2012 Toyota Highlander — Known Issues & Recalls

Water has leaked into your vehicle through the sunroof and soaked the front and rear driver's side carpets and rear passenger's side carpet. A mechanic determined that the sunroof's drain tube is improperly designed, allowing water to enter the cabin. You're concerned about water damage near electrical connectors on the driver's side floorboard and the potential for mold, corrosion, and rust. Fixing this will likely require replacing or repositioning the sunroof drain tube and drying/replacing the affected carpeting and floor materials.

Your sun visors have detached while driving. The driver's side visor fell on you while you were driving 65 mph, and later both the driver's and passenger's side visors detached again. The dealership confirmed both visors need to be replaced. Fixing this will involve replacing the visor assemblies on both sides of your vehicle.

Your 2012 Toyota Highlander is subject to a paint recall that needs to be completed by November 2024. The dealer told you that you need to contact Toyota dealers to schedule an appointment for the repainting work. You had to make multiple calls to get an appointment scheduled, and you're concerned about the tight deadline and the responsibility being placed on you to arrange the service.

Your car's paint is peeling or failing in areas. This is a cosmetic issue with the paint finish that you can have inspected by a technician. A repair would likely involve repainting the affected areas.

Your brake hydro-boost pump failed while driving on the highway, causing you to lose almost all braking power. You were able to safely stop the vehicle using engine braking, but you're concerned this is a serious safety issue since similar failures appear common with this model. Fixing this problem typically requires replacing the brake hydro-boost pump assembly.

All of your brake warning lights turned on at once. A hybrid specialist mechanic diagnosed this as a problem with your brake assembly/actuator (diagnostic code C1391), with a repair estimate of $4,888. Toyota had a Customer Support Program (21TE03) to address this issue, but your vehicle fell outside the coverage period, leaving you responsible for the full repair cost.

The Blizzard white paint on your 2012 Toyota Highlander is peeling significantly across the top of the vehicle. You first noticed peeling on a side panel about two months ago, and the problem has expanded to cover nearly the entire roof and upper surfaces. This is a paint adhesion issue that may require professional repainting or a manufacturer warranty claim review.

The complaint was submitted but does not describe a specific vehicle problem. Without details about what issue you're experiencing with your 2012 Toyota Highlander, we cannot identify what might need repair.

Your 2012 Highlander's engine has defective pistons and rings causing excessive oil consumption and loss of compression, which can cause the engine to suddenly shut down while driving in traffic. This creates a safety hazard and requires costly repairs, even with fewer than 150,000 miles on the vehicle. The issue was diagnosed by a Toyota dealer. Fixing this typically involves engine overhaul or replacement to address the piston and ring defects.

Your brake actuator and booster assembly have failed, affecting your braking system's ability to stop the car properly. This is your second Highlander Hybrid with this same problem at 70,000 miles. Repairs at dealerships and hybrid specialists cost over $3,000, and you've noticed this issue affects many Toyota hybrids.

Your engine stalls and shuts off while you're driving when you press the defrost button. This is a dangerous electrical issue that can cause you to lose power while on the road. The problem likely involves faulty wiring or a bad switch that's causing an electrical short when the defrost system is activated.

Your brakes suddenly failed while driving home, forcing you to use the steering wheel and parking brake to avoid hitting your house. After replacing the brake master cylinder, the parking brake failed to hold your vehicle on a slight slope two weeks later, and your car rolled forward toward a lake with your family inside. You had to quickly shift into reverse to prevent a crash.

While backing up your 2012 Toyota Highlander, the vehicle suddenly accelerated without control, causing damage to another parked car and a nearby office building. You contacted Toyota about a potential unintended acceleration recall, and they sent an inspection team, but you have not received the promised final report despite follow-up requests. Addressing this issue may require Toyota to diagnose the throttle control system and potentially reprogram or replace throttle control components.

Your car seat's handle broke and is now stuck in a closed position, preventing you from unlatching the insert from the base. This means you have to remove the entire car seat assembly as one piece instead of being able to separate the components. The handle mechanism will likely need to be replaced or the car seat may need to be serviced to restore proper latch functionality.

Your Highlander developed an oil leak from the timing cover that began around 5,000 miles after purchase and continued until 160,000 miles. You noticed oil stains on the ground, especially during rain, and oil pooling on the weather seal. The front strut rubber was also severely damaged and required replacement, but the oil leak persisted even after the struts were fixed. The timing cover will likely need to be resealed or replaced to stop the leak.

You suspect the odometer reading on your vehicle may have been tampered with or rolled back by the seller. This would mean the actual mileage is higher than what the odometer displays. You'll want to verify the vehicle's true mileage history through service records or a vehicle history report.

Your Highlander's battery died and you couldn't unlock the doors using either the key fob or the mechanical key hidden inside it. The mechanical key requires battery power to work, so a dead battery prevents you from unlocking your car any way. You'll need to jump-start or charge the battery to regain access to your vehicle.

Your oil pressure warning light came on at 112,500 miles, and when your mechanic inspected the engine, they found it had almost no oil left due to internal oil burning. Your mechanic determined that the piston rings have failed, causing oil to burn inside the engine rather than circulate properly. The engine is now burning about a quart of oil every 600 miles and may eventually produce smoke. Fixing this issue will require engine work to address or replace the failed piston rings.

Your front passenger airbag warning light keeps turning on and off intermittently when someone sits in that seat, and now the seat itself is showing signs of the problem. This indicates a potential issue with the airbag system's sensor or wiring that detects passenger presence. A mechanic will need to diagnose the electrical connection or occupancy sensor for the passenger side airbag.

Your TPMS (tire pressure monitoring system) warning light came on, but a tire center couldn't figure out why. You discovered this issue is related to a known recall (Campaign 24V452000) affecting your tires. The tire pressure monitoring sensors or tires themselves may need inspection or replacement as part of this recall.