Factory build sheet
2012 Toyota Highlander Base/Hybrid
Build 5TDZA3EH-C · 2.7L 4cyl · Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV)
VIN positions 1 through 8 read 5TDZA3EH and position 10 reads C. Those nine characters define this build. Position 9 and positions 11 through 17 differ on every car.
Every Highlander whose VIN starts 5TDZA3EH and carries C in position 10 left the plant with the same engine, transmission, drivetrain and equipment listed below. We know of 2,806 of them.
- Decoded Jul 7, 2026
- 2,806 known VINs
- 46 listed for sale now
Factory specification
As filed by Toyota with NHTSA for this build. Fields the filing does not record are left out entirely — a missing row means no recorded value, not a missing feature.
Engine
- Displacement
- 2.7 L
- Cylinders
- 4
- Configuration
- In-Line
- Engine model
- 1AR-FE
- Horsepower
- 185 hp
- Fuel type
- Gasoline
Drivetrain
- Drive type
- 4x2
Body & chassis
- Body class
- Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV)/Multi-Purpose Vehicle (MPV)
- NHTSA body type
- MULTIPURPOSE PASSENGER VEHICLE (MPV)
- Doors
- 5
- Series
- GSU40L/GSU45L/ASU40L/GVU48L
- Manufacturer
- TOYOTA MOTOR MANUFACTURING, INDIANA, INC.
Weight rating
- GVWR class
- Class 1D
- GVWR
- 5,001–6,000 lb
Gross vehicle weight rating is the loaded ceiling set by the manufacturer, not the car's own weight.
What this build asks today
Asking prices of live dealer listings decoded to this exact configuration — narrower than the trim-level figure, because every car counted here shares the same engine, transmission and drivetrain.
$9,936 median asking price · 62 listings · as of Aug 30, 2026
Low 2% of listings $6,532 Top 2% of listings $15,500
The same build, other model years
Toyota used the VIN pattern 5TDZA3EH for 4 model years. Nothing but the year changes between these pages, so the price gap between them is depreciation on an identical car.
How this VIN pattern is read
A 17-character VIN carries two kinds of information: what was built, and which one it is. This page is the first kind — the nine highlighted positions.
| Positions | Characters | What they encode |
|---|---|---|
| 1–3 | 5TD | TOYOTA MOTOR MANUFACTURING, INDIANA, INC. · World manufacturer identifier |
| 4–8 | ZA3EH | Model, body style, engine and restraint system |
| 9 | × | Check digit — computed per vehicle, not part of the build |
| 10 | C | Model year — 2012 |
| 11 | × | Assembly plant |
| 12–17 | ×××××× | Production sequence number, unique to each vehicle |
NHTSA safety ratings
Crash-test results are published per model year and body style, so they cover the 2012 Toyota Highlander as a whole rather than this build alone.
Overall
★★★★ ★ 4 / 5
Frontal crash
★★★★ ★ 4 / 5
Side crash
★★★★★ 5 / 5
Rollover
★★★★ ★ 4 / 5
2 recall campaigns are recorded for the 2012 Highlander. Recalls are issued per VIN range — check the VIN of the car you are looking at, not the model.
2,806 vehicles carry this build
Every VIN we have decoded to 5TDZA3EH-C shares the specification above.
- 2,806 Known VINs
- 46 Listed for sale now
- 62 Priced listings
- $9,936 Median asking
Vehicles of this build
A fixed sample of 2 vehicles carrying this configuration — each with its own history page. The sample refreshes quarterly, not nightly, so it stays put between visits.
Cars are filed by a fixed rule based on the VIN, so a car never moves between groups.
Neighboring configurations
Other factory configurations of the Highlander, each with its own build sheet. The set is fixed by the VIN patterns themselves, so it does not shuffle as prices or inventory move.
- 2012 Base/Hybrid 3.5L 6-cyl · Sport utility vehicle suv mult 3,894 vehicles · $10,286 median
- 2012 Base/Hybrid 3.5L 6-cyl · Sport utility vehicle suv mult · 4WD 277 vehicles · $10,200 median
- 2012 Base/Hybrid 3.5L 6-cyl · Sport utility vehicle suv mult · 4WD 1,091 vehicles · $15,875 median
- 2013 Base/Hybrid 3.5L 6-cyl · Sport utility vehicle suv mult · 4WD 8,845 vehicles · $14,716 median
- 2013 Base/Hybrid 3.5L 6-cyl · Sport utility vehicle suv mult · 4WD 343 vehicles · $12,563 median
Keep going
Where this data comes from
Specification fields are decoded from the manufacturer's filings in the NHTSA vPIC database, keyed on VIN positions 1–8 and 10. We publish the filed values as they stand and leave out anything the filing does not record.
Prices are asking prices from 62 live dealer listings decoded to this build , last updated August 30, 2026 . They are what sellers ask, not what buyers paid.
Vehicle counts come from the 2,806 VINs of this build we have seen in dealer inventory. They are a sample of the road population, not a production figure.