VehicleVerdict

2004 Toyota Highlander speed control problems

The 2004 Toyota Highlander has 40 speed control complaints filed with NHTSA — 12% of the year's total, and up sharply from the prior model year.

40

Speed Control complaints

12%

Share of year

19

Crash-involved

2

Related recalls

Speed Control complaints by year

Related recalls

11V112000Speed ControlFebruary 24, 2011 · 769,379 units

Defect

TOYOTA IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2004-2006 HIGHLANDER, HIGHLANDER HYBRID, AND MODEL YEAR 2004-2007 LEXUS RX330, RX350, AND RX400H VEHICLES. IF THE FORWARD RETENTION CLIP USED TO SECURE THE FLOOR CARPET COVER, WHICH IS LOCATED IN FRONT OF THE CENTER CONSOLE, IS NOT INSTALLED PROPERLY THE COVER MAY LEAN TOWARD THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL AND INTERFERE WITH THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL ARM.

Consequence

IF THIS OCCURS, THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL MAY TEMPORARILY BECOME STUCK IN A PARTIALLY DEPRESSED POSITION RATHER THAN RETURN TO THE IDLE POSITION. A STUCK ACCELERATOR PEDAL MAY RESULT IN UNINTENDED AND SUSTAINED VEHICLE SPEEDS AND MAKE IT DIFFICULT TO STOP, INCREASING THE RISK OF A VEHICLE CRASH.

Remedy

DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE FLOOR CARPET COVER WITH A NEWLY DESIGNED ONE FREE OR CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN DURING MARCH 2011. OWNERS MAY CONTACT TOYOTA AT 1-800-331-4331.

06V253000Speed ControlJuly 13, 2006 · 367,594 units

Defect

ON CERTAIN SPORT UTILITY AND HYBRID VEHICLES, THE TWO RETAINING CLIPS FOR THE DRIVER'S SIDE FORWARD CENTER CONSOLE CAN BECOME LOOSE. IF BOTH CLIPS SEPARATE FROM THE FLOOR CARPET COVER, THE COVER MAY LEAN TOWARD THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL, CAUSING INTERFERENCE WITH THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL ROD.

Consequence

THIS CONDITION MAY INTERFERE WITH THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL RETURNING TO THE IDLE POSITION INCREASING THE RISK OF A CRASH.

Remedy

DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE TWO FLOOR CARPET COVER RETAINING CLIPS FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON JULY 24, 2006, AND SHOULD BE COMPLETED BY EARLY SEPTEMBER 2006. OWNERS MAY CONTACT TOYOTA AT 1-800-331-4331 OR LEXUS AT 1-800-255-3987.

What owners report

DT: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE PULLING INTO A PARKING SLOT HEARD A GRINDING NOISE FOLLOWED BY THE VEHICLE LURCHING INTO ANOTHER PARKED VEHICLE. HE TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER. THE DEALER COULD NOT DUPLICATE THE SUDDEN ACCELERATION. THE DEALER REPLACED THE MASS AIR FLOW SENSOR, OXYGEN SENSOR, AND…

Complaint filed with NHTSA · Speed Control · November 11, 2005 · crash

Common questions

How many speed control complaints does the 2004 Toyota Highlander have?

NHTSA has 40 complaints about the 2004 Toyota Highlander speed control — 12% of all complaints filed for that model year.

Are there recalls for the 2004 Toyota Highlander speed control?

Yes — 2 NHTSA recall campaigns for this model year are tied to the speed control: 06V253000, 11V112000.

Related

Based on NHTSA ODI data through June 2026. Complaints are consumer-reported and unverified. Updated July 5, 2026.

Compiled by Sharon Ben-Moshe, Founder.