Toyota Highlander Air Bags Problems
Owners have filed 356 complaints with NHTSA about air bags problems on the Toyota Highlander across 23 model years. The 2008 model year has the most (57). The words owners use most often: “failed deploy” (9% of reports).
- 356air bags complaints
- —median miles at failure
- 155mention a crash
- 112mention an injury
- 7related recalls
- $710typical repair cost reported by owners
- 26%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.
- Failed deploy: mentioned in 32 of 356 complaints (9%)
- Spiral cable: mentioned in 25 of 356 complaints (7%)
- Airbags deployed: mentioned in 21 of 356 complaints (6%)
- SRS airbag: mentioned in 18 of 356 complaints (5%)
How much does it cost to fix?
Owners who wrote down what they paid or were quoted put the typical air bags repair on the Toyota Highlander at $710, and half of them between $700 and $1,150.
Based on 13 NHTSA complaints about this problem alone that state a repair bill or quote (2013–2025), 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 air bags problems happen?
Based on 179 complaints that reported the odometer reading.
How serious are the reports?
Of 356 complaints, 155 mention a crash, 1 a fire, 112 an injury.
Toyota Highlander air bags complaints by model year
| Model year | Air Bags complaints | Share of that year | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 Highlander | 12 | 6% | 34,125 |
| 2022 Highlander | 30 | 11% | 70,765 |
| 2021 Highlander | 42 | 8% | 41,000 |
| 2020 Highlander | 32 | 10% | 78,082 |
| 2019 Highlander | 14 | 3% | 14,000 |
| 2018 Highlander | 19 | 7% | 21,000 |
| 2017 Highlander | 9 | 3% | 15,000 |
| 2016 Highlander | 10 | 9% | 10,000 |
| 2015 Highlander | 8 | 4% | 13,000 |
| 2014 Highlander | 2 | 1% | 36,350 |
| 2013 Highlander | 17 | 8% | 63,500 |
| 2012 Highlander | 10 | 5% | 48,000 |
| 2011 Highlander | 8 | 4% | 64,000 |
| 2010 Highlander | 14 | 6% | 77,000 |
| 2009 Highlander | 8 | 6% | 42,392 |
| 2008 Highlander | 57 | 14% | 78,000 |
| 2007 Highlander | 2 | 2% | 28,030 |
| 2006 Highlander | 12 | 4% | 37,000 |
| 2005 Highlander | 9 | 4% | 48,108 |
| 2004 Highlander | 9 | 3% | 42,498 |
| 2003 Highlander | 9 | 3% | 96,500 |
| 2002 Highlander | 13 | 4% | 75,872 |
| 2001 Highlander | 10 | 7% | 96,000 |
When owners reported it
Related recalls (7)
Air bags:frontal:driver clockspring/spiral cassette; steering:column
Model years: 2023
Problem: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2023 Toyota Corolla, Corolla Cross, Corolla Cross Hybrid, Highlander, Highlander Hybrid, Tacoma, Lexus RX350, 2023-2024 NX250, and NX350 vehicles that may have been incorrectly repaired under previous NHTSA recall number 23V-480. An electrical connection inside the steering column's spiral cable assembly may be insufficiently welded, causing the connection to separate and deactivate the driver's air bag. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 208, "Occupant Crash Protection."
Risk: A deactivated driver's air bag will not deploy as intended, increasing the risk of injury during a crash.
Fix: Dealers will inspect and replace the spiral cable assembly as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed March 17, 2025. Owners may contact Toyota's customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's number for this recall is 25TA02. Lexus' number for this recall is 25LA02.
Air bags:sensor:occupant classification
Model years: 2020, 2021
Problem: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2020-2021 Avalon, Avalon Hybrid, Corolla, Highlander, Highlander Hybrid, RAV4, RAV4 Hybrid, Lexus ES350, Lexus RX350, Lexus RX450H, 2021 Sienna Hybrid, Lexus ES250, 2020-2022 Camry, Camry Hybrid, and ES300H vehicles. A short circuit may develop in the Occupant Classification System (OCS) sensor, preventing the front passenger air bag from deploying.
Risk: An air bag that does not deploy during a crash increases the risk of injury.
Fix: Dealers will inspect and replace the sensor as necessary, free of charge. Interim letters notifying owners of the safety risk were mailed in February 2024. Some final remedy owner letters were mailed October 31, 2024. Letters will continue to be mailed in phases through January 2026. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's number for this recall is 23TB15/23TA15 Lexus 23LB03/23LA03.
Steering:column; air bags:frontal:driver clockspring/spiral cassette
Model years: 2023
Problem: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2023 Corolla, Corolla Cross, Corolla Cross Hybrid, Highlander, Highlander Hybrid, Tacoma, 2023 Lexus RX350, RX350 Hybrid, RX500 Hybrid, 2023-2024 Lexus NX250, NX350, and NX350 Hybrid vehicles. An electrical connection inside the steering column's spiral cable assembly may be insufficiently welded, causing the connection to separate and deactivate the driver's air bag. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 208, "Occupant Crash Protection."
Risk: A deactivated driver's air bag that does not deploy as intended increases the risk of injury during a crash.
Fix: Dealers will inspect and replace the spiral cable assembly, if necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed September 8, 2023. Owners may contact Toyota's customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's number for this recall is 23TA08. Lexus' number for this recall is 23LA02.
Seats; air bags
Model years: 2020
Problem: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2020 Highlander and Highlander hybrid vehicles. Incorrect seat trim covers on one or both of the front seats can prevent the seat-mounted side air bag from deploying properly.
Risk: Improper deployment of the seat-mounted side air bag increases the risk of injury in the event of a crash.
Fix: Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the front seats and replace the seat trim covers as necessary, free of charge. The recall began December 11, 2020. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's number for this recall is 20TB14 / 20TA14.
Air bags:frontal:driver side:inflator module
Model years: 2008, 2009, 2010
Problem: Toyota is recalling certain model year 2006-2008 RAV4, 2006-2010 Yaris, 2008-2010 Highlander, and 2009-2010 Tacoma, Corolla, Corolla Matrix and General Motors Pontiac Vibe vehicles. In the affected vehicles, the steering column assembly contains electrical connections to the driver's airbag module housed in a spiral cable assembly, which includes a Flexible Flat Cable (FFC). Due to the shape and location of the FFC's retainer, the FFC could become damaged when the steering wheel is turned.
Risk: If the FFC is damaged, connectivity to the driver's air bag module could be lost and the air bag deactivated. The failure of the driver's air bag to deploy in the event of a crash that typically necessitates deployment increases the risk of injury to the driver.
Fix: Toyota will notify the Toyota vehicle owners, and General Motors will notify the Pontiac Vibe owners. Toyota sent owners an interim notification letter in May 2014 to advise owners of the recall. Toyota will mail owners a second letter when remedy parts are available. General Motors sent Pontiac Vibe owners an Interim letter on June 20, 2014 notifying them that parts are currently unavailable. General Motors sent notices to the Pontiac Vibe owners on September 15, 2014, that a remedy is available. The recall began on October 27, 2014. Owners may contact Toyota at 1-800-331-4331. Owners may contact General Motors at 1-800-762-2737.
Seats; air bags:frontal:sensor/control module-inactive
Model years: 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013
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.
Air bags:side/window
Model years: 2008
Problem: Toyota is recalling certain model year 2008 highlander, highlander hybrid, and model year 2007-2008 rav4 vehicles. In the curtain shield airbag (csa) system, there are two sensors in the airbag sensor assembly which are designed to detect vehicle roll angle. If one of these sensors malfunctions, the airbag warning light (malfunction indicator light: mil) will illuminate and the roll detection system will be suspended; however, the airbag csa remains available in the event of a side crash. If both sensors fail nearly simultaneously after initial airbag system check, the csa and the seat belt pretensioner could be inadvertently activated.
Risk: Inadvertent activation of the csa and/or the seat belt pretensioner can cause injury to a vehicle occupant.
Fix: Toyota will replace the airbag sensor assembly with a new one containing improved roll rate sensors, free of charge. Toyota intends to send an interim owner notification to owners early to mid-may, 2011 when sufficient parts and remedy becomes available. Owners may contact toyota at 1-800-331-4331.
What owners report
Short excerpts of recent complaints, with personal details removed. Full reports are on NHTSA.gov.
The contact owns a 2022 Toyota Highlander. The contact stated that while her husband was driving approximately 25-30 MPH with the contact seated in the front passenger's side seat, another vehicle crashed into the passenger's side of the vehicle. The contact stated that the driver's and passenger's…
The Airbag and the windshield piller A trim was not properly repaired by Yark Toyota in [XXX] after an accident prior to selling it to the next customer on XXX. Inspection of car finding this out was on XXX INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
LTA malfunction, SRS airbag system malfunction, pre-collision system malfunction and headlight system malfunction lights came on.
I was in a head on collision and seat belt didn't hold me in place and airbag did not deploy. I hit the steering wheel.
Four days after I took delivery of this used vehicle (April 25, 2026), multiple warning lights appeared at once: BRAKE, ABS, PARK, Check Engine, Blind Spot Monitor Unavailable, and RCTA OFF. An independent Toyota dealership diagnosed the vehicle April 27-28, 2026 (approx. 109,000 miles) and found…
Frequently asked questions
Do all Toyota Highlanders have air bags problems?
No. NHTSA has 356 owner complaints about air bags for the Toyota Highlander. Complaint data shows that the problem is reported, not how many of all cars sold are affected.
Was there a recall on the Toyota Highlander air bags?
Yes: 7 safety recalls list air bags. Check your VIN on NHTSA.gov to see whether the fix was done on your car.
How much does it cost to fix air bags problems on the Toyota Highlander?
Owners report a typical cost of $710 (half paid between $700 and $1,150), from 13 complaints that state a repair bill or quote, in 2026 dollars.
What do owners say about air bags problems on the Toyota Highlander?
The most frequent phrase is “failed deploy”, in 32 of 356 complaints, followed by “spiral cable” (25).
Other Toyota Highlander problems
- Power Train problems (1,041)
- Electrical System problems (634)
- Service Brakes problems (589)
- Engine problems (536)
- Structure problems (446)
- Vehicle Speed Control problems (444)
- Steering problems (365)
- Visibility problems (318)
See all Toyota Highlander problems.