2002 Toyota Highlander Visibility Problems
Owners have filed 123 complaints with NHTSA about visibility problems on the 2002 Toyota Highlander, 41% of all complaints for this model year. Half of the reports with a mileage happened before 61,230 miles. The words owners use most often: “sun visor” (52% of reports).
- 123visibility complaints
- 61,230median miles at failure
- 0mention a crash
- 0mention an injury
- 0related recalls
- $1,000typical repair cost reported by owners
- 17%of reports with a speed happened at 50+ mph
What owners describe
Phrases that appear unusually often in these complaints compared with complaints about other cars.
- Sun visor: mentioned in 64 of 123 complaints (52%)
- Driver side: mentioned in 54 of 123 complaints (44%)
- Stay position: mentioned in 11 of 123 complaints (9%)
- Keeps falling: mentioned in 10 of 123 complaints (8%)
How much does it cost to fix?
Owners who wrote down what they paid or were quoted put the typical visibility repair on the 2002 Toyota Highlander at $1,000, and half of them between $990 and $1,100.
Based on 23 NHTSA complaints about this problem alone that state a repair bill or quote (2004–2012), converted to 2026 dollars with the U.S. consumer price index. These are owners' own figures, not a quote: they include dealer quotes, and owners who file complaints often faced larger repairs, so they can run higher than typical shop prices. Prices vary by shop, region and warranty coverage. How we calculate this.
At what mileage do visibility problems happen?
Based on 83 complaints that reported the odometer reading.
How serious are the reports?
None of the 123 complaints report a crash, fire or injury.
Toyota Highlander visibility complaints by model year
| Model year | Visibility complaints | Share of that year | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 Highlander | 1 | 10% | 8,498 |
| 2024 Highlander | 1 | 2% | — |
| 2023 Highlander | 3 | 2% | 28,000 |
| 2022 Highlander | 8 | 3% | 6,500 |
| 2021 Highlander | 7 | 1% | 28,500 |
| 2020 Highlander | 2 | 1% | 22,800 |
| 2019 Highlander | 3 | 1% | 60,000 |
| 2018 Highlander | 1 | 0% | 165,000 |
| 2017 Highlander | 3 | 1% | 36,400 |
| 2016 Highlander | 2 | 2% | 38,000 |
| 2015 Highlander | 2 | 1% | 193,000 |
| 2014 Highlander | 4 | 3% | 133,500 |
| 2013 Highlander | 3 | 1% | 93,400 |
| 2012 Highlander | 5 | 3% | 53,500 |
| 2011 Highlander | 10 | 6% | 50,100 |
| 2010 Highlander | 12 | 6% | 61,113 |
| 2009 Highlander | 2 | 1% | 101,948 |
| 2008 Highlander | 10 | 2% | 72,100 |
| 2007 Highlander | 8 | 6% | 61,000 |
| 2006 Highlander | 12 | 4% | 66,000 |
| 2005 Highlander | 20 | 9% | 64,500 |
| 2004 Highlander | 21 | 7% | 55,000 |
| 2003 Highlander | 31 | 12% | 67,000 |
| 2002 Highlander | 123 | 41% | 61,230 |
| 2001 Highlander | 23 | 17% | 83,000 |
| 1997 Highlander | 1 | 100% | 26,000 |
When owners reported it
Related recalls (0)
No safety recall lists visibility for the 2002 Toyota Highlander. A pattern of complaints does not always lead to a recall.
What owners report
Short excerpts of recent complaints, with personal details removed. Full reports are on NHTSA.gov.
Driver and passenger sun visors fall down into drivers and passenger view. Safety issue was not recognized by vehicle manufacturer. *tr
The driver side visor does not stay propped up in the forward direction. It drops down to a vertical position downwards, where it blocks the driver's view. *tr
Submission from constituent re defective visor/ safety problems 2002 toyota highlander ( full document not imaged). *smd the consumer stated about four months ago, the passenger side visor would not remain in the up position, and approximately two weeks later, the same thing happened on the…
Frequently asked questions
Do all 2002 Toyota Highlanders have visibility problems?
No. NHTSA has 123 owner complaints about visibility for the 2002 Toyota Highlander (41% of the 301 complaints for this model year). Complaint data shows that the problem is reported, not how many of all cars sold are affected.
Was there a recall on the 2002 Toyota Highlander visibility?
No recall currently lists visibility for this vehicle.
At what mileage do visibility problems start?
The median reported mileage is 61,230 miles: half of the reports with a mileage came before that.
How much does it cost to fix visibility problems on the 2002 Toyota Highlander?
Owners report a typical cost of $1,000 (half paid between $990 and $1,100), from 23 complaints that state a repair bill or quote, in 2026 dollars.
What do owners say about visibility problems on the 2002 Toyota Highlander?
The most frequent phrase is “sun visor”, in 64 of 123 complaints, followed by “driver side” (54).
See all 2002 Toyota Highlander problems or visibility problems across all Highlander years.