2012 Toyota Highlander: raw data

Every record we hold for this vehicle, as plain tables, with nothing added. The consumer page shows the same records with the maintenance schedule, price ranges and nearby shops around them.

vehicle	2012 / toyota / highlander
known issues	6 clusters (reviewed 2026-09-09)
complaints	191 on file (2012-02-16 → 2026-08-21)
recalls	2
investigations	2
fars	58 occupant deaths, crash years 2010-2024 (legacy-code)
indexed	yes
license	CC BY 4.0 (derived)

Known Issues clusters all years →

Intermediate steering shaft clunking or popping noiseSTEERING43 complaints2013-06 → 2021-06highlander-2012-steering-shaft-noise

11398404 WHEN I DRIVE THE VEHICLE YOU CAN HEAR A CLUNKING SOUND IN THE STEERING COLUMN. IT HAPPENS AT LOW AND HIGH SPEEDS. WHEN MAKE A TURN RIGHT, OR LEFT YOU HEAR CLUNKING IS THE STEERING COLUMN
11343172 STEERING SHAFT CLUNKING NOISE WHEN TURN LEFT OR RIGHT AT LOW SPEED. CONFIRMED STEERING INTERMEDIATE SHAFT FAILURE BY IRA TOYOTA TECHNICIAN ON 7/31/2020 . THIS IS 3RD TIMES FAILURE. 1ST FAILURE WAS JAN/2012 AND 2ND TIME FAILURE WAS 11/2013
11281114 TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER. WHEN THE CONTACT ATTEMPTED TO TURN THE VEHICLE TO THE LEFT OR RIGHT, THE STEERING WHEEL SEIZED

Power door lock actuator failure preventing lockingELECTRICAL SYSTEM15 complaints2015-01 → 2020-10highlander-2012-door-lock-actuator

11302931 MY 2012 HIGHLANDER CURRENTLY HAS 110,000 MILES ON THE VEHICLE. AT THIS TIME NONE OF THE POWER DOORS LOCKS WORK WHEN THE KEY FOB OR DOOR BUTTON IS DEPRESSED. IT HAS BEEN CONFIRMED BY MY LOCAL TOYOTA DEALERSHIP, THAT ALL FOUR LOCK ACTUATORS ARE FAULTY
10950440 THE DOOR LOCKS ON MY 2012 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER STOPPED WORKING. WITH ONLY 51K ON THE CAR, ALL 4 DOORS WONT CLOSE WITH THE KEY FOB, OR ON THE DOOR. THEY OPEN BUT DONT CLOSE, I HAVE TO MANUALLY CLOSE EACH DOOR LOCK EVERY TIME I WANT THE DOORS LOCKED
11210570 THE POWER DOOR LOCK ACTUATOR WENT OUT ON THE REAR PASSENGER DOOR IF MY 2012 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER. I ONLY NOTICED THE FAILURE BY CHANCE

Power liftgate fails to close, latch, or stay attachedSTRUCTURE8 complaints2014-06 → 2018-02highlander-2012-power-liftgate-failure

10874467 POWER LIFTGATE ON 2012 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER FAILS TO FULL CLOSE AND LATCH. 4 YEARS OLD NOW, PROBLEM BEGAN 2 YEARS AGO AT 12,000 MILES, AND NOW 1 YEAR PAST 3/36 WARRANTY AND 47,000 MILES
11025461 REAR LIFT GATE OPENED AS I WAS DRIVING DOWN THE HIGHWAY. DANGEROUS. NOW THE DOOR DOES NOT WORK AS IT IS SUPPOSED TO
10604746 I OPENED THE POWER REAR DOOR BY DEPRESSING THE SWITCH NEXT TO THE STEERING WHEEL AND THE DOOR BEGAN TO OPEN, MADE A CLUNKING NOISE, AND CLOSED ITSELF

Sun visor detaching or failing to stay in positionVISIBILITY/WIPER6 complaints2013-11 → 2017-03highlander-2012-sun-visor-failure

10966152 THE SUN VISORS ARE BOTH BROKEN AND ARE A SAFETY HAZARD. THE DRIVERS VISOR HAS BEEN DEFECTIVE FOR TIME. THE PASSENGER VISOR JUST BROKE RECENTLY
10715302 MY PASSENGER SIDE SUN VISOR BROKE INTERNALLY AND THE INTERNAL SPRING FORCED IT TO POINT STRAIGHT DOWN. IT BLOCKED THE DRIVER'S VIEW OF VEHICLES APPROACHING FROM A SIDE STREET ON THE RIGHT
10701692 SUN VISOR, DRIVER'S SIDE: HANGS DOWN AT APPROXIMATELY 45 DEGREE ANGLE TOWARD DRIVER IN THE STOWED POSITION AND BUMPS HEAD ON THE BOTTOM EDGE WHEN EXITING OR LEANING FORWARD

Sudden unintended acceleration at low speed or while parkingVEHICLE SPEED CONTROL7 complaints2012-02 → 2022-05highlander-2012-unintended-acceleration

10495051 TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE ENTERING THE DRIVEWAY, THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY ACCELERATED AND CRASHED INTO THE HOUSE
10470867 TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE ATTEMPTING TO PARK WITH THE BRAKE PEDAL DEPRESSED, THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY ACCELERATED AND WENT OVER THE CURB
11163347 WHILE ENTERING A PARKING SPOT WITH FOOT FIRMLY ON THE BRAKE THE VEHICLE EXPERIENCED SUDDEN AND UNANTICIPATED ACCELERATION RESULTING IN THE CAR CRASHING INTO A CONCRETE WALL AND BEING TOTALED

Excessive oil consumptionENGINE6 complaints2018-11 → 2023-08highlander-2012-excessive-oil-consumption

11307417 CAR HAS OVER 117,000 MILES AND IS EXCESSIVELY CONSUMING OIL. THERE IS NO SIGN OF LEAKS ANYWHERE. I DO NOT GET ANY WARNING ANYWHERE ABOUT LOW OIL, ALL I SEE IS A SMALL MESSAGE THAT SOMETIMES BLINKS INDICATING 'OIL PRESSURE'
11196195 WITH 1000 MILES LEFT ON AN OIL CHANGE OR SO OUR CAR WOULD RANDOMLY STALL WHEN YOU MAKE CERTAIN TURNS. OCCAISIOANLLY THE OIL LIGHT WOULD POP ONE WHEN IT WOULD STALL
11524742 Around 112,500 miles our vehicle's oil pressure light came on. My husband drove it home, and our mechanic told us to tow it to his shop for inspection

NHTSA complaints (summary) all years →

count	earliest_date	latest_date	crash_flagged	fire_flagged	top_components
191	2012-02-16	2026-08-21	16	3	STEERING:47; ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:30; UNKNOWN OR OTHER:24; STRUCTURE:22; ENGINE:17

Recalls all years →

campaign_number	report_received_date	component	summary	consequence	remedy
13V014000	16/01/2013	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.	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.	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.
13V123000	09/04/2013	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."	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.	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.

Investigations all years →

action_number	status	subject	components	opened	closed	recall_campaign	summary
EA18006	closed	Steering Column Separation	STEERING:COLUMN	2018-11-16	2024-04-02	·	On November 16, 2018, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened an Engineering Analysis (EA18-006) as an upgrade to a Preliminary Evaluation (PE18-005). The investigation focused on allegations of steering wheel separation from the lower steering column after using the tilt and/or telescoping mechanism. Given the separation occurring when operating the tilt and/or telescoping function and failure of both shear capsules to maintain the lower steering column mounting position, potential for shear capsule damage in the known failures due to collisions, the overall low rate of occurrence,
PE18005	closed	Upper Steering Column Separation	STEERING:COLUMN	2018-05-04	2018-11-20	·	On May 4, 2018, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened Preliminary Evaluation PE18-005 to investigate three allegations of steering column separation for Model Year (MY) 2008 through 2013 Toyota Highlander vehicles. Two (2) of the 3 complaints were received by ODI in April 2018 and occurred while the vehicle was in motion. Since opening PE18-005, one (1) additional VOQ involving steering column separation has been received. This incident occurred while the vehicle was stationary.As part of PE18-005, ODI examined the field data, warranty data, and relevant technical information submit

FARS occupant deaths all years →

crash_years	occupant_deaths	match_type	vpic_recovered
2010-2024	58	legacy-code	0

FARS counts every occupant death in a fatal crash, whatever the cause — it does not mean the vehicle was at fault or defective. Counts are not adjusted for how many of each vehicle are on the road.

Cite this

Derived data is CC BY 4.0. Link back to the page you used. Text and BibTeX below.

Wrench.Pro (2026). 2012 Toyota Highlander vehicle data [dataset]. https://www.wrench.pro/data/vehicles/2012/toyota/highlander

@misc{wrenchpro_2012_toyota_highlander_2026,
  author = {Wrench.Pro},
  title = {Wrench.Pro vehicle data: 2012 Toyota Highlander},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {\url{https://www.wrench.pro/data/vehicles/2012/toyota/highlander}},
  note = {Derived from NHTSA public records. CC BY 4.0.}
}

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