2004 Toyota Highlander: recalls and complaints
NHTSA lists 5 recall campaigns for the 2004 Toyota Highlander. The newest campaign is 11V539000. NHTSA received the report on 9 Nov 2011. The NHTSA record gives the component Engine and Engine Cooling. NHTSA has 286 complaints on file for this model year. 1 NHTSA investigation names 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, 11V539000, in the NHTSA record
Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will check the crankshaft pulley to identify whether it was produced by the u.s. Supplier. If so, the dealer will replace the pulley with a new one at no charge. The safety recall is expected to begin during early january 2012. Owners may 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
5 campaigns, newest first. 2,652,415 units in total.
- 11V539000Engine and Engine Cooling
- 11V112000Vehicle Speed Control / Accelerator Pedal
- 10V499000Service Brakes, Hydraulic / Foundation Components / Master Cylinder
- 06V253000Vehicle Speed Control / Accelerator Pedal
- 04V181000Latches/Locks/Linkages / Doors / Latch
11V539000Received . 420,326 units.
Engine and Engine Cooling
- Defect, in the NHTSA record
Toyota is recalling certain model year 2004 avalon vehicles; 2004 and 2005 camry, camry solara, highlander, and sienna vehicles, 2006 highlander hybrid; 2004 and 2005 lexus es330 and rx330; and 2006 lexus rx400h vehicles manufactured from june 1, 2004 through march 31, 2005, equipped with the 1mz-fe or 3mz-fe engine. The amount of adhesive agent applied between the outer ring and the torsional rubber damper (inner ring) in the crankshaft pulley may be inadequate. If the adhesive is insufficient, there is a possibility that the outer ring may become misaligned and it may not properly rotate with the inner ring, causing noise and/or illumination of the battery discharge indicator light.
- Consequence, in the NHTSA record
In some cases, the belt for the power steering pump may become detached from the pulley which could result in a loss of power steering and a sudden increase in steering effort, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy, in the NHTSA record
Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will check the crankshaft pulley to identify whether it was produced by the u.s. Supplier. If so, the dealer will replace the pulley with a new one at no charge. The safety recall is expected to begin during early january 2012. Owners may contact toyota at 1-800-331-4331.
Report filed by Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: .
11V112000Received . 769,379 units.
Vehicle Speed Control / Accelerator Pedal
- Defect, in the NHTSA record
Toyota is recalling certain model year 2004-2006 highlander, highlander hybrid, and model year 2004-2007 lexus rx330, rx350, and rx400h vehicles. If the forward retention clip used to secure the floor carpet cover, which is located in front of the center console, is not installed properly the cover may lean toward the accelerator pedal and interfere with the accelerator pedal arm.
- Consequence, in the NHTSA record
If this occurs, the accelerator pedal may temporarily become stuck in a partially depressed position rather than return to the idle position. A stuck accelerator pedal may result in unintended and sustained vehicle speeds and make it difficult to stop, increasing the risk of a vehicle crash.
- Remedy, in the NHTSA record
Dealers will replace the floor carpet cover with a newly designed one free or charge. The safety recall is expected to begin during march 2011. Owners may contact toyota at 1-800-331-4331.
Report filed by TOYOTA MOTOR NORTH AMERICA, INC.. Manufacturer campaign number BOA/BLC. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: .
10V499000Received . 728,544 units.
Service Brakes, Hydraulic / Foundation Components / Master Cylinder
- Defect, in the NHTSA record
Toyota is recalling certain model year 2005-2006 avalon, model year 2004-2006 highlander, model year 2004-2006 lexus rx, and model year 2006 lexus gs and is vehicles. Brake fluid containing polymers is used that acts as lubricants for certain brake system components. If replacement brake fluid is used that does not contain such polymers, or that contains only small amounts, a part of the rubber seal located at the rear of the brake master cylinder may become dry, and the seal may curl during movement of the piston. If this occurs, a small amount of brake fluid could slowly leak from the seal into the brake booster.
- Consequence, in the NHTSA record
A leak of brake fluid could lead to a change in brake pedal feel and overtime a degradation in braking performance increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy, in the NHTSA record
Dealers will replace the seal with a newly designed one. This service will be performed free of charge. The safety recall began on november 15, 2010. Owners may contact toyota at 1-800-331-4331 and lexus at 1-800-255-3987.
Report filed by TOYOTA MOTOR NORTH AMERICA, INC.. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: .
06V253000Received . 367,594 units.
Vehicle Speed Control / Accelerator Pedal
- Defect, in the NHTSA record
On certain sport utility and hybrid vehicles, the two retaining clips for the driver's side forward center console can become loose. If both clips separate from the floor carpet cover, the cover may lean toward the accelerator pedal, causing interference with the accelerator pedal rod.
- Consequence, in the NHTSA record
This condition may interfere with the accelerator pedal returning to the idle position increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy, in the NHTSA record
Dealers will replace the two floor carpet cover retaining clips free of charge. The recall began on july 24, 2006, and should be completed by early september 2006. Owners may contact toyota at 1-800-331-4331 or lexus at 1-800-255-3987.
Report filed by TOYOTA MOTOR NORTH AMERICA, INC.. Manufacturer campaign number 6LD 60F. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: .
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: .
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
286 complaints, 337 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.
- 2004 Toyota Highlander
- All 2004 vehicles
| Component | 2004 Highlander | All 2004 vehicles | Highlander, all years | Mentions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Power Train | 178 | 113.4 | 142.6 | 60 |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 118.7 | 41.3 | 61.6 | 40 |
| Steering | 106.8 | 71.7 | 50.6 | 36 |
| Visibility | 62.3 | 39.6 | 44 | 21 |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 59.3 | 60.7 | 25.8 | 20 |
| Electrical System | 53.4 | 129.3 | 87.2 | 18 |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 50.4 | 44.1 | 19.5 | 17 |
| Engine | 47.5 | 36.9 | 73.6 | 16 |
| Exterior Lighting | 44.5 | 33.1 | 19.8 | 15 |
| Electronic Stability Control (ESC) | 44.5 | 8.7 | 12 | 15 |
The table shows the 10 components with the most mentions, of 26.
- Complaints that report a crash
- 32
- Complaints that report a fire
- 3
- Injuries in the complaints
- 23
- Deaths in the complaints
- 47
- Date of the newest complaint
- 22 May 2026
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
| Number | Type | Subject | Component | Opened | Closed | Campaign |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RQ10003 | Recall query | Unintended and Uncontrolled Acceleration | Electrical System / Software | 16 Feb 2010 | 1 Mar 2011 | 11V112000 |
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 2004 Toyota HighlanderThe recalls, the complaints and the investigations that NHTSA shows for this model year.
Cite this page
Recall Register. 2004 Toyota Highlander: recalls and complaints. https://recallregister.com/vehicle/toyota/highlander/2004/. 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
- 30 Sep 2026
- Complaint file through
- 30 Sep 2026
- First complaint in the file
- 1 Jan 1995
- Manufacturer in the recall file
- Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing
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 2004 Toyota Highlander?
- 2,652,415 units in 5 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 1997 to 2026. 5 of them name the 2004 model year.
- Which component do the complaints about the 2004 Toyota Highlander name most often?
- Power Train: 60 of 337 component mentions, or 178 per 1,000. For all 2004 vehicles the figure is 113.4 per 1,000.
- Is an NHTSA investigation of the 2004 Toyota Highlander open?
- No. The 1 investigation that names this model year has a closing date in the NHTSA file.