Showing the 2015 Highlander M Grade. We haven't verified this trim's engine; the numbers below cover every version of this model year. Every version
Owner complaints, recalls, fuel economy and safety ratings from public NHTSA and EPA data, updated Oct 17, 2026.
Fuel economy
20–28 mpgcombined; city 18–28, highway 24–28; every version of this model year
Five years of fuel
$11,600–$16,240U.S. average; Ohio $10,370–$14,510 at local prices; every version of this model year; 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 2015 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 196 complaints with NHTSA about the 2015 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
Electrical system
54
0
4
2
Unknown or other
44
0
4
1
Structure
32
1
0
0
Steering
25
1
0
1
Service brakes
15
5
0
1
Visibility/wiper
12
1
0
0
Engine
11
0
2
0
Vehicle speed control
11
5
0
4
Exterior lighting
10
0
0
0
Air bags
8
5
0
8
Power train
7
1
0
0
Electronic stability control (ESC)
4
0
0
0
12 more parts
Fuel/propulsion system
4
0
0
0
Seats
4
0
1
0
Seat belts
3
0
0
0
Suspension
3
0
0
0
Engine and engine cooling
2
0
0
0
Latches/locks/linkages
2
0
0
0
Tires
2
0
0
0
Visibility
2
0
0
0
Equipment
1
0
0
0
Interior lighting
1
0
0
0
Lane departure
1
0
0
0
Wheels
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 1 recall campaign for the 2015 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.
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain model year 2015 Camry, Camry Hybrid, Highlander, and Highlander Hybrid, and 2014-2015 Rav4 vehicles. A component of the electric power steering (EPS) electronic control unit (ECU) may have been damaged during the manufacturing process. Over time, this damage may result in failure of the electric power steering system.
Risk: An unexpected loss of power steering increases the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the serial number of the EPS ECU or steering column assembly. If the number is within the affected range, the EPS ECU will be replaced, free of charge. The recall began on May 7, 2015. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331.
Carmakers sent NHTSA 335 service bulletins and notices that cover the 2015 Highlander, the latest on Feb 13, 2026. They tell dealers how to fix known issues.
The parts they mention most: equipment (153), electrical system (87), structure (67), engine (17), equipment adaptive/mobility (14).
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 2015 Highlander.
See used 2015 Toyota Highlanders for sale on: Autotrader · CarMax
These are searches on those sites; we don't copy or check their listings. Your ZIP is used for these links and never kept.
Specs
EPA class: standard sport utility vehicle. EPA greenhouse gas score: 5–7 out of 10. 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 (S6)
Regular Gasoline
19 / 25 / 21
Highlander All-Wheel Drive
3.5 L, 6 cyl
Automatic (S6)
Regular Gasoline
18 / 24 / 20
Highlander Hybrid All-Wheel Drive
3.5 L, 6 cyl
Automatic (AV-S6)
Regular Gasoline
27 / 28 / 28
Highlander Hybrid LE Plus All-Wheel Drive
3.5 L, 6 cyl
Automatic (AV-S6)
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