2010 Toyota HIGHLANDER - Ratings, Complaints and Recalls

The 2010 Toyota Highlander 4-DR. with SAB has received high safety ratings in various crash scenarios. It scored 5 stars for the front crash driver side rating, 4 stars for the front crash passenger side rating, 5 stars for both side crash driver and passenger side ratings, and 4 stars for rollover ratings. The vehicle comes standard with electronic stability control, which is a great feature for enhancing safety and stability while driving. However, it does not have forward collision warning or lane departure warning systems.

In terms of complaints and recalls, the car has received 231 complaints and has been subject to 11 recalls. While the safety ratings are mostly positive, the number of complaints and recalls should be taken into consideration when evaluating the overall safety and reliability of the Toyota Highlander.

Top stats at a glance

Complaint Count

231

Recall Count

11

Investigation Count

3

Safety Rating

Not Rated

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Safety Features

2010 Toyota Highlander 4-DR. w/SAB Safety Features

Here are the safety features that come as standard on the 2010 Toyota Highlander 4-DR. w/SAB

Electronic Stability Control (ESC)

ESC is an advanced safety feature in vehicles designed to help drivers maintain control during challenging driving conditions. By continuously monitoring various factors such as steering angle, vehicle speed, and individual wheel speeds, ESC can detect and reduce the risk of skidding or loss of control. It achieves this by automatically applying brakes to specific wheels to stabilize the vehicle.

Standard
Forward Collision Warning (FCW)

Forward Collision Warning (FCW) is a safety feature in vehicles that helps prevent frontal collisions by alerting the driver of an imminent collision with a vehicle or obstacle ahead. Using sensors such as radar or cameras, FCW monitors the distance and speed of vehicles in front, and if it detects a potential collision, it provides visual and/or auditory warnings to prompt the driver to take evasive action.

No
Lane Departure Warning (LDW)

Lane Departure Warning (LDW) is a safety feature in vehicles that alerts drivers when their vehicle unintentionally drifts out of its lane without signaling. Utilizing cameras or sensors to monitor lane markings on the road, LDW detects when the vehicle crosses these lines and triggers visual, auditory, or haptic alerts to notify the driver of potential lane departure.

No

2010 Toyota Highlander 4-DR. w/SAB Safety Ratings

Here we have the crash and rollover ratings for the 2010 Toyota Highlander 4-DR. w/SAB Where possible we've included the ratings for the oldest and latest models of this car so you can compare how the safety ratings have changed over time.

Frontal Crash Ratings

Combines Driver and Passenger star ratings into a single frontal rating. The frontal barrier test simulates a head-on collision between two similar vehicles, each moving at 35 mph.

Test 2005 Score 2010 Score 2024 Score
Overall Front Crash Rating Not Rated Not Rated 4
Front Crash Driver Side Rating 5 5 4
Front Crash Passenger Side Rating 5 4 4

Side Crash Ratings

Combines Side Barrier and Side Pole Star Ratings into a single side rating.

Test 2005 Score 2010 Score 2024 Score
Overall Side Crash Rating Not Rated Not Rated 5
Side Crash Drivers Side Rating 5 5 5
Side Crash Passenger Side Rating 5 5 5
Combined Side Barrier Pole Rating - Front Not Rated Not Rated 5
Combined Side Barrier Pole Rating - Rear Not Rated Not Rated 5
Overall Side Barrier Rating Not Rated Not Rated 5

Rollover Ratings

The Rollover Resistance test measures the risk of rollover in a single-vehicle, loss-of-control scenario.

Test 2005 Score 2010 Score 2024 Score
Rollover Rating 4 4 4
Rollover Possibility % 0% 0% 0%
Dynamic Tip Result No Tip No Tip No Tip
Side Pole Crash Rating Not Rated Not Rated 5

Complaints for the 2010 Toyota HIGHLANDER

This chart show the number of complaints for each car component. A Higher number of complaints could indicate that this car might have a common fault. Something to look out for when purchasing one.

Component Complaints

Choose a component to see what complaints people have made about them.

Complaint:
"the rear hatch gives a chime and says it is open when it is closed. this is a 2010 highlander and i see that there are many complaints about this online. this is a saftey issue because you never know if it is actually open or if it actually closed but just chiming for no reason. it happens very intermittently, but often when going over a bump but other times there is no pattern, it just happens sometimes and not others. it happens when stationary and when moving. it has been happening for a couple of years at least."
Components Involved: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Date of incident: 2018-01-08

Complaint:
"door ajar radomly comes on for back rear door liftgate happens while driving"
Components Involved: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Date of incident: 2020-05-08

Complaint:
"door sensor broken. goes on and off repeatedly while in motion on street and highway specially when making turns regardless of speed. happens more frequently on hot days. it has been a long term problem and would cost too much money to fix. this should be manufacturer's responsibility. i've found similar complaints online including videos on youtube demonstrating the particular 2010 toyota highlander issue. *tr"
Components Involved: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Date of incident: 2015-01-01

Complaint:
"rear hatch sensor / door ajar defect rear door (hatch) ajar warning light, interior lights and warning sound (bing!) come on (often several times per second, as if flashing) whenever braking, turning, or on uneven surface. not only is it annoying, the level of disturbance is severely distracting and necessitates taking eyes off the road to check the alarm. on a long trip this causes dangerous levels of aggravation. multiple users have experienced this. i request that a recall be issued requiring toyota to remedy this, regardless of warranty status, because of the safety issues due to the high levels of aggravation experienced by the users."
Components Involved: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Date of incident: 2020-05-03

Complaint:
"the rear latch on this vehicle failed. it cost $600 to repair"
Components Involved: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Date of incident: 2019-06-06

Complaint:
"the trunk door sensor constantly goes off and on while driving, so says that the trunk door is ajar when it is not. this tends to happen more when it is warmer, the car turns to the right or the windows are down. it is a distraction while driving."
Components Involved: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Date of incident: 2019-01-08

Complaint:
"when driving and turning or going over a bump the "door ajar" indicator beeps and the dome lights turn on. brought to auto service repair shop and the left rear door and the rear gate sensor/actuator need to be replaced. $1100!!"
Components Involved: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Date of incident: 2020-03-09

Complaint:
"when we open a window or the sunroof the door ajar sign comes on and starts to beep also the interior light comes on. sometimes it happens when we turn a corner or hit a bump just right. i am afraid of something shorting out and starting a fire! also the front head lights keep burning out we have to replace them at least once a month. the highlander runs great but electrical problems scare me. toyota really needs to recall and fix this problem.the problem with the door open always happens when we are driving. the problelm happens every time we drive the car."
Components Involved: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Date of incident: 2018-01-04

Complaint:
"rear hatch sensor ajar whenever the windows are open and car exceeds 30 mph. windows must remain close for the sensor chime and activation to cease. seems to be a problem with the rear hatch sensor. the car has been owned for 8 years and has 77000 miles on the odometer. no accidents."
Components Involved: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Date of incident: 2018-08-05

Complaint:
"back door ajar, interior light and a bing sound come on when i turn left"
Components Involved: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Date of incident: 2018-03-08

Recalls for the 2010 Toyota HIGHLANDER

Component Recalls

Choose a component to see what recalls people have made about them.

Recall:
"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.

Component(s) Involved: EQUIPMENT > OTHER > LABELS
Date of incident: 2013-04-09

Recall:
"gulf states toyota is recalling certain model year 2005-2010 vehicles for failing to comply with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 110, "tire selection and rims." these vehicles were sold between september 1, 2005 and june 2, 2008 without the requisite load carrying capacity modification labels."
Consequence:
THIS DOES NOT MEET THE STANDARD REQUIREMENTS.
Remedy:

DEALERS WILL MAIL TO CONSUMERS THE CORRECTED LABEL OR THE CUSTOMER WILL HAVE THE OPTION FOR DEALERS TO INSTALL THE LABEL FREE OF CHARGE. DEALERS WILL ALSO CORRECT THE OWNER'S MANUAL. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON MAY 27, 2010. OWNERS MAY CONTACT GULF STATES TOYOTA AT 713-580-3300.

Component(s) Involved: EQUIPMENT > OTHER > LABELS
Date of incident: 2010-02-03

Recall:
"southeast toyota is recalling certain model year 2005-2011 passenger vehicles for failing to comply with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 110, "tire selection and rims." these vehicles were sold without the requisite load carrying capacity modification labels."
Consequence:
A DRIVER MAY OVERLOAD A VEHICLE WHICH MAY INCREASE THE RISK OF A CRASH.
Remedy:

DEALERS WILL MAIL TO CONSUMERS THE CORRECTED LABEL OR THE CUSTOMER WILL HAVE THE OPTION FOR DEALERS TO INSTALL THE LABEL FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON MAY 27, 2010. OWNERS MAY CONTACT SOUTHEAST TOYOTA AT 1-800-301-6859.

Component(s) Involved: EQUIPMENT > OTHER > LABELS
Date of incident: 2010-02-03

TOYOTA Overall Complaint Ranking

This table shows the ranking of car manufacturers when it comes to most complaints and recalls. The manufacturer with the most complaints is at the top. However this doesn't necassarily mean they should be avoided. Some manufacturers might just have more popular or affordable cars which a lot of people have bought. Which means there's more scope for a complaint to be made. Use the ranking table below as a part your wider research into buying a car.

TOYOTA ranks 3 out of 44 in the complaints ranking table.

Manufacturer Complaint Count Recall Count Ranking
FORD 208,358 3,259 1
CHEVROLET 111,306 2,082 2
TOYOTA 81,019 1,852 3
HONDA 61,937 1,268 4
NISSAN 56,226 930 5
DODGE 45,756 827 6
HYUNDAI 44,150 649 7
GMC 34,441 1,410 8
KIA 29,832 501 9
CHRYSLER 27,698 254 10
TESLA 26,230 730 11
BMW 24,890 1,877 12
VOLKSWAGEN 23,125 829 13
MERCEDES-BENZ 19,066 2,925 14
SUBARU 18,513 703 15
MAZDA 10,599 364 16
PONTIAC 10,430 138 17
CADILLAC 9,434 444 18
AUDI 7,865 1,093 19
BUICK 7,851 279 20
SATURN 7,672 84 21
MERCURY 7,374 135 22
LEXUS 6,373 408 23
LINCOLN 5,897 423 24
ACURA 5,722 382 25
MINI 5,585 366 26
INFINITI 4,000 187 27
MITSUBISHI 3,912 397 28
VOLVO 3,875 727 29
PORSCHE 2,646 1,231 30
SUZUKI 2,272 123 31
FIAT 2,205 80 32
SAAB 1,536 76 33
JAGUAR 1,195 198 34
SMART 528 17 35
GENESIS 436 42 36
ISUZU 249 37 37
ALFA ROMEO 161 37 38
MASERATI 76 46 39
BENTLEY 46 159 40
POLESTAR 42 2 41
LUCID 14 6 42
CODA 4 2 43
MAYBACH 0 0 44

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