2014 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER Complaints and Recall Information
The 2014 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER has 4 complaints and 7 recalls filed with NHTSA. Owners most frequently report paint peeling on the Blizzard Pearl color, water leaks inside the vehicle, premature tire dry rot, and rear light cover adhesion failures.
Common Issues- Paint peeling Blizzard Pearl. The paint has peeled off the vehicle starting at the top, exposing the body to rust. Toyota acknowledged the problem but offered repairs only within a limited time frame without owner notification.
- Water leaks inside. Water enters through the roof rail bolts during rain, causing wet carpet and raising concerns about mold development. Sunroof drain tubes remain clear in these cases.
- Tire dry rot. Firestone Destination Le3 tires developed dry rot in just over two years despite having about 28,000 miles of warranty left, leading to inspection failures.
- Rear light cover adhesion failure. Adhesive failure causes light covers on the tailgate and body to fall off partially or completely, exposing lights to weather and potential malfunction.
There are 7 recalls affecting various systems including the electrical, fuel, seating, seat belts, and windshield components. These recalls address safety-related defects and involve free repairs by Toyota or associated service providers.
Recalls- Air bag ECU software. Recall 14V272000 affects 48,840 vehicles by installing improper software in the air bag ECU, causing the front passenger seat belt force limiter to use settings for small occupants regardless of size. This increases injury risk in crashes. Dealers will update the software free of charge.
- Fuel delivery pipes. Recall 14V576000 covers 15,872 vehicles with potential fuel leaks from the delivery pipes, raising fire risk. Toyota will replace affected pipes at no cost.
- Second row seat assembly. Recall 14V274000 involves 231 vehicles with second row right-hand seats that may not fully lock, increasing injury risk in crashes. Dealers will inspect and, if needed, replace the seat free of charge.
- Third row middle seat belt. Recall 14V051000 addresses 7,067 vehicles with improperly secured third row middle seat belts, which may raise injury risk. Dealers will inspect and secure the seat belt anchor as necessary.
- Aftermarket windshield wire harness. Recall 18E107000 affects 8,202 vehicles with windshields having wire harnesses prone to water leakage that can damage the ECM, risking engine stall. Service centers will replace windshields and inspect or replace ECMs free of charge.
Owners dealing with repeated repairs, unresolved recall issues, or defects affecting safety may want to review their rights under state lemon laws. Consulting a qualified attorney could help in understanding these protections better.
2014 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER Summary
2014
Model Year
4
Total Complaints
5
Total Recalls
80212
Vehicles Affected
Recalls
2014 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER
8202 vehicles affected
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
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: The ECM damage may result in the engine stalling, increasing the risk of a crash.
2014 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER
7067 vehicles affected
SEAT BELTS:REAR/OTHER
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: A seat belt that is not properly secured to its anchorage could increase the risk of injury to an occupant in the event of a crash.
2014 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER
231 vehicles affected
SEATS:MID/REAR ASSEMBLY
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: If the seat does not fully lock into the inboard seat track, the seat could move, increasing the risk of injury to an occupant in the event of a crash.
2014 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER
15872 vehicles affected
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:HOSES, LINES/PIPING, AND FITTINGS
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: A fuel leak in the presence of an ignition source increases the risk of a fire.
2014 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER
48840 vehicles affected
SEAT BELTS
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: In the event of a crash, a larger front passenger seat occupant may not be properly restrained and be at an increased risk of injury.
Complaints
2014 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER
ID: 2096899EXTERIOR LIGHTING:TAIL LIGHTS
Rear lights located both on the tailgate and body of the vehicle. The lights covers failed to remain adhered to the lights themselves and fell off and are partially adhered as a result of what appears to be a failure of the adhesion material . Two light covers may have been lost while driving. Unknown if their loss resulted in damage(s) to others. Without the outer cover results in the exposure of the lights to weather and potential failure. Review with Toyota of Orange service manager confirm the failure of adhesive/ manufacturing process of the lights
2014 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER
ID: 2060196TIRES
Installed (4) Firestone Destination Le3 tires in March 2022. All four tires became dry rot in just over 2 years, failed inspection at 2 1/2 years. 70,000 mile tires with roughly 28,000 miles left of the warranty.
2014 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER
ID: 2054676STRUCTURE:BODY
Water leaks inside the car every time it rains. We checked the sunroof drain tubes. They are clear. It is getting in through the roof rail bolts. It runs down the pillars to the floor and underneath the floor carpet. The carpet is wet for long periods of time in rainy seasons. I am concerned there is going to be mold issues.
2014 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER
ID: 2053948STRUCTURE:BODY
The vehicle is painted in Blizzard Pearl, which has a known peeling issue. Toyota never sent us any notification of an issue with the paint. A patch of the paint has peeled off of the top of the vehicle and has continued to grow larger. When we contacted Toyota, we were informed the period to fix this issue has closed and we would have to repair out of pocket. Our vehicle was mostly garage kept and didn't suffer the immediate failure of the paint. Blizzard Pearl is a color with an additional cost and has the most complaints for failure. Toyota has acknowledged the problem but did very little to ensure customers were notified, did not take into account Blizzard Pearl painted vehicles would fail at different times due to climate/storage of vehicles, and only provided a narrow window to their customers for this issue. The peeled paint has exposed the body of the vehicle to the elements, which will cause it to rust.