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2002 Toyota Highlander Recalls & Complaints

2

open safety recalls on record

Serious

335 owner complaints filed · Severity Index 0.66 · updated 2026-08-07

The recalls

Serious04V181000

Latches/Locks/Linkages:Doors:Latch

THIS CONDITION COULD ALLOW THE DOOR TO BE OPENED WITH THE INSIDE WHILE THE OPERATOR BELIEVES THAT THE CPL WAS ACTIVATED.

Remedy & full details

DEALERS WILL SHORTEN THE CPL LEVER. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN MAY 7, 2004. OWNERS SHOULD CONTACT TOYOTA AT 1-800-331-4331.

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.

Serious02V208000

Fuel System, Gasoline:Storage:Tank Assembly:Mounting

IN THE WORST CASE, NOZZLE BREAKAGE COULD RESULT IN FUEL LEAKAGE IF THE VEHICLE ROLLS-OVER AFTER A HIGH SPEED FRONTAL CRASH.

Remedy & full details

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.

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.

Complaint volume

335 this model-year 8 median, same year

Volume alone is not a fault rate — popular vehicles attract more reports. Read it next to the severity mix below.

What owners reported happened

27Crashes
8Fires
26Injuries
4Deaths

Across 335 complaints. Severity Index 0.66.

Severity Index weights each complaint's reported outcome (death ×10, injury ×4, fire ×3, crash ×2) and divides by total complaints. It measures how severe reports are, not how often faults occur.

What owners report most

Visibility108 · 32%Vehicle Speed Control29 · 9%Structure23 · 7%Visibility/Wiper16 · 5%Unknown Or Other14 · 4%Engine And Engine Cooling…11 · 3%Electrical System10 · 3%Engine And Engine Cooling10 · 3%
  1. Visibility — 108 reports
  2. Vehicle Speed Control — 29 reports
  3. Structure — 23 reports
  4. Visibility/Wiper — 16 reports
  5. Unknown Or Other — 14 reports
  6. Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine — 11 reports
  7. Electrical System — 10 reports
  8. Engine And Engine Cooling — 10 reports
  9. Air Bags — 9 reports
  10. Exterior Lighting — 9 reports

What to do

  1. Find your 17-character VIN on the driver's door jamb or the base of the windscreen.
  2. Check it against NHTSA's official lookup at nhtsa.gov/recalls — the authoritative record for your exact car.
  3. Book the repair with any franchised dealer. Safety recall work is free, with no time limit and regardless of who owns the car now.

Other model years

2001 (3) · 2002 · 2003 (2) · 2004 (5) · 2005 (6) · 2006 (7) · 2007 (4) · 2008 (13) · 2009 (9) · 2010 (10) · 2011 (5) · 2012 (2) · 2013 (3) · 2014 (5) · 2015 (2) · 2016 (3) · 2017 (4) · 2018 (5) · 2019 (3) · 2020 (4) · 2021 (4) · 2022 (5) · 2023 (9) · 2024 (7) · 2025 (3)

Numbers in brackets are open recall campaigns for that year.

Questions

Does an open recall mean the car is unsafe to drive?

Not usually. NHTSA issues a "do not drive" or "park outside" advisory when a defect is dangerous enough to keep you out of the car — those are flagged Critical above. Everything else should be repaired promptly but is not an immediate stop-driving order.

Do I pay for recall repairs?

No. Federal law requires the manufacturer to fix a safety recall free of charge, including parts and labour, whether or not you are the original owner.

Why are there complaints but no recalls?

Complaints are unverified reports filed by owners. They can prompt an investigation, but many never become recalls — either the fault isn't safety-related or it isn't widespread.

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