The short list
Where the money goes wrong — and where it doesn’t.
✕ Years to avoid
The eight-speed's rough debut. 260 complaints, heavy on the new UA80 eight-speed automatic — whine, harsh shifting, and outright failures. A Toyota dealer bulletin traces it to an assembly defect; Toyota redesigned the unit and revised the software by mid-2018 and extended the warranty. Buy a 2017 only with the transmission fix documented or coverage confirmed, and check the V6 for the third-gen timing-cover oil leak. An out-of-warranty UA80 replacement runs $6,000–$11,000 (owners' dealer quotes).
The loudest year — the whine, at high mileage. 469 complaints, the most of any year here, almost all the UA80 whine failing at 55k–140k miles out of warranty. The transmission is the revised unit (not the 2017 trial version), so this is a high-mileage coverage question, not a bad car — verify remaining transmission coverage by VIN and listen for a whine on the test drive. Still needs the timing-cover oil-leak check.
Settled on paper, loud in the file. 486 complaints, the second-largest here — the same eight-speed whine now surfacing on higher-mileage fourth-gen cars at $6,000–$8,000 to fix out of warranty. Short recall list, mature drivetrain otherwise. Drive the transmission carefully and confirm coverage; the Hybrid (four-cylinder + eCVT) doesn't share this transmission.
✓ Years to hunt for
The bulletproof-six-speed sweet spot. 109 complaints, the smallest third-gen file, and the last year before the eight-speed — it keeps the six-speed automatic mechanics call bulletproof. The one real check is the front timing-cover oil leak on the 3.5-liter V6 (inspect that the engine area is dry). Recalls are label and wiring inspections.
The settled last-V6 year. 222 complaints, about half of 2021, with the loud powertrain cluster receding and recalls that are seat/bumper/tire housekeeping. The final V6 year of the generation; the eight-speed is mature, so aim for a clean-driving example and verify the recalls (26V-128 second-row seat, 23V-720 bumper).
Fewest complaints; a new turbo four. 170 complaints, the lowest here. The base engine switches from the V6 to a 2.4-liter turbo four (T24A-FTS) — early cars needed a cold-start software fix (SSC 24TC05), but the engine is holding up and Consumer Reports rates the year average, the 2024 much better. Verify both driver-airbag spiral-cable recalls (23V-480 and its re-repair 25V-040) by VIN.
Same year. Different engine.
One badge, several engines — the year’s verdict assumes the riskiest one. Yours might be the calm one.
Which engine is in the one you found?
Where the years split by engine — the gas V6's eight-speed carries the risk; the hybrid doesn'tThe gas engine 2016–2022 — and the eight-speed it's paired with. The 3.5-liter V6 powered the gas Highlander from 2016 through 2022 (carried from third to fourth generation). Two named risks travel with it: the front timing-cover oil leak on 2016–2019 cars, which needs the engine dropped to reseal ($2,000–$4,000 out of warranty, mechanic estimate); and — from 2017 on — the UA80 eight-speed automatic it's mated to, whose whine-then-failure pattern recurs strongly on 2017, 2019, and 2021 cars ($6,000–$11,000 out of warranty, owners' quotes). The 2016's six-speed is exempt and is called bulletproof; Toyota extended the eight-speed warranty. Inspect the engine for leaks and drive the transmission before buying any V6 year.
The new base engine, 2023+. For 2023 the base Highlander dropped the V6 for a 2.4-liter turbocharged four — the T24A-FTS, shared with the Lexus NX/RX and Tacoma. Toyota's Special Service Campaign 24TC05 (check-engine code P05CE00, a cold-start camshaft-timing issue) addressed early software, and owners report a low-speed pedal lag also handled by a software update that can return as the car relearns. No hardware failure pattern has emerged, and early reliability reads are positive, but the engine is genuinely new — confirm the cold-start software was performed and test low-speed throttle response.
The trouble-light choice that skips the eight-speed. The Highlander Hybrid used the V6 through 2019, then switched for 2020 to a 2.5-liter four-cylinder (A25A) with an electronically variable transaxle (eCVT — the P810, shared with the RAV4 Prime and Sienna). Mechanics call it one of the most solid SUV hybrids, with no drivetrain failure cluster when maintained. Its distinct items are program-covered: a 2014–2016 hybrid brake-booster program, and on 2020–2022 AWD cars the HV cable-corrosion program 22TE09 (worst in salt-belt states — treat AM-radio static as a symptom). Keep the hybrid coolant and eCVT fluid serviced.
The split is partial by design — we draw an engine row only where a Toyota campaign, a mechanic source, or a complaint cluster names that engine. The gas four-cylinder offered on some third-gen cars is too rare in the data to chart. The VIN encodes which engine and which programs apply; paste it and we'll tell you which row you're looking at, plus its open recalls and coverage.
Decode my VIN — freeEvery year, rated
Each verdict links to the full report: known issues with real repair costs, open recalls, and the print-and-go inspection checklist.
A sweet-spot year — the bulletproof six-speed, if you check the engine for oil leaks first.
109 complaints · 3 recalls
Full report →The one third-gen year to approach carefully — buy it only with the eight-speed's fix documented.
260 complaints · 4 recalls
Full report →The eight-speed's recovery year — a late-2018 build is the calmer third-gen buy.
259 complaints · 5 recalls
Full report →The loudest Highlander year in our data — buy the fixed transmission, not the whine.
469 complaints · 3 recalls
Full report →A redesign year that launched unusually clean — mind the early-build software and the HVAC servo.
307 complaints · 4 recalls
Full report →A strong gen-four year with one loud thread — the same eight-speed whine, at higher mileage.
486 complaints · 4 recalls
Full report →The quietest V6 gen-four year — the settled one, if the eight-speed drives clean.
222 complaints · 5 recalls
Full report →The fewest complaints of any year here — a new turbo engine that's holding up, once the launch software is done.
170 complaints · 5 recalls
Full report →The Highlander is one of the most reliable SUVs you can buy — but the third-gen oil leak and the eight-speed whine are specific, expensive, and worth checking before you sign.
Shopping Highlander years? We’ll watch them for you.
New recalls, federal investigations, and quiet warranty-extension programs land months after you buy. Tell the canary which years you’re considering — it sings when something changes.
Watch my years — free