2020 TOYOTA Highlander

Recalls, Specs & Safety Report

4RecallsNHTSA Verified100ComplaintsNHTSA Data1InvestigationsNHTSA Data
Expert Verdict
ℹ️Average Safety Profile

This 2020 model shows average reliability, primarily driven by 4 recalls affecting the air bags system.

Key Factor:air bags recalls

📋Why This Matters

Understanding recall history helps predict future ownership costs. Each unaddressed issue represents potential repair expenses.

Insurance companies review vehicle reliability data when setting premiums. Models with elevated recall rates often see adjusted pricing.

Focus Area:general reliability
📊

Expert Analysis

The 2020 Highlander analysis highlights key safety metrics.

Critical Component: Noise

Safety & Reliability Score

58/100
Below Average

Score Breakdown

Recall Impact-32
Complaint Impact-5
Investigation Impact-5

Technical Specifications

Key specifications for the 2020 TOYOTA Highlander

Model Year2020
MakeTOYOTA
ModelHighlander
Fuel TypeGasoline
Body ClassPassenger Vehicle

Safety History Timeline

Scroll for more →
Jan20
NEWProduction
Jan20
RECALLRecall Issued
Jan20
RECALLRecall Issued
Jan20
RECALLRecall Issued
Jan20
RECALLRecall Issued
Apr23
INVInvestigation Opened
Dec24
ISSUEFirst Report

Consumer Complaint Analysis

⚠️

Most Reported Issue

35 complaints (35% of total)
➡️

Complaint Trend

Stable
No trend data
✅

Safety Incidents

No critical incidents

Complaint Severity Distribution

Breakdown of 100 consumer complaints by severity level.

🟠High
2(2%)
🟡Medium
11(11%)
🟢Low
87(87%)

Mileage Failure Analysis

⚙️Engineering Insight

Based on consumer reports, issues for this vehicle tend to peak around the 60k-80k mileage range. The average reported failure mileage is 74,543 miles.

📊 Mileage data extracted from 43 of 100 complaints (43% coverage)
0-20k
4 reports (9%)
20k-40k
2 reports (5%)
40k-60k
3 reports (7%)
60k-80k
19 reports (44%)
80k-100k
8 reports (19%)
100k+
7 reports (16%)
* Analysis based on mileage data extracted from consumer complaint descriptions. Actual failure rates may vary.

🛠️ DIY Diagnosis Center

Experiencing an issue? Select a symptom to find official manufacturer solutions (TSBs).

Primary Risk Areas

AIR BAGSFUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINESTRUCTURE

Official Safety Recalls (4)

Campaign: 20V633000

AIR BAGS

Summary

Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2020 Highlander and Highlander hybrid vehicles. Incorrect seat trim covers on one or both of the front seats can prevent the seat-mounted side air bag from deploying properly.

Consequence

Improper deployment of the seat-mounted side air bag increases the risk of injury in the event of a crash.

Remedy

Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the front seats and replace the seat trim covers as necessary, free of charge. The recall began December 11, 2020. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's number for this recall is 20TB14 / 20TA14.

Additional Notes

Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or go to www.safercar.gov.

Manufacturer: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing

Campaign: 20V162000

FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY

Summary

Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2020 Highlander vehicles equipped with a 3.5 L, V6 (2GR-FKS) gasoline engine. Due to an Engine Control Unit (ECU) programming error, fuel may not be correctly supplied to the engine while using the stop and restart feature.

Consequence

Improper fuel supply programming can result in a vehicle stall, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy

Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the ECU, free of charge. The recall began May 15, 2020. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-888-270-9371. Toyota's number for this recall is 20TA06.

Additional Notes

Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or go to www.safercar.gov.

Manufacturer: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing

Campaign: 23V720000

STRUCTURE:BODY:BUMPERS

Summary

Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2020-2023 Highlander & Highlander Hybrid vehicles. During normal vehicle operation, minor impact to the front lower bumper cover may result in the cover coming loose or detaching.

Consequence

A detached front bumper cover can become a road hazard, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy

Dealers will repair or replace the upper and lower front bumper covers as necessary, free of charge. Owner letters were mailed April 22, 2024. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's number for this recall is 23TB12/23TA12.

Additional Notes

Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or go to www.nhtsa.gov.

Manufacturer: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing

Campaign: 23V865000

AIR BAGS:SENSOR:OCCUPANT CLASSIFICATION

Summary

Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2020-2021 Avalon, Avalon Hybrid, Corolla, Highlander, Highlander Hybrid, RAV4, RAV4 Hybrid, Lexus ES350, Lexus RX350, Lexus RX450H, 2021 Sienna Hybrid, Lexus ES250, 2020-2022 Camry, Camry Hybrid, and ES300H vehicles. A short circuit may develop in the Occupant Classification System (OCS) sensor, preventing the front passenger air bag from deploying.

Consequence

An air bag that does not deploy during a crash increases the risk of injury.

Remedy

Dealers will inspect and replace the sensor as necessary, free of charge. Interim letters notifying owners of the safety risk were mailed in February 2024. Some final remedy owner letters were mailed October 31, 2024. Letters will continue to be mailed in phases through January 2026. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's number for this recall is 23TB15/23TA15 Lexus 23LB03/23LA03.

Additional Notes

Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or go to www.nhtsa.gov.

Manufacturer: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing

NHTSA Investigations

1 investigation

Official NHTSA safety investigations for 2020 Highlander.

INV-2020-1000🟢 Closed

NHTSA opened investigation after receiving consumer complaints regarding Highlander performance issues.

Opened: Affected Units: 29,432

Consumer Complaints

100 total complaints

Consumer-reported issues submitted to NHTSA for 2020 Highlander.

Common Reported SymptomsAI Analysis

Noise35%
Acceleration Issues24%
Warning18%
Accident6%
Engine/Powertrain🔵 Low
POWER TRAIN

Transmission stutters. Only has 32000 miles.

Dec 22, 2025Open
Engine/Powertrain🔵 Low
POWER TRAIN

Transmission whines in low gear.

Dec 19, 2025Open
Body/Interior🔵 Low
STRUCTURE

The contact owns a 2020 Toyota Highlander. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V72000 (Structure). The vehicle was taken to the dealer; however, the contact was informed that the recall could not be performed due to a damaged bumper clip. In addition, the contact stated that the vehicle was taken to the dealer several times, however the recall repair was not performed. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was filed. The manufacturer denied performing the recall repair.

Dec 19, 2025Open
Electrical🔵 Low
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,STRUCTURE,SEATS

The rear hatch door will not close or open and just sit there.And dings, you have to manually close it and open it most times and it never fully sucks up and latches fully and it doesnt notify you on the hood display of the car , so when we were driving down the road, we heard loud hissing and road noise coming from the rear and come to find out the rear hatch had never fully closed or latched itself fully.And it hangs up constantly.

Dec 14, 2025Open
Other🔵 Low
UNKNOWN OR OTHER

Lift gate does not close and it just beeps. Needs to be closed manually. Toyota has known this issue for a long time but failed to address. Repairs are costly and reduces my cars value

Dec 13, 2025Open
Engine/Powertrain🔵 Low
POWER TRAIN

Transmission failure. Noticed whining when driving, took to local Toyota dealership and they diagnosed transmission failure. They quoted $12,000 for transmission replacement and confirmed that this is a known issue with certain years/models of Toyota Highlander. Ours is a 2020.

Dec 9, 2025Open
Engine/Powertrain🔶 Medium
POWER TRAIN

The vehicle’s automatic transmission (power train) has developed a loud whining/whirring noise under acceleration. This noise increases with engine load and indicates internal mechanical failure. The transmission is still installed in the vehicle and is available for inspection upon request. This issue poses a safety risk because it causes hesitation and unpredictable acceleration behavior while merging or crossing traffic. There is also concern that the transmission could suddenly fail while driving, resulting in loss of propulsion and potentially causing an accident. The problem has been inspected and confirmed by a Toyota dealership, which advised that the entire transmission needs to be replaced at a cost of over $8,000, despite the vehicle having only approximately 77,000 miles. The vehicle has been inspected by a Toyota manufacturer service center. They identified the transmission failure but stated there are no current recall programs covering this specific VIN. No warning lights or error messages were displayed at any time before or during the failure. The first noticeable symptom was the transmission whining/whirring noise during acceleration, which began around 77,000 miles and continues to worsen.

Dec 4, 2025Open
Engine/Powertrain🔵 Low
POWER TRAIN

TRANSFER CASE MAKING ROTATIONAL BEARING NOISE FLUID HAVE LOTS OF METAL DEBRI

Dec 1, 2025Open
Engine/Powertrain🔵 Low
POWER TRAIN

Road noise was very loud. I thought it was a bearing and I took it to the shop and found out that the 'transfer box' on the side of the transmission had to be replaced. I was told that not replacing it could lead to major transmission failure. This cost $6000. Mechanic said it's unusual. Upon reading the internet I'm learning that I'm not the only one this and similar problems.

Dec 1, 2025Open
Other🔵 Low
UNKNOWN OR OTHER

Lift gate not closing Car gas a whining noise upon acceleration

Nov 30, 2025Open

Frequently Asked Questions

Are there any recalls for the 2020 TOYOTA Highlander?

Yes, the 2020 TOYOTA Highlander has 4 recorded recalls from NHTSA. These recalls cover various components including AIR BAGS, FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY, STRUCTURE:BODY:BUMPERS.

Is the 2020 TOYOTA Highlander safe to drive?

The 2020 TOYOTA Highlander has 4 recalls. If you own this vehicle, check with your dealer to ensure all recall repairs have been completed. Most recalls have free remedies available.

Where can I check if my 2020 TOYOTA Highlander has open recalls?

You can check for open recalls by visiting NHTSA.gov and entering your Vehicle Identification Number (VIN), or by contacting your local TOYOTA dealer.

🎯Risk Areas & Recommended Actions

Based on recall data, these components require verification:

1

Air bags

Issue: increases crash or loss-of-control risk

✅

If you already own this vehicle: Contact your dealer immediately to confirm air bags recalls are complete. Recall repairs are always free.

🔍

If you are evaluating a used example: Request VIN and verify all air bags recalls are completed before purchase.

Campaigns:20V63300023V865000
2

Fuel system, gasoline

Issue: increases crash or loss-of-control risk

✅

If you already own this vehicle: Contact your dealer immediately to confirm fuel system, gasoline recall is complete. Recall repairs are always free.

🔍

If you are evaluating a used example: Request VIN and verify all fuel system, gasoline recalls are completed before purchase.

Campaign:20V162000
3

Structure

Issue: increases crash or loss-of-control risk

✅

If you already own this vehicle: Contact your dealer immediately to confirm structure recall is complete. Recall repairs are always free.

🔍

If you are evaluating a used example: Request VIN and verify all structure recalls are completed before purchase.

Campaign:23V720000
💡Visit NHTSA.gov or contact your TOYOTA dealer to verify recall completion status.

🧭What This Means for You

Families with young passengers, pregnant drivers, or those with frequent highway commutes should prioritize this information.

If you're unsure, we recommend starting with a VIN check or consulting a certified mechanic.

🔑

If You Own This Vehicle

  • Verify all 4 recalls have been completed using your VIN at NHTSA.gov or through your TOYOTA dealer.
  • If any recalls are open, schedule service immediately—recall repairs are always free.
  • Consider setting up VIN-specific alerts to receive notification of future recalls.
🛒

If You're Buying Used

  • Request documentation proving all recalls were addressed before finalizing purchase.
  • Factor potential recall-related service time into your ownership cost estimates.
⚖️

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Data sourced from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Last updated: January 10, 2026.