Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (battery, alternator, wiring, ignition, instrument cluster, infotainment).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2009 Toyota Highlander owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
Tl* the contact owned a 2009 Toyota Highlander. The contact stated that the vehicle caught fire on the front driver's seat. The fire department extinguished the fire. The vehicle was destroyed. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and stated the vehicle was not included in NHTSA campaign number: 14V743000 (electrical system). The failure mileage was 110,000.
The tailgate motor unexpectedly malfunctioned and closed the door in an unbalanced way causing the breaking of the tailgate hinges / arms. The tailgate stopped / froze and remained ajar about 1 inch on right passenger side of the door and latching on driver's side of the door. The door would not manually or electronically open back up. Had to have the door physically removed by Toyota dealership and replaced entire tailgate hatch, motor and hinges. Costing me in the neighborhood of $5,000 for parts, labor, and a rental car for 12 days to repair as my insurance with progressive insurance declined coverage under my comprehensive insurance as they related back to wear and tear. Potential severe crushing injury or fatality could have resulted from what occurred. …
2009 Toyota Highlander limited door actuators have all broke, been replaced and broke again. Some are being replaced for the 3rd time since I owed the vehicle (making it the 4th lock on the car). At the moment only 1 door lock works and I have to climb across to open the other doors. I am extremely concerned that they will all break and I will not be able to get my daughter out of the car. I started contacting Toyota in 2013 when they all started breaking. I also can not open the car with the key. 8/2012- drivers lock and actuator replaced and window 6/2013- right rear door actuator replaced 7/2013- passenger door actuator replaced 3/2014- left rear door actuator replaced 4/2014- drivers lock actuator replaced (again) 5/2014- right rear door actuator replaced (again) 2015- left rear actuator broke again this time my extended warranty is up and they want 600 to fix. …
The power tailgate will not open and close automatically. You have to force it to open manually and force it to close manually because the motor gets stuck in one position. We called the Toyota to see if there was any recalls after reading similar complaints on the internet and few lawsuits against Toyota for the same problem, and Toyota said no there are no recalls for the tailgate motor. The motor itself costs about $1200 and only the Toyota has it, plus the labor to replace it which could amounts up to $1500 if you find an outside mechanic/body shop to do it for you. In addition, you might need to change the rails and shocks that hold the tailgate to the body of the car. If you take it to the Toyota, it could cost close to $5000.00. …
Lift gate and power door motor broke. The door stocked and could not be opened or locked. I was lucky that my toddler was not around. I am horrified what would happened if his hand stock in it and the door could not be open. We took it to molle Toyota. They told me that beside the lift gate and motor the whole rear door and hinge has to be replace. They said that if I don't replace the doors I will have same problem few months later. They said that Toyota modified the new rear door that they are aware that the door in my vehicle causing problems. They refused to pay for the door because it's outside warranty. The cost of motor and lift gate repair is $1500 the cost with new door is $3500. I don't understand why Toyota does not pay for door that they are aware that are defective and needed to be modified. …
My vehicle has an issue with the door locks which is a safety concern, the power door lock actuators have repeatedly failed on my vehicle. Each of the four door lock actuators have been replaced and several multiple times. The most recent was a drivers (left) side rear which was replaced in March 2014 and failed again. This makes the 6th or 7th time an actuator has failed on my vehicle. The cost to replace these is approximately $600. However my biggest concern is that the vehicle is unlocked when I believe it is locked. This is a worry both when transporting young children (who can open the door as child safety locks are inoperative) and potential unauthorized access or theft of the vehicle. I opened a case with Toyota #1701210527. Toyota refuse to continue to assist with this or determine why my vehicle repeatedly has door lock actuators fail.
3 times over the last month, while I was driving my vehicle, the car suddenly lost power while I was driving on the highway. All the dashboard lights flashed on, check engine light and warning lights illuminated. The vehicle lost power, the accelerator was not working, and I was just barely able to pull the car over to the side of the road. Car turned off and was able to turn back on, now with illuminated check engine light and check hybrid system warning light illuminated. This is a big safety issue as the car is losing power in the middle of the road while my foot is on the accelerator. The first time this happened I was able to pull a couple codes from the code reader. Codes were: u0001 & u0100 the second and 3rd time this happened there were no codes coming up on the code reader.
$7155 quote to replace 2 electrical harnesses. Reason: "warning: SRS airbag check. Take vehicle to dealer". The junction box is hidden behind the driver side front panel. The pins in the junction box belonging to the airbag wiring harness (part # 82141-48r51) that runs underneath the dashboard were fried due to electrical short (unexplained). Because the junction box also brings the rear wiring harness (part # 82162-48d40 ) to tail, headliner, and back of the vehicle, this must be replaced as well. I fear that there is a major flaw in the electrical system / SRS airbags of this vehicle and the vehicle electrical system has experienced premature failure.
Liftgate will not close or open when automatic button is pushed either on the dash or the button on the liftgate itself. Stays open and have to force the liftgate down manually. At times liftgate will open by itself while stationary or vehicle is moving. Closing or opening the liftgate automatically problem has be ongoing for about 6 months. Brought to dealership and they could not repair, but I could take to body shop for repair. Currently a service bulletin has been issued, but should be a safety recall.
Lock actuators mal-function when using the remote or when using the power locks. Unable to lock doors except manually with key or by hand. At times, certain locks will work and seem impacted by weather conditions, I.e. Humidity or rainy day vs. Fair weather day. This causes the owner to believe the doors are locked when they are not and the inconvenience they are unlocked when leaving your car parked in a public lot.
Electrical complaints in other Highlander years
Frequently asked questions
How common are electrical problems on the 2009 Toyota Highlander?
NHTSA has 20 complaints about the electrical system of the 2009 Toyota Highlander, 15% of the model year's 134 complaints. The component named most often is 12v/24v/48v battery (1 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2009 Toyota Highlander electrical problems?
No. NHTSA lists no electrical system recall for the 2009 Toyota Highlander, though it has 9 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 2009 Toyota Highlander electrical problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 73,000 miles, and 21% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 0 crashes, 2 fires and 0 injuries to electrical system 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.