2013 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	2013 / toyota / highlander
known issues	7 clusters (reviewed 2026-09-10)
complaints	211 on file (2013-06-05 → 2026-09-03)
recalls	3
investigations	2
fars	73 occupant deaths, crash years 2010-2024 (legacy-code)
indexed	yes
license	CC BY 4.0 (derived)

Known Issues clusters all years →

Steering column and intermediate shaft noise or loosenessSTEERING36 complaints2016-02 → 2024-08intermediate-steering-shaft-noise

11607205 Steering column cracks, no help from Dealer. Many complaints on internet. Remedy requires expensive new steering column. Defective spindle type bearing defective. The noise is ongoing. It feels like its going to break. Very scary...ongoing doesn't stop
11423336 The car was purchased in 2015 used and the steering wheel has made a clunking sound when turning a hard sharp left or right since the day of purchase -While on a road trip of approximately 3,000 miles round trip in June 2021 the steering wheel was adjusted to accommodate my
11241450 MY STEERING MAKES A CLUNKING SOUND, WHICH YOU CAN ACTUALLY FEEL IN THE STEERING WHEEL WHEN IT OCCURS, WHEN TURNING EITHER LEFT OR RIGHT. IT IS INCREASING IN OCCURRENCE AND INTENSITY. IT OCCURS AT ANY SPEED. THIS HAS BEEN GOING ON FOR SEVERAL MONTHS

Door lock actuator and liftgate motor failuresELECTRICAL SYSTEM18 complaints2015-08 → 2026-05door-lock-actuator-failures

11205833 OUR 2013 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER HAS HAD 3 OF THE 4 DOOR ACTUATORS FAIL IN A 26 MONTH PERIOD
11083206 EACH OF THE FOUR DOOR LOCK ACTUATORS HAVE MALFUNCTIONED SUCH THAT THE DOOR CANNOT BE UNLOCKED/OPENED FROM EITHER THE INSIDE OR OUTSIDE OF THE CAR. THIS HAS OCCURRED DURING THE PAST 18 MONTHS
11491806 The contact owns a 2013 Toyota Highlander. The contact stated while attempting to close the liftgate, the contact was unable to close the liftgate. The contact had not activated the power assist liftgate motor. The contact used force to close the liftgate

ABS module faults and brake warning lightsSERVICE BRAKES9 complaints2013-11 → 2024-10abs-module-brake-warning-lights

11735574 After a hard braking session because of a car that pulled quickly in front of me the ABS light and check engine light came on with a code of C1391 - Abnormal leak in Accumulator
11619689 Multiple ABS related(ABS, TRACTION, BRAKES) warning lights/messages making driving my Highlander dangerous to me and others. Warning lights appeared 9/30/2024. No symptoms or warning lights appeared prior. Vehicle was then inspected by Toyota of Plano
10808876 WHILE DRIVING UPHILL, THE BRAKES MALFUNCTIONED AND BRAKES (AND THE GAS) WOULDN'T WORK. MY CAR SLID BACKWARDS DOWN THE HILL INTO A STREET WITH AN ONCOMING CAR. BRAKE FUNCTION DID NOT RETURN THE ENTIRE SLIDE DOWN THE HILL (APPROX

Seat frame and locking mechanism failuresSEATS6 complaints2014-06 → 2021-04seat-frame-and-lock-failures

11407734 THE RIGHT MIDDLE SEAT DOES NOT LOCK IN PLACE WHEN IT IS AT THE FURTHEST FRONT POSITION,
11181830 2013 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER. CONSUMER WRITES CONCERNING SAFETY ISSUE REGARDING TO BOTTOM SEAT FRAME/ ADJUSTER ASSEMBLY NOT HOLDING ITS POSITION THAT IT WAS ADJUSTED TO. *AS *TR
10597628 THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER. THE CONTACT RECEIVED A RECALL NOTICE FOR NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 14V148000 (SEATS); HOWEVER, THE PART FOR THE REPAIR WAS UNAVAILABLE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE

Unintended acceleration and hesitation while drivingVEHICLE SPEED CONTROL27 complaints2013-11 → 2020-12unintended-acceleration-hesitation

11019898 ON MULTIPLE OCCASIONS SINCE PURCHASING MY 2014 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER LIMITED THE CAR LURCHES FORWARD WHILE MY FOOT IS FIRMLY PRESSED ON THE BRAKE
10864174 THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE STOPPED AT A TRAFFIC LIGHT AND DEPRESSING THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL, THE VEHICLE BEGAN TO LOSE POWER WITHOUT WARNING. THE FAILURE WAS PERSISTENT
10595323 DRIVING UPHILL,SUDDENLY LOST SPEED,HAD NO GAS PEDAL,HAD TO PULL TO SIDE OF ROAD AND THEN IT CAME BACK.HAS HAPPENED DOZENS OF TIMES AT DIFFERENT SPEEDS. THE LAST TIME IT HAPPENED I WAS DRIVING 70 MPH IN THE CENTER LANE OF I 95 IN PA, HAVE NOT DRIVEN THE CAR SINCE I GOT HOME

Excessive engine oil consumptionENGINE4 complaints2016-05 → 2024-01excessive-engine-oil-consumption

11563350 The issue started when the car was over 84,000 miles. The engine burns excessive oil. I have to add oil every 2200 miles. When I press on the gas pedal to rev the car, oil come out of the tail pipe
11471361 Oil consumption/oil pressure issue. Started suddenly maybe in 2020. My oil pressure light would come on “turn off car immediately”. Took it to dealer, told me I have no oil. Then it kept happening. No notice of low oil, and well within 3 months/3000 miles
10862580 THE CAR HAS BURNED 1 QT OF OIL EVERY 1500 MILLES OR SO SINCE DAY1... TOYOTA WILL DO NOTHING TO REPAIR THE INTERNAL ENGINE PROBLEM AS THEY SAY IT IS ACCEPTABLE PER THEM TO BURN 1 QT EVERY 1200??

Airbag non-deployment and unexpected deploymentAIR BAGS16 complaints2014-02 → 2025-06airbag-nondeployment-and-warnings

11642557 The contact owns a 2013 Toyota Highlander. The contact stated that while driving in negative 10-degree weather at 75 MPH, the driver's and passenger’s side curtain air bags deployed without warning or impact
11253078 I HAD A FRONT END ACCIDENT ABOUT 2 YEARS AGO AND MY AIRBAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. I CAUSED REAR END DAMAGE TO TWO OTHER VEHICLES. ON SEPT. 2, I HAD ANOTHER FRONT END COLLISION. I RAN INTO A CONCRETE BARRIER THAT HOLDS LIGHT POSTS IN PARKING LOTS
10583038 MY WIFE WAS DRIVING THE CAR NEAR THE DULLES TOLL ROAD ENTRANCE RAMP AT APPROXIMATELY 10 MPH. SHE SUDDENLY LOST CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE AND HIT THE CAR AHEAD OF HER. NO BODILY INJURY TO EITHER PARTY. THE POLICE OFFICER WHO CAME TO THE SCENE SAID THAT IT WAS NOT

NHTSA complaints (summary) all years →

count	earliest_date	latest_date	crash_flagged	fire_flagged	top_components
211	2013-06-05	2026-09-03	26	0	STEERING:46; ENGINE:31; VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL:31; ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:26; UNKNOWN OR OTHER:24

Recalls all years →

campaign_number	report_received_date	component	summary	consequence	remedy
14V148000	27/03/2014	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."	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.	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. The recall began on May 21, 2014. Owners may contact Toyota at 1-800-331-4331.
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.
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.

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	73	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). 2013 Toyota Highlander vehicle data [dataset]. https://www.wrench.pro/data/vehicles/2013/toyota/highlander

@misc{wrenchpro_2013_toyota_highlander_2026,
  author = {Wrench.Pro},
  title = {Wrench.Pro vehicle data: 2013 Toyota Highlander},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {\url{https://www.wrench.pro/data/vehicles/2013/toyota/highlander}},
  note = {Derived from NHTSA public records. CC BY 4.0.}
}

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