Selling a junk Toyota Highlander Hybrid
Any Highlander Hybrid sells for scrap or parts, running or not. Below: what owners report most often for each model year, the recalls on file, and which of those change the offer. Enter your ZIP for a buyer near you.
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What owners report about the Toyota Highlander Hybrid
NHTSA has 1,093 owner complaints on file for the Toyota Highlander Hybrid, model years 2005 to 2022, the 270th-most of the 423 models in our data. The most-reported components are brakes (308, 28%), other (150, 14%), electrical system (150, 14%). 78 complaints involved a crash, 24 a fire, and 27 say the vehicle had to be towed. The median mileage when the problem was reported is 101,410 miles. The 2006 model year has the most complaints (481). Data as of 2026-10-12.
When the top complaint is brakes, the question for a seller is whether a buyer will resell the car, pull the parts or scrap it. Read our guide to deciding whether to repair or junk: it explains which offers assume the part works and how to describe the car so the price holds at pickup.
Toyota Highlander Hybrid by model year
| Year | Complaints | Most reported | Crash | Fire | Recalls | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 2 | Steering | 0 | 0 | 1 | — |
| 2006 | 481 | Brakes | 45 | 12 | 6 | 103,000 |
| 2007 | 160 | Brakes | 21 | 4 | 2 | 106,000 |
| 2008 | 272 | Brakes | 6 | 7 | 8 | 115,000 |
| 2009 | 55 | Brakes | 4 | 0 | 4 | 66,000 |
| 2010 | 26 | Brakes | 1 | 0 | 4 | — |
| 2011 | 5 | Speed control | 0 | 0 | 1 | — |
| 2012 | 11 | Other | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2013 | 6 | Other | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2014 | 2 | Visibility and wipers | 0 | 0 | 1 | — |
| 2015 | 5 | Electrical system | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2016 | 9 | Brakes | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2017 | 7 | Engine | 0 | 0 | 2 | — |
| 2018 | 7 | Other | 1 | 1 | 0 | — |
| 2019 | 9 | Other | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2020 | 9 | Air bags | 0 | 0 | 4 | — |
| 2021 | 17 | Air bags | 0 | 0 | 4 | — |
| 2022 | 10 | Brakes | 0 | 0 | 4 | — |
Complaints are owner reports to NHTSA, not confirmed defects. Median miles is the odometer reading owners gave when they reported a problem, shown only where 20 or more reports include it.
Toyota Highlander Hybrid recalls
NHTSA lists 23 recall campaigns across these model years, most often for equipment (6), air bags (4), speed control (2). Recall repairs are free at a franchised dealer. Before you sell, check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls; a buyer who plans to resell the car will.
- 2021 model year, seats (campaign 26V128000, Mar 2026): Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2021-2025 Highlander and Highlander Hybrid vehicles. The second-row seat backs may fail to lock into position during seat back adjustment.
- 2020 model year, air bags (campaign 23V865000, Dec 2023): Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2020-2021 Avalon, Avalon Hybrid, Corolla, Highlander, Highlander Hybrid, RAV4, RAV4 Hybrid, Lexus ES350, Lexus RX350, Lexus RX450H, 2021 Sienna Hybri…
- 2020 model year, body and structure (campaign 23V720000, Oct 2023): Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2020-2023 Highlander & Highlander Hybrid vehicles. During normal vehicle operation, minor impact to the front lower bumper cover may result in the co…
- 2022 model year, equipment (campaign 22V310000, May 2022): Gulf States Toyota, Inc. (GST) is recalling certain 2022 4Runner, Tacoma, Highlander, and Highlander Hybrid vehicles. The load carrying capacity modification labels may not be permanent and can fade, becoming illegible. …
- 2020 model year, other (campaign 22V239000, Apr 2022): Toyota Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2022 Lexus LX 600, Lexus NX 350h, Lexus NX 450h+, Toytoa RAV4 Hybrid, 2021-2022 Lexus LS 500h, Toyota Mirai, RAV4 PRIME, Sienna, Venza, and 2020-2022 Toyot…
What a Toyota Highlander Hybrid is worth as a junk car
Buyers price a junk Highlander Hybrid on four things: its weight at today's scrap steel price (the floor), the parts still on it that can be resold, whether it starts and drives, and how far they have to tow it. None of those come from a complaint database, so use this page to describe the car accurately and our junk car value guide to work out a ceiling for the metal. Then get more than one offer.
Guides for selling this car
Should you junk or repair your car? 
How much is my junk car worth? 
How junkyards price cars 
Catalytic converters and junk cars 
How to prepare your car for the junkyard 
Junk car scams and how to avoid them Other Toyota models
- Toyota Camry 21,206
- Toyota Prius 15,527
- Toyota Corolla 13,585
- Toyota RAV4 11,581
- Toyota Sienna 11,232
- Toyota Tacoma 10,386
- Toyota Tundra 8,098
- Toyota 4Runner 7,196
Questions people ask
- What is a junk Toyota Highlander Hybrid worth?
- What a yard can recover: the car's weight at the current scrap steel price, plus parts it can resell (the catalytic converter, engine, transmission and wheels if they're good), minus towing and processing. The same Highlander Hybrid gets different offers from different buyers, so compare at least two. Our value guide shows the public benchmark.
- Will a junkyard buy a Toyota Highlander Hybrid that doesn't run?
- Yes. Junkyards and junk car buyers take cars that don't start, and most arrange the tow. Tell them honestly whether it starts, whether the engine and transmission are still in it, and whether the catalytic converter is on; those are what change the price.
- Should I fix an open recall before selling a Toyota Highlander Hybrid?
- Recall repairs are free at a franchised dealer for as long as the car exists. If the car is going for scrap, the repair won't change the scrap price. If a buyer might resell it or pull parts, a completed recall can help. Check your VIN at NHTSA's recall lookup first.
- Where do these Toyota Highlander Hybrid numbers come from?
- From the complaint and recall data NHTSA publishes for every make and model, counted by model year on 2026-10-12. A complaint is an owner's report, not a confirmed defect, and the count rises with how many of the model were sold.