Toyota Recalls Half A Million Popular Highlander SUVs For Seat Issues
Toyota has a new recall, this time covering its popular Highlander SUV. Owners of 2021 to 2024 model year Highlander and Highlander hybrids will want to plug their VIN into the NHTSA's website to ensure they aren't covered under the recall. All told, the recall spans some 550,000 SUVs. The problem itself lies with the Highlander's seatback mechanism, which holds the folding seatback upright when working properly.
The recall, of course, exists because some may not be working properly. Toyota's filings with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) indicate that the mechanisms may not properly latch again after adjustments are made. That raises the risk of an accident enough to warrant a recall, and for owners, it will result in a trip to their local Toyota dealer.
Toyota
There, the dealer will replace the seatback locking mechanism return springs at no cost to owners. Happily, Toyota estimates just one percent of the recalled number of vehicles will actually suffer from the defect. As for when owners can expect to hear about this, the automaker says that they will hear between April 20 and May 4, 2026. Dealers have already been notified of the recall.
This isn't the first time Highlanders of this vintage have faced a seat-related recall in recent memory. Back in December 2025, Toyota recalled 2024 and 2025 Highlander and Highlander hybrid models for incorrectly installed third-row seatbelt anchors, which again, could potentially fail and increase the odds of an accident occurring. The same simple fix, a new part, was handled by dealers. No matter which recall you're looking for, you can check whether your Highlander model is affected via the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration website linked in the first paragraph.