2018 Toyota Highlander LE/LE Plus
5TDZZRFHXJS261441
Vehicle history report for the 2018 Toyota Highlander LE/LE Plus (VIN 5TDZZRFHXJS261441). Celestial silver metallic, sport utility vehicle (suv)/multi-purpose vehicle (mpv), 3.5L 6-cyl 295 hp, gasoline. 28,496 mi reported. Registered in Tx. 5 open safety recalls. Unlock full title, salvage, lien & a
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Vehicle identity & specifications
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What a full report checks for VIN 5TDZZRFHXJS261441
A full report searches national title databases (NMVTIS) and licensed history providers for this VIN and shows whatever records are on file — not every vehicle has every record type. The decode, safety recalls and owner complaints above are always free.
Safety recalls 5
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:FUEL PUMP
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2018-2019 4Runner, 2019-2020 Avalon, 2019 Corolla Hatchback, 2017-2019 Highlander, 2018-2020 Camry, 2020 Corolla, 2018-2019 Land Cruiser, 2017-2020 Tacoma, 2019-2020 RAV4, 2019-2020 Sequoia, 2017-2020 Sienna, 2019-2020 Tundra, 2018-2020 Lexus ES350, 2017 Lexus GS200t, 2017-2019 Lexus GS350, 2019 Lexus GS300, 2018-2020 Lexus LC5…
Remedy: Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will replace the fuel pump assembly with an improved one, free of charge. Owners of specific models were notified that remedy parts were available starting January 21, 2021. Owners of other models will be notified as remedy parts become available. Remedy par
NHTSA Campaign #20V682000 · 04/11/2020FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:FUEL PUMP
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) recalled certain 2018-2019 4Runner, Highlander, Camry, Land Cruiser, Sequoia, Sienna, Tacoma and Tundra, and Lexus RC 300, RC 350, GS 350, GX 460, IS 300, LC 500, LS 500, LX 570, RX 350L, and 2019 Toyota Avalon and Corolla, and certain Lexus NX 300, and ES 350 vehicles on January 13, 2020. On March 4, 2020, Toyota expanded the recall to include c…
Remedy: Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will replace the fuel pump, free of charge. The recall began May 4, 2020. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-888-270-9371 or Lexus customer service at 1-800-255-3987. Toyota's numbers for this recall are 20TB02 and 20TA02 for Toyota vehicles and
NHTSA Campaign #20V012000 · 13/01/2020ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Fujian Wanda Automobile Glass Industry (Wanda) is recalling certain aftermarket Replacement Windshields sold for use in 2014-2018 Toyota Highlander vehicles. The windshields have an attached wire harness that water may leak into, possibly causing damage to the vehicle's Engine Control Module (ECM).
Remedy: Wanda will notify owners, and service centers will replace the windshields, and inspect the ECM for damage, having it replaced, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began January 29, 2019. Owners may contact Wanda customer service at 1-864-281-2760.
NHTSA Campaign #18E107000 · 27/11/2018EQUIPMENT:OTHER:LABELS
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2017-2018 Toyota 4Runner and Tundra, 2018 Toyota Highlander, RAV4 and Lexus GX460 and 2017 Toyota Sienna and Tacoma vehicles. These vehicles may have incorrect load carrying capacity modification labels. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 110, "…
Remedy: Toyota will notify owners and provide them with corrected labels, free of charge. The recall began on January 23, 2018. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's numbers for this recall are H0Z for Toyota vehicles, and HLF for Lexus vehicles.
NHTSA Campaign #17V831000 · 20/12/2017SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:POWER ASSIST:VACUUM
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2018 Toyota Camry and Highlander vehicles, 2017 Toyota Sienna and Tacoma vehicles and 2017 Lexus RX350 vehicles. During the manufacturing process, the oil galley in the rotor for the brake booster vacuum pump assembly may have been improperly machined possibly resulting in a sudden loss of brake assist.
Remedy: Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will replace the brake booster vacuum pump, free of charge. The recall began on May 9, 2018. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-888-270-9371, or Lexus customer service at 1-800-255-3987. Toyota's numbers for this recall are J0K/JLD.
NHTSA Campaign #18V211000 · 03/04/2018We'll email you the moment a new safety recall is issued — no spam, unsubscribe any time.
Common problems & what to inspect
Based on 253 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2018 Toyota Highlander, here are the most-reported problem areas — and exactly what to check before you buy.
💥 1 involved a crash 🚑 3 reported injuries
🔍 Drive through every gear: watch for slipping, hard or delayed shifts, and shudder. Check for transmission/driveline leaks and noises.
🔍 Steering should be tight and centered — no play, clunks or wandering. Test at low and highway speed; listen for power-steering whine.
🔍 Check for fuel or battery warnings, hard starts and stalling. On a hybrid/EV, confirm charging and range behave normally.
🔍 Confirm the airbag light turns on then off at startup — if it stays lit there's a fault (costly, and a safety risk). Check for signs of prior deployment.
🔍 Have a trusted mechanic inspect this system as part of a pre-purchase inspection.
Pre-purchase checklist
- Match the VIN on the dash, door jamb and title — they must be identical.
- Cold-start the engine; listen for knocks and check for blue or white exhaust smoke.
- Test-drive through all gears at low and highway speed — no slipping, shudder or pulling.
- Confirm every warning light clears at startup (none should stay on).
- Check fluids — oil, coolant, transmission — for level, color and leaks.
- Look underneath for rust, fresh undercoating or signs of collision repair.
- Always get an independent pre-purchase inspection from a trusted mechanic.
Owner complaints 253
Complaints filed with NHTSA by owners of the 2018 Toyota Highlander.
POWER TRAIN
Transmission failed at 65,000 miles right after the warranty expired. Cost to fix is $8,000. This is an epidemic issue with Toyota Highlanders built from 2017 to 2023. Tried to get dealer to cover but they said they refuse. They said that Toyota Corporate settled by paying all dealerships for potential repairs due to this issue, however all funds have …
NHTSA ODI #11742599UNKNOWN OR OTHER
My car had around 52,930 miles on it when the transmission suddenly went out and left me stranded in [XXX]. I always took my car to the North Hollywood Toyota dealership regularly, twice a year since I bought the car for regular service maintenance. When I was quoted nearly $7,000 to replace the transmission, I sold the car. Why would a 2018 Japanese car wi…
NHTSA ODI #11742220POWER TRAIN
Complaint: I am writing to report a transmission defect in my 2018 Toyota Highlander AWD (UA80 8-speed automatic transmission). Prior to the check engine light illuminating, I noticed a burning smell coming from the vehicle. Subsequently, the following fault codes were retrieved: •P0741 – Torque Converter Clutch Circuit Performance/Stuck Off •P2714 – Pressur…
NHTSA ODI #11741442POWER TRAIN
Transmission failure (whining noise similar to the well-documented issue with UA80F 8-speed transmissions). I reported the noise and requested a specific diagnosis at approximately 95k miles --- no warning lamps/warnings were visible, just noticeable noise while driving without the radio on. On May 22, 2026, Torrington Toyota confirmed that the transmissio…
NHTSA ODI #11740566POWER TRAIN
The transmission went on my 2018 Toyota Highlander. The other day as I was driving on highway, lost power as I was driving in neutral. I went from 70mph to 10 or less mph, would not accelerate. All of a sudden all warning lights. Check AWD, check engine light came on, many messages at once. There were no warning lights displayed prior to this. I was able to …
NHTSA ODI #11737584POWER TRAIN
UA80F Transmission failure at 100k miles for the 2018 Toyota highlander SE. No warning lights, engine noise (high pitched whine while driving). Took to the dealer and was told the transmission needed to be replaced.
NHTSA ODI #11737178STEERING,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
First symptom I noticed was the car smell while it was running. I used a device to see what codes of any would pop up on a scan. It came up with codes tying into the fuel system. I then went to go fill up on gas couple days later and when going to start it back up it wouldn’t start. When it did start it would say engine losing power or steering losing power …
NHTSA ODI #11735463AIR BAGS
The contact owned a 2018 Toyota Highlander. The contact stated that while driving at 35 MPH, occupied with her children in the rear passenger seats, the contact was attempting to merge onto the intersection, and a state trooper failed to yield at 55-60 MPH vehicle crashed into the front driver's side of the vehicle, causing the whole front end of the vehicle…
Crash · 3 injured · NHTSA ODI #11731139+ 245 more complaints on record.
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