2004 Toyota Highlander — Known Issues & Recalls

Your passenger airbag occupancy sensor has stopped working and remains stuck in the "OFF" position, even when an adult is sitting in the passenger seat. This means the airbag won't deploy for a front-seat passenger in a crash. You didn't receive any warning light or error message about this failure, so you may not have known the system wasn't working. The dealership says the sensor needs to be replaced at a cost of around $1,300, and it cannot be permanently switched to "ON" as a workaround.

Your passenger-side airbag is malfunctioning, causing a buzzing sound from the dashboard that has been occurring for two days. The buzzing gets worse in humid conditions and can cause the side panel near the driver's left leg to vibrate while driving. A repair technician confirmed the airbag system needs service at a Toyota dealership to address the malfunction.

Your vehicle was involved in a serious rollover crash at 45 mph after hitting a curb, sidewalk, fence, and rolling onto its roof. The driver was wearing a seatbelt but lost consciousness due to a medical event before the crash occurred. Critically, none of the airbags deployed during this severe collision, and the driver sustained head trauma and other injuries. The airbag system may have failed to detect the crash or deploy as designed, and the system should be inspected by a technician to determine why airbags did not activate.

Your Vehicle Stability Control (VSC) system has activated unexpectedly while driving, causing the car to brake on its own and pull to the right, making it difficult to control. This happened once in 2005 (resolved after a steering angle sensor calibration at the dealer) and again in 2016, where the VSC light came on at highway speeds and the car braked by itself multiple times. The issue is concerning because it could cause a loss of control, especially at higher speeds. A repair will likely involve diagnosing and recalibrating or replacing the steering angle sensor, VSC control module, or related brake components.

Your vehicle's stability control system (VSC) is activating unexpectedly while driving at normal speeds on dry pavement. When you exceed 8-10 mph, the VSC warning light comes on and your car automatically applies the brakes, making it nearly impossible to drive. You're also hearing a loud scraping sound during these events. This problem likely needs a scan of your vehicle's stability control sensors and brake system to identify what's triggering the false activation.

Your traction control system is turning on by itself while you're driving normally on regular roads. This shouldn't happen during normal driving conditions and suggests the system may be malfunctioning or a sensor could be dirty or failing.

Your accelerator pedal became stuck while driving at low speeds, causing your vehicle to accelerate rapidly without warning. You crashed into another vehicle and a dumpster, and nearly hit a group of children before the vehicle stopped. You sustained severe neck and back injuries that required medical attention. The issue may require inspection and repair of the accelerator pedal assembly and its mechanical linkage.

While turning right at 20 mph, your vehicle suddenly accelerated to about 75 mph without your control, causing it to crash into a tree. You were injured and hospitalized with knee, back, shoulder, and chest injuries, and the airbags deployed. The vehicle was destroyed in the crash. This suggests a potential problem with the engine's throttle or speed control system that needs immediate diagnostic inspection.

While driving to work, your TRAC OFF light, engine light, and oil light all came on at the same time. Your mechanic diagnosed the problem as oil sludge buildup inside the engine, which can damage engine components if not addressed. This issue was subject to a Toyota recall in 2002, but you weren't notified about it when you bought the car used in 2010. Fixing this typically involves an engine flush or oil system cleaning, and in severe cases may require engine repair or replacement.

The outer ring of your crankshaft pulley has separated from the inner ring, which is causing damage to multiple engine systems and may be affecting your steering. Your vehicle's make, model, and year have an existing recall for this exact issue, but your specific VIN number isn't included in the recall coverage. You'll likely need the crankshaft pulley replaced to address the separation and restore proper system function.

While driving on the highway, one of your car's tires locked up, causing you to lose control and skid into a guard rail. Your car was totaled in the crash, but none of the airbags deployed when they should have. This suggests a potential failure in both the wheel locking system and the airbag safety system.

While driving through a highway construction zone, your car became difficult to steer and accelerated on its own. When you tried to brake, the car slid out of control, hit construction barriers, went through a ditch, became airborne through a fence, and eventually came to rest near some pilings. The steering, speed control, and electronic stability control systems may not have responded properly during this incident.

Your brake pedal is sinking all the way to the floor when you press it, and you're seeing warning lights for traction control, check engine, VSC, and brakes on your dashboard. You've also noticed brake fluid leaking from your vehicle. Even though your car was serviced under a Toyota recall for this exact issue, the problem has returned. The fix will likely involve inspecting and repairing the brake system, possibly replacing brake lines, seals, or the master cylinder to stop the leak and restore proper brake pressure.

Your front bumper unexpectedly detached while driving. A mechanic found that the mounting tabs holding the lower bumper cover had failed, and the entire bumper assembly needs to be replaced. You were told there may be a recall for this issue, but neither the dealer nor Toyota was notified about your specific failure. The fix will involve replacing the front bumper assembly and its mounting hardware.

Your brake pedal got stuck and wouldn't return to its normal position after you pressed it. When this happened, a vehicle stability control warning appeared on your dashboard and the car wouldn't go faster than 40 mph. Both an independent mechanic and the Toyota dealer were unable to find out what caused the problem. The issue occurred at 126,000 miles.

Your front driver's side seat belt strap has become frayed and shredded around the buckle area, which could affect how well the belt holds you safely. The issue started happening at 150,000 miles, and the cause wasn't identified. Fixing this will likely require replacing the entire seat belt assembly.

Your transfer case is leaking fluid at 68,000 miles, and the leaking oil is dripping onto the hot exhaust pipe. This causes fumes to enter your cabin through the air conditioning and ventilation system, creating an unpleasant smell inside the vehicle. The fix will likely involve replacing the transfer case seals or gaskets to stop the leak.

Your steering wheel requires more effort to turn than normal at various speeds, and you hear abnormal noise when steering. A mechanic diagnosed that the steering intermediate shaft assembly needs replacement. This problem developed around 123,000 miles.

Your heater isn't working, and your air conditioning blows cold or hot intermittently instead of staying consistent. When it rains or gets humid, your windshield and windows fog up, and without heat to defog them, you have to pull over every few minutes to manually wipe them clear. This creates a visibility hazard that forces you off the road repeatedly.

Your power windows on the passenger side aren't working — both the rear window and front passenger window won't move up or down. This is the second time the power window components have failed in two years. The repair will likely involve replacing the window motor, regulator, or electrical switches for the affected windows.