Showing the 2012 Highlander Hybrid: EPA's Highlander Hybrid (3.5 L, AWD). NHTSA's overall rating for that drive: 4 stars (AWD). Recalls and complaints cover the whole model year. Every version
Owner complaints, recalls, fuel economy and safety ratings from public NHTSA and EPA data, updated Oct 17, 2026.
Fuel economy
28 mpgcombined; city 28, highway 28; the Hybrid
Five years of fuel
$11,600U.S. average; Ohio $10,370 at local prices; the Hybrid; fuel only, not other costs of owning it; 15,000 miles a year, at EIA fuel prices for the week of Oct 12, 2026
NHTSA's VIN data lists these trims for the 2012 Highlander. A trim's engine and numbers are shown as its own only where EPA names versions after the trim and no other version could be it; "seen with" means a source shows that engine on the trim, not that it was the only one. Recalls and complaints cover the whole model year: whether a recall applies to a car depends on its VIN, on NHTSA's recall lookup.
Owners have filed 191 complaints with NHTSA about the 2012 Highlander. These are unverified owner reports, counted by the part of the car they name; one complaint can name several parts. Counts aren't adjusted for how many were sold, so they don't show how reliable a car is.
Complaints by part of the car
Part
Complaints
Crashes
Fires
Injuries
Steering
47
2
0
0
Electrical system
30
0
0
0
Unknown or other
24
1
0
0
Structure
22
1
0
4
Engine
17
0
2
0
Visibility/wiper
15
0
0
0
Vehicle speed control
14
7
0
0
Service brakes
13
1
0
0
Air bags
10
6
0
9
Power train
8
1
0
0
Latches/locks/linkages
5
0
0
0
Visibility
5
0
0
0
14 more parts
Seats
4
0
0
0
Tires
4
0
1
0
Fuel/propulsion system
3
0
0
0
Suspension
3
0
0
0
Wheels
3
0
1
0
Engine and engine cooling
2
0
0
0
Exterior lighting
2
0
0
0
Forward collision avoidance
2
0
0
0
Service brakes, hydraulic
2
1
0
0
Electronic stability control (ESC)
1
0
0
0
Fuel system, other
1
0
0
0
Hybrid propulsion system
1
0
0
0
Other/i am not sure
1
0
0
0
Seat belts
1
0
0
0
Complaints by model year
Newer years have had less time to collect complaints, and counts aren't adjusted for sales, so a shorter bar doesn't mean a more reliable year.
NHTSA lists 2 recall campaigns for the 2012 Highlander over its history. Campaigns are matched by model and year, so each one may apply to a given car, and its repair may already be done: check a VIN on NHTSA's recall lookup for the open recalls on that exact car.
Southeast Toyota is recalling certain model year 2008 and 2010-2013 Toyota Tundra, 2010-2012 Rav4, 2012 Toyota Sequoia, 2010-2011 Toyota Corolla, 2010-2011 Toyota Camry and Camry Hybrid, 2010-2013 Toyota Highlander and Highlander Hybrid, 2010-2013 Toyota FJ Cruiser, 2011 Toyota Land Cruiser, 2010-2013 Toyota Venza, 2010-2011 Toyota 4Runner, 2010-2013 Toyota Tacoma, 2011-2012 Toyota Sienna, 2012 Toyota Prius, 2013 Scion FR-S, 2011 Scion XD, 2011 Scion XB, and 2012 Scion TC vehicles. These vehicles were sold with labels that were outside the allowable one percent of accuracy of actual weight added. Thus, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) Number 110, "Tire Selection and Rims."
Risk: An inaccurate label could lead to owners overloading their vehicles and tires. An overloaded vehicle can result in a tire failure which may result in a vehicle crash, personal injury, or property damage.
Remedy: Southeast Toyota will notify owners and provide a corrected label with instructions concerning its installation. A small group of the affected vehicles will need additonal remedies which are still being developed. The recall began on May 28, 2013. Owners may contact Southeast Toyota at 1-800-301-6859.
Southeast Toyota Distributors, LLC (SET) is recalling certain models interspersed through model years 2009 through 2013 as follows: model year 2009-2012 Tacoma, 4Runner, Camry, Camry Hybrid, Prius, and RAV4; model year 2009-2010 Avalon, FJ Cruiser, and Highlander Hybrid; model year 2010-2013 model year Corolla, Sienna and Tundra; model year 2009-2013 Highlander and Venza; model year 2012 Prius V; and model year 2010-2012 Sequoia. During modification by SET to include accessories such as leather seat covers, seat heaters or headrest DVD systems, these vehicles may not have had the passenger seat occupant sensing system calibration tested. Without passing the calibration test, the occupant sensing system may not operate as designed.
Risk: If the front passenger seat occupant sensing system is out of calibration, the front passenger airbags may not deploy or they may deploy inappropriately for the passenger's size and position. This could increase the risk of personal injury during the event of a vehicle crash necessitating airbag deployment.
Remedy: Southeast Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will test the sensitivity of the occupant detection sensors, and recalibrate them as necessary. The recall began on March 21, 2013. Owners may contact Southeast Toyota at 1-800-301-6859.
Carmakers sent NHTSA 340 service bulletins and notices that cover the 2012 Highlander, the latest on Feb 13, 2026. They tell dealers how to fix known issues.
The parts they mention most: equipment (138), structure (67), electrical system (58), engine (33), engine and engine cooling (19).
NHTSA defect investigations
Opening an investigation isn't a finding of a defect. Outcomes are as NHTSA's summary states them. A recall is shown as an investigation's outcome only where NHTSA's summary names it; other recalls NHTSA's file lists with it are marked as listed, not caused.
Investigation
Part
Opened
Status
Defect petition DP22005 Pedestrian alert sounds · covers 43 makes
The owner's manual gives the oil and how often to change it. We show oil facts only once we've checked them against the manual, and we haven't yet for the 2012 Highlander.
See used 2012 Toyota Highlanders for sale on: Autotrader · CarMax
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Specs
EPA class: sport utility vehicle. Each version EPA tested:
Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
Version
Engine
Transmission
Fuel
City / hwy / comb
Highlander Front-Wheel Drive
2.7 L, 4 cyl
Automatic (S6)
Regular Gasoline
20 / 25 / 22
Highlander Front-Wheel Drive
3.5 L, 6 cyl
Automatic (S5)
Regular Gasoline
18 / 24 / 20
Highlander All-Wheel Drive
3.5 L, 6 cyl
Automatic (S5)
Regular Gasoline
17 / 22 / 19
Highlander Hybrid All-Wheel Drive
3.5 L, 6 cyl
Automatic (variable gear ratios)
Regular Gasoline
28 / 28 / 28
Sources and dates
U.S. EPA fuel economy data, file of Sep 29, 2026
NHTSA owner complaints, file of Oct 17, 2026
NHTSA recalls, file of Oct 17, 2026
NHTSA manufacturer communications, file of Oct 17, 2026
NHTSA defect investigations, file of Oct 17, 2026
NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings, file of Aug 7, 2026
U.S. Energy Information Administration, file of Oct 12, 2026
Fuel cost: EPA mpg with fuel prices for the week of Oct 12, 2026 and electricity prices for Jul 2026. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (Oct 2026). Complaints are unverified reports owners filed with NHTSA. About the data