2016 Toyota Highlander problems owners report most
2016 Toyota Highlander problems are documented in public: owners have filed 117 complaints with NHTSA, the earliest in 2015 and the most recent in 2026. Sorting those by the component the filer named puts the something the filer did not categorise clearly first, at 22 of the 117 complaints, about a fifth of everything filed.
A complaint is not a repair bill and not a defect finding. It is one owner telling the regulator something went wrong. What makes the count useful is the concentration: when one component takes 19 per cent of everything filed on a car, the pattern is doing more than chance.
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 22 | 19% |
| SERVICE BRAKES | 22 | 19% |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 14 | 12% |
| AIR BAGS | 10 | 9% |
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING | 9 | 8% |
| ENGINE | 9 | 8% |
Of those complaints, 14 describe a crash and 1 describes a fire. Filers reported 12 injuries.
Recalls on the 2016 Toyota Highlander
A recall means the manufacturer or the regulator found a safety defect, and the repair is free at a franchised dealer however old the car is. There are 3 recalls on this model year. Your own car may be covered by some, all or none of them, so check the VIN rather than the model.
Fujian Wanda Automobile Glass Industry (Wanda) is recalling certain aftermarket Replacement Windshields sold for use in 2014-2018 Toyota Highlander vehicles. The windshields have an attached wire harness that water may leak into, possibly causing damage to the vehicle's Engine Control Module (ECM).
The risk. The ECM damage may result in the engine stalling, increasing the risk of a crash.
The fix. Wanda will notify owners, and service centers will replace the windshields, and inspect the ECM for damage, having it replaced, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began January 29, 2019. Owners may contact Wanda customer service at 1-864-281-2760.
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain model year 2016 Highlander vehicles manufactured May 26, 2016, to September 16, 2016. The brake fluid level sensor may not be connected to the wire harness, preventing the sensor from detecting the brake fluid level. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 135, "Light Vehicle Brake Systems."
The risk. If the brake fluid level is low and is not detected, the braking performance may be decreased, increasing the risk of a crash.
The fix. Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and, as necessary, connect the wire harness to the sensor, free of charge. The recall began November 14, 2016. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's number for this G03.
Southeast Toyota Distributors, LLC (SET) is recalling certain model year 2016 Toyota Camry and Highlander, 2015-2016 Toyota Tundra, Scion FR-S, and tC vehicles. The Load Carrying Capacity Modification Label may not reflect the correct added weight of the installed accessories. As a result, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 110, "Tire Selection and Rims for Passenger Cars."
The risk. An incorrect label may lead an owner to overload the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
The fix. SET will notify owners, and provide a corrected label for placement over the inaccurate label, free of charge. The recall began on July 14, 2016. Owners may contact SET customer service at 1-866-405-4226.
In owners own words
These are complaints filed about the something the filer did not categorise, quoted as written. They are one persons account rather than a diagnosis, and they are here because a symptom described by a driver is easier to recognise than a component name.
I was traveling on an interstate going home from work. My speed was approximately 65mph. I noticed traffic slowing up ahead. I began to drop my speed (cost down), as I was approaching the traffic the car in front of me was applying their brakes; I had already began to apply mine. I was applying more pressure to my brakes to slow down more as the person in front of me began to slow more quickly. The person in front of me then had to slam their brakes on and I was not able to stop in time to avoid collision with the car in front of me. That driver did not come in contact with any other vehicle.
WHEN THE CRUISE CONTROL IS ENGAGED AND THE VEHICLE IS ON A DECLINE THE CRUISE CONTROL DOES NOT MAINTAIN THE SET SPEED. I NOTICED THIS SEVERAL TIMES WHILE ON THE INTERSTATE TRAVELING BETWEEN 65-75 MPH. EACH TIME THERE WAS A CAR AHEAD OF ME AND I NARROWLY AVOIDED WHAT COULD HAVE BEEN TRAGIC ACCIDENTS. THE FIRST TIME IT HAPPENED I THOUGHT IT WAS A FLUKE SO I CONTINUED TO USE THE CRUISE CONTROL AS I WOULD NORMALLY DO. AFTER IT HAPPENED AGAIN I DECIDED NOT TO USE THE CRUISE CONTROL AT ALL WHICH WAS VERY FRUSTRATING CONSIDERING THE VEHICLE WAS LESS THAN 2 WEEKS OLD AND I PURCHASED IT JUST FOR LONG
HEADED TO WORK AT 5:35 AM ON WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 15, 2020, AT 55 MPH ON MY DAILY COMMUTE IN MY 2016 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER, WESTBOUND ON I-70 BETWEEN THE CENTRAL PARK AND 270 EXITS, AND MY SUNROOF EXPLODED. 22 DEGREES, CLEAR DAY, MODERATE TRAFFIC WITH STEADY FLOW, NO TURNS OR FREQUENT BRAKING, NO OBJECTS THAT COULD HAVE PLAYED A ROLE IN SITE, AND NO WARNING SIGNS OF WHAT WAS TO COME. SOUND REMINISCENT OF A GUNSHOT OCCURRED, AND AS I LOOKED AROUND I REALIZED THAT SHARDS OF GLASS WERE FALLING ONTO ME FROM MY PANORAMIC SUNROOF. THE FRONT PANEL OF MY SUNROOF IS BLOWN OUTWARD. 67,784 MILES ON THE VEHICLE
Every component, by complaint count
The full breakdown of what owners named when they filed. Components below the top ten are grouped out of this table.
| Component | Complaints | Share of all complaints |
|---|---|---|
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 22 | 19% |
| SERVICE BRAKES | 22 | 19% |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 14 | 12% |
| AIR BAGS | 10 | 9% |
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING | 9 | 8% |
| ENGINE | 9 | 8% |
| STEERING | 7 | 6% |
| TIRES | 7 | 6% |
| VISIBILITY/WIPER | 7 | 6% |
| WHEELS | 5 | 4% |
How other model years compare
The same nameplate across the years we hold. Complaint counts fall naturally for newer cars because fewer of them have been on the road for long, so read the column as a rough signal rather than a ranking. In this set the 2021 Toyota Highlander has drawn the most complaints and the 2016 Toyota Highlander the fewest.
How to use this before you buy or repair
The reports do not gather around one obvious symptom, so read a handful of the complaints above and see which descriptions match what your car is doing.
Buying a used 2016 Highlander
Bring the complaint list to the inspection and ask the mechanic to check the components named most, rather than running a general once over.
If you already own one
Check your VIN for open recalls first. A recall repair costs nothing whatever the age or mileage of the car.
- Check the VIN for open recalls, not the model year.
- Ask the inspecting mechanic about the components named above.
- Get the part number before comparing retailer prices.
- Keep parts and labour as separate lines in any quote.
Where the 2016 Toyota Highlander problem data comes from
Every figure on this page is counted from complaints and recalls published by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, read November 1, 2026. Complaints are filed by owners and are not verified by the agency before publication. We count each complaint once per component it names, so a complaint naming two components appears in both rows.
- NHTSA recalls and complaintsRead November 1, 2026
- NHTSA record for the 2016 Toyota HighlanderRead November 1, 2026
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