2018 Toyota Highlander

2018 Toyota Highlander recalls (5)

• FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:FUEL PUMP

  Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2018-2019 4Runner, 2019-2020 Avalon, 2019 Corolla Hatchback, 2017-2019 Highlander, 2018-2020 Camry, 2020 Corolla, 2018-2019 Land Cruiser, 2017-2020 Tacoma, 2019-2020 RAV4, 2019-2020 Sequoia, 2017-2020 Sienna, 2019-2020 Tundra, 2018-2020 Lexus ES350, 2017 Lexus GS200t, 2017-2019 Lexus GS350, 2019 Lexus GS300, 2018-2020 Lexus LC500h, 2019-2020 Lexus LS500, 2018-2019 Lexus GX460, 2017 Lexus IS200t, 2019 Lexus IS300, 2019 Lexus IS350, 2018-2020 Lexus LC500, 2018 Lexus LS500, 2019 Lexus LS500h, 2018-2019 Lexus LX570, 2017 Lexus RC200t, 2019 Lexus RC300, RC350, 2017 and 2019-2020 Lexus RX350, 2018-2020 RX350L, 2019 Lexus UX200, 2018-2019 Lexus NX300 vehicles. The low-pressure fuel pump inside the fuel tank may fail.

  Remedy: Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will replace the fuel pump assembly with an improved one, free of charge. Owners of specific models were notified that remedy parts were available starting January 21, 2021. Owners of other models will be notified as remedy parts become available. Remedy parts should be available for all affected vehicles by late March 2021. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-888-270-9371 or Lexus customer service at 1-800-255-3987. Note: This recall is an expansion of recall 20V-012. Toyota's number for this recall is 20TA02. Lexus' number for this recall is 20LA01.

• FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:FUEL PUMP

  Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) recalled certain 2018-2019 4Runner, Highlander, Camry, Land Cruiser, Sequoia, Sienna, Tacoma and Tundra, and Lexus RC 300, RC 350, GS 350, GX 460, IS 300, LC 500, LS 500, LX 570, RX 350L, and 2019 Toyota Avalon and Corolla, and certain Lexus NX 300, and ES 350 vehicles on January 13, 2020. On March 4, 2020, Toyota expanded the recall to include certain 2014-2015 Toyota 4Runner and Land Cruiser, 2018 Avalon, Corolla, 2014 FJ Cruiser, 2017 Sienna and Lexus 2018 ES 350, 2018-2019 GS 300, 2013-2014 GS350, 2014-2015 GX 460, IS 350 and LX 570, 2014 IS F, 2018-2019 IS 350, LC 500H and LS 500H, 2013-2015 LS 460, 2015 NX 200T and RC350, 2017 RC 200T and RX 350. Toyota also removed the 2018-2019 Toyota 4Runner and Land Cruiser and 2018-2019 Lexus GX 460 and LX 570 and 2019 NX300 from inclusion in this recall. On March 19, 2020, Toyota expanded the recall to include 2015 Lexus GS350 vehicles. The low-pressure fuel pump inside the fuel tank may fail.

  Remedy: Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will replace the fuel pump, free of charge. The recall began May 4, 2020. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-888-270-9371 or Lexus customer service at 1-800-255-3987. Toyota's numbers for this recall are 20TB02 and 20TA02 for Toyota vehicles and 20LB01 and 20LA01 for Lexus vehicles.

• ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

  Fujian Wanda Automobile Glass Industry (Wanda) is recalling certain aftermarket Replacement Windshields sold for use in 2014-2018 Toyota Highlander vehicles. The windshields have an attached wire harness that water may leak into, possibly causing damage to the vehicle's Engine Control Module (ECM).

  Remedy: Wanda will notify owners, and service centers will replace the windshields, and inspect the ECM for damage, having it replaced, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began January 29, 2019. Owners may contact Wanda customer service at 1-864-281-2760.

• EQUIPMENT:OTHER:LABELS

  Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2017-2018 Toyota 4Runner and Tundra, 2018 Toyota Highlander, RAV4 and Lexus GX460 and 2017 Toyota Sienna and Tacoma vehicles. These vehicles may have incorrect load carrying capacity modification labels. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 110, "Tire Selection and Rims."

  Remedy: Toyota will notify owners and provide them with corrected labels, free of charge. The recall began on January 23, 2018. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's numbers for this recall are H0Z for Toyota vehicles, and HLF for Lexus vehicles.

• SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:POWER ASSIST:VACUUM

  Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2018 Toyota Camry and Highlander vehicles, 2017 Toyota Sienna and Tacoma vehicles and 2017 Lexus RX350 vehicles. During the manufacturing process, the oil galley in the rotor for the brake booster vacuum pump assembly may have been improperly machined possibly resulting in a sudden loss of brake assist.

  Remedy: Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will replace the brake booster vacuum pump, free of charge. The recall began on May 9, 2018. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-888-270-9371, or Lexus customer service at 1-800-255-3987. Toyota's numbers for this recall are J0K/JLD.

2018 Toyota Highlander safety ratings

Source: NHTSA NCAP ratings.

2018 Toyota Highlander owner complaints (15)

• POWER TRAIN

  whining sound in the transmission, including high-pitched whining, erratic shifting, clunks, hesitation, and premature failure. These vehicles are equipped with the UA80F (AWD) and UA80E (FWD) 8-speed automatic transmissions.

• POWER TRAIN

  Transmission failure happened suddenly. I pulled out of a car wash and car would not accelerate. I was in heavy traffic and car wouldn’t move.

• UNKNOWN OR OTHER

  The position of the screen monitor for the backup camera is hard to see when the sun creates a glare on the front windshield.

• FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE

  The Pre-Collision System (PCS) failed to engage the automatic emergency braking during a stop-and-go traffic, thereby, resulting in rear-ending the vehicle ahead of our 2018 Highlander Limited vehicle. Our Highlander was at a complete stop, then when the traffic moved slowly forward, we too started moving forward but didn't realize the vehicle ahead of us had suddenly stopped again. Our Highlander alerted us with high-pitched beep-beep-beep sound, but it didn't stop before colliding with the rear of the vehicle ahead of us. The speed couldn't have been more than 10 MPH since it started out from a complete stop and the distance traveled before the collision was about 40 feet. There were no warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the collision. It always beeped, like it should, when there were nearby obstacles, pedestrians, and when we got closer to the end of our garage parking space, etc. PCS sensitivity was set at the highest level (3 bars).

• POWER TRAIN

  Vehicle has a high pitch whine on acceleration. Was diagnosed by Toyota dealer. Advised to replace the transmission. This VIN is not included in the CSP ZJC warranty but is a 2018 and is experiencing the same issue. Sound began at 110k miles.

• POWER TRAIN

  GUEST STATES HER VEHICLE IS WHINING DURING ACCELLERATION, WILL STOP WHINING FOR A MOMENT WHEN VEHICLE UPSHIFTS AND THEN RETURN. GUEST HAS BEEN IN CONTACT WITH SERVICE MANAGER. NOISE CONFIRMED IN DRIVETRAIN, NOTED SUBLT BUT IT DOES OCCURE TEST DROVE ON BACK HILL. PLEASE HAVE CHECKED ADVISE. Comments: Verified reported sound. Like make and model comparison vehicle did not exhibit sound. Traced source of sound to transmission. Replacement of transmission needed to address reported sound. Warranty company sent independent inspector out, warranty company approved replacement with OEM remanufactured transmission. Car has been at dealer for since July 18, 2026 (1 month and counting) and still waiting for replacement transmission to be available from Toyota. Repair Estimate: $9681.80 Original Approved: $0.00 TOTAL APPROVED: $9681.80

• POWER TRAIN

  This vehicle has a UA80 8-speed transmission that has prematurely failed. This is a KNOWN issue to Toyota and they have refused to provide a fix. It is a safety hazard when all acceleration stops when attempting to merge into heavy traffic (as had happened to me last week) or on a highway traveling at top speed. I have only 27,000 miles on this automobile and it failed with NO WARNING! Within a very short time frame the following occurred: the check AWD system, TRAC off, check engine and the transmission fluid at a high temperature lights appeared on the dashboard. Shortly thereafter I experienced a burning smell, suddenly no acceleration with a high TAC response and vehicle jerking. My transmission is toast. This would have ended very badly for me as it failed on a highway at speed with heavy traffic. Toyota needs to address this and recall and replace. Shame on you Toyota!

• UNKNOWN OR OTHER

  I was parking my car and was almost to the gray slab to stop when the car suddenly surged forward! It felt like an airplane taking off. I hit a brick building. Somehow my nose was broken, and I was bleeding profusely. If someone had been walking on the sidewalk in front of me, they would have been crushed against the brick wall. Others have had this problem; in fact, one lady said she almost hit a brick wall! Ironic! There was no warning of any kind. However, the day before, while driving on the highway, the car did the same thing: it surged forward, but fortunately I was able to control it, and there had been no one in front of me. If I had been driving locally, I surely would have hit someone, and who knows what the consequence would have been. The Insurance Company towed the car and totaled it.

• POWER TRAIN,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,ENGINE

  While driving my 2018 Toyota Highlander Limited, the check engine light began flashing off and on. I was near an exit and drove off the freeway. I could feel the car (near the gas pedal) start shaking, then the power went down quickly... as I was trying to find a safe place to go. The farther I drove, there was less power until the car was going about 2 miles an hour. The check light continued flashing as I pulled into a parking lot. This was very scary as I'm sure the car would have just stopped on the freeway if I had not been near an exit as it just simply had no power left. (The check engine light has been on over a year and I took it to three different mechanics. Not one could fix it. This car wiped out my savings and now sits at a Toyota dealership)!

• UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM

  I just got my vehicle inspected and successfully passed with no codes on 07/07/2026. Today 07/10/2026 as I was driving to work my vehicle began to jerk/ jitter and when into limp mode. I took it to a shop to have the codes checked on it and they said it was something to do with the transmission and they don’t specialize in that type of work. My vehicle has less than 45400 miles on it and been maintained regularly. I was told this was a common issue with these vehicles. I don’t know where to go to get this serviced. I called around to local shops with no luck at getting someone to fix or look at the cause of it.

• SUSPENSION,STRUCTURE

  The contact’s daughter owns a 2018 Toyota Highlander. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, there was a clunking sound coming from the front driver’s side of the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, and the owner was informed that the struts needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was later driven to a local tire and battery service center who inspected the vehicle and informed the owner that the front control arms were rusted and needed to be replaced, and that the front axle was cracked. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The daughter was informed that the vehicle was unsafe to drive. The manufacturer was not yet contacted. The failure mileage was 101,000.

• POWER TRAIN

  Transmission failed at 65,000 miles right after the warranty expired. Cost to fix is $8,000. This is an epidemic issue with Toyota Highlanders built from 2017 to 2023. Tried to get dealer to cover but they said they refuse. They said that Toyota Corporate settled by paying all dealerships for potential repairs due to this issue, however all funds have been depleted. Basically no help at all. Pursued issue with Toyota Corporate for several weeks of escalations and appeals. In the end they completely refused to offer any solution other than for me to pay out of pocket. This issue should have been a nationwide recall due to the systemic failure on thousands of Toyota Highlanders. Sincerely, [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

• UNKNOWN OR OTHER

  My car had around 52,930 miles on it when the transmission suddenly went out and left me stranded in [XXX]. I always took my car to the North Hollywood Toyota dealership regularly, twice a year since I bought the car for regular service maintenance. When I was quoted nearly $7,000 to replace the transmission, I sold the car. Why would a 2018 Japanese car with such low mileage and in great condition suddenly have transmission problems? Something doesn’t add up. I had to get towed home. I’m wondering if other Toyota Highlander owners have experienced unexplained transmission problems as well. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

• POWER TRAIN

  Complaint: I am writing to report a transmission defect in my 2018 Toyota Highlander AWD (UA80 8-speed automatic transmission). Prior to the check engine light illuminating, I noticed a burning smell coming from the vehicle. Subsequently, the following fault codes were retrieved: •P0741 – Torque Converter Clutch Circuit Performance/Stuck Off •P2714 – Pressure Control Solenoid “D” Performance/Stuck Off •P2757 – Torque Converter Clutch Pressure Control Solenoid Circuit Performance/Stuck Off These symptoms are consistent with the known defect described in Toyota’s Customer Support Program ZJC (POL19-04), which acknowledges a manufacturing defect involving an improperly bent washer tab inside the UA80 transmission. However, my VIN was not included in the covered vehicles under this program, despite experiencing identical symptoms. I am also aware that multiple class action lawsuits were filed in December 2025 against Toyota alleging the company knowingly concealed this defect from consumers for years. I am requesting NHTSA to investigate whether Toyota’s CSP ZJC coverage should be expanded to include additional affected VINs, and to consider issuing a mandatory recall for all vehicles equipped with the defective UA80 transmission.

• POWER TRAIN

  Transmission failure (whining noise similar to the well-documented issue with UA80F 8-speed transmissions). I reported the noise and requested a specific diagnosis at approximately 95k miles --- no warning lamps/warnings were visible, just noticeable noise while driving without the radio on. On May 22, 2026, Torrington Toyota confirmed that the transmission was failed, but vehicle is drivable. As I purchased a Toyota Extended warranty, Toyota has approved the order of a remanufactured unit, which is on back order, so repair date is TBD/unknown. I lack confidence in the long-term viability of remanufactured unit, as this UA80F transmission continues to have issues, and will cost me $12k+ after the warranty expires, in the likely case that the remanufactured unit fails. There should be a long-term fix to this expensive issue.