2012 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER — Problems, Recalls & Safety Data
4/5
Safety Rating
228
Owner Complaints
2
Recalls
7
Service Bulletins
0
Investigations
Overview of the 2012 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER
The 2012 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER has received a total of 228 safety complaints filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). It earned an overall safety rating of 4 out of 5 stars in NHTSA's New Car Assessment Program crash tests. There have been 3 recall campaigns affecting this vehicle, covering issues with EQUIPMENT:OTHER:LABELS, SEATS, AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:SENSOR/CONTROL MODULE-INACTIVE. 7 technical service bulletins have been issued by Toyota Motor Corporation for this model year. The most commonly reported problems involve the Steering (46 complaints), Electrical System (27 complaints), and Unknown Or Other (23 complaints).
Recalls for the 2012 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER
NHTSA has recorded 3 recalls for the 2012 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER, potentially affecting up to 13,995 vehicles.
Recall 13V123000 — EQUIPMENT:OTHER:LABELS
| 7,525 vehicles affected
Defect: Southeast Toyota is recalling certain model year 2008 and 2010-2013 Toyota Tundra, 2010-2012 Rav4, 2012 Toyota Sequoia, 2010-2011 Toyota Corolla, 2010-2011 Toyota Camry and Camry Hybrid, 2010-2013 Toyota Highlander and Highlander Hybrid, 2010-2013 Toyota FJ Cruiser, 2011 Toyota Land Cruiser, 2010-2013 Toyota Venza, 2010-2011 Toyota 4Runner, 2010-2013 Toyota Tacoma, 2011-2012 Toyota Sienna, 2012 Toyota Prius, 2013 Scion FR-S, 2011 Scion...
Consequence: An inaccurate label could lead to owners overloading their vehicles and tires. An overloaded vehicle can result in a tire failure which may result in a vehicle crash, personal injury, or property damage.
Remedy: Southeast Toyota will notify owners and provide a corrected label with instructions concerning its installation. A small group of the affected vehicles will need additonal remedies which are still being developed. The recall began on May 28, 2013. Owners may...
View full details →Recall 13V014000 — SEATS
| 3,235 vehicles affected
Defect: Southeast Toyota Distributors, LLC (SET) is recalling certain models interspersed through model years 2009 through 2013 as follows: model year 2009-2012 Tacoma, 4Runner, Camry, Camry Hybrid, Prius, and RAV4; model year 2009-2010 Avalon, FJ Cruiser, and Highlander Hybrid; model year 2010-2013 model year Corolla, Sienna and Tundra; model year 2009-2013 Highlander and Venza; model year 2012 Prius V; and model...
Consequence: 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 the passenger's size and position. This could increase the risk of personal injury during the event of a vehicle crash necessitating airbag deployment.
Remedy: Southeast Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will test the sensitivity of the occupant detection sensors, and recalibrate them as necessary. The recall began on March 21, 2013. Owners may contact Southeast Toyota at 1-800-301-6859.
View full details →Recall 13V014000 — AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:SENSOR/CONTROL MODULE-INACTIVE
| 3,235 vehicles affected
Defect: Southeast Toyota Distributors, LLC (SET) is recalling certain models interspersed through model years 2009 through 2013 as follows: model year 2009-2012 Tacoma, 4Runner, Camry, Camry Hybrid, Prius, and RAV4; model year 2009-2010 Avalon, FJ Cruiser, and Highlander Hybrid; model year 2010-2013 model year Corolla, Sienna and Tundra; model year 2009-2013 Highlander and Venza; model year 2012 Prius V; and model...
Consequence: 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 the passenger's size and position. This could increase the risk of personal injury during the event of a vehicle crash necessitating airbag deployment.
Remedy: Southeast Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will test the sensitivity of the occupant detection sensors, and recalibrate them as necessary. The recall began on March 21, 2013. Owners may contact Southeast Toyota at 1-800-301-6859.
View full details →Owner Complaints for the 2012 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER
228 complaints have been filed with NHTSA for the 2012 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER. Below is a breakdown by vehicle component.
Most Recent Complaints
The unmatched handle completely broke. So now the insert and the base are stuck together and I can not unlatch them to use this carseat properly to transport my son. I have to take the base and all out of the car as one piece
The contact owns a 2012 Toyota Highlander. The contact stated that 5,000 miles after purchasing the vehicle, the contact noticed an oil leak. The contact performed the oil changes and had noticed that engine oil had leaked down onto the weather seal in the vehicle. The contact noticed several oil stains on the ground during rainy weather. The contact noticed that the new tires that the dealer installed at the time of the vehicle sale were worn out. The contact checked the tires and noticed that the plastic rubber on the front strut was severely damaged. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the timing cover had a leak, and that the timing cover area was smeared with an unknown silicone patch. The struts were replaced. The contact stated that the failure persisted. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 160,000.
The contact owns a 2012 Toyota Highlander. The contact stated that 5,000 miles after purchasing the vehicle, the contact noticed an oil leak. The contact performed the oil changes and had noticed that engine oil had leaked down onto the weather seal in the vehicle. The contact noticed several oil stains on the ground during rainy weather. The contact noticed that the new tires that the dealer installed at the time of the vehicle sale were worn out. The contact checked the tires and noticed that the plastic rubber on the front strut was severely damaged. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the timing cover had a leak, and that the timing cover area was smeared with an unknown silicone patch. The struts were replaced. The contact stated that the failure persisted. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 160,000.
The contact owns a 2012 Toyota Highlander. The contact stated that the TPMS warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a Tire Center, which was unable to determine the cause of the failure. Upon further investigation, the contact linked the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V452000 (Tires). The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 90,200.
The paint is malfunction , and is available for inspection upon request.
Safety Rating for the 2012 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER
The 2012 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER received an overall safety rating of 4 out of 5 stars from NHTSA's New Car Assessment Program (NCAP).
| Test Category | Rating |
|---|---|
| Overall Rating | ★★★★☆ (4/5) |
| Frontal Crash | ★★★★☆ (4/5) |
| Side Crash | ★★★★★ (5/5) |
| Rollover | ★★★★☆ (4/5) |
Safety ratings are based on controlled crash tests conducted by NHTSA. A 5-star rating indicates the highest level of occupant protection.
Technical Service Bulletins for the 2012 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER
Toyota Motor Corporation has issued 7 technical service bulletins (TSBs) for the 2012 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER. TSBs are notices sent by manufacturers to their dealers describing a known issue and the recommended repair procedure.
T-SB-0191-17_Rev — STRUCTURE:BODY:DOOR:HINGE AND ATTACHMENTS
TSB: REVISION NOTICE July 13, 2017 Rev1: The Repair Procedure, Parts Information and Required Tools & Equipment sections have been updated. SUPERSESSION NOTICE The information contained in this bulletin supersedes SB No. T-SB-0038-15. The entire bulletin has been updated. Some 2008 - 2013 model year Highlander and Highlander HV vehicles...
D0N_Dealer Packa — EQUIPMENT
Dealer Package: This Limited Service Campaign has expired as of October 31, 2016.
C0F_Technical In — EQUIPMENT:OTHER:OWNERS/SERVICE/OTHER MANUAL
C0F Expired on May 31, 2015.
T-SB-0029-15 — EQUIPMENT ADAPTIVE/MOBILITY
TSB: Some 2010 - 2013 model year Highlander vehicles may exhibit a condition in which the driver side or passenger side Sun Visor may move from the stowed position, or may not completely stow flush against the headliner. Follow the Repair Procedure in this bulletin to address this concern.
T-SB-0132-14 — SEATS
SUMMARY TO BE PROVIDED ON A FUTURE DATE.
T-TT-0293-14 — EQUIPMENT:ELECTRICAL:NAVIGATIONAL SYSTEM(GLOBAL POSITIONING SYSTEM)
SUMMARY TO BE PROVIDED ON A FUTURE DATE.
LSC D0N Region L — EQUIPMENT:OTHER:OWNERS/SERVICE/OTHER MANUAL
In our continuing efforts to ensure the best in customer satisfaction, Toyota is launching a Limited Service Campaign (LSC) on certain 2011 ? 2012 Model Year Highlander Hybrid Vehicles. This LSC will cover approximately 4,000 vehicles.
NHTSA Investigations for the 2012 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER
There are no NHTSA defect investigations on record for this vehicle.
Other Model Years of the TOYOTA HIGHLANDER
- 2007 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER — 159 complaints
- 2008 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER — 501 complaints
- 2009 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER — 178 complaints
- 2010 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER — 269 complaints
- 2011 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER — 228 complaints
- 2012 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER (current)
- 2013 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER — 279 complaints
- 2014 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER — 156 complaints
- 2015 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER — 238 complaints
- 2016 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER — 137 complaints
- 2017 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER — 344 complaints
Other TOYOTA Models
- TOYOTA CAMRY — 23,209 total complaints
- TOYOTA PRIUS — 15,411 total complaints
- TOYOTA COROLLA — 14,342 total complaints
- TOYOTA RAV4 — 11,737 total complaints
- TOYOTA SIENNA — 10,769 total complaints
- TOYOTA TACOMA — 10,512 total complaints
- TOYOTA TUNDRA — 8,997 total complaints
- TOYOTA 4RUNNER — 6,405 total complaints