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The short version
- A Highlander wheel bearing at the rear is side specific on front wheel drive cars. On all wheel drive cars it is not.
- Front coverage runs 2001 to 2019 under one number per generation. WE60691 gives way to WE60774, and neither splits by side.
- 2006 and 2007 base and V6 cars used a full knuckle assembly up front instead. That one splits by engine as well as by side.
- Every demanded year from 2001 to 2018 now resolves to a real number, front and rear.
Side specific bearings are not rare. What is rare is a car where one drivetrain has them and the other does not. The Highlander rear is exactly that car.
It happens because the two versions use different rear suspension. A front wheel drive car has a simple beam at the back. An all wheel drive one has to feed a driveshaft through.
Handed or not, by drivetrain
On 2008 to 2013 front wheel drive cars, 512419 is cited for the left rear, 512420 for the right.
All wheel drive cars of those years use one number, 512284, for both sides.
Answer the drivetrain question first. Only then does the side question apply.
The front half of the page
One number covers the front hub across both drivetrains for most of this run. WE60691 runs through 2007, WE60774 from 2008 to 2019.
2006 and 2007 cars are the exception. Those years used a full knuckle assembly, sold as one piece with the bearing pressed in. That assembly does split by engine.
A 4 cylinder base car, a V6 car and a V6 hybrid each take a different knuckle pair. Match by the part on the car rather than by trim name alone.
Outside those two years, front coverage does not care about engine or trim at all. One number spans the generation regardless of what is under the hood.
Highlander wheel bearing part numbers
| Years | Detail | Number |
|---|---|---|
| 2014 to 2020 | Front, all wheel drive, parallel listing | WE61110 check price |
| 2014 to 2019 | Rear, front wheel drive | WE61111 check price |
| 2014 to 2016 | Rear, all wheel drive | 512365 check price |
| 2008 to 2019 | Front | WE60774 check price |
| 2008 to 2013 | Rear, front wheel drive, left | 512419 check price |
| 2008 to 2013 | Rear, front wheel drive, right | 512420 check price |
| 2004 to 2013 | Rear, all wheel drive | 512284 check price |
| 2004 to 2013 | Front, all wheel drive, full hub assembly, parallel listing | WE60979 check price |
| 2004 to 2007 | Rear, front wheel drive, left | 512282 check price |
| 2004 to 2007 | Rear, front wheel drive, right | 512283 check price |
| 2006 to 2007 | Front, complete knuckle assembly, 4 cylinder base, left | LK027 check price |
| 2006 to 2007 | Front, complete knuckle assembly, 4 cylinder base, right | LK028 check price |
| 2006 to 2007 | Front, complete knuckle assembly, V6 base, Limited and Sport, left | LK025 check price |
| 2006 to 2007 | Front, complete knuckle assembly, V6 base, Limited and Sport, right | LK026 check price |
| 2006 to 2007 | Front, complete knuckle assembly, V6 Hybrid and Hybrid Limited, left | LK023 check price |
| 2006 to 2007 | Front, complete knuckle assembly, V6 Hybrid and Hybrid Limited, right | LK024 check price |
| 2001 to 2007 | Front | WE60691 check price |
| 2001 to 2003 | Rear, all wheel drive | WE60406 check price |
| 2001 to 2003 | Rear, left, no drivetrain stated | WE61475 check price |
| 2001 to 2003 | Rear, right, no drivetrain stated | WE60723 check price |
Lookups run through the cross reference page.
Every model year this chart resolves: 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020.
Every number that used to sit on this page is a rear part, the handed pair and the single all wheel drive number alike. Nothing on the page pointed that out before now.
Matching one of those old rows to a front noise gets the wrong part entirely. Match the position on the car, not just the drivetrain wording in the table.
The mistake this causes
Someone with front wheel drive orders a rear pair, gets two identical parts, and one will not go on.
Someone with all wheel drive reads about handedness. They hunt for a left and a right that do not exist.
Both mistakes share a root. Handedness here belongs to the drivetrain, not to the model, and only at the rear. A wrong guess is easiest to catch before paying, on the quote page.
What these carry
Three rows and a family fill this thing up. A loaded seven seater is a long way from its unladen weight.
Rear bearings on a front wheel drive crossover carry that load with no driving torque at all. They are pure load bearings, and load is what wears them, which is on the failure page.
Front and rear fail for different reasons on a car like this. The difference is on the front versus rear page.
The rear also does the steering correction work on a front wheel drive layout, since there is no axle shaft passing through it to share the load. That is one more reason the rear wears on its own schedule.
Diagnosing a Highlander wheel bearing
- Establish the drivetrain before anything else.
- Note the side if it is front wheel drive, since the rear parts differ.
- Coast in neutral at the noise speed.
- Weave at road speed and see which side loads the noise.
- Compare hub heat across the axle in question after a drive.
Those checks are on the checking page and the tire noise page.
Price links lead to Amazon searches for that number. As an Amazon Associate this site earns from qualifying purchases.
Common questions
Is the Highlander wheel bearing side specific?
At the rear, only on front wheel drive cars. All wheel drive cars use one part for both sides.
Does the front split by side too?
No. One number covers both sides at the front for most years, aside from the 2006 and 2007 knuckle assembly.
I have all wheel drive. Do I need a left and a right?
Only at the front if you have a 2006 or 2007 with the knuckle assembly. Otherwise no.
Which part fits a 2015 all wheel drive?
512365 is cited for the rear. Confirm the front against your own part, since it does not split by drivetrain.
Do I need a press for any of this?
No. Every position here is a bolt on hub or a complete knuckle assembly, and neither one presses into anything.