Toyota has expanded an existing safety recall regarding second-row seatback recliners on the Highlander and Highlander Hybrid SUVs. The issue, which led to an initial recall last spring of some 40,000 2021-2023 vehicles, has now been identified as being potentially present in 2024 and 2025 vintages. The expanded recall, technically listed as a replacement for the prior recall, now targets over 52,000 units in Canada in all.
The problem
According to the recall notice issued by Transport Canada, the second-row seatback recliner mechanisms in certain units may have been improperly manufactured. As a result, the seatbacks might fail to lock securely into position, potentially moving during a collision and increasing the risk of injury.
While Toyota has not been made aware of any injuries linked to the defect, the automaker is taking the situation seriously. That’s to be expected, not least because families are the Japanese automaker’s bread-and-butter demographic, particularly so in the case of the Highlander SUV.
Given that the second row is frequently used to transport children, who are particularly vulnerable in a crash, Toyota thus strongly recommends that owners refrain from using the second-row seats for passengers until the necessary recall repairs are completed.
The solution
Affected owners will receive notification letters by mail in the coming weeks. Dealership technicians will resolve the issue by replacing the internal spring mechanism within the second-row seatback recliner assemblies at no cost to customers.
Curiously, while this generation of the Highlander spans the 2020 through 2026 model years, neither the initial 2020 version nor the final 2026 models are included in the recall.
What’s ahead for the Highlander
The current Highlander presently sits alongside the larger Grand Highlander in Toyota’s SUV lineup. But as you’ve probably heard by now, the automaker has preparing to transition the nameplate for the 2027 model-year into a fully electric, next-generation three-row SUV.
You may also have heard that the market launch for the upcoming electric Highlander, originally slated for late fall of this year, has been postponed indefinitely. Toyota cited the need for “additional adjustments”, which may be a euphemism for a strategy shift necessitated by changing market conditions and reduced demand for electric vehicles in North America.