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2010 Toyota Highlander HybridProblems, recalls & complaints

NHTSA has logged 22 owner complaints about the 2010 Toyota Highlander Hybrid, most often about the service brakes. It is covered by 4 safety recalls, and for recall 15V-689 the manufacturer reports only 46% of affected cars repaired.

2010 Toyota Highlander Hybrid
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CarFlaw IndexNot enough dataHigher is better (0–100)
Safety recalls4Lowest repair rate 46%Owner complaints222 with a crash, fire or injuryTypical failure mileage35kService brakes, median miles

Source: NHTSA complaints, recalls, investigations and manufacturer recall reports, through July 2, 2019. Updated daily. Photo: IFCAR, Public domain.

Complaints by system

Where the 2010 Toyota Highlander Hybrid has problems

22 complaints grouped by the system owners reported.

Box size = number of complaints naming that system. Darker = larger share. One complaint can name more than one system.
Complaints by system
SystemComplaintsCrash, fire or injury
Service brakes50
Engine30
Electrical system20
Fuel/propulsion system20
Hybrid propulsion system20
Steering20
Engine and engine cooling10
Service brakes, hydraulic10
Vehicle speed control11
4 other systems40

Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation. Complaints are submitted by the public and are not verified by NHTSA.

4 recalls

2010 Toyota Highlander Hybrid recalls and how many were fixed

Each ring shows the share of affected cars repaired, from the manufacturer’s latest quarterly report to NHTSA. Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.

46%repaired · 2017 Q1

Visibility: power window devices and controls

Recall 15V-689 · Oct 22, 2015 · 1,814,284 vehicles · 828,698 repaired

Risk. If the sliding electrical contacts are not protected by lubricant, debris and moisture that get into the switch may cause a short circuit and the switch…

Problem, fix and repair progress →

–no report yet

Hybrid propulsion system: inverter

Recall 13V-396 · Sep 4, 2013 · 133,081 vehicles

Risk. The vehicle may enter a fail-safe/limp-home mode that limits the drivability of the vehicle.

Problem, fix and repair progress →

–no report yet

Frontal: sensor/control module-inactive

Recall 13V-014 · Jan 16, 2013 · 3,235 vehicles

Risk. If the front passenger seat occupant sensing system is out of calibration, the front passenger airbags may not deploy or they may deploy inappropriately for…

Problem, fix and repair progress →

Recalls apply to specific cars. To see whether a recall is still open on yours, enter the 17-character VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls or with Toyota.

Best & worst years

2010 vs. every other Highlander Hybrid year

Bars show complaints per model year. Colors show the CarFlaw verdict: complaints weighted for crashes, fires and injuries, adjusted for years on the road and compared with the Highlander Hybrid median. How we score

'04'05'06'07'08'09'10'11'12'13'14'15'16'17'18'19'20'21'22'23'24'25
  • Avoid
  • Caution
  • Solid
  • Best
  • Not rated
NHTSA crash tests

2010 Toyota Highlander Hybrid safety ratings

2010 Toyota Highlander Hybrid 4-DR. w/SAB in NHTSA's New Car Assessment Program. Photos are from NHTSA's crash tests.

  • Rollover: 4 stars (17.4% risk)
  • Stability control: Standard
  • Forward collision warning: No
  • Lane departure warning: No
3 investigations

NHTSA defect investigations

Federal investigations that included the 2010 Toyota Highlander Hybrid, and the recalls they led to.

  1. Pedestrian alert soundsDP22005 · closed Aug 7, 2023
    Led to recall 22V-063
  2. Steering Column SeparationEA18006 · closed Apr 2, 2024
    No recall
  3. Upper Steering Column SeparationPE18005 · closed Nov 20, 2018
    No recall
In owners' words

What Highlander Hybrid owners report

Recent service brakes complaints filed with NHTSA, shortened. Personal details are removed.

I ALMOST GOT IN TO AN ACCIDENT ON 5/11/2018 DUE TO THE ABS SYSTEM NOT STOPPING THE VEHICLE WHILE DRIVING IN I-95. I GOT A WARNING LIGHT ON THE DASH AS I WAS PRESSING THE BRAKES, LATER THE CAR DID NOT WANTED TO STOP, BUT IT DID NOT PREVENT ME FROM HITTING THE OTHER CAR. I PRESS ON THE EMERGENCY…
Complaint 11098111 · May 26, 2018 · 15 miles
I WAS DRIVING TO PICK UP MY SON WHEN A BRAKE MALFUNCTION WARNING LIGHT CAME ON INDICATING A PROBLEM WITH ABS SYSTEM. AFTER PICKING UP MY SON I WENT DIRECTLY TO THE DEALER AND THE FOUND THE PROBLEM WAS GIVEN BY CODE C1391, A BRAKE ACCUMULATOR VACUUM LEAK. WAS TOLD VEHICLE WAS UNSAFE TO DRIVE WITHOUT…
Complaint 11060726 · Jan 5, 2018 · 90,000 miles
WHEN I DEPRESS THE BRAKE TO MAKE A CONSISTENT SMOOTH STOP IF THE VEHICLE HITS BUMPS THE CAR SEEMS TO LOOSE ITS BRAKING POWER AND ALMOST FEELS LIKE IT SLIPS OUT FROM UNDER ME AS IT LURCHES AHEAD. THIS PROBLEM IS CONSISTENT IN THAT IT HAPPENS IN THE SAME SPOTS UNDER THE SAME CONDITIONS. IT SEEMS AS…
Complaint 10598052 · Jun 13, 2014 · 35,000 miles

Own a 2010 Highlander Hybrid?

Decode your VIN to see the recalls for your exact car, then confirm open recalls with NHTSA.