2005 Toyota Highlander Electrical system Problems
- Complaints
- 25about this part
- Share
- 11%of 224 total for the year
- Median mileage
- 57,770miles
- Trend
- RisingComplaints filed in the last 3 full calendar years are at least 25% higher than in the 3 years before.
NHTSA recorded 25 complaints about the electrical system of the 2005 Toyota Highlander, 11% of the 224 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 57,770 miles. 1 of these say a crash was involved, according to the filers.
Example complaints
Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.
“When I started my car I noticed the ABS,brake,tire,trac off&vsc lites were all lit. I couldn't get a diagnosis from mechanic.these lights continue to stay lit. I don't know if it is safe. I have read at least a hundred of the same complaint on blogs.”
NHTSA complaint #10748243, filed 2015-08, 79,000 miles“On 7/23/2011 I was at a complete stop in my vehicle. I was hit from behind by a car traveling 70mph+ and pushed into a car in front of me. The air bag light went off, but air bags did not deploy.”
NHTSA complaint #11039870, filed 2017-10, 84,000 miles“I wish to report a safety defect on my 2005 Toyota Highlander. When traveling at speeds above about 35 MPH I cannot hear the turn signal clicker. I am 69 years old, but do not have any significant hearing loss. Not being able to hear the clicker sometimes causes me to leave the turn signal on when it should be off. Although I have not had any accidents due to this problem, it could cause other drivers to make hazardous decisions. …”
NHTSA complaint #10316177, filed 2010-03, 60,000 miles“Odometer Fraud. The contact purchased a 2005 Toyota Highlander. The contact discovered that there was a mileage discrepancy after the purchase of the vehicle. The vehicle was a private sale. At the time of the purchase, the mileage was 123,000. It was later discovered upon checking Carfax that the mileage was 254,000.”
NHTSA complaint #11698883, filed 2025-11, 254,000 miles“Toyota Highlander 2005 - 4 cyl driving in the rain, over puddles of water that create a splash up to about 3/4 the height of the tire (passenger side), will cause the discharge warning light to come on and cause loss of power steering (hard to turn). Suddenly, the warning light will go off and power steering will return. This is my wife's vehicle and I just noticed this issue recently while driving in heavy rain. The fault is repeatable as I noticed it for a second time today, and I managed to have it repeat the failure every time. This failure can cause a serious accident. …”
NHTSA complaint #10343774, filed 2010-07, 78,850 milesRelated service bulletins
- 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…
- 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…
- 10164330Jul 1, 2019TSB: REVISION NOTICE July 01, 2019 Rev2: ? Applicability has been updated to 2019 ? 2020 model year Toyota vehicles. ? The Techstream Preparation and Process Overview sections…
- 10155247Feb 28, 2019TT: Some customers may encounter Bluetooth® connectivity concerns such as: ? Difficulty to pair the phone. ? Intermittent Bluetooth® failure to connect to the vehicle when first…
- 10133654Nov 22, 2017TSB: REVISION NOTICE November 22, 2017 Rev1: ? Applicability has been updated to include 2014 ? 2018 model year vehicles. Any previous printed versions of this bulletin should be…
- 10152205Jan 6, 2017TSB: SUPERSESSION NOTICE The information contained in this bulletin supersedes SB No. T-SB-0101-11. Applicability has been updated to include 2016 ? 2017 model year vehicles…
- 10132930Nov 29, 2016TSB: OBSOLETE NOTICE: September 14, 2016: This bulletin is now obsolete. Please see T-SB-0134-16.
- 10150418Sep 14, 2016TSB: Supersession Notice. Flash reprogramming allows the ECU software to be updated without replacing the ECU. Flash calibration updates for specific vehicle models/ECUs are…
- 10134320Mar 8, 2016TT: Some customers may encounter Bluetooth connectivity concerns such as: ? Difficulty pairing the phone. ? Intermittent Bluetooth failure to connect when first turning on the…
- 10134140Jan 11, 2016Tech Tip: Some customers may experience difficulty programming HomeLink.
Electrical system: other model years
| Year | Complaints | Share of year |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 1 | 10% |
| 2024 | 6 | 14% |
| 2023 | 12 | 6% |
| 2022 | 23 | 9% |
| 2021 | 28 | 5% |
| 2020 | 18 | 6% |
| 2019 | 56 | 11% |
| 2018 | 24 | 9% |
| 2017 | 46 | 17% |
| 2016 | 14 | 13% |
| 2015 | 52 | 27% |
| 2014 | 35 | 26% |
| 2013 | 26 | 13% |
| 2012 | 29 | 16% |
| 2011 | 23 | 13% |
| 2010 | 53 | 25% |
| 2009 | 20 | 15% |
| 2008 | 44 | 11% |
| 2007 | 23 | 19% |
| 2006 | 26 | 9% |
| 2005 | 25 | 11% |
| 2004 | 18 | 6% |
| 2003 | 15 | 6% |
| 2002 | 13 | 4% |
| 2001 | 5 | 4% |
Other parts of the 2005 Toyota Highlander
51 complaintsVehicle speed control
39 complaintsVisibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors)
28 complaintsSteering
26 complaintsBrakes
24 complaintsAir bags
9 complaintsExterior lighting
9 complaintsEngine cooling
8 complaintsEquipment
8 complaintsOther or unknown
8 complaintsBody and structure
8 complaintsTires
8 complaints
← All problems reported for the 2005 Toyota Highlander
About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 28, 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