2004 Toyota Highlander Problems, Complaints & Recalls
- Compared with other Highlander years
- More complaints than other years 6th of 30 for complaints
- Safety recalls
- 5 recalls: check your VIN
- NHTSA crash rating
- Not rated
Owners have filed 286 complaints with NHTSA about the 2004 Toyota Highlander. That ranks 6th out of 30 Highlander model years for complaints. The most reported problem area is power train (58 complaints, 20%), typically at around 10,000 miles. Complaints mention 32 crashes, 3 fires, 23 injuries. There are 5 safety recalls covering this model year. NHTSA has opened 1 defect investigation involving it.
- 286owner complaints
- 5safety recalls
- 1NHTSA investigations
- 32complaints mentioning a crash
Complaints are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume.
Most common 2004 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Power Train problems | 58 | 20% | 10,000 | “automatic transmission” (12%) | — |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 40 | 14% | 38,088 | — | — |
| Steering | 35 | 12% | 50,556 | — | — |
| Visibility | 21 | 7% | 55,000 | — | — |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 20 | 7% | 86,500 | — | — |
| Electrical System | 18 | 6% | 63,750 | — | — |
| Engine | 16 | 6% | 113,000 | — | — |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 16 | 6% | 64,506 | — | — |
| Electronic Stability Control (esc) | 15 | 5% | 74,400 | — | — |
| Exterior Lighting | 14 | 5% | 81,000 | — | — |
| Equipment | 10 | 3% | 50,000 | — | — |
| Air Bags | 9 | 3% | 42,498 | — | — |
| Tires | 9 | 3% | 22,115 | — | — |
| Structure | 8 | 3% | 42,500 | — | — |
| Visibility/wiper | 8 | 3% | 135,000 | — | — |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 6 | 2% | 6,000 | — | — |
| Service Brakes | 6 | 2% | 110,961 | — | — |
| Seat Belts | 5 | 2% | 81,500 | — | — |
| Traction Control System | 3 | 1% | 78,000 | — | — |
| Unknown or Other | 3 | 1% | 68,000 | — | — |
| Wheels | 3 | 1% | 45,000 | — | — |
| Electronic Stability Control | 2 | 1% | 31,013 | — | — |
| Latches/locks/linkages | 2 | 1% | 22,500 | — | — |
| Seats | 2 | 1% | 140,000 | — | — |
| Service Brakes, Electric | 2 | 1% | 60,500 | — | — |
| Fuel System, Other | 1 | 0% | 1,000 | — | — |
One complaint can list several problem areas, so shares can add up to more than 100%.
Complaints by year received
2004 Toyota Highlander recalls (5)
Tap a recall to see the problem, the risk and the fix.
Engine and engine cooling
Problem: 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 adhesive agent applied between the outer ring and the torsional rubber damper (inner ring) in the crankshaft pulley may be inadequate. If the adhesive is insufficient, there is a possibility that the outer ring may become misaligned and it may not properly rotate with the inner ring, causing noise and/or illumination of the battery discharge indicator light.
Risk: In some cases, the belt for the power steering pump may become detached from the pulley which could result in a loss of power steering and a sudden increase in steering effort, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: 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 is expected to begin during early january 2012. Owners may contact toyota at 1-800-331-4331.
Vehicle speed control:accelerator pedal
Problem: 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 and interfere with the accelerator pedal arm.
Risk: If this occurs, the accelerator pedal may temporarily become stuck in a partially depressed position rather than return to the idle position. A stuck accelerator pedal may result in unintended and sustained vehicle speeds and make it difficult to stop, increasing the risk of a vehicle crash.
Fix: 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.
Service brakes, hydraulic:foundation components:master cylinder
Problem: 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 polymers, or that contains only small amounts, a part of the rubber seal located at the rear of the brake master cylinder may become dry, and the seal may curl during movement of the piston. If this occurs, a small amount of brake fluid could slowly leak from the seal into the brake booster.
Risk: A leak of brake fluid could lead to a change in brake pedal feel and overtime a degradation in braking performance increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: 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 1-800-255-3987.
Vehicle speed control:accelerator pedal
Problem: 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.
Risk: This condition may interfere with the accelerator pedal returning to the idle position increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: 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 at 1-800-255-3987.
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.
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.
NHTSA defect investigations
- Unintended and Uncontrolled Acceleration (RQ10003) — opened Feb 16, 2010, closed Mar 1, 2011, led to recall 11V112000.
Recent owner reports
Short excerpts of the latest complaints filed with NHTSA, with personal details removed. Full reports can be searched on NHTSA.gov.
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 stripped/melt down in to oil causing Engine failures and Life threating risk in the middle of the…
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
The passenger airbag occupancy sensor in my car has stopped sensing a passenger has been stuck on "OFF" for the past 2-6 months (I believe) even when an adult is sitting in the seat. I don't know exactly when this problem began because there was never any warning light or error message which is a…
The contact owns a 2004 Toyota Highlander. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the front bumper inadvertently detached. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was determined that the front lower bumper covers had been attached with mounting tabs and that the…
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 toyota highlander. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle and pressing to brake pedal, the pedal failed to return to the idle position. The vehicle stability control message displayed on the instrument panel and the vehicle failed to exceed 40 mph. The…
Other Toyota Highlander years
← 2003 Highlander · 2005 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 | 286 | 5 |
| 2003 Highlander | 258 | 2 |
| 2002 Highlander | 301 | 2 |
| 2001 Highlander | 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 2004 Toyota Highlander?
Owners most often report power train, vehicle speed control, steering problems. The top one, power train, accounts for 58 complaints.
Was there a recall on the 2004 Toyota Highlander?
Yes, 5 safety recalls. Enter your VIN at NHTSA.gov to check whether the repairs were done on your car.
Was the 2004 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 2004 has more complaints than most years. Always get a pre-purchase inspection and check the VIN for open recalls.