Third generation (XU50)
2014 Toyota Highlander
The most reported problem on the 2014 Toyota Highlander is infotainment, with 18 complaints, usually around 37,000 miles.
- 124owner complaints
- 5recalls
- 5involved a crash
- 43,000median miles at failure
Newest report Sep 28, 2026 · checked Oct 2, 2026
Problem sheets
No single problem on the 2014 Toyota Highlander has enough owner reports for a sheet of its own yet. The counts below still cover every complaint on file.
Is the 2014 Toyota Highlander reliable?
The 2014 Toyota Highlander has 124 owner complaints on file with NHTSA, less than half the median of 366 for 2014 SUVs on this site. Of the 12 Highlander model years since 2014, it has the 9th most complaints. Complaint counts rise with sales as well as faults, so read what owners report below before deciding.
At a glance
- Next to other model years
- Complaints filed before 2015 aren't in the files this site reads, so the 2014 count runs short and isn't compared with the model years next to it.
- Top problem
- No problem dominates. The largest, infotainment, covers 18 of the 124 complaints (15%), and tailgate or liftgate failure is next with 14 (one complaint can fall under more than one problem, so these overlap). A quarter of the 12 owners who gave a mileage for infotainment saw it by about 28,000 miles, and half by about 37,000.
- Crash, fire and injury reports
- 8 of the 124 complaints (6%) report a crash, a fire or an injury, about the 6% typical of vehicles on this site. Counted separately (one report can carry more than one), 5 reports mention a crash, 1 mentions a fire and 6 people were hurt. The reports record 1 death.
- Recalls behind the top problems
- 5 recalls are on file, but no problem here has enough reports to set against them.
- When owners filed
- Filings peaked in 2018 at 24 (full calendar years only). In 2025 there were 4. So far in 2026, 7 more have come in. Filings on record start in 2015.
When each problem shows up
Each bar covers the middle half of the mileages owners reported for that problem. A quarter saw it earlier, a quarter later. The tick is the median. Most reported: infotainment, screen or backup camera fails, 18 complaints.
middle half of reports, median tick. The heavier grey bars have 75 or more reports.
Behind you
Around your mileage
Ahead of you
How this compares
124 complaints is 2.5 times fewer than the median 2014 model on this site and 3.0 times fewer than the median 2014 SUV. Among the 11 Highlander model years here it ranks 9th for complaints. Counts follow sales volume as much as reliability, so a truck that sells 700,000 a year draws more reports than a sedan that sells 200,000.
Service bulletins for the 2014 Toyota Highlander
Toyota filed 418 bulletins and other notices with NHTSA that list the 2014 Toyota Highlander. 30 of them deal with a problem owners have reported on this car. Newest first.
Federal rules make a manufacturer send NHTSA a copy of any notice about a defect that goes to more than one dealer or owner. Most of these are service bulletins, the repair instructions manufacturers send to dealers. NHTSA generally leaves safety recall bulletins out of this file, and recalls are listed separately.
Infotainment, screen or backup camera fails 20 bulletins · 18 complaints
TT: Some customers may encounter Bluetooth® connectivity concerns such as: ?Difficulty to pair the phone. ?Intermittent Bluetooth® failure to connect to the vehicle when first turning on the vehicle.
Some 2014 model year Toyota vehicles equipped with Entune? Audio (version 010169), Entune? Audio Plus (version 010171), or Entune? Premium Audio (version 010185) may exhibit one or more of the following conditions: ?Bluetooth® sometimes disconnects with ...
18 more on this problem
TT: Some customers may experience poor outgoing Bluetooth sound quality, this can occur for various reasons. Current multimedia systems are designed with the ability to adjust Bluetooth sound quality to compensate for echo or excessive background noise.
TT: For customer concerns of no or poor outgoing sound from the Bluetooth systems there are diagnostics in the repair manual which can be performed to diagnose the condition.
TT: Some vehicles may exhibit an error message when trying to perform a radio software update: "Unable to update the software. Please try again later." If the following screen is seen; follow the directions below.
TT: Some customers may experience greyed out buttons or inactive screens (lockouts) while driving. This is to promote safe driving practices and reduce the amount of distractions while driving.
TT: Some customers may experience Bluetooth disconnections or loss of SMS text message functionality on the navigation/audio system with Android phones running OS 4.4 or later.
TT: Some customers may experience Bluetooth connection issues after updating the Android Operating System to 5.x.x (Lollipop) or later.
TT: Some customers may encounter Bluetooth connectivity concerns such as: ? Difficulty pairing the phone. ? Intermittent Bluetooth failure to connect when first turning on the vehicle.
TT: Customers may experience connectivity issues when the following conditions are met: The customer's iPhone is operating on iOS9 firmware. The customer's iPhone is connected to the vehicle via Bluetooth.
TechTip: Condition: Customers may experience connectivity issues when the following conditions are met: The customer?s iPhone is operating on iOS9 firmware The customer?s iPhone is connected to the vehicle via Bluetooth.
Some 2014 model year applicable vehicles equipped with Entune? Audio (version 010169) / Entune? Audio Plus (version 010171) Entune? Premium Audio (version 01085) may exhibit one or more of the following conditions: Bluetooth® sometimes disconnects with ...
Plus 8 older ones not listed here.
Seat belt or seat problems 2 bulletins · 5 complaints
Some 2010 ? 2022 model year Toyota vehicles may exhibit paint stains after the removal of Rapgard?. The paint stains may appear to be under the clear coat but are usually under wrinkles in the Rapgard?.
Some 2010 ? 2021 model year Toyota vehicles may exhibit paint stains after the removal of Rapgard?. The paint stains may appear to be under the clear coat but are usually under wrinkles in the Rapgard?.
Doors, latches or locks fail 2 bulletins · 5 complaints
Some 2014 - 2017 model year Highlander/Highlander HV and 2011 - 2017 model year Sienna vehicles equipped with a Power Back Door (PBD) may exhibit a condition in which the back door latch does not release and the PBD cannot be opened from any switch (IP, key, ...
Some 2014 ? 2016 model year Highlander and Highlander HV vehicles may exhibit a condition in which the door handle material insert of the driver or passenger side door panels is creased, wrinkly, or has started peeling.
Wheel bearing, tires or wheels 6 bulletins · 5 complaints
TT: Some 2014-2020 model year Highlander and Highlander HV vehicles are equipped with alloy wheels that are clad with a plastic cover.
TT: Chrometec (plastic clad) wheels are being damaged during mounting and dismounting of tires.
4 more on this problem
TT: Front Brake Vibration Key Points: * Issue can occur at any time if improper torque is applied on lug nuts * Over time, even one lug nut over or under torqued, can cause a vibration issue * When lug nuts are over torqued, this causes the rotor to have a ...
TT: CHROMETEC (PLASTIC CLAD) WHEELS ARE BEING DAMAGED DURING MOUNTING AND DISMOUNTING OF TIRES. REFER TO PHOTOS BELOW FOR IDENTIFYING PLASTIC AND ALUMINUM PORTIONS OF WHEEL:
The purpose of this bulletin is to provide a procedure to adjust tire pressure correctly when outside temperature is significantly colder or warmer than shop temperature.
During the manufacturing process tires are mounted on the vehicle as matched sets to help reduce conditions such as pulling or drifting.
Complaints filed by year
24 complaints came in 2018, 2.0 times the year before. Owners file in waves when a problem gets press or an investigation, so a spike measures attention as much as failures.
Recalls that include the 2014 Toyota Highlander
Whether your car is included depends on its VIN. Check yours at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
Fujian Wanda Automobile Glass Industry (Wanda) is recalling certain aftermarket Replacement Windshields sold for use in 2014-2018 Toyota Highlander vehicles. The windshields have an attached wire harness that water may leak into, possibly causing damage to the vehicle's Engine Control Module (ECM).
Risk and remedy
Remedy: Wanda will notify owners, and service centers will replace the windshields, and inspect the ECM for damage, having it replaced, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began January 29, 2019. Owners may contact Wanda customer service at 1-864-281-2760.
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain model year 2014 Toyota Avalon, Camry, Sienna, and Highlander and model year 2015 Lexus RX350 vehicles. Fuel may leak from the one of the fuel delivery pipes in the engine compartment.
Risk and remedy
Remedy: Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will replace any of the suspect fuel delivery pipes free of charge. The recall began November 17, 2014. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331.
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain model year 2014 Highlander and Highlander Hybrid vehicles. The affected vehicles may have improper software installed in the air bag electronic control unit (ECU) for the operation of the front passenger seat belt force limiter, and as a result, the force limiter may use the restraint setting designed for small occupants, such as those that weigh approximately 110 pounds, for all occupants regardless of their size. As such, some of these vehicles do not conform to Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 208, "Occupant Crash Protection."
Risk and remedy
Remedy: Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will install a software update in the air bag electronic control unit, free of charge. The recall began on June 27, 2014. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331.
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain model year 2014 Highlander vehicles manufactured April 23, 2014, through April 29, 2014. The affected vehicles may have a second row right-hand seat assembly that does not fully lock into the inboard seat track in the forward first, second and third adjusting positions. As such, these vehicles do not conform to Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 207, "Seating Systems."
Risk and remedy
Remedy: Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and, if necessary, replace the second row right-hand seat, free of charge. The recall began in July 2014. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331.
Toyota is recalling certain model year 2014 Highlander vehicles manufactured November 20, 2013, through January 18, 2014. The third row middle seat belt assembly might not have been properly secured to the vehicle floor anchorage during vehicle assembly. As such, these vehicles fail to conform to the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 210, "Seat Belt Assembly Anchorages."
Risk and remedy
Remedy: Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the third row middle seat belt anchor, and, if necessary, properly secure it to the vehicle floor anchorage, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin in March 2014. Owners may contact Toyota at 1-800-331-4331.
All 5 recalls on the 2014 Toyota Highlander, with the owner complaints on each recalled system
Guide Buying one used? How to research one car’s history before you pay
Questions
What is the most common problem on the 2014 Toyota Highlander?
Infotainment, with 18 of the 124 complaints. Owners who gave a mileage for it put the median at about 37,000 miles.
At what mileage do 2014 Toyota Highlander problems start?
Of the 86 complaints that give a mileage, a quarter came by about 26,000 miles and half by about 43,000.
How many 2014 Toyota Highlander complaints involve a crash, fire or injury?
8 of them (6%). The typical vehicle on this site is at 6%.
Is there a recall for infotainment on the 2014 Toyota Highlander?
Yes, NHTSA lists 2 recalls on the same system: 14V-272 and 18E-107. Its summary says which failure it covers, and that isn't always the one owners describe.