The largest private distributor of Toyota automobiles in the world has issued a safety recall for 4,763 units of the 2021 through 2024 Toyota Highlander. Said vehicles feature 20-inch accessory tires with an insufficient load rating, which may lead to blowout from overheating.
Affected sport utility vehicles comprise L, LE, and XLE trims. According to Southeast Toyota Distributors, the company received a technical report in May 2024 alleging incorrect load ratings for the 20-inch tires installed on a 2022 Toyota Highlander. The investigation revealed that – indeed – the subject rubber isn't up to snuff.
Affected vehicles were produced in the period between June 1, 2020 and June 12, 2024. Although this mistake has been going on for more than four years now, SET is not aware of any overloading events or crashes. Given the aforementioned, it should be obvious that SET's remedy comes in the form of a set of tires.
The correct rubber will be joined by a new tire information placard. Everything will be replaced free of charge. Owner notification letters will be mailed on or about August 16, 2024. In the meantime, owners can easily determine if their crossovers are recalled by running the 17-character VIN on the automaker's website.
Known as the Kluger in other parts of the world, the Highlander for the United States market is manufactured at TMMI in Princeton, Indiana. Said facility is the home of the slightly larger Grand Highlander and the Lexus TX as well. Compared to 112.2 inches (2,850 millimeters) of wheelbase for the Highlander, the larger siblings measure 116.1 inches (2,950 millimeters).
Photo: Toyota Motor Company
This generation of the Highlander dropped in 2019 for model year 2020 with a TNGA-K backbone, namely the platform that underpins almost everything from the RAV4 and Camry up. Excluding the Grand Highlander, the Highlander moved 169,543 units in the United States market last year, plus a further 55,344 units in the first quarter of 2024. It's one of the most popular crossovers in this part of the world, but alas, the RAV4 remains the most popular overall.
RAV4 sold 124,822 units in the first quarter of 2024 and 434,943 last year, making it America's favorite unibody. Had the Japanese automaker sold a little over 10,000 more last year, it would have bettered the Ram P/U series of trucks, which moved 444,926 units in the United States.
Back in October 2022, the Highlander's mid-cycle refresh saw the 3.5-liter naturally aspirated V6 go the way of the dodo in favor of a 2.4-liter turbocharged I4. The hybrid relies on a 2.5-liter naturally aspirated I4 shared with the likes of the Camry, which has been redesigned for 2025 as a hybrid-only affair. The only exception is China, where its base spec features a 2.0-liter mill.
Currently listed by Toyota with starting prices of $39,270 in the US market for the 2.4-liter turbo or $40,970 for the 2.5-liter hybrid, the Highlander comes in seven distinct flavors, beginning with the LE and hybrid-only LE Nightshade. The remainder comprises the XLE, XSE, the hybrid-only XLE Nightshade, Limited, and Platinum.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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