2012 Toyota Highlander Problems, Complaints & Recalls
- Compared with other Highlander years
- About as many complaints as other years 17th of 30 for complaints
- Safety recalls
- 2 recalls: check your VIN
- NHTSA crash rating
- 4 out of 5 stars
Owners have filed 182 complaints with NHTSA about the 2012 Toyota Highlander. That ranks 17th out of 30 Highlander model years for complaints. The most reported problem area is steering (46 complaints, 25%), typically at around 68,000 miles. Complaints mention 16 crashes, 3 fires, 13 injuries. There are 2 safety recalls covering this model year. NHTSA has opened 2 defect investigations involving it.
- 182owner complaints
- 2safety recalls
- 2NHTSA investigations
- 16complaints mentioning a crash
Complaints are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume.
Most common 2012 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Steering | 46 | 25% | 68,000 | — | — |
| Electrical System | 29 | 16% | 48,151 | — | — |
| Unknown or Other | 23 | 13% | 63,000 | — | — |
| Structure | 20 | 11% | 35,000 | — | — |
| Engine | 17 | 9% | 31,900 | — | — |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 14 | 8% | 8,200 | — | — |
| Visibility/wiper | 14 | 8% | 41,370 | — | — |
| Service Brakes | 12 | 7% | 7,500 | — | — |
| Air Bags | 10 | 5% | 48,000 | — | — |
| Power Train | 7 | 4% | 12,500 | — | — |
| Latches/locks/linkages | 5 | 3% | 55,000 | — | — |
| Visibility | 5 | 3% | 53,500 | — | — |
| Tires | 4 | 2% | 9,197 | — | — |
| Fuel/propulsion System | 3 | 2% | 39,850 | — | — |
| Seats | 3 | 2% | 32,008 | — | — |
| Suspension | 3 | 2% | 80,008 | — | — |
| Wheels | 3 | 2% | 26,487 | — | — |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 2 | 1% | 84,000 | — | — |
| Exterior Lighting | 2 | 1% | 1,000 | — | — |
| Forward Collision Avoidance | 2 | 1% | — | — | — |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 2 | 1% | 4,989 | — | — |
| Electronic Stability Control (esc) | 1 | 1% | 71,579 | — | — |
| Other/i Am Not Sure | 1 | 1% | — | — | — |
| Seat Belts | 1 | 1% | 70,000 | — | — |
One complaint can list several problem areas, so shares can add up to more than 100%.
Complaints by year received
2012 Toyota Highlander recalls (2)
Tap a recall to see the problem, the risk and the fix.
Equipment:other:labels
Problem: Southeast Toyota is recalling certain model year 2008 and 2010-2013 Toyota Tundra, 2010-2012 Rav4, 2012 Toyota Sequoia, 2010-2011 Toyota Corolla, 2010-2011 Toyota Camry and Camry Hybrid, 2010-2013 Toyota Highlander and Highlander Hybrid, 2010-2013 Toyota FJ Cruiser, 2011 Toyota Land Cruiser, 2010-2013 Toyota Venza, 2010-2011 Toyota 4Runner, 2010-2013 Toyota Tacoma, 2011-2012 Toyota Sienna, 2012 Toyota Prius, 2013 Scion FR-S, 2011 Scion XD, 2011 Scion XB, and 2012 Scion TC vehicles. These vehicles were sold with labels that were outside the allowable one percent of accuracy of actual weight added. Thus, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) Number 110, "Tire Selection and Rims."
Risk: An inaccurate label could lead to owners overloading their vehicles and tires. An overloaded vehicle can result in a tire failure which may result in a vehicle crash, personal injury, or property damage.
Fix: Southeast Toyota will notify owners and provide a corrected label with instructions concerning its installation. A small group of the affected vehicles will need additonal remedies which are still being developed. The recall began on May 28, 2013. Owners may contact Southeast Toyota at 1-800-301-6859.
Seats; air bags:frontal:sensor/control module-inactive
Problem: Southeast Toyota Distributors, LLC (SET) is recalling certain models interspersed through model years 2009 through 2013 as follows: model year 2009-2012 Tacoma, 4Runner, Camry, Camry Hybrid, Prius, and RAV4; model year 2009-2010 Avalon, FJ Cruiser, and Highlander Hybrid; model year 2010-2013 model year Corolla, Sienna and Tundra; model year 2009-2013 Highlander and Venza; model year 2012 Prius V; and model year 2010-2012 Sequoia. During modification by SET to include accessories such as leather seat covers, seat heaters or headrest DVD systems, these vehicles may not have had the passenger seat occupant sensing system calibration tested. Without passing the calibration test, the occupant sensing system may not operate as designed.
Risk: If the front passenger seat occupant sensing system is out of calibration, the front passenger airbags may not deploy or they may deploy inappropriately for the passenger's size and position. This could increase the risk of personal injury during the event of a vehicle crash necessitating airbag deployment.
Fix: Southeast Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will test the sensitivity of the occupant detection sensors, and recalibrate them as necessary. The recall began on March 21, 2013. Owners may contact Southeast Toyota at 1-800-301-6859.
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
- Steering Column Separation (EA18006) — opened Nov 16, 2018, closed Apr 2, 2024.
- Upper Steering Column Separation (PE18005) — opened May 4, 2018, closed Nov 20, 2018.
Recent owner reports
Short excerpts of the latest complaints filed with NHTSA, with personal details removed. Full reports can be searched on NHTSA.gov.
While driving one day i got the ABS light and brake light on on my car screen and the small display showed "Barke Malfunction" when i did the scan it is C1391 Code which is for ABS Accutator issue. This showed be fixed by Toyota dealership for free. this is design issue seems like based on the…
The unmatched handle completely broke. So now the insert and the base are stuck together and I can not unlatch them to use this carseat properly to transport my son. I have to take the base and all out of the car as one piece
The contact owns a 2012 Toyota Highlander. The contact stated that 5,000 miles after purchasing the vehicle, the contact noticed an oil leak. The contact performed the oil changes and had noticed that engine oil had leaked down onto the weather seal in the vehicle. The contact noticed several oil…
The contact owns a 2012 Toyota Highlander. The contact stated that the TPMS warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a Tire Center, which was unable to determine the cause of the failure. Upon further investigation, the contact linked the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V452000…
The paint is malfunction , and is available for inspection upon request.
Other Toyota Highlander years
← 2011 Highlander · 2013 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 | 495 | 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 | 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 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 2012 Toyota Highlander?
Owners most often report steering, electrical system, unknown or other problems. The top one, steering, accounts for 46 complaints.
Was there a recall on the 2012 Toyota Highlander?
Yes, 2 safety recalls. Enter your VIN at NHTSA.gov to check whether the repairs were done on your car.
Was the 2012 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 2012 has about as many complaints as a typical year, and NHTSA rates it 4 out of 5 stars overall in crash tests. Always get a pre-purchase inspection and check the VIN for open recalls.