2001 Toyota Highlander Problems, Complaints & Recalls
- Compared with other Highlander years
- Fewer complaints than other years 19th of 30 for complaints
- Safety recalls
- 3 recalls: check your VIN
- NHTSA crash rating
- Not rated
Owners have filed 137 complaints with NHTSA about the 2001 Toyota Highlander. That ranks 19th out of 30 Highlander model years for complaints. The most reported problem area is visibility (23 complaints, 17%), typically at around 83,000 miles. Complaints mention 19 crashes, 2 fires, 11 injuries. There are 3 safety recalls covering this model year.
- 137owner complaints
- 3safety recalls
- 0NHTSA investigations
- 19complaints mentioning a crash
Complaints are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume.
Most common 2001 Toyota Highlander problems
Complaints grouped by the part of the car owners reported, with the median mileage when the problem happened.
| Problem area | Complaints | Share | Median miles | Owners mention most | Typical repair cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Visibility | 23 | 17% | 83,000 | — | — |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 17 | 12% | 41,000 | — | — |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 15 | 11% | 13,000 | — | — |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 15 | 11% | 56,600 | — | — |
| Power Train | 13 | 9% | 70,750 | — | — |
| Structure | 13 | 9% | 77,500 | — | — |
| Air Bags | 10 | 7% | 96,000 | — | — |
| Tires | 9 | 7% | 14,000 | — | — |
| Electrical System | 5 | 4% | 64,575 | — | — |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 5 | 4% | 42,490 | — | — |
| Seat Belts | 4 | 3% | 80,000 | — | — |
| Unknown or Other | 4 | 3% | 95,000 | — | — |
| Equipment | 3 | 2% | 52,000 | — | — |
| Service Brakes | 3 | 2% | 88,536 | — | — |
| Visibility/wiper | 3 | 2% | 85,000 | — | — |
| Engine | 2 | 1% | 161,349 | — | — |
| Exterior Lighting | 2 | 1% | 126,000 | — | — |
| Child Seat | 1 | 1% | 40,000 | — | — |
| Equipment Adaptive/mobility | 1 | 1% | — | — | — |
| Latches/locks/linkages | 1 | 1% | 85,000 | — | — |
| Service Brakes, Electric | 1 | 1% | 101,531 | — | — |
| Steering | 1 | 1% | — | — | — |
| Suspension | 1 | 1% | — | — | — |
One complaint can list several problem areas, so shares can add up to more than 100%.
Complaints by year received
2001 Toyota Highlander recalls (3)
Tap a recall to see the problem, the risk and the fix.
Latches/locks/linkages:doors:latch
Problem: 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.
Risk: This condition could allow the door to be opened with the inside while the operator believes that the cpl was activated. If the door were opened from the inside while the vehicle was in motion, an occupant could fall out and be injured.
Fix: Dealers will shorten the cpl lever. Owner notification began may 7, 2004. Owners should contact toyota at 1-800-331-4331.
Fuel system, gasoline:storage:tank assembly:mounting
Problem: On sport utility vehicles, there is a breather hose that attaches to the nozzle of the on-board refueling vapor recovery (orvr) valve, which is located on the topside of the fuel tank. The breather hose is attached with a clamp, whose "tabs" face in the upward direction. When the vehicle was crashed under the new car assessment program (ncap) test (i.e., 35 mph frontal barrier crash), the clamp "tabs" contacted the underside of the body due to movement of the fuel tank, causing the nozzle to break.
Risk: In the worst case, nozzle breakage could result in fuel leakage if the vehicle rolls-over after a high speed frontal crash.
Fix: Dealers will rotate the specified clamp. Owner notification began september 23, 2002. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact toyota at 1-800-331-4331.
Service brakes, hydraulic:foundation components:master cylinder
Problem: Vehicle description: sport utiity vehicles. The reservoir filler cap of the brake master cylinder may induce a vacuum, introducing some air into the brake master cylinder reservoir. This could cause abnormal brake noise and increased pedal stroke when the brakes are applied.
Risk: The increased pedal stroke will lengthen the stopping distance of the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will bleed the air from the brake lines and replace the reservoir filler cap. Owner notification began july 30, 2001. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact toyota at 1-800-331-4331.
To see whether a specific car still has an open recall, enter its VIN on NHTSA's official recall lookup. You can also decode a VIN here.
Recent owner reports
Short excerpts of the latest complaints filed with NHTSA, with personal details removed. Full reports can be searched on NHTSA.gov.
My front tires, (from a set of four), have parts of the tread separating from the tire body. The rubber under the missing pieces of tread has a texture like popcorn. The inner surface of the rubber is shiny and smooth. *dt it is not from gouging, force, or abuse to the tires. It is as if the…
Sunroof glass blew off of the vehicle on the highway yesterday. I see numerous reports of this on the internet. Was there ever a tsb or recall for this issue from toyota? Dangerous and scary, happened in traffic.
I AM SOLE OWNER OF THIS VEHICLE SINCE BOUGHT IT NEW AND WELL MAINTAIN IT. DASHBOARD AND STEERING WHEEL ARE PEELING AND GOOEY. TOYOTA SERVICE DEALERSHIP TOLD ME NOTHING THEY CAN DO ABOUT IT AND ASKED ME TO CALL TOYOTA. I CALLED AND FILED A COMPLAINT NO. [redacted] WITH TOYOTA. THEY TOLD ME THEY HAD…
On 11/17/2015 i hit a parking island in an unlit parking lot. When i tried to stop, my brakes failed. This caused me to lose control of the vehicle and it hit 2 parked cars and a tree. I have lost wages and live in pain every day due to injuries from this accident.
Driver side visor will not stay up. It droops approximately 60 degrees when lower to block sun.
Other Toyota Highlander years
← 2000 Highlander · 2002 Highlander →
| Year | Complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 Highlander | 4 | 0 |
| 2025 Highlander | 10 | 4 |
| 2024 Highlander | 43 | 7 |
| 2023 Highlander | 186 | 9 |
| 2022 Highlander | 262 | 5 |
| 2021 Highlander | 531 | 4 |
| 2020 Highlander | 320 | 4 |
| 2019 Highlander | 492 | 3 |
| 2018 Highlander | 268 | 4 |
| 2017 Highlander | 270 | 3 |
| 2016 Highlander | 111 | 2 |
| 2015 Highlander | 192 | 1 |
| 2014 Highlander | 136 | 4 |
| 2013 Highlander | 207 | 3 |
| 2012 Highlander | 182 | 2 |
| 2011 Highlander | 181 | 5 |
| 2010 Highlander | 216 | 10 |
| 2009 Highlander | 134 | 9 |
| 2008 Highlander | 404 | 11 |
| 2007 Highlander | 124 | 4 |
| 2006 Highlander | 278 | 7 |
| 2005 Highlander | 224 | 6 |
| 2004 Highlander | 286 | 5 |
| 2003 Highlander | 258 | 2 |
| 2002 Highlander | 301 | 2 |
| 2001 | 137 | 3 |
| 2000 Highlander | 0 | 0 |
| 1999 Highlander | 0 | 0 |
| 1998 Highlander | 1 | 0 |
| 1997 Highlander | 1 | 0 |
See all Toyota Highlander problems by year, every Toyota model, or the Toyota VIN decoder.
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Frequently asked questions
What are the most common problems with the 2001 Toyota Highlander?
Owners most often report visibility, engine and engine cooling, service brakes, hydraulic problems. The top one, visibility, accounts for 23 complaints.
Was there a recall on the 2001 Toyota Highlander?
Yes, 3 safety recalls. Enter your VIN at NHTSA.gov to check whether the repairs were done on your car.
Was the 2001 Toyota Highlander a good year?
Complaint data can't fully answer that, because counts aren't adjusted for sales. Compared with other Highlander model years, the 2001 has fewer complaints than most years. Always get a pre-purchase inspection and check the VIN for open recalls.