There are 30 owner-reported visibility & wipers complaints for the 2003 Toyota Highlanderin NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
THE SUN VISOR (DRIVER SIDE) SUDDENLY DROPPED DOWN AND OBSCURED MY VISION OF A RED TRAFFIC LIGHT AT AN INTERSECTION I WAS APPROACHING AND MY VISION WAS IMPAIRED. *TR
THE DRIVER'S SIDE SUN VISOR FLOPS DOWN, BLOCKING THE DRIVER'S VISION. IT WILL NOT STAY IN THE "UP" POSITION. WHEN IT FALLS DOWN, THIS IS A POTENTIAL SAFETY HAZARD THAT NEEDS TO BE CORRECTED TO PREVENT SERIOUS INJURIES OR DEATHS. *TR
THE DRIVER SIDE SUN VISOR WILL NOT STAY UP ALL OF THE WAY, IT HANGS DOWN AND AS I DRIVE IT FALLS ALL OF THE WAY DOWN. I FEEL THIS IS A HAZARD AS IT INTERFERES WITH VISION WHILE DRIVING. *TR
THE DRIVER SIDE SUN VISOR DOES NOT STAY UP, IT HANGS DOWN INTERFERING WITH VISION AND FALLS DOWN AS I DRIVE. I FEEL THIS IS A HAZARD TO VISION WHILE DRIVING. *TR
DRIVERS SIDE SUN VISOR WON'T STAY AGAINST WINDSHIELD - IT IS BLOCKING VIEW OF THE ROAD - A SAFETY HAZARD. *TR
2003 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER DRIVER'S SIDE SUN VISOR DROOPS AND WILL NOT STAY UP. BLOCKS VISION AND IS A SAFETY HAZARD. SYSTEMIC PROBLEM ON ALL HIGHLANDERS. HAS BEEN A PROBLEM ON MY CAR SINCE ABOUT 2007. REPLACEMENT COST OF $750 IS RIDICULOUS AND PROHIBITORY. *TR
TOYOTA HIGHLANDER VISOR DEFECT. FALLS DOWN WHILE DRIVING AND BLOCKS VIEW, REPLACEMENT COST IS $700. SHOULD BE RECALLED DUE TO DANGEROUS VISION OBSTRUCTION. *TR
RIGHT PASSENGER WINDOW AUTOMATICALLY ROLLED ALL THE WAY DOWN AND THE ELECTRONIC CONTROLS FOR THE WINDOW FAILED TO WORK. WE WERE UNABLE TO CLOSE THE WINDOW. THIS OCCURRED DURING A WIND AND RAIN STORM RESULTING IN RAIN GETTING IN THE CAR AND A SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE FOR PASSENGERS IN THE CAR. LUCKILY, THE CAR WAS NOT MOVING AT THE TIME OF THE OCCURRENCE. A MECHANIC DETERMINED THERE WAS A COMPLETE FAILURE OF THE WINDOW REGULATOR MOTOR AND REPLACED IT. *TR
TOYOTA HIGHLANDER VISOR DEFECT. FALLS DOWN WHILE DRIVING AND BLOCKS VIEW. REPLACED ONCE, BUT REPLACEMENT IS DEFECTIVE AS WELL. REPLACEMENT COST IS $700. SHOULD BE RECALLED DUE TO DANGEROUS VISION OBSTRUCTION. *TR
SUNDAY 8/1/10 THE DRIVERS' SIDE VISOR IN OUR 2003 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER WAS FINE. MONDAY 8/2/10 WHEN ATTEMPTING TO POSITION THE VISOR IT WOULD FLOP DOWN AND HANG IN A VERTICAL POSITION OBSTRUCTING THE DRIVERS VIEW OF THE ROAD, YOU COULD NOT BEND IT BACK AGAINST THE WINDSHIELD. IT BLOCKS THE DRIVER'S VIEW MAKING IT UNUSABLE AND UNSAFE. I WENT TO THE TOYOTA DEALER TO HAVE IT REPAIRED. THE DEALER CLAIMED THAT IT COULD NOT BE REPAIRED AND THAT A REPLACEMENT WOULD COST OVER $700 DOLLARS. THE ATTACHMENT IS WHERE THE PROBLEM IS. THEY CLAIMED THEY COULDN'T FIX IT. THIS IS A CLEAR SAFETY ISSUE AND I FEEL THAT TOYOTA SHOULD BE RESPONSIBLE FOR ITS REPAIR. *TR
HAVE AN 2003 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER THAT I BOUGHT NEW. HAVE USED SUN VISORS ON A REGULAR BASIS, AS THEY WERE INTENDED TO BE USED. THE DRIVER SIDE SUN VISOR KEEPS FALLING DOWN AND BLOCKING MY VIEW. THIS PARTICULARLY HAPPENS WHEN ANY BUMP IN THE ROAD IS RUN OVER. THIS CREATES A HAZARD DUE TO LIMITING MY SIGHT. I HAVE ATTEMPTED TO FIX BY TIGHTENING THE BOLTS THAT HOLD THE VISOR TO THE CEILING AND BY USING VELCRO TO HOLD THE VISOR TO THE ROOF. NEITHER OF THESE WORKED...THE VELCRO WILL NOT STICK TO THE CEILING ROOF. *TR
DRIVER SIDE SUN VISOR WILL NOT STAY IN PLACE. FLOPS DOWN TO OBSCURE VISION.
2003 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER DRIVER'S SIDE SUN VISOR KEEPS FALLING DOWN. SAFETY CONCERNS AS IT BLOCKS VIEW WHILE DRIVING. RIDICULOUS COST TO REPLACE WITH NEW NOT ASSURED IT WON'T HAPPEN AGAIN SOON. *TR
FOR THE LAST YEAR, THE DRIVER'S SUN VISOR ON MY 2003 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER LIMITED HAS BEEN LOOSE AND DOES NOT STAY UP - IT IS ESPECIALLY LOOSE DURING WARMER WEATHER. THE VISOR WILL FALL DOWN IN FRONT OF THE DRIVER'S FACE, ESPECIALLY WHEN GOING OVER BUMPS OR ROUGH ROADS. THIS IS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS AND A SAFETY HAZARD WHICH COULD LEASE TO A SERIOUS INCIDENT. I HAVE MENTIONED THIS TWICE WHILE BRINGING MY VEHICLE FOR MAINTENANCE AND HAVE BEEN TOLD IT CANNOT BE REPAIRED AND I WOULD HAVE TO BUY A NEW VISOR. LAST WEEK I SPOKE WITH THE PARTS DEPARTMENT AND WAS TOLD THIS IS COMMON AND A NEW VISOR COST MORE THAN $700 BECAUSE IT HAS THE HOMELINK. IT WAS SUGGESTED I GET A VISOR WITHOUT HOMELINK FOR AROUND $70. WHILE THIS IS AFFORDABLE, I WOULD THEN LOSE THE HOMELINK FEATURE, WHICH WAS PART OF MY DECISION-MAKING TO BUY THE HIGHLANDER. MY GUESS IS THE DRIVER'S SUN VISOR IS HAVING THE PROBLEM DUE TO THE ADDITIONAL WEIGHT CAUSED BY THE HOMELINK. I CANNOT AFFORD TO REPLACE THE VISOR, AND BELIEVE TOYOTA SHOULD REPLACE OR REPAIR AT THEIR COST. *TR
ON THE TOYOTA HIGHLANDER FROM AT LEAST 2002 THROUGH CURRENT MODELS THE DRIVER'S SIDE SUN VISOR FAILS TO STAY IN THE FORWARD DETENT POSITION. WHEN THE FAILURE OCCURS, THE VISOR FALLS TO THE VERTICAL POSITION, BLOCKING THE DRIVER'S VIEW OF THE ROAD UNEXPECTEDLY. THIS CAUSES CONFUSION AND DISTRACTION WHICH POTENTIALLY COULD CAUSE LOSS OF CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE WITH DAMAGE AND INJURY OR DEATH RESULTING. THIS HAS BEEN REPORTED TO TOYOTA BY ME AND ACCORDING TO GOOGLE SEARCHES BY NUMEROUS PERSONS. TOYOTA DENIES ANY PROBLEM EXISTS. *TR
MANUAL HEATER CONTROL DIAL LOST FUNCTION TO CONTROL TEMPERATURE. HEATER ONLY BLOWS COLD AIR. RECOMMENDATION WAS TO REPLACE HEATER CONTROL PANEL AT COST OF APPROXIMATELY $600 FOR THE PART ALONE. LABOR ADDITION CHARGE. *TR
THIS IS REGARDING MY 2003 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER. IN JANUARY 2007, THE REAR PASSENGER WINDOW CAME OFF ITS TRACK AND CEASED TO WORK. THE ADJUSTED THE REGULATOR AND PUT IT BACK ON TRACK AND CHARGED ME $210. IN JUNE 2008 THE SAME THING HAPPENED TO THE DRIVERS SIDE REAR WINDOW. THIS IS VERY COINCIDENTAL THAT IT WOULD HAPPEN TO BOTH WINDOWS. *TR
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 30 MPH, THE SUN VISOR FAILED. THE CONTACT STATED THAT HE PUT THE VISOR UP BUT IT FELL SEVERAL TIMES. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO A DEALER FOR INSPECTION. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 102,000.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE DRIVER'S SIDE SUN VISOR BROKE AND BLOCKED HER VISIBILITY. THE CONTACT ALSO STATED THAT THE FAILURE OCCURRED SEVERAL TIMES. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER, WHO DIAGNOSED THAT THE VISOR ASSEMBLY NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE AND OFFERED NO ASSISTANCE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 42,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 68,000. UPDATED 05/24/12*LJ
HEAT STOPPED WORKING, BLOWING COLD AIR. THE PROBLEM IS THE RIBBON WIRE FROM THE TEMPERATURE CONTROL KNOB TO THE ELECTRONIC BOARD BEHIND THE SWITCH BREAKS, THIS IS CAUSED FROM THE KNOB STEM LOOSENING, EVENTUALLY BREAKING THE WIRE. DEALER WILL REPLACE THE UNIT FOR $900 FOUND MANY PEOPLE WITH THIS PROBLEM ON TUNDRASOLUTIONS AND FOUND INSTRUCTIONS TO REMOVE THE UNIT AND SOLDER THE WIRES, WORKS LIKE NEW NOW. SEEMS LIKE THIS PROBLEM MAY ALSO BE THE ROOT CAUSE OF THE DASHBOARD FIRES LISTED ON THIS SITE. *TR
Showing 1–20 of 30 complaints
Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA. A high complaint count may reflect vehicle popularity, not defect severity. Data sourced from NHTSA public records.
Data synced from NHTSA on Apr 26, 2026