Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (engine, cooling system, oil leaks, timing chain, exhaust).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2006 Toyota Highlander Hybrid owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
The contact owns a 2006 Toyota Highlander Hybrid. The contact stated while driving 65 MPH, the vehicle stalled with the check hybrid system and two other unknown warning lights illuminated. The contact managed to coast the vehicle to the side of the highway; however, the vehicle failed to restart. Due to the failure, the vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where a diagnostic test was performed. The mechanic discovered that there was a leak in the inverter cooling system. Upon investigation, the contact discovered an unknown recall that was related to the failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but informed her that the vehicle was not included in the unknown recall. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 280,000.
Have been experiencing braking problems ... Driving in traffic or coming to a complete stop fairly quickly (I.e. Stop sign), the brake engages ... Lets go for a second... Catches, car stops. This didn't happen all the time, but it began happening quite frequently ... Took it to Toyota. They changed the brake pads and rotors on the front ... Since there was a technical bulletin on the newer model, but not mine. Riving on a service road ... 55-60 MPH ... The car starts slowing down by itself ... Constantly.. Kept speeding up and it kept slowing down, as if brakes were being applied... No brake lights though. Today I was driving the car ... Going down a gradual slope ... On a turn ... Braked ... The car sped up .. Went from 30 MPH to about 35 MPH, while braking ... Car skided off the road, skid light came on, beeping non stop ... Hit a pole... Shattered my mirror and scratched the side ... …
We drove our 2006 Toyota Highlander Hybrid home from town at about 7:00 p.m. On a cool evening, (six miles) 1/2 mile is a fairly steep hill to climb. On pulling into the driveway and stopping I noticed a burning smell and told my husband I thought the brakes were hot. After a couple minutes he noticed smoke coming from around the hood. He opened it and there were flames coming from the lower center area of the engine under the radiator hose. He got a fire extinguisher from the garage and extinguished the fire. The following morning we had the car towed to the dealer in ukiah. They had the car for 22 days. After the first day they reported that the catalytic converter had set the motor mount on fire and that Toyota was sending a team of engineers to look into the cause. The front motor mount, the radiator hose, air fuel sensor, front wiring harness, seals and gaskets were replaced. …
My wife and I were travelling on I-95 (southbound) towards richmond, va. My wife was the driver. We were steadily travelling at a speed... Between 65 and 70 in the left lane (required speed limit). All of a sudden, with no warning, the panel lights started blinking and the power to the car was shut off. My wife was screaming because she was not able to control or effectively apply brakes. She tried and pulled car off the road barely and we pushed it off to a safe side. This could have resulted in a serious accident if we were travelling in the middle lane. The car was left overnight and towed to Toyota dealer. The dealer called back and gave a quote of $10000 because the Hybrid inverter have to replaced. I mentioned the recall on the inverter. The dealer said the recall does not cover my issue. There is a recall on your website -what action or recourse do I have. …
There was fire in the inverter assembly. The wiring harness for the inverter and the transmission were completely cooked and melted. The professional opinion of a Toyota national engineer is that the generator in the trans axle surged and caused a fire melting the components. How can this go un-investigated with so many of these vehicles on the road. My family and I could have been burned alive or in a fatal crash due to this completely unsafe system. How can Toyota continue to say they are all about safety when they will not do anything about issues like this. They have sent me a $16,000 bill for this issue that is completely a product of their poor and unsafe vehicle.
Tl* the contact owns a 2006 Toyota Highlander Hybrid. While driving approximately 15 MPH, the vehicle lost power, the check engine and ABS warning indicators illuminated, and the vehicle stalled. Also, "check Hybrid system" appeared on the instrument panel. Fred haas Toyota world (20400 interstate 45 n, spring, tx 77373) was notified. The vehicle was not diagnosed because the test was not free. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 250,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2006 Toyota Highlander Hybrid. The contact stated that the vehicle experienced a total loss of power while driving 35 MPH. As a result, the vehicle was no longer operable. The vehicle was towed to the contact's residence. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 175,000. The VIN was not provided.
Engine mechanical ~|~check and report...check engine light and vsc light on dash, ,,car lost power while driving, had to pull over and get the vehicle towed in to the dealership... ~|~tech pulled code p0a05,p0a08,p0a93, ...found inverter pump not working properly ~|~replaced inverter water pump
I was pulling into our driveway and when I pressed the accelerator, the car stopped and began to roll backwards. All of the warning lights came on along with a warning on the lcd panel that stated "check Hybrid system" and "check vsc". It was towed to a Toyota dealership. They indicated that the Hybrid inverter and esu had failed and they replaced them. The vehicle still displayed several warnings and after searching for almost 1 week, they determined that the power steering esu was also bad although this was not the case prior to the Hybrid failure. They said that the 12 volt battery also needed replacing although it was only 8 months old and was purchased at the dealership. When I asked how this could have happened, I was told that the vehicle must have been struck by lightning! October 1, 2011 in our state was a beautiful, clear day as it had been for a while. …
I was driving on a straight highway between 45 -50 MPH. Sudden a bunch of lights and warnings came up in the dashboard. I lost power steering and motor propulsion too. I pressed the accelerator and nothing happened. Although I had the ability to brake, it seemed that the braking was also impaired. However because I was going up an incline I did not need strong braking. I managed to coast over to the breakdown lane. Luckily there were only a couple other cars near me so it wasn't too difficult to maneuver by them and coast to the other side of the road where the breakdown lane was. Once I was completely stopped I shut the car down completely and restarted in the normal Hybrid startup manner. The car propulsion and steering came back but now the message was alternating between "maintenance needed" and "check vsc system", and the check engine light and symbol was on. …
Related recalls
Engine and engine cooling
Toyota is recalling certain model year 2004 avalon vehicles; 2004 and 2005 camry, camry solara, highlander, and sienna vehicles, 2006 highlander hybrid; 2004 and 2005 Lexus es330 and rx330; and 2006 Lexus rx400h vehicles manufactured from June 1, 2004 through March 31, 2005, equipped with the 1mz-fe or 3mz-fe engine.
Remedy: Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will check the crankshaft pulley to identify whether it was produced by the U.S. Supplier. If so, the dealer will replace the pulley with a new one at no charge.
Engine complaints in other Highlander Hybrid years
Frequently asked questions
How common are engine problems on the 2006 Toyota Highlander Hybrid?
NHTSA has 53 complaints about the engine & cooling of the 2006 Toyota Highlander Hybrid, 14% of the model year's 370 complaints. The component named most often is engine (6 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2006 Toyota Highlander Hybrid engine problems?
Yes — NHTSA recall 11V-539 (engine and engine cooling, Nov 9, 2011). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
At what mileage do 2006 Toyota Highlander Hybrid engine problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 105,000 miles, and 6% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 2 crashes, 2 fires and 0 injuries to engine & cooling problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.