Toyota Highlander Recall Lawsuit | 2026 Latest Updates

Toyota is recalling certain 2021 to 2025 Highlander and Highlander Hybrid vehicles because the second-row seat back may not lock in place after adjustment. NHTSA opened the recall, Campaign 26V128, in March 2026, and later expanded it. Toyota expanded the recall in September 2026 to add the 2025 model year, bringing the total to about 690,000 vehicles. A seat back that hasn’t locked may fail to restrain a passenger in a crash at higher speeds. Toyota dealers repair the seats at no charge. Owners in the original population were notified by May 2026, and owners added by the expansion are being notified this September. The recall is open.

Latest Toyota Highlander Recall Updates

September 9, 2026: Toyota Expands the Seat-Recliner Recall

Toyota updated its recall notice for NHTSA Campaign 26V128, expanding the second-row seat-recliner-lock recall to certain model year 2025 Toyota Highlander and Toyota Highlander Hybrid vehicles. The change added about 137,000 vehicles, for a total of about 690,000 nationwide. Toyota’s own recall notice said owners in the newly added group would be notified by late September 2026 [1]. The same free repair applies to every affected vehicle.

March 10, 2026: NHTSA Opens the Seat-Recliner Recall

Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing reported the second-row seat-recliner defect to NHTSA on March 5, 2026. The report covered about 550,007 model year 2021-2024 Highlander and Highlander Hybrid vehicles, and NHTSA acknowledged the voluntary recall five days later. Dealers replace the recliner return springs at no cost, per the agency’s Part 573 recall report [2]. Owner notification letters for this population were due by May 4, 2026.

September 13, 2024: Quebec Court Approves a Canada-Wide Hybrid Settlement

A Quebec court approved a class action settlement covering seven Toyota and Lexus hybrid models, including the 2020-2022 Toyota Highlander Hybrid. The settlement addressed a corroding high-voltage cable connector to the rear motor. The Automobile Protection Association reported the settlement extended the repair warranty from three years or 60,000 kilometers to eight years or 160,000 kilometers [3]. The extension applies to owners in Canada.

October 14, 2020: Toyota Recalls Highlanders over Airbag-Blocking Seat Covers

Toyota recalled about 3,121 model year 2020 Highlander and Highlander Hybrid units after reversed front seat covers threatened to block the side curtain airbags. The airbags might not deploy properly in a crash, per MotorSafety.org’s recall summary [4]. Dealers replaced the seat covers at no cost. A March 2022 update on the same recall reported 2,749 vehicles remedied, with 47 vehicles categorized as unreachable and one removed from the recall.

March 19, 2020: NHTSA Publishes a Stall-Risk Recall Notice

NHTSA published Toyota’s recall notice for about 38,800 model year 2020 Highlander vehicles. Its start-stop software could let the engine stall while driving, per the NHTSA recall notice [5]. Toyota updated the engine control unit software at no cost and flagged 15,890 vehicles then in dealer inventory for the fix before they could be sold. Toyota notified owners by mid-May 2020.

Which Toyota Highlander Vehicles Are Affected?

The recall covers second-row seats in Toyota Highlander and Highlander Hybrid vehicles built across two waves, identified by model year and the recliner assembly’s frame part number:

• 2021-2024 Highlander and Highlander Hybrid, built March 31, 2021 through November 10, 2023 (the original population, about 550,007 vehicles)
• 2025 Highlander and Highlander Hybrid, added to the recall September 9, 2026 (about 137,000 more vehicles)
• Second-row seat back frame part numbers 71018-0E140 and 71018-0E150 (left side) and 71017-0E190, 71017-0E200, and 71017-0E270 (right side)

Owners can look up a specific vehicle using Toyota’s or NHTSA’s free online recall-status tools by entering the VIN or license plate.

Why Was the Toyota Highlander Recalled?

Toyota recalled the Highlander because a supplier design change to the second-row seat recliner assemblies threw off the balance between the locking spring and the return spring. As a result, the recliner teeth may not fully engage, and the seat back may not lock when it is adjusted. NHTSA’s report says a seat back that has not locked may not properly restrain an occupant if a crash happens at higher speed, raising the risk of injury. Toyota traced the condition to a clearance change a supplier made to the recliner guide and ratchet in April 2021. Toyota itself did not learn about the change until 2024.

Reported Incidents, Injuries, or Illnesses

As of February 25, 2026, Toyota’s recall filing counted 10 Field Technical Reports and 18 warranty claims from U.S. sources relating to the seat-recliner condition. The filing does not report any crash, injury, or death linked to the defect. Before filing the recall, Toyota’s own field survey tested 343 second-row seats. Twelve showed the same locking problem. Toyota’s mandatory filing records the share of vehicles that actually have the defect as unknown. These figures describe what dealers and customers flagged before the recall. They are not proof that a specific vehicle has the defect or that it caused an injury.

What Should Consumers Do?

Owners of an affected Toyota Highlander or Highlander Hybrid should take the following steps:

1. Confirm whether your vehicle is included in NHTSA Campaign 26V128 by entering your vehicle identification number at Toyota.com/recall or NHTSA.gov/recalls. You can also ask an authorized Toyota dealer to check it for you.
2. Schedule a free repair with an authorized Toyota dealer, who will replace the second-row seat back recliner return springs at no cost to you.
3. Watch for an owner notification letter, since Toyota is notifying owners of the newly added 2025 model-year vehicles by late September 2026.
4. Call Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331 with questions about the recall, the free repair, or when your dealer can schedule it.
5. Call the NHTSA Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236, or visit NHTSA.gov, to report a safety concern or a problem with the repair.

Legal Options

A recall does not automatically establish liability or eligibility for compensation. A separate class action, Mixon v. Toyota Motor Corporation, alleges defective door lock actuators in several Toyota models, including the Highlander, according to Law360 [6]. The suit (Case No. 4:24-cv-01018, Texas Eastern, filed November 15, 2024) concerns a different part than the seat-recliner recall. No lawsuit specific to Campaign 26V128 has been identified. Anyone who believes a Highlander defect, including the seat-recliner recall or the door lock allegations, caused an injury may want a lawyer to review the specific facts.

Filing Deadlines

Deadlines for a legal claim come from state law, not from this recall notice. They vary with where you live and when an injury or loss happened, and some states start the clock at diagnosis. A missed deadline can end an otherwise strong claim before it is ever heard. Anyone considering a claim connected to this recall should check with a lawyer promptly, since waiting can close options.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I Still Drive My Toyota Highlander During the Recall?

Yes, you can still drive your Toyota Highlander during the recall. NHTSA’s Part 573 filing for Campaign 26V128 does not mark a “Do Not Drive” or “Park Outside” advisory for the affected vehicles. Owners can keep driving until their dealer completes the free repair.

Will Toyota Reimburse Me If I Already Paid to Fix My Seat Recliner?

Toyota’s recall filing says it will apply its general reimbursement plan on file to owners who already paid to fix the second-row seat recliner problem. That applies to repairs made before the recall was announced. Contact your dealer or Toyota customer service with your repair receipt to ask about reimbursement.

Has Toyota Recalled the Highlander for Door Lock or Liftgate Problems?

Toyota has not filed an NHTSA recall for door lock or liftgate problems on the Highlander among the notices reviewed for this page. Those complaints appear only in class-action filings against Toyota, not in a recall filing.

How Did Toyota Discover the Seat Recliner Defect?

Toyota discovered the seat recliner defect during an October 2023 assembly inspection. It then traced the defect through 2024 and 2025 to a supplier’s design change in the recliner guide and ratchet. Field testing across the market found the same locking failure before Toyota filed its report in March 2026.

How Many Seats Failed When Toyota Tested Its Recliner Fix Theory?

When Toyota built 20 test seats to check its theory about the recliner defect, 5 failed to stay locked after adjustment. That replication testing reproduced the locking failure. Toyota later confirmed the ratchet-and-pawl clearance mechanism during a December 2025-February 2026 teardown of field seats.

Who Made the Recalled Toyota Highlander Seat Recliner Parts?

Toyota Boshoku Indiana made the recalled Toyota Highlander seat recliner parts. The Princeton, Indiana supplier is named in Toyota’s recall filing as the maker of the second-row seat recliner assemblies. NHTSA’s report does not name any other supplier involved.

References

1. https://pressroom.toyota.com/toyota-recalls-certain-my2021-2024-toyota-highlander-vehicles/
2. https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/rcl/2026/RCLRPT-26V128-5701.pdf
3. https://www.apa.ca/en/class-action-settlement-with-toyota-canada-approved-by-the-court/
4. https://www.motorsafety.org/2020-toyota-highlanders-recalled-for-suffocated-airbags/
5. https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/rcl/2020/RCMN-20V162-9734.pdf
6. https://www.law360.com/cases/6737c2c4bc79ae024b72de43