Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (power windows, windshield, wipers, mirrors, sunroof).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2002 Toyota Highlander owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
This is the fourth sun visor on the drivers side of this car which will no longer stay up blocking my vision while driving. The first was replaced 09/03 at about 22,600 miles under warranty with a home link included as was the original. The second replacement was 01/07 at 65,300 miles and the passenger one was replaced at the same time. These did not have the home link feature as it was too expensive. The problem recurred in 3/10 at 86,000 miles and was once again replaced. It is now 3/16 with 115,000 miles and the same problem as before exists. It falls right at eye level which impairs visibility. With the number of complaints Toyota has received on this and other models, a mandatory replacement is warranted.
The air bag sensor stay on when cold. It will not turn off until car worms up and engine is shut down and restart. The sun visor will not stay on and it is falling down during driving. Both issues are safety hazard
Driver side sun visor swings down from rest position to block view. We use visor normally until it suddenly gave up and did not stay in any position other than hanging straight down. We do not hang anything on the visor to cause a load. It just simply "hang loose" now. When I (male 5' 11") am driving, the visor would randomly and often flip down right in front of my eyes blocking my view. This would be an equivalence to some one sticking their hands in your face while you drive. This definitely distracts me and causes me to take my eyes off the road. I am afraid that this will eventually cause an accident at any speed. Since we drive long distance with this car, our warranty was over quick and was not covered. I am currently holding it up with velcro just so it would stay out of the way. If it wasn't for the homelink system on it, I would have removed it already. …
We have a 2002 Toyota Highlander which we purchased new in April 2002. The vehicle has about 39,000 miles. For the past 3 years the driver's side sun visor suddenly falls down and partially obstructs the driver's vision. It falls down at slow speed when the vehicle goes over bumps. It falls down on the interstate at highway speeds from vibrations - such as expansion joints in the road. It is usually just annoying but once in awhile it is very dangerous such as when your are passing on a two lane road it will suddenly drop down obstructing the driver's vision. I have looked on line and found this is a very common problem with the 2002 Highlander. And it is very expensive to fix if you have the garage door remote built into the visor - as we do. About an $800 repair - with the majority of the cost being the part. …
2002 Toyota Highlander: both driver's side and passenger side sunvisors will not stay in up position. The visors drop without warning multiple times every day since the problem began to occur. This is a safety hazard as the driver's side sunvisor randomly drops down without warning completely obscuring the driver's vision. Reported the defect to my Toyota dealer and they informed me that the only option was to pay for replacements at a cost of several hundred dollars each. This assessment was given without any inspection of the vehicle and in a manner which strongly implied that this was a problem which they were very familiar with. After speaking to Toyota, I decided to research this for myself on the web and found many similar incidents. …
Sunvisor on 2002 Toyota Highlander constantly falls down into driver's field of vision. Visor was replaced one time under warranty but problem has returned. Cost to repair per Toyota dealer is $650 for parts plus labor - the visor contains a lighted vanity mirror and a homelink remote control so it is an expensive part to repair. The visor cannot be used in a 'partially lowered' position to block sun or reflections as it constantly falls into the 'fully lowered' position which obstructs the driver's field of view. The only way to keep the visor from sagging into the driver's field of view is to use tape or velcro to attach it to the ceiling. This prevents the visor from being used in the intended manner to block sun or reflections. This is a safety hazard because the driver can't prevent sunlight and glare from diminishing visibility. …
The drivers side sun visor no longer stays fully up. It stays 1/2 down which blocks visibility. It suddenly falls down further, blocking my view even more, especially when I brake (even light braking), change lanes or change vehicle speeds. After several times of getting scared when the visor suddenly flips down, I now have to use bungee cords or rubber bands to hold the visor up so that I can see. Unfortunately, that means that I cannot easily flip it down to block the sun, which is its purpose, and I live in "sunny california!" I have seen dozens of other people complain online falls about this safety issue over the past few years. My research a few years ago showed that the replacement for the visor was ridiculously over $800 (I think because it has a lighted mirror). My assumption is that it only needs a spring replaced and Toyota should do this to protect its customers.
Driver's side sun visor has been falling slightly from it's resting position on the headliner. On 4-20-07 the visor fell suddenly all the way downward and fully blocked my view of the road momentarily. I immediately went to my local Toyota dealer for advise on this problem. He thought there had been a TSB on the visor but indicated that it was the Lexus version that had the bulletin. I do not know this to be a fact. The new visor in my case is cost prohibitive at over 600.00. I am not a safety expert but this seems to be a slam dunk safety issue and not a "I want my visor replaced for free" issue. Clearly a defect involving public safety. I suspect some accidents would get more attention-but why wait for one when this problem is so well documented?
Was driving in rush hour traffic when the driver's side visor on my '02 Toyota Highlander suddenly dropped down to obscure my vision. This necessitated me hitting my brakes and ducking down to the right of the steering wheel in order to view traffic. There were no "events" leading to malfunction. The visor will no longer remain in the "up" position and poses an ongoing safety hazard as it must either be held in place while driving (forcing the driver to use one hand on the wheel), taped in place (where it will still drop down if/when the tape gives out); or force the driver to lean to the right in order to see around the visor (thus prohibiting the use of the rearview and sideview mirrors(.
The driver's side sun visor will not stay up and it is impairing my vision. If I can get it to stay up for a few minutes, it falls unexpectedly into my view, cutting off my line of sight and nearly causing an accident. The only remedy I can see is to remove it, but then I am blinded by the sun. I drive with my child in the vehicle with me and find this to be quite disturbing when it happens. I bought the Highlander because of its safety rating, but this is very disappointing. This has been happening for some time, and now the visor just swings in front of me without staying up or forward, out of the way. The date reported below is not the first time this has happened.
Window & Wiper complaints in other Highlander years
Frequently asked questions
How common are window & wiper problems on the 2002 Toyota Highlander?
NHTSA has 133 complaints about the windows, wipers & sunroof of the 2002 Toyota Highlander, 44% of the model year's 301 complaints. The component named most often is windshield (3 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2002 Toyota Highlander window & wiper problems?
No. NHTSA lists no windows, wipers & sunroof recall for the 2002 Toyota Highlander, though it has 2 recalls for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 2002 Toyota Highlander window & wiper problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 61,000 miles, and 8% before 25,000 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.