

  • NHTSA 13V014000January 20133,235 vehicles

    Seats · Air bags: frontal: sensor/control module-inactive

    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.

    Fix: Southeast Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will test the sensitivity of the occupant detection sensors, and recalibrate them as necessary.

A recall only helps if the repair was done. Enter the vehicle's 17-character VIN on NHTSA's official recall lookup before you buy.

Service bulletins

Toyota sent NHTSA 382 service bulletins and other notices to dealers covering the 2013 Highlander. These are repair instructions, not recalls. Warranty extensions and bulletins about its top problem areas:

  • TSB003220 · August 2023TSB: Replacement certification labels (the vinyl label installed on the driver door or door post) and VIN plates (the metal plate riveted to dashboard) (see Figure 1) for most 1979 ?
  • T-SB-0094-21 Rev · November 2022TSB: Some 2005 ?
  • TTT063620 · March 2022TT: Some Toyota vehicles installed with Toyota Complete Maintenance Care (TCMC) brake pads may exhibit a groan or squeak noise in various driving conditions
  • T-SB-0014-22 · March 2022TSB: This Service Bulletin includes procedures to replace damaged or loose front carpet floor retainer(s) without replacing the carpet assembly.
  • Toyota Safety Re · March 2021Toyota Safety Recall and Service Campaign - Technician Certification Requirements
  • T-TT-0636-20 Rev · March 2021TT: Some Toyota vehicles installed with Toyota Complete Maintenance Care (TCMC) brake pads may exhibit a groan or squeak noise in various driving conditions.
  • T-TT-0636-20 · December 2020TT: Some Toyota vehicles installed with Toyota Complete Maintenance Care (TCMC) brake pads may exhibit a groan or squeak noise in various driving conditions.
  • T-SB-0218-17_Rev · July 2017TSB: REVISION NOTICE July 20, 2017 Rev1: Applicability has been updated to exclude 2007 ?

All 2013 Highlander bulletins on NHTSA ›

Questions owners ask

Is the 2013 Toyota Highlander reliable?
Owners filed 109 complaints with NHTSA about the 2013 Toyota Highlander in its first five years on the road, about 87 for every 100,000 sold: 1.3× the rate of a typical Highlander year. That's above average, so use caution. Ratings compare Highlander years with each other using complaints filed with NHTSA; they don't measure every problem owners have.
What are the most common 2013 Highlander problems?
Owners' complaints most often involve speed control (27%), the air bags (9%) and the brakes (10%). A complaint can name more than one area.
Has the 2013 Toyota Highlander been recalled?
Yes. NHTSA lists 3 recall campaigns for the 2013 Toyota Highlander, the most recent in March 2014 (seats). Enter the vehicle's VIN on NHTSA's recall lookup to see whether the repairs were done.

Sources

Owner complaints, recalls and manufacturer communications from NHTSA's public data files, as of September 24, 2026. Complaints are counted once each, over the model year's first 60 months on the road. UsedScore is not affiliated with NHTSA or Toyota. The 2013 Toyota Highlander on NHTSA.gov · How we rate