2003 Toyota Highlander: recalls and complaints
NHTSA lists 2 recall campaigns for the 2003 Toyota Highlander. The newest campaign is 04V181000. NHTSA received the report on 15 Apr 2004. The NHTSA record gives the component Latches/Locks/Linkages / Doors / Latch. NHTSA has 127 complaints on file for this model year.
The NHTSA recall file shows no do-not-drive advisory and no park-outside advisory on these campaigns.
This page cannot show if a recall applies to one vehicle. The NHTSA VIN lookup shows the unrepaired recalls of one vehicle.
Remedy of the newest campaign, 04V181000, in the NHTSA record
Dealers will shorten the cpl lever. Owner notification began may 7, 2004. Owners should contact toyota at 1-800-331-4331.
Complaint information entered into NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation vehicle owner's complaint database is used with other data sources to identify safety issues that warrant investigation and to determine if a safety-related defect trend exists.
NHTSA publishes these words. Source: NHTSA Datasets and APIs, section Complaints, read on . Complaint file through . Recall file through .
Since the last update
No tracked figure of this page changed in a data update. What the log tracks
Recall campaigns
2 campaigns, newest first. 366,748 units in total.
04V181000Received . 366,572 units.
Latches/Locks/Linkages / Doors / Latch
- Defect, in the NHTSA record
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.
- Consequence, in the NHTSA record
This condition could allow the door to be opened with the inside while the operator believes that the cpl was activated. If the door were opened from the inside while the vehicle was in motion, an occupant could fall out and be injured.
- Remedy, in the NHTSA record
Dealers will shorten the cpl lever. Owner notification began may 7, 2004. Owners should contact toyota at 1-800-331-4331.
Report filed by TOYOTA MOTOR NORTH AMERICA, INC.. Manufacturer campaign number SSC 40B. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: .
02V339000Received . 176 units.
Wheels
- Defect, in the NHTSA record
On certain sport utility vehicles equipped with five factory alloy wheels (model 6934 and 6936), with factory llat, and with port installed wr4, four alloy wheel upgrade processed at the jacksonville, florida port and distributed by southeast toyota distributors in the states of alabama, florida, georgia, north and south carolina, when the vehicles were processed at the port, an alloy tire/wheel upgrade was installed. The upgrade included 4 alloy wheels. The original spare tire/alloy wheel was not changed. The spare tire requires the use of a different style of wheel nut to attach it to the vehicle.
- Consequence, in the NHTSA record
If the spare tire/wheel is installed on the vehicle using the wheel nuts provided for the upgrade alloy wheel, damage to the wheel could result and could eventually lead to a loose wheel.
- Remedy, in the NHTSA record
Owners will be provided with different style lug nuts, a warning label for the spare re/alloy wheel, and an owner's manual addendum.
Report filed by SOUTHEAST TOYOTA DISTRIBUTORS.
The campaign number opens the NHTSA record. Each quotation is the text of the NHTSA recall file.
Recall campaign: One recall in the NHTSA recall file, with one campaign number. A campaign can name many makes, models and model years.
Units: The number of vehicles or products that a recall can include. The manufacturer or the firm reports the number to the agency.
Complaints by component
127 complaints, 146 component mentions.
A complaint can name more than one component. Each component that a complaint names is one component mention. The figure per 1,000 component mentions shows how many of each 1,000 mentions name the component.
- 2003 Toyota Highlander
- All 2003 vehicles
| Component | 2003 Highlander | All 2003 vehicles | Highlander, all years | Mentions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 239.7 | 108.8 | 91.9 | 35 |
| Visibility | 130.1 | 56.8 | 146 | 19 |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 116.4 | 83.2 | 73.8 | 17 |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 116.4 | 45.3 | 164.9 | 17 |
| Power Train | 61.6 | 136.5 | 128.8 | 9 |
| Structure | 54.8 | 51.6 | 42.7 | 8 |
| Tires | 47.9 | 29.3 | 56.6 | 7 |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 34.2 | 43.8 | 24.6 | 5 |
| Steering | 27.4 | 42.7 | 46.8 | 4 |
| Unknown or Other | 20.5 | 12.8 | 18 | 3 |
The table shows the 10 components with the most mentions, of 24.
- Complaints that report a crash
- 18
- Complaints that report a fire
- 0
- Injuries in the complaints
- 5
- Deaths in the complaints
- 0
- Date of the newest complaint
- 6 Oct 2010
These figures are the entries of the persons who sent the complaints.
Complaint: A report about a possible safety problem that a person sends to NHTSA. This site shows the number of complaints and not their text.
Investigations
The NHTSA investigation file has no investigation that names this model year.
Investigation: A study of a possible safety defect by the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation. An investigation with no closing date in the NHTSA file is open.
Other model years
The number under each year is the number of recall campaigns.
Official channels
- NHTSA VIN lookupNHTSA shows the unrepaired recalls of one vehicle from its VIN or its license plate.
- NHTSA: report a safety problemThe NHTSA form for a complaint about a vehicle, a tire, a child seat or equipment.
- NHTSA page of the 2003 Toyota HighlanderThe recalls, the complaints and the investigations that NHTSA shows for this model year.
Cite this page
Recall Register. 2003 Toyota Highlander: recalls and complaints. https://recallregister.com/vehicle/toyota/highlander/2003/. Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation, recall, complaint and investigation files. Data through .
Sources
- Source
- NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation
- Licence
- US government work, public domain
- Recall file through
- 29 Sep 2026
- Complaint file through
- 29 Mar 2018
- First complaint in the file
- 1 Jan 1995
- Manufacturer in the recall file
- TOYOTA MOTOR NORTH AMERICA, INC.
The NHTSA record is the authority. A complaint count is the number of different complaint numbers for the make, the model and the model year. How the register is made. Report an error.
Questions
- How many units are in the recall campaigns for the 2003 Toyota Highlander?
- 366,748 units in 2 campaigns. A campaign can name other models and model years, and its units include them.
- How many recall campaigns does the Toyota Highlander have for all model years?
- NHTSA lists 51 recall campaigns for the Toyota Highlander, model years 1998 to 2025. 2 of them name the 2003 model year.
- Which component do the complaints about the 2003 Toyota Highlander name most often?
- Engine and Engine Cooling: 35 of 146 component mentions, or 239.7 per 1,000. For all 2003 vehicles the figure is 108.8 per 1,000.
- Is an NHTSA investigation of the 2003 Toyota Highlander open?
- The NHTSA investigation file has no investigation that names this model year.