NHTSA lists 3 safety recalls covering the 2001 Toyota Highlander. Open recalls don't stop you from selling or junking the car, but check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which apply to yours.
Latches/Locks/LinkagesApr 2004 · NHTSA campaign 04V181000
Certain sport utility vehicles have a child protection lock (cpl) system on both of the rear side doors. When an operator of the vehicle closes the door very hard with the cpl lever set to the lock position, there is a possibility that the lever may contact the body panel, causing the cpl lever to move into the unlock position.
Risk: This condition could allow the door to be opened with the inside while the operator believes that the cpl was activated. If the door were opened from the inside while the vehicle was in motion, an occupant could fall out and be injured.
Fuel System, GasolineJul 2002 · NHTSA campaign 02V208000
On sport utility vehicles, there is a breather hose that attaches to the nozzle of the on-board refueling vapor recovery (orvr) valve, which is located on the topside of the fuel tank. The breather hose is attached with a clamp, whose "tabs" face in the upward direction. When the vehicle was crashed under the new car assessment…
Risk: In the worst case, nozzle breakage could result in fuel leakage if the vehicle rolls-over after a high speed frontal crash.
Service Brakes, HydraulicJul 2001 · NHTSA campaign 01V228000
Vehicle description: sport utiity vehicles. The reservoir filler cap of the brake master cylinder may induce a vacuum, introducing some air into the brake master cylinder reservoir. This could cause abnormal brake noise and increased pedal stroke when the brakes are applied.
Risk: The increased pedal stroke will lengthen the stopping distance of the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.