Toyota has issued a recall for 52,750 Highlander and Highlander Hybrid SUVs from the 2021 to 2025 model years. the company warns that faulty second-row seatback recliners could compromise safety, advising owners to keep those seats empty until a free repair is completed.
The 52,750-vehicle risk in the second row
The safety alert centers on a manufacturing defect affecting the second-row seatback recliners in both the standard Toyota Highlander and the Highlander Hybrid. According to the report first published on September 11, 2026, these components may have been improperly manufactured, creating a situation where the seats may not function as intended during use.
The severity of the defect is underscored by Toyota's explicit instruction to owners: do not use the second-row seats to transport passengers until the vehicle has been serviced. for a family-oriented SUV like the Toyota Highlander, this directive effectively renders the vehicle's primary passenger capacity unusable for thousands of owners until a dealership can intervene.
Replacing the seatback recliner springs
To resolve the issue, Toyota dealerships will replace the spring within the second-row seatback recliner assemblies. This specific mechanical fix is designed to correct the manufacturing error and ensure the seats remain secure. as reported, this repair will be performed at no cost to the vehicle owners.
Toyota is managing the rollout of this fix via traditional mail notifications. Owners of affected 2021 through 2025 Toyota Highlander models will receive a letter advising them to schedule a service appointment. Until that notification arrives and the work is completed, the automaker maintains its stance that the second row should remain vacant to avoid potential safety hazards.
From 11,000 Canadian Camrys to the Highlander
This recall is not an isolated event but part of a broader series of safety corrections by Toyota. In August, the automaker had to recall more than 11,000 Toyota Camry vehicles in Canada. That specific issue was tied to a display malfunction that could disable critical safety features, including turn signals, hazard lights, and various warning sounds during the vehicle's startup sequence.
While the Camry issue in Canada was electronic and the Highlander issue is mechanical, the frequency of these recalls suggests a period of heightened quality control scrutiny for the brand. The transition from software-related display glitches in the Camry to structural component failures in the Highlander indicates that Toyota is battling disparate manufacturing challenges across different vehicle platforms.
What caused the manufacturing error in the 2021-2025 line?
Despite the clarity on the remedy, several critical details remain missing from the public record. The recall notice states the recliners were "improperly manufactured," but it does not specify whether this was a design flaw,a metallurgy failure in the springs, or an assembly line error at a specific plant. It is also unclear if this defect was identified through internal Toyota testing or following real-world failures reported by consumers.
Furthermore, the source does not clarify if the "improper manufacturing" affected every single vehicle in the 52,750-unit batch or if only specific production dates within the 2021-2025 window are at risk. Until Toyota provides a more granular explanation of the failure mode, owners are left with a vague warning and a significant loss of vehicle utility.
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