Owners have filed 502 safety complaints about the 2019 Toyota Highlander with U.S. regulators. Here's what the federal data shows, system by system.
Complaints for this vehicle report 22 crashes, 1 fire, 18 injuries. No deaths have been reported.
Complaints filed with NHTSA name the vehicle system involved. For the 2019 Toyota Highlander, power train / transmission issues stand far above everything else.
"Transmission is making a whining noise, took it to the dealer and they confirmed the transmission needs to be replaced. Looked online and there appear to be thousands of these cases with the transmission going out on Toyota Highlanders between 2017-2021"
"I started hearing a faint sound and initially thought it was odd, but certainly sounded different and could not really tell where it was coming from. Upon taking it to the dealer for diagnosis, I learned that the transmission will need full replacement. I also took it to an independent shop to get a second opinion and much to my dismay, they confirmed the same."
For most vehicles, complaint volume spikes early and tapers off. The 2019 Toyota Highlander inverts that curve — filings peaked in 2025, 6 years after the model year.
3 recalls apply to some or all 2019 Toyota Highlander vehicles. Recall repairs are free at any dealer, with no time limit.
Gulf States Toyota (GST) is recalling certain 2019 C-HR, 4Runner, Avalon, Avalon Hybrid, Camry, Camry Hybrid, Highlander, Land Cruiser, Prius, RAV4, Sequoia, Tacoma, Sienna, Tundra and Yaris vehicles. The text on the load capacity label may become illegible. As such, these vehicles fail to comply wi…
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) recalled certain 2018-2019 4Runner, Highlander, Camry, Land Cruiser, Sequoia, Sienna, Tacoma and Tundra, and Lexus RC 300, RC 350, GS 350, GX 460, IS 300, LC 500, LS 500, LX 570, RX 350L, and 2019 Toyota Avalon and Corolla, and certain Lexus NX 300, …
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2018-2019 4Runner, 2019-2020 Avalon, 2019 Corolla Hatchback, 2017-2019 Highlander, 2018-2020 Camry, 2020 Corolla, 2018-2019 Land Cruiser, 2017-2020 Tacoma, 2019-2020 RAV4, 2019-2020 Sequoia, 2017-2020 Sienna, 2019-2020 Tundra, 20…
Recall repairs are free at any dealer, with no time limit. Look up your 17-character VIN on the official NHTSA site to see open recalls for your specific vehicle. Check your VIN at NHTSA.gov →
NHTSA crash ratings measure how the car protects occupants in a crash — a separate question from the reliability complaints above. A vehicle can be both crashworthy and trouble-prone.
As of October 26, 2026, owners have filed 502 complaints about the 2019 Toyota Highlander with NHTSA. The most-reported system is power train / transmission.
The 2019 Toyota Highlander has 3 NHTSA recalls on file. Recall repairs are free at any dealer.
NHTSA gives the 2019 Toyota Highlander an overall crash rating of 5 out of 5 stars. Crash ratings measure occupant protection in a collision; they do not measure reliability, which is what the complaint data above reflects.
All figures come from the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) public APIs: the Office of Defects Investigation complaint database, the recalls database, and NCAP safety ratings, retrieved October 26, 2026.
Complaints are self-reported by consumers and are not verified by NHTSA or by this site. A single complaint may cite multiple vehicle systems, so system mentions can sum to more than the complaint total. Complaint volume is influenced by fleet size, media attention, and recall notices, and is not by itself a measure of defect rates.
This site is not affiliated with NHTSA or any manufacturer. Nothing here is repair, purchase, or legal advice. For your specific vehicle, use the official NHTSA VIN lookup and consult a qualified technician.