2020 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	2020 / toyota / highlander
known issues	7 clusters (reviewed 2026-06-13)
complaints	314 on file (2020-03-03 → 2026-09-17)
recalls	4
investigations	0
fars	13 occupant deaths, crash years 2010-2024 (legacy-code)
indexed	yes
license	CC BY 4.0 (derived)

Known Issues clusters all years →

Transmission whine and failure (UA80 8-speed)POWER TRAIN112 complaints2023-11 → 2026-05highlander-2020-transmission-whine-failure

11739243 The vehicle recently began making a whining noise when the gas pedal is pressed that is consistent with premature failure of the transmission. I took it to my local dealership and they recommended replacing the transmission and limiting usage of the vehicle to short trips…
11735905 Vehicle jerked and then a metal grinding sound. Vehicle would then not even roll in neutral on an incline. Had to be towed to dealer. Transmission has a crack in the case. Need a whole new transmission. I was left on the road. No warning whatsoever.
11707237 Shortly after the powertrain warranty expired, the automatic transmission in my 2020 Toyota Highlander began producing a loud whining/howling noise during normal driving. The noise appears to come from the transmission area and increases with vehicle speed…

OCS airbag sensor recall remedy delays (23V865)AIR BAGS27 complaints2024-01 → 2026-02highlander-2020-ocs-airbag-recall-delay

11645727 There was a safety recall for this airbag issue, and Toyota estimated the remedy can be available in Quarter 3, 2024, however, till date nothing was completed. Toyota failed to resolve this matter in a timely manner. Every time I ask the dealer, they say no remedy yet…
11697766 I received a safety recall notice from Toyota (Recall No. 23TA15 / 23TB15) for the front passenger Occupant Classification System (OCS) sensors. The letter states that the airbag system may not deploy correctly and that the remedy is not yet…
11663190 No remedy for a recall that is 524 days old.

Front lower bumper cover detachment (recall 23V720)STRUCTURE12 complaints2024-02 → 2025-12highlander-2020-bumper-cover-detachment

11626253 The contact owns a 2020 Toyota Highlander. The contact stated while driving at approximately 65 MPH, the front lower bumper cover detached from the vehicle, causing debris to scatter onto the highway, while the damaged bumper cover was dragged underneath the vehicle…
11601487 The contact owns a 2020 Toyota Highlander. The contact stated while driving 60-65 MPH and changing lanes, the front lower bumper cover suddenly separated from the vehicle. The contact pulled over to the side of the road…

Momentary brake loss and surge at low speedSERVICE BRAKES10 complaints2023-10 → 2026-05highlander-2020-brake-surge-low-speed

11552375 On more than 50 occasions while coming to a stop or slowing down I have experienced a surge forward while applying the brakes. It has happened at stop signs, stop lights, going downhill. I cannot duplicate on demand. Several times it has surged me past a stop sign/stop light…
11640492 Sensation of loss of braking, especially at low/crawling speeds, when braking on a downhill, or when braking on bumpy road surfaces. Dealer described it as "INCONSISTENT APPLICATION OF BRAKES WITH CONSISTENT PRESSURE ON PEDAL ON LOW SPEEDS"…
11609073 During the first 20K miles of driving our 2020 Highlander Hybrid; we noticed that while braking; the car would sometimes lung forward as though we had accelerated quickly. It startles you and it causes you to "hit the brakes" quickly. It doesn't happen all the time…

Panoramic sunroof glass shatteringUNKNOWN OR OTHER7 complaints2024-02 → 2026-04highlander-2020-sunroof-shattering

11708693 While driving on the highway, our sunroof spontaneously exploded. We heard what sounded like a gunshot and found a giant hole in our sunroof glass.
11709295 The sunroof suddenly exploded while stopped at a stoplight. Luckily I had the interior slide shut otherwise we would have been covered in glass.
11634038 While driving on a highway, with little traffic around, our sunroof exploded, sending shards of glass down. It produced a sound of a gunshot and quite possibly could have resulted in such a distraction to cause a wreck…

Power liftgate failure to closeUNKNOWN OR OTHER4 complaints2025-06 → 2025-12highlander-2020-liftgate-close-failure

11704823 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
11704988 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…
11665219 1- Most of the time my rear hatch will not close unless you use the inside button - cost 1,198.10 to repair…

Rear air conditioning line refrigerant leaksUNKNOWN OR OTHER3 complaints2024-06 → 2025-05highlander-2020-rear-ac-line-leak

11594796 Rear AC lines are defective and are failing on vehicles releasing gas under the vehicle. Dealer has confirmed this is a known design issue caused by dissimilar metals between the vehicle, bracket and rear AC lines. Toyota has stopped supply of the defective part…
11605571 This is in reference to a 2020 Toyota Highlander. The Air Conditioner is not functional. Upon inspection by a mechanic, and $300 of freon wasted, it was determined that the lines that carry the AC to the rear of the vehicle are defective. Freon immediately drains…

NHTSA complaints (summary) all years →

count	earliest_date	latest_date	crash_flagged	fire_flagged	top_components
314	2020-03-03	2026-09-17	15	0	POWER TRAIN:125; UNKNOWN OR OTHER:43; SERVICE BRAKES:39; AIR BAGS:32; STRUCTURE:29

Recalls all years →

campaign_number	report_received_date	component	summary	consequence	remedy
20V633000	14/10/2020	AIR BAGS	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.	Improper deployment of the seat-mounted side air bag increases the risk of injury in the event of a crash.	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.
20V162000	19/03/2020	FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY	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.	Improper fuel supply programming can result in a vehicle stall, increasing the risk of a crash.	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.
23V720000	26/10/2023	STRUCTURE:BODY:BUMPERS	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.	A detached front bumper cover can become a road hazard, increasing the risk of a crash.	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.
23V865000	20/12/2023	AIR BAGS:SENSOR:OCCUPANT CLASSIFICATION	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.	An air bag that does not deploy during a crash increases the risk of injury.	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.

Investigations all years →

none listed

FARS occupant deaths all years →

crash_years	occupant_deaths	match_type	vpic_recovered
2010-2024	13	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). 2020 Toyota Highlander vehicle data [dataset]. https://www.wrench.pro/data/vehicles/2020/toyota/highlander

@misc{wrenchpro_2020_toyota_highlander_2026,
  author = {Wrench.Pro},
  title = {Wrench.Pro vehicle data: 2020 Toyota Highlander},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {\url{https://www.wrench.pro/data/vehicles/2020/toyota/highlander}},
  note = {Derived from NHTSA public records. CC BY 4.0.}
}

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