Toyota Highlander Complaints (2021)

550 consumer complaints on file.

#11629979December 10, 2024
POWER TRAIN
I purchased my new 2021 Highlander in Sept. of 2021. At about 70K miles, my car started making a whining or buzzing noise when accelerating. I took it to the Toyota dealership in Fort Collins, CO. They told me my transmission is failing. They stated I needed completely replaced for just a few dollars under $8000. They stated that the Highlander transmissions are on backorder for replacement. They said it could go completely in a year or a month, they didn't know but I couldn't get it fixed for months because of the backordered transmissions. There is no warning light or alert. This is very concerning since I commute at night alone long distances, or if the transmission goes while I'm on an interstate, etc...I did some research and found that prior to buying the car, Toyota was already aware of this problem as they issued a Technical Service Bulletin T-SB-0008-21 in February of 2021 yet they did not inform me or hold the cars for sale to correct what could cause accidents when the transmission fails. Upon further investigation, there are numerous people with this problem in their 2021 Highlanders. This needs to be addressed immediately and deserves a recall.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11629923December 10, 2024
POWER TRAIN
Transmission went out at 94,000 mils. Loud whinning noise and vechicle very loud sounds like a disel truck once cranked.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11629277December 6, 2024
AIR BAGS
The contact owns a 2021 Toyota Highlander. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V865000 (AIR BAGS); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The local dealer was contacted, and it was confirmed that the part was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact stated that the air bag warning light remained illuminated while operating the vehicle. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The local dealer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was unknown. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11628880December 4, 2024
AIR BAGS
The contact owns a 2021 Toyota Highlander. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V865000(Air Bags); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer and another dealer, Sport City Toyota(12650 Lyndon B Johnson Fwy, Dallas, TX 75228), were contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11628363December 2, 2024
POWER TRAIN
Transmission is shifting roughly and whining. Has to be replaced, on backorder for a month. This is a safety issue as it could fail while driving. Online search finds a service bulletin (T-SB-0008-21) and many, many consumer complaints about the same issue.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11627784November 27, 2024
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
On 2023, the bumper of my car fell while I was driving on the highway. At that time, I took my vehicle to the Toyota Dealership to get inspected and they inspected the vehicle and recommended me to take it to a Body Shop to get it repaired. I paid for the repairs from my pocket since they did not take any responsibility of the damages. On December 2023, I received a letter from Toyota telling me that my highlander has a recall due to bumpers felling off and needed to add some clips from the manufacturer. I opened a case and provided all the information requested by Toyota. At the end they asked me for a CCR document where none of the representatives I've spoke were able to explain what is this document. I provided receipts, Dealership inspection document, my car documents. Today 11.27.2024, I receive a letter telling me that they are not going to move forward with the reimbursement. The body shop that they recommended me does not provide a letter with the specific information they are asking me for. Toyota contacted them and confirmed they did the repairs and they still refused to pay for the manufacturer damages.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11627717November 27, 2024
POWER TRAIN, ENGINE
The vehicle pulls/jolts foward as I slow down at a stoplight. At first, I thought this was normal, but over the past year, I've noticed something unusual, possibly with the gear shifting. It has become more noticeable over time. It has happened enough where I almost get into a fender bender with the car in front of me. I started researching this issue and it's a common complaint among other Highlander vehicle owners. [XXX] . I reported this issue to the Toyota Dealership and all have stated this was normal. I have also seen other issues with the transmission with the similar year and build. Leading me to believe this car may have an early sign of transmission issues. [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11626547November 21, 2024
ENGINE
My car out of no where once it hit 60k miles (which makes it fall off warranty) I start having transmission problems. It’s a 2021 which is very weird for that to happen. Bought it brand new. I was driving with my kids in the car on the highway and the car decelerates and I freaked out. I see that I’m not the only one that is having this issue and it looks like it’s 2020-2021 models that are having transmission issues and I think this needs to be something to get checked. Automatically after driving the car decelerates and you don’t know where or when it can be the rpm drops. Took it to the dealership they said it’s transmission but a brand new car right when it hits 60k miles then this happens.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11626440November 20, 2024
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, UNKNOWN OR OTHER, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING
The Battery was leaking fluid, smoke was visible and rotten smell from the battery. Electrical secondary brake system came on the dashboard
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11626133November 19, 2024
SERVICE BRAKES
2021 Toyota Highlander Hybrid - experiences the sensation of brake loss during transitional period when car switches between regenerative brakes and mechanical brakes; most often occurs on a downgrade approaching a stop. During the transition, the car will surge ahead unexpectedly. I would consider this a significant safety issue; causes the driver to misjudge the required stopping distance and it is possible to hit something (or someone) in front of you. There is a TSB-0059-23 against this issue that requires a software update of the brake actuator. The issue is serious enough in my opinion that a recall of all Highlander hybrids is justified and Toyota should cover the cost of the update. The issue is intermittent and has occurred since new.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11625936November 18, 2024
ENGINE, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
The Check Engine light came on and I took it into Toyota of Downtown dealership where I was receiving periodic maintenance. After 2 days, they said the light was out but they hadn't found the cause. I could either leave if for a few more days or take it and bring it back if the light came on again. This was early August. I chose to take the car & when the Check Engine warning light came on again, I took it in on Aug 15, 2024 before I left to Portland to give them more time. I returned on Monday & couldn't reach them. The next day they informed me that while on a test drive, there was a loud bang, it started smoking and by the time 911 arrived it was on fire. After a 2 month investigation by Toyota's Engineering Analysis fire inspection, they concluded Toyota was not involved. The dealership has not provided me with the report although I've requested it but they aren't accepting responsibility either although it was in their possession when the fire occurred.
Crash:
No
Fire:
Yes
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11625646November 16, 2024
POWER TRAIN
Toyota is not trying to own up to failing transmissions especially in the Highlanders. The Highlander started making a whining noise around 50k miles like a supercharger. The dealer said the car needed a whole new transmission. The transmission is available for inspection upon request. The car is hard to accelerate because the transmission is failing without giving any warning signals on the dashboard.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11625567November 15, 2024
AIR BAGS
If the important safety recall on 2021 highlander is that important, why is it taking years to fix , I feel toyota is dragging their feet and no one from the Nhtsa is doing anything about it, I think social media will be informed about your inaction of letting them slide for so long !
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11624280November 8, 2024
AIR BAGS
My Toyota Dealer, Toyota Corporate Customer Service, Toyota Recall Web site, and NHTSA web site have no remedy, no scheduled remedy, and have sent no status reports since recall 23TA15 was issued 12/20/2023. The only data that I can find states an estimated fix by October 2024. Almost 1M vehicles are impacted by OCS defective part that may cause the passenger air bag to fail causing serious injury or death. Toyota an NHTSA should take immediate action to make sure that there is a sense of urgency (after almost a year), an action plan is in place, and owners are kept informed on a timely basis.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11624206November 8, 2024
POWER TRAIN
THE DEALER HAS CONFIRMED A PROBLEM ON THE MATTER AND SAID IT WOULD COST $8000.00 TO FIX IT. HAS NOT PUT A RECALL ON IT YET. BUT THERE IS A BULLITON ON THE MATTER.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11623068November 1, 2024
AIR BAGS
The contact owns a 2021 Toyota Highlander Hybrid. The contact stated that the vehicle was taken to the dealer to be repaired NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V865000 (Air Bags); and the vehicle was partially repaired. Additionally, the contact was informed that the air bag sensor had been deactivated until the recall repair was completed. The contact stated that after calling the dealer for two weeks, the recall repair still had not been completed. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but provided no assistance. The contact was advised to contact the dealer for assistance. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool showed no open recall.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11622406October 29, 2024
POWER TRAIN
Transmission is making a whining noise.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11622096October 26, 2024
SEATS
My vehicle was rear-ended while stopped by a 2014 Toyota Corolla that was estimated to be traveling between 60-70 miles per hour. During the crash, the driver seat failed, resulting in the partially reclining into the second row passenger. The failure mechanism appears to be internal to the seatback, as the seat twisted during the failure, causing me to lean more towards the passenger side of the vehicle.
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11621526October 23, 2024
AIR BAGS
The contact owns a 2021 Toyota Highlander Hybrid. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V865000 (AIR BAGS); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11620576October 18, 2024
POWER TRAIN
The car started making a whining.humming sound only while pressing the gas. Took to mechanic and they advised it was TSB 0008-21. I need a new transmission. I drive this daily with my own kids, and several that aren't mine. If the transmission were to go out, I would not be able to accelerate and the care would stop moving. I can't even imagine this happening on a high with hundreds of cars speeding or a busy road. This could cause a bad accident, injury or death. No warnings etc. The noise just started and took right to mechanic. I gave the mechanic a copt of power train warrant and hoping it gets covered and fixed.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0

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