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The 2013 Toyota Highlander is a small sport utility vehicle 2wd vehicle covered by 4 EPA fuel-economy configurations. In NHTSA's records it has accumulated 212 owner complaints and 3 recall campaign(s). Of those complaints, 26 report a crash and 0 report a fire; 12 complaints report injuries totalling 12 injured people, and 0 deaths are recorded across all complaints for this model-year. The single most-reported component is Steering, named in 46 complaints (21.7% of the total). The sections below reproduce the underlying records in full: crash-test ratings, every recall campaign with its NHTSA campaign number, complaint counts by component, and EPA fuel-economy figures for each configuration.
NHTSA Safety Ratings
NHTSA tested the 2013 Toyota Highlander SUV FWD under its 5-Star Safety Ratings program. Ratings run from 1 to 5 stars; "Not rated" means NHTSA did not publish a score for that test for this variant.
| Test | Rating |
|---|---|
| Overall rating | ★★★★☆ |
| Frontal crash — overall | ★★★★☆ |
| Frontal crash — driver | ★★★★☆ |
| Frontal crash — passenger | ★★★★☆ |
| Side crash — overall | ★★★★★ |
| Side crash — driver | ★★★★★ |
| Side crash — passenger | ★★★★★ |
| Side pole crash | ★★★★★ |
| Rollover resistance | ★★★★☆ |
NHTSA also rated other 2013 Toyota Highlander variants: 2013 Toyota Highlander SUV AWD — 4★ overall. The table above shows the most completely rated variant.
Electronic stability control was fitted as standard equipment on the tested variant, and NHTSA records no safety recall investigation rating adjustments for it.
Recall Campaigns (3)
NHTSA lists 3 recall campaign(s) that include the 2013 Toyota Highlander. Each campaign below shows the official NHTSA campaign number, the affected component, and the manufacturer's own summary, consequence and remedy statements as published by NHTSA. To check whether a specific vehicle is covered, search its VIN at nhtsa.gov.
Campaign 14V148000 — Seats 27/03/2014
Summary: Toyota is recalling certain model year 2013 Highlander vehicles manufactured March 13, 2013, through August 6, 2013. In the affected vehicles, the second row left hand seat may not lock in place when positioned in the forward front or second adjusting position. As such, the vehicles do not conform to Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 207, "Seating Systems."
Consequence: If the seat does not lock into the seat track, there may be an increased risk of injury to an occupant in the event of a crash.
Remedy: Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will modify the second row left hand seat so that it will lock into the seat track, free of charge. The recall began on May 21, 2014. Owners may contact Toyota at 1-800-331-4331.
Campaign 13V123000 — Equipment:other:labels 09/04/2013
Summary: 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 XD, 2011 Scion XB, and 2012 Scion TC vehicles. These vehicles were sold with labels that were outside the allowable one percent of accuracy of actual weight added. Thus, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) Number 110, "Tire Selection and Rims."
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 contact Southeast Toyota at 1-800-301-6859.
Campaign 13V014000 — Air Bags:frontal:sensor/control Module-inactive 16/01/2013
Summary: 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 year 2010-2012 Sequoia. During modification by SET to include accessories such as leather seat covers, seat heaters or headrest DVD systems, these vehicles may not have had the passenger seat occupant sensing system calibration tested. Without passing the calibration test, the occupant sensing system may not operate as designed.
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.
Owner Complaints (212)
Owners have filed 212 complaints about the 2013 Toyota Highlander with NHTSA. Complaint counts are not sales-adjusted — higher-selling vehicles naturally attract more complaints — but the breakdown by component shows where owners report problems most often.
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Steering | 46 | 21.7% |
| Engine | 32 | 15.1% |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 31 | 14.6% |
| Electrical System | 26 | 12.3% |
| Unknown Or Other | 24 | 11.3% |
| Structure | 19 | 9.0% |
| Service Brakes | 18 | 8.5% |
| Air Bags | 18 | 8.5% |
| Fuel/propulsion System | 12 | 5.7% |
| Power Train | 12 | 5.7% |
| Seats | 10 | 4.7% |
| Seat Belts | 5 | 2.4% |
Complaints by Component — Visual
Bar length is proportional to the most-reported component for this model-year (Steering, 46 complaints).
By filing year, complaints peaked in 2014 with 36 filings. Owners filed 212 complaints in total across 14 calendar years in the database extract. Complaints involving a crash number 26 and those involving a fire number 0; 12 complaints report at least one injury.
EPA Fuel Economy
The EPA classifies the 2013 Toyota Highlander as a small sport utility vehicle 2wd vehicle and published ratings for 4 configurations (engine, transmission, drive and fuel combinations). Combined fuel economy spans 19–28 MPG; the median configuration returns 19 city / 24.5 highway / 21 combined MPG. Fuel types covered: Regular Gasoline.
| Engine | Transmission | Drive | Fuel | Combined MPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2.7L 4-cyl | Automatic (S6) | Front-Wheel Drive | Regular Gasoline | 22 |
| 3.5L 6-cyl | Automatic (S5) | Front-Wheel Drive | Regular Gasoline | 20 |
| 3.5L 6-cyl | Automatic (S5) | All-Wheel Drive | Regular Gasoline | 19 |
| 3.5L 6-cyl | Automatic (variable gear ratios) | All-Wheel Drive | Regular Gasoline | 28 |
Source: NHTSA complaints, recalls and safety ratings databases and EPA FuelEconomy.gov dataset, accessed October 2026. See our methodology.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many complaints does the 2013 Toyota Highlander have?
NHTSA's complaints database held 212 complaints for the 2013 Toyota Highlander when accessed in October 2026. The most-reported component was Steering with 46 complaints.
How many recalls affect the 2013 Toyota Highlander?
NHTSA lists 3 recall campaign(s) covering the 2013 Toyota Highlander in the data accessed in October 2026, including campaign 14V148000 for Seats.
What is the 2013 Toyota Highlander's safety rating?
NHTSA gave the tested 2013 Toyota Highlander SUV FWD an overall rating of 4 out of 5 stars, with 4 stars for frontal crash, 5 for side crash and 4 for rollover resistance.
What MPG does the 2013 Toyota Highlander get?
The EPA rated 4 configurations of the 2013 Toyota Highlander. Combined fuel economy ranges from 19 to 28 MPG, with a median of 21 MPG (median city 19, median highway 24.5).