2006 Toyota Highlander Hybrid: common problems

Owners of the 2006 Toyota Highlander Hybrid filed 370 complaints with NHTSA, most often about service brakes and electrical system. Details by component below, with sources.

Key figures

Owner complaints: 370
involving a crash: 34

What fails most often

1 Service brakes 37% of all complaints
2 Electrical system 20% of all complaints
3 Hybrid propulsion system 12% of all complaints
4 Vehicle speed control 9% of all complaints
5 Engine and cooling 8% of all complaints
6 Engine 7% of all complaints
7 Steering 7% of all complaints
8 Electronic stability control 6% of all complaints

Circle size and colour show each component’s share of NHTSA complaints. Schematic only, not a drawing of the exact model.

Service brakes: 137 complaints (37% of all), 14 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
Electrical system: 74 complaints (20% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
Hybrid propulsion system: 45 complaints (12% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
Vehicle speed control: 33 complaints (9% of all), 13 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
Engine and cooling: 28 complaints (8% of all), 2 of them with a crash reported by the owner.

Symptoms owners describe

How many of the 370 NHTSA complaints mention each symptom (automatic count from complaint text; one complaint can mention several).

warning lights, check engine74 · 20%
stalls while driving45 · 12%
steering or power steering problems26 · 7%
unintended acceleration26 · 7%
loss of power / limp mode25 · 7%
brake failure21 · 6%
jerking, harsh shifts13 · 4%
won't start13 · 4%
headlights and tail lights11 · 3%
knocking, grinding or other noise8 · 2%

Components owners complain about

Component	Owner complaints	involving a crash
Service brakes	137	14
Electrical system	74	1
Hybrid propulsion system	45	1
Vehicle speed control	33	13
Engine and cooling	28	2
Engine	25	0
Steering	25	1
Electronic stability control	24	1
Powertrain	19	1
Exterior lighting	15	0
Visibility	10	0
Air bags	9	6
Fuel/propulsion system	6	0
Suspension	4	0

What owners report

Short excerpts of NHTSA complaints in the original wording. These are owner statements not verified by NHTSA; personal data removed.

This may have been an actual brake failure, but afterward the brakes worked again. We are now afraid to drive the car, and the dealer won't do anything about it because he can't 'replicate' the situation. Online, hundreds of people have posted similar complaints with no remedy.
Service brakes · crash · 2017-03-04 · NHTSA complaint #10958595
When coming to a stop the brakes randomly surge instead of stopping. After a van rear ended my car at a stoplight, the tendency to surge increased and caused two rear end collisions within a few months. Toyota claims there is nothing wrong with it.
Service brakes · crash · 2016-05-01 · NHTSA complaint #10862379
Involved in a minor accident on september 29, 2015 that may had been caused by brake failure on september 30 the brakes malfunctioned and dealer diagnosed a brake actuator malfunction.
Service brakes · crash · 2015-10-13 · NHTSA complaint #10805820
Consumer stated he was rear ended by a drunk driver. The air bags did not deploy.
Air bags · crash · 2015-07-23 · NHTSA complaint #10743252
The contact was driving 10 mph when the contact crashed into a curb and the power steering failed. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where the dealer confirmed that the power steering and the hybrid computer system failed. The manufacturer was not contacted and the vehicle was not repaired.
Hybrid propulsion system · crash · 2011-12-16 · NHTSA complaint #10440165
The manufacturer sent an engineer to inspect the vehicle for the unintended acceleration failure. The inspector determined there was no abnormal failure and that the vehicle was functioning properly. The vehicle was not further repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 83,000.
Vehicle speed control · crash · 2011-09-21 · NHTSA complaint #10426661
I had been running on battery through our neighborhood and up the driveway but after it happened I noticed the engine was now running so I don't know if the surge was the result of the gas engine kicking in or some other sudden acceleration problem.
Vehicle speed control · crash · 2011-08-07 · NHTSA complaint #10417863
I was parking my highlander hybrid in a parking garage , it started to accelerate as I started to put on by brakes. I hit the concrete wall. The radiator,bumper and hood as damaged. The air bags did not deploy.
Vehicle speed control · crash · 2011-07-05 · NHTSA complaint #10410619

When owners complained

NHTSA complaints by filing year. The peak shows at what age the problems show up most.

20066
20071
200814
20098
201090
201185
201221
201320
201427
201518
201621
201717
201826
201913
20201
20231
20261

Comparison

By complaint count this model year ranks 1,074 of 36,656 model years in the NHTSA data (top 3% most complained about).

On average one model year of the Highlander Hybrid has 38 complaints (22 years in the data). This year has 370, above average.

What to check before buying

Service brakes. Pedal feel, ABS operation, leaks, discs and hoses.
Electrical system. Scan all modules, test the battery and alternator, inspect connectors near the impact zone.
Hybrid propulsion system. HV battery state, hybrid codes, water ingress.
Vehicle speed control. Accelerator pedal, cruise control, throttle codes.

Other years of this model

Questions and answers

What are the most common problems with the 2006 Toyota Highlander Hybrid?

Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: service brakes, electrical system, hybrid propulsion system. Total complaints: 370. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: warning lights, check engine (20%), stalls while driving (12%), steering or power steering problems (7%).

How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 2006 Toyota Highlander Hybrid?

NHTSA lists 0 manufacturer service bulletins for this year. A bulletin tells dealers how to diagnose or fix a known issue; it is not a recall.

Should I buy a 2006 Toyota Highlander Hybrid from a US auction?

Owner complaints describe defects, not crash damage. Before bidding, check the components listed above and review the lot photos: VinWind builds a report of visible and hidden damage by VIN.

Other 2006 models

Read also

Sources: public NHTSA data (USA): service bulletins and owner complaints; YouTube: links to videos credited to their authors. Complaints are owner statements not verified by NHTSA, and describe defects rather than crash damage. Data updated 2026-11-05.