Your vehicle report
2002 Toyota Highlander
The problems owners report. The recalls to check. The evidence behind each.
Your vehicle at a glance
Complaint patterns and official recall records, kept distinct.
- Owner complaints
- 301
- Received Jan 2002 to Feb 2020
Owner reports
Most reported problems
- 1Driver sun visor will not stay up132 complaints · 44% of this vehicle’s complaints
- 2Unintended acceleration despite braking19 complaints · 6.3% of this vehicle’s complaints
- 3Brake lights fail or stay on10 complaints · 3.3% of this vehicle’s complaints
Official NHTSA records
Recalls to check
- Recall #04V181000Certain 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.
- Recall #02V208000On sport utility vehicles, there is a breather hose that attaches to the nozzle of the on-board refueling vapor recovery (orvr) valve, which is located on the topside of the fuel tank. The breather hose is attached with a clamp, whose "tabs" face in the upward direction. When the vehicle was crashed under the new car assessment program (ncap) test (i.e., 35 mph frontal barrier crash), the clamp "tabs" contacted the underside of the body due to movement of the fuel tank, causing the nozzle to break.
BrakeNews signals
Flagged complaint patterns
Unusual complaint patterns with no matched recall yet. A flag does not mean a recall will happen.
No problems currently meet BrakeNews’s flagging criteria. This is not a safety rating.
How flags are identifiedComplaint counts reflect reports submitted to NHTSA, not failure rates or a reliability ranking. Reported in these complaints: 24 crashes, 6 fires, 25 people injured, 4 deaths.
Explore by system
Where do owners report problems?
Choose an area on the car or a system below to explore the reported problems.
Illustrative only; not this vehicle’s exact design. Areas represent complaint categories, not confirmed defective parts.
Showing all 17 listed problems by system.
Engine & powertrain
Brakes
Electrical & lights
Airbags, belts & seats
Steering, suspension & tires
Body, doors & glass
- Driver sun visor will not stay up
- Glass shatters or cracks without impact
- Power window regulator fails and window drops
1 more problem
Driver assistance
No problems in this category meet this page’s listing criteria. This does not establish that the system is free of problems.
Other
Complaint history
When NHTSA received these reports. Changes in reporting alone do not establish a change in failure rates.
Show as a table
| Year | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 2002 | 16 |
| 2003 | 14 |
| 2004 | 16 |
| 2005 | 8 |
| 2006 | 27 |
| 2007 | 32 |
| 2008 | 23 |
| 2009 | 24 |
| 2010 | 59 |
| 2011 | 21 |
| 2012 | 15 |
| 2013 | 17 |
| 2014 | 11 |
| 2015 | 5 |
| 2016 | 6 |
| 2017 | 4 |
| 2018 | 1 |
| 2019 | 1 |
| 2020 | 1 |
| 2021 | 0 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 0 |
| 2025 | 0 |
| 2026 (to Oct 2026) | 0 |
| Total | 301 |
Problems owners report
Listed groups have at least 3 complaints. The page includes the 20 largest groups plus any additional flagged groups; some complaints are not assigned to a group.
| Problem | Complaints | Share | Share ratio | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Driver sun visor will not stay up | 132 | 44% | – | |
| Unintended acceleration despite braking | 19 | 6.3% | – | |
| Brake lights fail or stay on | 10 | 3.3% | – | |
| Airbags fail to deploy in crashes | 9 | 3.0% | – | |
| Air conditioner blows hot air or fails | 9 | 3.0% | – | |
| Head gasket leaks coolant into engine | 7 | 2.3% | – | |
| Airbag warning light stays on | 6 | 2.0% | – | |
| Vehicle catches fire from wiring | 6 | 2.0% | – | |
| Transmission fails or loses power while driving | 6 | 2.0% | – | |
| Tires blow out or tread separates | 5 | 1.7% | – | |
| Engine burns excessive oil between changes | 5 | 1.7% | – | |
| Fuel tank or line leaks gasoline | 4 | 1.3% | – | NHTSA recall #02V208000 |
| Suspension clunking or rattling noise over bumps | 4 | 1.3% | – | |
| Glass shatters or cracks without impact | 3 | 1.0% | – | |
| Power window regulator fails and window drops | 3 | 1.0% | – | |
| Heater blows cold air, defroster fails | 3 | 1.0% | – | |
| Anti-lock brakes fail or lock up | 3 | 1.0% | – |
AI groups complaints by meaning; the groups are approximate. Share ratio compares the problem’s share of this vehicle’s complaints with its share on other vehicles over the last 24 months (shown from 3 recent complaints). A 2× ratio means twice the complaint share, not twice the failure risk. Flags mark unusual shares or recent surges after an AI review of the complaint content. “First signal” does not mean the pattern has persisted continuously.How recall estimates are calculated.
Recalls
NHTSA recall #04V181000April 15, 2004366,572 vehicles affected
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.
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.
NHTSA recall #02V208000July 30, 2002154,593 vehicles affected
fuel system, gasoline: storage: tank assembly: mounting
On sport utility vehicles, there is a breather hose that attaches to the nozzle of the on-board refueling vapor recovery (orvr) valve, which is located on the topside of the fuel tank. The breather hose is attached with a clamp, whose "tabs" face in the upward direction. When the vehicle was crashed under the new car assessment program (ncap) test (i.e., 35 mph frontal barrier crash), the clamp "tabs" contacted the underside of the body due to movement of the fuel tank, causing the nozzle to break.
In the worst case, nozzle breakage could result in fuel leakage if the vehicle rolls-over after a high speed frontal crash.
Remedy
Dealers will rotate the specified clamp. Owner notification began september 23, 2002. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact Toyota at 1-800-331-4331.
Other model years
About this data
NHTSA complaints and recalls through October 2026. Complaints are counted once each, however many components they name. Original complaints are on NHTSA's page for the 2002 Toyota Highlander.
Problem groups are formed by AI and may be approximate. BrakeNews flags unusual complaint patterns; they are not official defect findings. Investigation reports are written and checked by AI, with no human review. Owner reports do not establish that a defect exists.
Read the methodology and track record · Check current recalls by VIN