Diagsheet

Midsize and three-row SUVs · model years 2020 to 2024

Hyundai Palisade vs Toyota Highlander: problems and reliability

On the 7 measures below that do not grow with sales, the Palisade looks better on 3 and the Highlander on 2, with 2 too close to call.

Hyundai Palisade

Hyundai Palisade

2,060 complaints · 12 recalls

Toyota Highlander

Toyota Highlander

1,304 complaints · 14 recalls

Newest report Sep 24, 2026 · checked Sep 27, 2026

Counts are not adjusted for sales. The more cars of a model there are on the road, the more complaints it draws, so the raw totals above say a lot about sales. Everything below compares shares of each model's own complaints, the mileage problems start at, recalls per model year and each model's years against its own median.

Scorecard

Measure, 2020 to 2024PalisadeHighlander
Complaints that report a crash2.3%4.8%
Complaints that report a fire0.6%0.4%
Complaints that report an injury1.5%3.5%
Median miles when problems are reported14,00059,000
Recall campaigns per model year2.42.8
Do-not-drive recalls00
NHTSA investigations20

The shaded side is lower (for miles, higher). Values within about a tenth of each other count as too close to call.

What owners complain about

The system Palisade owners complain about most is seat belts; for the Highlander it is transmission and drivetrain. Complaints citing seat belts make up 17% of all Palisade complaints, against 1.2% on the Highlander. The Highlander leans the other way on transmission and drivetrain: 32% of its complaints, against 6.3% for the Palisade.

Hyundai PalisadeToyota Highlander

Transmission and drivetrain6.3%32%
Brakes16%13%
Engine14%8.1%
Seat Belts17%1.2%
Structure3.8%12%
Electrical8.9%6.1%
Windshield and wipers13%1.8%
Airbags4.2%8.4%
Collision avoidance6.3%3.1%
Suspension7.5%0.8%

Share of each model's complaints that cite each system, from NHTSA's own component codes. One complaint can cite several systems, so the shares add up to more than 100%.

The most reported problems

The most reported problem on the Palisade is seat belt problems (20% of its complaints). On the Highlander it is transmission failure (14% of its complaints), against 0.6% on the Palisade.

ProblemPalisadeHighlander
Brakes grind, pulse or wear early16% 338most in 2024 · 16k mi13% 170most in 2021 · 27k mi
Seat belt or seat problems20% 404most in 2021 · 36k mi3.8% 5059k mi
Windshield cracks or distorts13% 264most in 2020 · 6k mi2.1% 2810k mi
Transmission fails or needs replacement0.6% 1214% 181most in 2021 · 70k mi
Airbag warning light or recall4.2% 86most in 2020 · 64k mi8.4% 109most in 2021 · 51k mi
Engine stalls or loses power while driving6.6% 136most in 2020 · 33k mi5.4% 70most in 2021 · 66k mi
Suspension noise, struts or alignment7.5% 155most in 2020 · 30k mi0.4% 5
Infotainment, screen or backup camera fails4.0% 82most in 2021 · 15k mi1.9% 2545k mi

Share of each model's own complaints, with the count beside it. "Most in" links to the symptom sheet for the model year with the most reports of it, and the mileage is the median from reports that gave one.

When problems start

Palisade owners report problems earlier. Half the Palisade complaints that give a mileage come before 14,000 miles; for the Highlander the halfway point is 59,000. 77% of Palisade reports and 41% of Highlander reports come before 50,000 miles. Older model years have had longer to reach high mileage, so a window that runs to recent years pulls both medians down.

Hyundai PalisadeToyota Highlander

Under 25k62%25%
25k to 50k15%16%
50k to 75k8.7%33%
75k to 100k8.5%16%
100k to 150k4.6%8.2%
Over 150k1.4%1.0%

Share of the complaints that state a mileage: 483 for the Palisade and 415 for the Highlander.

Worst and best years

The 2024 Palisade draws 1.7 times the complaints of a typical Palisade year for its age. The 2021 Highlander draws 2.9 times the complaints of a typical Highlander year for its age.

Hyundai Palisade

Every Palisade model year

Toyota Highlander

Every Highlander model year

Hyundai PalisadeToyota Highlander

Each model year against its own model's median. Palisade: 2020 1.0, 2021 0.9, 2022 0.8, 2023 1.3, 2024 1.7. Highlander: 2020 1.5, 2021 2.9, 2022 1.7, 2023 1.5, 2024 0.5.2020 Palisade: 1.0 times its median2020 Highlander: 1.5 times its median'202021 Palisade: 0.9 times its median2021 Highlander: 2.9 times its median'212022 Palisade: 0.8 times its median2022 Highlander: 1.7 times its median'222023 Palisade: 1.3 times its median2023 Highlander: 1.5 times its median'232024 Palisade: 1.7 times its median2024 Highlander: 0.5 times its median'241x

Each bar is that model year's complaints for each year on the road, divided by the same figure for a typical year of the same model (the dashed line). Measuring each model against itself takes the sales gap between the two out of the picture, so they can share a scale. Years too new to judge are left out.

Recalls and investigations

The two draw recalls at about the same rate: 2.4 campaigns per model year for the Palisade and 2.8 for the Highlander. A recall counts once however many cars it covers, so this figure does not grow with sales the way complaint totals do.

Hyundai Palisade

12 recall campaigns and 2 NHTSA investigations across these model years. Most recalled: airbags (3), service brakes, hydraulic (2) and visibility (1).

  • 25V-607 (seat belts) covers 5 model years
  • 26V-034 (airbags) covers 5 model years

Investigations

  • PE24021: Inadvertent seat belt unlatch (closed, led to a recall)
  • RQ22005: Windshield wiper failure (closed, led to a recall)

Toyota Highlander

14 recall campaigns and 0 NHTSA investigations across these model years. Most recalled: airbags (2), tires (2) and equipment (2).

  • 23V-720 (structure) covers 4 model years
  • 24V-452 (tires) covers 4 model years

Whether a particular car is included depends on its VIN. Check yours at nhtsa.gov/recalls.

Crashes, fires and injuries

A larger share of Highlander complaints report a crash: 4.8%, against 2.3% for the Palisade. Fire reports: 13 for the Palisade and 5 for the Highlander. Complaints on file report 0 deaths in the Palisade and 1 in the Highlander for these model years.

Hyundai PalisadeToyota Highlander

Report a crash2.3%4.8%
Report a fire0.6%0.4%
Report someone hurt1.5%3.5%

Share of each model's complaints in which the owner reported it. These are owners' own accounts as filed with NHTSA, and one report on its own doesn't prove a defect.

Questions

Is the Hyundai Palisade or the Toyota Highlander more reliable?

On the 7 measures below that do not grow with sales, the Palisade looks better on 3 and the Highlander on 2, with 2 too close to call. NHTSA complaint totals cannot settle it alone: the Palisade has 2,060 complaints and the Highlander 1,304 for model years 2020 to 2024, and those totals follow how many of each were sold.

Which has more recalls, the Palisade or the Highlander?

The Palisade has 12 recall campaigns and the Highlander 14 across model years 2020 to 2024. The two draw recalls at about the same rate: 2.4 campaigns per model year for the Palisade and 2.8 for the Highlander.

What are the most common problems on the Palisade and the Highlander?

The most reported problem on the Palisade is seat belt problems (20% of its complaints). On the Highlander it is transmission failure (14% of its complaints), against 0.6% on the Palisade.

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