2004 Toyota Highlander Recalls, Complaints & Specs

5 safety recalls list the 2004 Toyota Highlander, and owners have filed 286 complaints with NHTSA. Check your own VIN below.

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5 safety recalls for the 2004 Toyota Highlander

Most recent first. Recall repairs are free at any authorised dealer. Click a recall for the full defect, consequence and remedy text.

1. Engine and engine cooling

   NHTSA 11V539000 Reported November 9, 2011 420,326 vehicles potentially affected Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing

   Toyota is recalling certain model year 2004 avalon vehicles; 2004 and 2005 camry, camry solara, highlander, and sienna vehicles, 2006 highlander hybrid; 2004 and 2005 lexus es330 and rx330; and 2006 lexus rx400h vehicles manufactured from june 1, 2004 through march 31, 2005, equipped with the 1mz-fe or 3mz-fe engine. The amount of…

   Remedy: Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will check the crankshaft pulley to identify whether it was produced by the u.s. Supplier. If so, the dealer will replace the pulley with a new one at no charge. The safety recall…

2. Accelerator pedal (vehicle speed control)

   NHTSA 11V112000 Reported February 24, 2011 769,379 vehicles potentially affected TOYOTA MOTOR NORTH AMERICA, INC.

   Toyota is recalling certain model year 2004-2006 highlander, highlander hybrid, and model year 2004-2007 lexus rx330, rx350, and rx400h vehicles. If the forward retention clip used to secure the floor carpet cover, which is located in front of the center console, is not installed properly the cover may lean toward the accelerator pedal…

   Remedy: Dealers will replace the floor carpet cover with a newly designed one free or charge. The safety recall is expected to begin during march 2011. Owners may contact toyota at 1-800-331-4331.

3. Master cylinder (service brakes)

   NHTSA 10V499000 Reported October 21, 2010 728,544 vehicles potentially affected TOYOTA MOTOR NORTH AMERICA, INC.

   Toyota is recalling certain model year 2005-2006 avalon, model year 2004-2006 highlander, model year 2004-2006 lexus rx, and model year 2006 lexus gs and is vehicles. Brake fluid containing polymers is used that acts as lubricants for certain brake system components. If replacement brake fluid is used that does not contain such…

   Remedy: Dealers will replace the seal with a newly designed one. This service will be performed free of charge. The safety recall began on november 15, 2010. Owners may contact toyota at 1-800-331-4331 and lexus at…

4. Accelerator pedal (vehicle speed control)

   NHTSA 06V253000 Reported July 13, 2006 367,594 vehicles potentially affected TOYOTA MOTOR NORTH AMERICA, INC.

   On certain sport utility and hybrid vehicles, the two retaining clips for the driver's side forward center console can become loose. If both clips separate from the floor carpet cover, the cover may lean toward the accelerator pedal, causing interference with the accelerator pedal rod.

   Remedy: Dealers will replace the two floor carpet cover retaining clips free of charge. The recall began on july 24, 2006, and should be completed by early september 2006. Owners may contact toyota at 1-800-331-4331 or lexus…

5. Latch (latches/locks/linkages)

   NHTSA 04V181000 Reported April 15, 2004 366,572 vehicles potentially affected TOYOTA MOTOR NORTH AMERICA, INC.

   Certain sport utility vehicles have a child protection lock (cpl) system on both of the rear side doors. When an operator of the vehicle closes the door very hard with the cpl lever set to the lock position, there is a possibility that the lever may contact the body panel, causing the cpl lever to move into the unlock position.

   Remedy: Dealers will shorten the cpl lever. Owner notification began may 7, 2004. Owners should contact toyota at 1-800-331-4331.

286 owner complaints filed with NHTSA

Owners of the 2004 Toyota Highlander have filed 286 complaints with NHTSA; 32 describe a crash and 3 describe a fire. Reports cite 23 injuries and 47 deaths. The average mileage at failure in those reports is 61,876 miles. Complaints peaked in 2010 with 41 filed that year.

Most-reported components

• Power train: automatic transmission46
• Vehicle speed control33
• Steering24
• Electrical system18
• Engine16
• Electronic stability control (esc)15
• Engine and engine cooling10
• Visibility10

What owners are reporting

“Hello, I am the Buyer of the subject Vehicle, Upon doing my research, I found out several reports stating that The subject vehicle's 2.4L engine has manufacturing defect, that causes Head Bolts to get”

Owner complaint to NHTSA, May 22, 2026 · Engine

“My car malfunctioned my tire locked up while I was driving on the high way causing me to spin out of control and skid all the way into a guard rail totalled my car out and not one air bag went off”

Owner complaint to NHTSA, October 9, 2024 · Air bags

Fuel economy and specs

EPA ratings for the 2004 Toyota Highlander (Highlander 2WD, Highlander 4WD). Ranges cover every tested configuration.

Compare Toyota Highlander model years

Recall and complaint counts for every Toyota Highlander model year in NHTSA's database.

Checking a specific 2004 Toyota Highlander

Other Toyota models

• Camry18,189 complaints
• Prius12,516 complaints
• Corolla11,739 complaints
• RAV49,385 complaints
• Sienna8,549 complaints
• Tacoma8,440 complaints
• Tundra6,922 complaints
• 4Runner4,860 complaints

Source: NHTSA recall and complaint databases and EPA fuel economy data, October 2026. Complaint counts are owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects. Recall counts are safety campaigns that list this model year; whether a particular car was already repaired depends on its VIN. How this data is compiled.