1.8

hardly worth mentioning
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
93,000 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

The NHTSA is the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints can be spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem. See the Back button — blue bar at the very top of the page — to explore more.

Get notified about new defects, investigations, recalls & lawsuits for the 2002 Toyota Highlander:

Unsubscribe any time. We don't sell/share your email.

problem #3

Aug 152005

Highlander 4-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 120,000 miles
Ac/heat temperature control switch malfunction. This is a problem that Toyota is aware of and chooses to disregard, since it tends to fail after the warranty on the new part and replacement parts expires before the problem. A small, soldered wire which connects the switch to a circuit board in the dash fails. Should be an easy fix, but Toyota dealers will only replace the entire panel for $800 - 1200. This has happened twice to me on this same vehicle. First time I paid $800, the second time I got a local guy to solder the wire on the old part and replaced myself. Total cost about $10. Shame on Toyota.

- Hotel, GA, USA

Add Complaint
problem #2

Dec 082007

Highlander 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 89,000 miles
The temperature control know in our 2002 Toyota Highlander is not working correctly. The vents blow cold air when the dial is set to the hottest setting. It is very hard to keep the ice from forming on our windows when we don't have hot air blowing. The ice storms in Missouri occur fairly frequently and hot air blowing in the defrost position usually keeps the windshield warm enough to keep it clear. However, without the hot air, the windshield ices up immediately and makes driving very dangerous. There are many people having this problem. This is one of the sites that describes the issue and all the people with the same problem www.tundrasolutions.com/forums/Highlander/32217-heater-quit-sort-of/

- Kansas City, MO, USA

Add Complaint
problem #1

Nov 032007

Highlander 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 70,000 miles
The hot/cold knob in my 2002 Toyota Highlander is not working properly. I researched and called Toyota they said there are no recalls on it and they only issue them according to how many parts are sold to repair that vehicle. I looked online and alot of people that own the same year and model of my SUV are complaining about the same issue. Toyota quoted me $805 to repair it when I went in to the service department. He said they have had alot of complaints about the same issue and had already repaired a couple. When I went in to have it looked at I had heat, when I came out I didn't. they told me I had to fix it and there was nothing else I could do. I called the manager of this particular dealership and he told me to bring my car back in and they could set it to heat. Why didn't they return my car in the same order it was in when I brought it to them in the first place.

- Lakeville, MA, USA

Add Complaint