2005 Toyota Highlander
The Verdict
The 2005 Toyota Highlander has 225 owner complaints filed with NHTSA. The most reported issues are body (102 complaints) and transmission (47 complaints). With a Klunk Score of 50/100, it earns a "Proceed with Caution" rating. If you're shopping for a Toyota Highlander, consider the 2025 model year which has 96% fewer complaints.
Safe Bet
The 2025 has 96% fewer complaints
View the 2025 Toyota Highlander dashboard →
Klunk Score: Proceed with Caution
About average for complaint volume. Research the specific issues before buying.
How is this calculated?
The Klunk Score ranks this vehicle year against all others in our database based on total owner complaints filed with NHTSA. 100 = fewest complaints (top tier), 0 = most complained-about. Scores above 60 are better than average; below 40 means more problems than most.
Recalls 2
Active safety recalls from NHTSA for this vehicle year.
Southeast Toyota Distributors, LLC (SET) is recalling certain 2005-2011 4Runner, Highlander, Sequoia, and Sienna, 2005-2010 Avalon and Tundra, 2006-2008 Camry Solara, 2006-2010 Highlander hybrid, 2...
Risk
If damaged, the copper strand heating element may short circuit, increasing the risk of a fire.
Remedy
SET will notify owners, and dealers will disconnect the seat heaters, free of charge, and refund the purchase price of the seat heater accessory. The recall began on July 14, 2016. Owners may conta...
Reported Feb 6, 2016
GULF STATES TOYOTA IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2005-2010 VEHICLES FOR FAILING TO COMPLY WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 110, "TIRE SELECTION AND RIMS." THESE...
Risk
THIS DOES NOT MEET THE STANDARD REQUIREMENTS.
Remedy
DEALERS WILL MAIL TO CONSUMERS THE CORRECTED LABEL OR THE CUSTOMER WILL HAVE THE OPTION FOR DEALERS TO INSTALL THE LABEL FREE OF CHARGE. DEALERS WILL ALSO CORRECT THE OWNER'S MANUAL. THE SAFETY RE...
Reported Mar 2, 2010
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Under the Hood
Each number is a complaint. Darker = bigger problem.
| Year | Body | Brakes | Electrical | Engine | Transmission |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 67 | 20 | 14 | 23 | 13 |
| 2002 | 222 | 18 | 37 | 33 | 18 |
| 2003 | 104 | 31 | 22 | 98 | 15 |
| 2004 | 129 | 23 | 35 | 43 | 56 |
| 2005 | 102 | 20 | 37 | 19 | 47 |
| 2006 | 74 | 93 | 35 | 52 | 20 |
| 2007 | 46 | 35 | 19 | 15 | 8 |
| 2008 | 137 | 79 | 86 | 85 | 15 |
| 2009 | 49 | 24 | 27 | 29 | 5 |
| 2010 | 105 | 33 | 71 | 24 | 5 |
| 2011 | 106 | 16 | 32 | 23 | 9 |
| 2012 | 116 | 13 | 33 | 22 | 6 |
| 2013 | 108 | 17 | 36 | 43 | 6 |
| 2014 | 83 | 3 | 36 | 3 | 8 |
| 2015 | 94 | 14 | 57 | 15 | 6 |
| 2016 | 52 | 19 | 24 | 13 | 1 |
| 2017 | 63 | 25 | 33 | 77 | 62 |
| 2018 | 58 | 53 | 29 | 61 | 53 |
| 2019 | 92 | 12 | 42 | 153 | 164 |
| 2020 | 80 | 28 | 40 | 32 | 116 |
| 2021 | 122 | 51 | 52 | 68 | 175 |
| 2022 | 95 | 32 | 33 | 17 | 40 |
| 2023 | 85 | 14 | 19 | 35 | 5 |
| 2024 | 17 | 7 | 5 | 8 | 2 |
| 2025 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
By Category
By Severity
Worst Problems
Compare Against
See how the 2005 Toyota Highlander stacks up against rivals.
Complaints
My 2025 Acura MDX (under 10,000 miles) has failed to restart after the automatic idle stop engaged at stoplights and drive-thru lines at least 7 separate times. When I release the brake, the engine often remains off and the vehicle will not move, leaving me stopped in traffic. I have not yet required a jump start, but on several occasions the vehicle came very close to not restarting at all. This most recently occurred at a sandwich shop drive-thru. These incidents occurred in normal drive mode and in normal weather conditions. No abnormal driving conditions were present when the failures happened. Other owners online report the same problem, with some needing to carry jumper cables. I believe this is a serious safety risk because the vehicle can stall unexpectedly in intersections and traffic when the auto stop-start system activates. I am now concerned about relying on this vehicle in traffic because I cannot trust it to restart when stopped.
Odometer Fraud. The contact purchased a 2005 Toyota Highlander. The contact discovered that there was a mileage discrepancy after the purchase of the vehicle. The vehicle was a private sale. At the time of the purchase, the mileage was 123,000. It was later discovered upon checking Carfax that the mileage was 254,000.
All at once the windows, moon roof, blinkers, reverse lights, running lights and brake lights stopped working - also the automatic headlight function stopped working and we must turn on and off the headlights or risk draining the battery. It's interesting to note that the flashers work, but the blinkers do not. The wipers, radio, cruise control, etc. are all fine. It appears all fuses associated with these items are intact - I don't know how to check the viability of the relays, but have been told it could be a relay and or a ground wire. I've purchased a new multifunction blinker headlight replacement switch AND a master window replacement switch to see if this will resolve the issue - but the fact that it happened all at the same time concerns me that it could be electrical or wiring. All the wires under the dash are intact.
The contact owns a 2005 Toyota Highlander. The contact stated that while the vehicle was on a lift at the independent mechanic, it was discovered that the rear subframe was rusted. The contact was informed that the subframe needed to be replaced. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 150,000.
Passager seat burnt up from the heated seats
The contact owned a 2005 Toyota Highlander. The contact stated that while driving 15 MPH, the brake pedal was depressed and the vehicle accelerated and crashed into a fence. The air bags did not deploy. At the time of the crash, the vehicle was 20 MPH. The vehicle was towed to a junkyard. No warning lights were illuminated. The contact sustained a face injury where he lost several teeth and also had back pain. Medical treatment was needed for the injury, went to the hospital and got an x-ray and some dental work done A police report was filed. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 108,435.
Driver's seat belt locked up so I was unable to wear it, I hit a deer tried to swerve to miss it, and my car was shaking uncontrollably.
I was driving home and a deer ran infront of me. I tried to put my seat belt on before but it locked, so I tried to get home to my 3yr old safely without it.
The contact owns a Mifold Original Grab-and-Go Booster Seat, Model Number: MF01/US, Manufactured Date: May 3, 2019. The contact stated that her daughter had unbuckled the seat belt but was unable to unlatch the seat belt from the buckle. The seat belt was extremely tight and would not loosen from the child restraint. Since her daughter remained stuck in the child restraint, the contact had to cut the seat belt to remove her child from the vehicle. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The seat belt was not replaced. The failure mileage was unknown.
MY 2005 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER MASTER BRAKE CYLINDER LOOKS TO BE LEAKING NEAR THE BRAKE BOOSTER. I KNOW THAT IT WAS REPLACED BY TOYOTA DEALER UNDER NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 10V499000. HOWEVER I DO NOT REMEMBER THE YEAR. I WAS DRIVING ON LOCAL STREETS, WHEN I STEPPED ON THE BRAKE PEDAL AND IT WENT ALL THE WAY TO THE FLOOR. THE NEXT TIME I TRIED TO STEP ON THE PEDAL IT WAS WORKING OK. BUT THEN THE 3RD TIME I STEPPED ON THE BRAKE PEDAL IT WAS GOING ALL THE WAY TO THE FLOOR AGAIN. THIS WAS A SHOCKED SINCE IT GOT ME TO WORK 9 HOURS EARLIER WITH NO ISSUE. I GOT HOME AND CHECKED THE BRAKE FLUID LEVEL AND LOOKED TO BE AT THE CORRECT LEVEL. I DID NOT DRIVE UNTIL NEXT DAY TO TAKE IT TO MY LOCAL MECHANIC, WHO TOLD ME IT WAS THE MASTER BRAKE CYLINDER. HE STATED THAT THERE WAS A SMALL LEAK INSIDE THE BRAKE BOOSTER AND NEEDED TO REPLACE THE WHOLE MASTER BRAKE CYLINDER. IT STILL IS IN THE SHOP, HOWEVER I REMEMBERED THAT IT WAS "SWAPPED OUT" WITH A NEW ONE UNDER NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 10V499000. COULD IT BE POSSIBLE THAT THE RECALLED FOR THE NEW PART IS STILL DOING THE SAME THING? I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW IF I CAN GET REPLACED AGAIN UNDER THE RECALL, OR HAVE TO PAY THE $550 FOR NEW PART AND LABOR. THANK YOU
SHORT IN MASTER WINDOW SWITCH
REAR BREAK LIGHTS KEEP GOING OUT WITH FUSE BLOWING. NO REAR LIGHTS AT ALL WHEN THIS HAPPENS. I KEEP REPLACING THE 10A FUSE BUT CAN'T FIND CAUSE OF FAILURE. VEHICLE IS IN MOTION ON HIGHWAY. CAUSE OF LIGHTS SUDDENLY GOING OUT IS UNKNOWN.
INVOLVED IN THEE CAR T-BONE COLLISION THAT CAUSED SEVERAL INJURIES TO UPPER AND LOWER EXTREMITIES. THE AIR-BAG FAILED TO INFLATE. VEHICLE WAS IN MOTION AT A CONTROLLED INTERSECTION ON A RURAL ROAD AND TURNING LEFT.
BRAKE FLUID HAS TO BE REFILLED EVERY 500 MILES. THERE MUST BE A LEAK SOMEWHERE IN THE BRAKE MASTER CYLINDER. ONCE WE ALMOST HIT ANOTHER VEHICLE BECAUSE THE BRAKE NEARLY FAILED DUE TO ABSENCE OF BRAKE FLUID
ENGINE SLUDGE
ON 7/23/2011 I WAS AT A COMPLETE STOP IN MY VEHICLE. I WAS HIT FROM BEHIND BY A CAR TRAVELING 70MPH+ AND PUSHED INTO A CAR IN FRONT OF ME. THE AIR BAG LIGHT WENT OFF, BUT AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER. WHILE DRIVING STRAIGHT, ANOTHER VEHICLE SUDDENLY DROVE IN FRONT OF THE CONTACT. AS A RESULT, THE CONTACT CRASHED INTO THE REAR PASSENGER SIDE OF THE OTHER VEHICLE. THERE WERE NO INJURIES. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO CARMAN FORD LINCOLN (193 S DUPONT HWY, NEW CASTLE, DE 19720 AT (302) 323-2300) WHERE THE FRONT PASSENGER SIDE WAS REPAIRED. A FEW MONTHS LATER, THE STABILITY CONTROL AND PARKING BRAKE INDICATORS ILLUMINATED, AND THE RADIO AND CLOCK STARTED TO MALFUNCTION. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO PRICE TOYOTA (168 N DUPONT HWY, NEW CASTLE, DE 19720 (302) 322-8600) WHERE IT WAS RECOMMENDED THAT THE BODY CONTROL MODULE NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE DEALER STATED THAT OTHER FAILURES MAY OCCUR. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE AND DID NOT ASSIST. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 119,271.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE POWER WINDOWS FAILED TO PROPERLY FUNCTION FOR THE FRONT PASSENGER SIDE WINDOW INTERMITTENTLY AND THE REAR WINDOWS FAILED TO ELECTRONICALLY CLOSE AND OPEN. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO (TEXAS TOYOTA OF GRAPEVINE, 701 E STATE HWY 114, GRAPEVINE, TX 76051, (817) 329-5949) FOR INSPECTION AND DIAGNOSIS. IN ADDITION, THE VIN WAS INCLUDED IN NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 11V112000 (VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL) AND THE CONTACT WAS UNCERTAIN AS TO WHEN THE DEALER MAY PROVIDE THE REPAIR. THE MANUFACTURER STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS EXCLUDED FROM AN ELECTRICAL RECALL TO SERVICE THE POWER MASTER WINDOW SWITCH FAILURE FOR THE WINDOWS. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS NOT AVAILABLE. PARTS DISTRIBUTION DISCONNECT.
TRANSAXLE VENT IS LEAKING TRANSMISSION FLUID ONTO EXHAUST, POTENTIAL OF CATASTRAPHIC TRANSMISSION FAILURE DUE TO TOTAL SUDDEN LOSS OF TRANSMISSION FLIUD. LEAK IS CAUSE BY A DEFECTIVE SEAL
I RECEIVED A RECALL NOTICE IN THE MAIL.
225 total