2004 Toyota Highlander Equipment Problems
- Complaints
- 10about this part
- Share
- 4%of 286 total for the year
- Median mileage
- 50,000miles
- Trend
- Not enough dataFewer than 15 complaints, too few for a reliable trend.
NHTSA recorded 10 complaints about the equipment of the 2004 Toyota Highlander, 4% of the 286 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 50,000 miles.
Fewer than 15 complaints name this part, so treat the figures as a rough indication only.
Example complaints
Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.
“I have a 2004 4 cyl Highlander, and I can completely understand the other complainers situation as I am experiencing the same problem. It happened at around 60k miles and the dealer said it would cost about $600. To fix. I didn't. I just had to play around with the knob when I need to use it.”
NHTSA complaint #10375478, filed 2011-01, 60,000 miles“Intermittent loss of A/C and/or heat and finally total loss of A/C on my 2004 Toyota Highlander. Initial fix was to tighten the nut on the temperature control. I found that this problem was inherent after going to the web and learning of the many problems with the assembly and the quick fix. Essentially the A/C stopped working entirely. I brought it to my private mechanic and he found that the cable from the temperature control to the mother board was broken. …”
NHTSA complaint #10413917, filed 2011-07, 107,578 miles“Intermittent loss of AC when hits bumps. On 06/23/11 I took in my wife's 2004 Toyota Highlander to alamo Toyota where they charge me $92.72 to tighten or as they put it retorque bolts behind AC panel in which looking at it now there are no bolts behind panel there is one underneath the temperature control knob and screw on the side . They tighten that nut down on the control/temp knob and what it did it pulled away the circuit board and made contact with the three conductor on that ribbon cable behind the knob. Which was a quick fix which essentially stopped working (they broke off ) . …”
NHTSA complaint #10458512, filed 2012-05, 114,520 miles“The GPS in my 2004 Toyota Highlander goes on and off without warning. When it does it disables the defroster, AC and heat. I don't care about the GPS, but when it disables my defroster, it is a safety issue. It should have been a recall from the manufacturer. Toyota has informed me a new GPS will cost $5,000.00. I can put a used one in for $1,500.00. This is an unfair price to have a necessary safety function, the defroster, to work. Defroster are required for state inspection. Do you have any suggestions for Toyota to address this issue?”
NHTSA complaint #10244466, filed 2008-10, 50,000 miles“I had a flat tire on my 2004 Toyota Highlander. My husband and I were going through the tire replacement steps and had the vehicle jacked with the manufacturer provided jack. After removing the lug nuts, I went to remove the flat tire from the wheel studs. The jack popped out of place and bent, and is now unusable. We had to find a heavy duty jack to lift the vehicle to get the tire off and put the spare tire on. Spare was placed and properly tightened. Now, there is a scraping sound when driving the vehicle at any speed. …”
NHTSA complaint #10152350, filed 2006-03, 45,000 milesRelated service bulletins
- 10251070Jan 22, 2024OBSOLETE NOTICE January 22, 2024: This bulletin is now obsolete. Please see T-SB-0057-18.
- 10244113Aug 17, 2023TSB: Replacement certification labels (the vinyl label installed on the driver door or door post) and VIN plates (the metal plate riveted to dashboard) (see Figure 1) for most…
- 10238157May 30, 2023TSB: The Immobilizer and Smart Key Reset is a feature that allows the registration of new keys when all master keys are lost. Once the system is reset, all previously registered…
- 10207946Jan 12, 2022POL: This consolidated Tire Warranty Guide contains the complete warranty terms for all brands of ground and spare tires currently in use by Toyota. This information must be kept…
- 10203532Oct 1, 2021TT: Some customers may encounter Bluetooth® connectivity concerns such as: ?Difficulty to pair the phone. ?Intermittent Bluetooth® failure to connect to the vehicle when first…
- 10188913Feb 3, 2021TSB: Replacement certification labels (the vinyl label installed on the driver door or door post) and VIN plates (the metal plate riveted to dashboard) (see Figure 1) for most…
- 10182983Oct 12, 2020TT: Some customers may encounter Bluetooth® connectivity concerns such as: ?Difficulty to pair the phone. ?Intermittent Bluetooth® failure to connect to the vehicle when first…
- 10174891Apr 7, 2020TSB: OBSOLETE NOTICE April 07, 2020: This bulletin is now obsolete. Please see T-SB-0032-20. Replacement Certification Labels and VIN Plates
- 10174890Apr 6, 2020TSB: SUPERSESSION NOTICE The information contained in this bulletin supersedes Service Bulletin Nos. PG021-88, PG015-89, PG0015-90, PG002-91, PG002-93, PG005-97, PG007-01…
- 10172843Feb 12, 2020OBSOLETE NOTICE February 12, 2020: This bulletin is now obsolete. Please see T-SB-0010-20.
Equipment: other model years
| Year | Complaints | Share of year |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 1 | 0% |
| 2020 | 1 | 0% |
| 2019 | 1 | 0% |
| 2017 | 2 | 1% |
| 2015 | 1 | 1% |
| 2014 | 1 | 1% |
| 2013 | 3 | 1% |
| 2011 | 2 | 1% |
| 2010 | 4 | 2% |
| 2009 | 2 | 1% |
| 2008 | 9 | 2% |
| 2007 | 2 | 2% |
| 2006 | 2 | 1% |
| 2005 | 8 | 4% |
| 2004 | 10 | 4% |
| 2003 | 3 | 1% |
| 2002 | 11 | 4% |
| 2001 | 4 | 3% |
Other parts of the 2004 Toyota Highlander
58 complaintsVehicle speed control
40 complaintsSteering
35 complaintsVisibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors)
29 complaintsBrakes
24 complaintsEngine cooling
20 complaintsElectrical system
18 complaintsElectronic stability control
17 complaintsEngine
16 complaintsExterior lighting
14 complaintsAir bags
9 complaintsTires
9 complaints
← All problems reported for the 2004 Toyota Highlander
About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 30, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate.
To check a specific vehicle for open recalls, use its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. Methodology