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Total NHTSA Complaints
194
Owner filings recorded
#1 Reported Problem
Electrical System
54 reports (27.8%)
Crash Incident Reports
17
Filings citing a crash
Fire & Injury Reports
18
6 fire • 12 injury filings
Defect Investigation Analysis

Executive Problem Findings

AutoUtility currently tracks 194 official NHTSA owner defect complaints for the 2015 Toyota Highlander. Electrical System issues are the most frequently reported category, appearing in 54 complaints (27.8% of submitted records). Among these NHTSA complaint records, 17 filings cite a crash, 6 cite a fire, 12 report one or more injuries. The 2015 Toyota Highlander belongs to the 3rd Generation (XU50) platform.

Methodology Notice: Consumer complaints are unverified voluntary submissions to the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI). Filings are not normalized for sales volume or vehicle mileage and do not constitute an audited component failure rate.
Incident & Severity Profile
  • • Total Owner Reports: 194 complaints submitted under federal penalty.
  • • Primary Subsystem: Electrical System accounts for 27.8% of submissions (54 reports).
  • • Secondary Systems: Body & Structure (31), Steering System (25).
  • • Crash Incidents: 17 filings cite an impact or collision.
  • • Thermal Incidents: 6 filings cite smoke or fire.
  • • Reported Casualties: 12 injury filings • 0 fatality filings.
Category Distribution

Reported Defect Categories for 2015 Toyota Highlander

Factual proportion of owner complaints categorized by automotive subsystem in NHTSA records

Electrical System
54
27.8%
Body & Structure
31
16%
Steering System
25
12.9%
Brakes & Traction Control
17
8.8%
Engine & Cooling
13
6.7%
#1 27.8% SHARE

Electrical System

54 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI for this subsystem.

🔥 4 Fire 🩹 2 Injury
⚠️ 1 Associated Recall Campaign
#2 16% SHARE

Body & Structure

31 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI for this subsystem.

⚠️ 1 Crash
#3 12.9% SHARE

Steering System

25 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI for this subsystem.

⚠️ 1 Crash 🩹 1 Injury
⚠️ 1 Associated Recall Campaign
#4 8.8% SHARE

Brakes & Traction Control

17 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI for this subsystem.

⚠️ 5 Crash 🩹 1 Injury
Federal Oversight

Official NHTSA Defect Investigations (1)

Formal engineering analyses and preliminary evaluations opened by the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation

ODI Action #DP22005 CLOSED Defect Petition (DP)
Opened: 2023-01-27 • Closed: 2023-08-07
Subject / Subsystem
Pedestrian alert sounds
Affected Component
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:PROPULSION SYSTEM
Recall Linkage
NHTSA received a petition on or about July 18, 2022, requesting that Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 141 be applied to all electric and hybrid vehicles operating in the United States. The petition can be reviewed at NHTSA.gov under ODI Number 11486072. FMVSS 141 establishes performance requirements for pedestrian alert sounds for motor vehicles. The standard applies to hybrid and electric vehicles that have a gross vehicle weight rating of 4,536 KG or less or are defined as low-speed vehicles. The standard became fully applicable to all such vehicles manufactured on or after March 1, 2021.On January 27, 2023, NHTSA opened Defect Petition (DP) 22-005 to evaluate the subject matter described in the petition. On June 24, 2023 and as supplemented on June 25, 2023, the petitioner notified NHTSA he was withdrawing his petition. The petitioner indicated that, based on his review of data, there is no justification for asserting potential benefits that could be derived from actions sought by my petition. Based on the petitioner's withdrawal, DP22-005 is closed. Closure of this DP does not represent a determination by NHTSA regarding the subject matter of the petition.
Consumer Filings

Recent NHTSA Owner Reports for 2015 Toyota Highlander

Representative defect filings submitted by owners to the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation

Engine & Cooling ODI #11760154
Filed: 08/27/2026
Defect Report

"The a/c condenser was damaged due to impact of road debris. This caused loss of proper system operation. The cost to repair was $1100+. The debris entered thru the front grill, which has nothing in place to prevent debris from entering the engine compartment."

Body & Structure ODI #11754797
Filed: 08/04/2026
Defect Report

"The factory paint on my 2015 Toyota Highlander, Blizzard Pearl (Toyota code 070), is delaminating from the primer. The base coat lifts and peels in sheets, starting on the roof, fender, and pillars — the panels with the greatest UV exposure. There has been no collision, repaint, or chemical damage;..."

Body & Structure ODI #11751753
Filed: 07/21/2026
Defect Report

"The paint is severely peeling on the outside. This can likely flake off and damages other vehicles, property, and roadway infrastructure. This is the factory coat of paint. Color is Toyota Blizzard Pearl (070)"

Electrical System ODI #11750990
Filed: 07/17/2026
Defect Report

"The contact owns a 2015 Toyota Highlander. The contact stated that the power liftgate consistently failed halfway through while opening and closing the liftgate. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact became aware of information online about..."

Steering System ODI #11741329
Filed: 06/01/2026
Defect Report

"The contact owns a 2015 Toyota Highlander. The contact stated that while driving on several occasions at various speeds, the infotainment screen would go blank and the system would turn on inadvertently. This issue became more frequent, occurring approximately every 10 seconds. The power steering..."

Multi-Year Trend

Complaint History for Toyota Highlander

Reported defect complaint volume across sibling model years (2015–2026)

Model Year NHTSA Complaints Crash Reports Safety Recalls Detailed Report
2015 Toyota Highlander Current Page 194 17 2 Current
2016 Toyota Highlander 115 14 3 View 2016 Problems →
2017 Toyota Highlander 267 18 4 View 2017 Problems →
2018 Toyota Highlander 268 24 5 View 2018 Problems →
2019 Toyota Highlander 480 22 3 View 2019 Problems →
2020 Toyota Highlander 316 15 5 View 2020 Problems →
2021 Toyota Highlander 512 16 5 View 2021 Problems →
2022 Toyota Highlander 240 16 6 View 2022 Problems →
2023 Toyota Highlander 185 12 9 View 2023 Problems →
2024 Toyota Highlander 41 4 7 View 2024 Problems →
2025 Toyota Highlander 9 2 3 View 2025 Problems →
2026 Toyota Highlander 0 0 0 View 2026 Problems →
Exhaustive System Audit

Detailed NHTSA Component Breakdown for 2015 Toyota Highlander

Complete distribution of consumer defect reports across all 54 granular NHTSA system and subsystem classifications

Vehicle Component / System Total Complaints Crash Reports Fire Reports Injury Entries Fatality Entries
Other / Uncategorized NHTSA category: UNKNOWN OR OTHER 31 0 1 0 0
Electrical System NHTSA category: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 24 0 1 1 0
Steering NHTSA category: STEERING 19 1 0 1 0
Structure & Body NHTSA category: STRUCTURE 17 0 0 0 0
Visibility & Wipers NHTSA category: VISIBILITY/WIPER 11 1 0 0 0
EXTERIOR LIGHTING 7 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,STRUCTURE 6 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER 6 0 1 1 0
Powertrain NHTSA category: POWER TRAIN 6 1 0 0 0
Service Brakes NHTSA category: SERVICE BRAKES 6 4 0 1 0
Vehicle Speed Control NHTSA category: VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 6 4 0 4 0
Air Bags NHTSA category: AIR BAGS 5 4 0 8 0
Engine NHTSA category: ENGINE 3 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SEATS 2 0 1 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE 2 0 1 0 0
Fuel & Propulsion System NHTSA category: FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 2 0 0 0 0
Seats & Restraints NHTSA category: SEATS 2 0 0 0 0
STEERING,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 2 0 0 0 0
Tires NHTSA category: TIRES 2 0 0 0 0
AIR BAGS,STRUCTURE 1 1 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,AIR BAGS,SEAT BELTS 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,AIR BAGS,STRUCTURE 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC) 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,EXTERIOR LIGHTING 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SERVICE BRAKES 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SERVICE BRAKES,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,VISIBILITY,ENGINE 1 0 0 0 0
Engine & Cooling NHTSA category: ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING 1 0 0 0 0
Equipment & Accessories NHTSA category: EQUIPMENT 1 0 0 0 0
EXTERIOR LIGHTING,SERVICE BRAKES 1 0 0 0 0
EXTERIOR LIGHTING,STRUCTURE 1 0 0 0 0
INTERIOR LIGHTING 1 0 0 0 0
Doors, Latches & Locks NHTSA category: LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES 1 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,ENGINE 1 0 0 0 0
Seat Belts NHTSA category: SEAT BELTS 1 0 0 0 0
SEAT BELTS,ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC),SERVICE BRAKES 1 0 0 0 0
STEERING,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC) 1 0 0 0 0
STEERING,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE 1 0 0 0 0
STEERING,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 1 0 0 0 0
STEERING,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 1 0 0 0 0
STRUCTURE,LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES 1 0 0 0 0
STRUCTURE,UNKNOWN OR OTHER 1 0 0 0 0
STRUCTURE,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,SERVICE BRAKES 1 0 0 0 0
SUSPENSION,ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING,STRUCTURE 1 0 0 0 0
SUSPENSION,SERVICE BRAKES 1 0 0 0 0
SUSPENSION,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,SERVICE BRAKES 1 0 0 0 0
UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE 1 0 1 0 0
UNKNOWN OR OTHER,LANE DEPARTURE 1 0 0 0 0
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC),SERVICE BRAKES 1 0 0 0 0
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,ENGINE 1 0 0 0 0
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,SERVICE BRAKES 1 1 0 0 0
VISIBILITY,VISIBILITY/WIPER 1 0 0 0 0
Wheels & Hubs NHTSA category: WHEELS 1 0 0 0 0
Search Intelligence

Quick Answers: Common Problems & Reliability Questions for the 2015 Toyota Highlander

Direct, deterministic answers synthesized from verified United States government databases for the 2015 Toyota Highlander

What are the most common reported problems with the 2015 Toyota Highlander?

In official NHTSA consumer records, the most frequently cited issue area for the 2015 Toyota Highlander is Electrical System, appearing in 54 records (27.8% of submitted filings).

Secondary reported categories include Body & Structure (31) and Steering System (25).

Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI)

Is the 2015 Toyota Highlander a reliable vehicle?

AutoUtility does not issue subjective reliability scores or commercial ratings. In official United States government records, NHTSA tracks 194 consumer defect complaints and 2 safety recall campaigns for the 2015 Toyota Highlander.

Reviewing documented component complaint distributions, recall remedy notices, and active federal investigations provides an objective, evidence-based view of the vehicle's historical safety and defect record.

Source: NHTSA ODI & Safety Recalls Databases

Are there crash, fire, or injury reports associated with the 2015 Toyota Highlander?

Among consumer complaint records on file with NHTSA for the 2015 Toyota Highlander, 17 filings cite a crash, 6 cite smoke or fire, and 12 report one or more injuries.

Incident entries represent consumer descriptions at the time of submission to federal authorities and do not establish mechanical causation or legal liability.

Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation Consumer Logs

Has NHTSA formally investigated defects on the 2015 Toyota Highlander?

NHTSA ODI records list 1 formal defect investigation involving the 2015 Toyota Highlander (all closed).

Federal defect investigations are formal engineering evaluations opened when safety defect trends emerge, and do not by themselves establish a confirmed defect or mandatory recall.

Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation Registry
Official US Government Data Provenance

The complaint records on this page are retrieved directly from the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) public database under 49 CFR Part 576.

Local Production Store Compiled: August 2026 • Deterministic Audited Dataset • Zero Dynamic External API Runtime Latency.