Most common 2001 Toyota Highlander problems
Share of the 137 complaints; one complaint can involve more than one system. "~" is the median mileage when the problem started.
Toyota Highlander complaints by model year
Best Highlander years: 2025, 2016, 2014. Years to avoid: 2021, 2019, 2023, 2022, 2020. Compare all years →
2001 Toyota Highlander recalls (3)
Latches/locks/linkages › Doors › Latch
Certain sport utility vehicles have a child protection lock (cpl) system on both of the rear side doors. When an operator of the vehicle closes the door very hard with the cpl lever set to the lock position, there is a possibility that the lever May contact the body panel, causing the cpl lever to move into the unlock position.
Remedy: Dealers will shorten the cpl lever. Owner notification began May 7, 2004. Owners should contact Toyota at 1-800-331-4331.
Fuel system, gasoline › Storage › Tank assembly › Mounting
On sport utility vehicles, there is a breather hose that attaches to the nozzle of the on-board refueling vapor recovery (orvr) valve, which is located on the topside of the fuel tank. The breather hose is attached with a clamp, whose "tabs" face in the upward direction.
Remedy: Dealers will rotate the specified clamp. Owner notification began September 23, 2002. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a…
Service brakes, hydraulic › Foundation components › Master cylinder
Vehicle description: sport utiity vehicles. The reservoir filler cap of the brake master cylinder May induce a vacuum, introducing some air into the brake master cylinder reservoir. This could cause abnormal brake noise and increased pedal stroke when the brakes are applied.
Remedy: Dealers will bleed the air from the brake lines and replace the reservoir filler cap. Owner notification began July 30, 2001.
What 2001 Toyota Highlander owners say
Windows, wipers & sunroof all 25 →
This visibility issue is caused by the sunvisor on the driver side, dropping down from the stowed position unexpectedly and repeatedly blocking the driver's vision. Dealer indicated not a Toyota problem and pricing it at $700 + dollars to replace. When driving, the sunvisor had to be moved to the side at all times and back to forward position just to get it out of way to exit vehicle. Ended up buying from the dealer a regular visor (not the limited model visor). The new visor cost $80 + dollars. Vehicle sold as a limited model, should not have any hazardous/dangerous problems such as this, not addressed without a national recall. Very disappointed with the Toyota corp. For not accepting these complaints and denying that problem even exists. NHTSA please take note, and add up all these same visibility issues as showing on your site. …
The driver's side sun visor suddenly dropped down into my field of view when I hit a bump on a three lane 40 MPH paved road at rush hour. I nearly rear-ended the vehicle in front of me during the short time (maybe two seconds) required to react and raise the visor. An online search revealed that a replacement visor costs a shocking $791.00, and that many dozens of others were reporting this problem in 2001 - 2009 Toyota highlanders. Solutions ranged from jury-rigging the visor in the up position to simply removing the visor and using one's hand to block the sun when needed. Some of these "solutions" are obviously unsafe, and could easily be avoided if Toyota charged a more reasonable price for the replacement visor. Replacement can be accomplished by almost anyone with a screwdriver in about 12 minutes. Thank you for this opportunity to file a complaint.
Brakes
On 11/17/2015 I hit a parking island in an unlit parking lot. When I tried to stop, my brakes failed. This caused me to lose control of the vehicle and it hit 2 parked cars and a tree. I have lost wages and live in pain every day due to injuries from this accident.
The car accident in which I was involved in had suspicious activities that followed, for example, finance company repossessed my vehicle although my payments were current. Recently, while researching vehicle recalls, I found that my 2001 Toyota Highlander had a hydraulic brake recall. The accident caused injuries as well as totaling out two vehicles. I was driving on fwy when I had to stop suddenly due to construction traffic. My Highlander's brakes went to the floor which made it impossible to stop.
Engine & cooling
Toyota had a problem with there 4 cylinder engines in camry and Highlander with engine mountain threads pulling away for a three or four year period. My car started leaking oil about 90,000 miles when I took in to a dealer he told me about the problem and Toyota did not issue a recall. I was told only fix is a new engine. They also had a problem with the catalytic converter also again no recall.
Oil sludge issue. The Toyota was in the shop for 1.5 weeks. The final bill did not include any totals, but the service manager indicated parts alone were close to $1600. We were very disturbed with Toyota's position that this problem was a maintenance issue and that they would only repair this issue once within the first eight years. They indicated that we followed the wrong maintenance schedule of normal rather than severe conditions for florida. Considering the owners manual does not specify this, and that I own a Lexus that has no signs of problem after following the same schedule, we were disappointed with their response. Since the service manager at the dealership could give us no guarantee that this would happen again in the near future, even if they changed the oil every 5000 miles as he directed, we turned around and traded the vehicle in on a Honda the same day. …
2001 Toyota Highlander engines & fuel economy
| Engine | Transmission | Drive | MPG city / hwy / combined |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2.4L 4-cyl | 4-speed automatic | FWD | 19 / 25 / 22 |
| 2.4L 4-cyl | 4-speed automatic | 4WD/AWD | 17 / 22 / 19 |
| 3.0L 6-cyl | 4-speed automatic | FWD | 17 / 21 / 18 |
| 3.0L 6-cyl | 4-speed automatic | 4WD/AWD | 16 / 21 / 18 |
EPA ratings. Class: SUV.
Frequently asked questions
Is the 2001 Toyota Highlander a good car?
Based on 137 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, the 2001 Highlander rates average: 39% fewer complaints than a typical year of the Highlander at the same age. Complaint counts don't account for sales volume or individual maintenance, so have any used car inspected before buying.
What is the most common problem with the 2001 Toyota Highlander?
The windows, wipers & sunroof — 25 complaints, 18% of all complaints for this model year, most often about glass, side/rear. Next are the brakes (19) and engine & cooling (19).
How many recalls does the 2001 Toyota Highlander have?
There are 3 recalls for the 2001 Toyota Highlander, the most recent from April 15, 2004 (latch). Recall repairs are free at any authorized dealer — check whether yours has been done with the VIN recall check.
What are the best and worst years of the Toyota Highlander?
The best years by complaints, compared at the same age, are 2025, 2016 and 2014. Years to avoid or approach with caution: 2021, 2019, 2023, 2022 and 2020. See the full Toyota Highlander years comparison.
At what mileage do 2001 Toyota Highlander problems happen?
The median mileage reported in complaints is about 60,000 miles; 40% of problems with a recorded mileage started before 50,000 miles.
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.