Toyota Highlander Complaints (2019)

514 consumer complaints on file.

#11638158January 23, 2025
POWER TRAIN
Vehicle has 80k miles. When slowing the vehicle down to 10-20 mph and then trying to accelerate again the transmission bangs/clunks into gear and is delayed to get going causing a safety concern. No warning lights on
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11634086January 4, 2025
POWER TRAIN
Vehicle started making intermittent whining noise around 75,000 miles but Toyota service advisor at the time told me it was normal and since my transmission had been serviced on schedule, it was nothing to worry about. Around 135,000 miles the vehicle sometimes would operate completely normal, and at other times would suddenly seem to struggle to get up to speed especially on the highway somewhere between 20-60 mph. Also sometimes difficult to go at stoplights; but then would resume completely normal operation. The risk to us was we could have easily been hurt in an accident had the vehicle not been able to operate normally at normal speeds, leading to a collision. There were no warnings nor stored codes; the vehicle had received all routine maintenance on schedule including all major maintenance such as transmission services performed by a Toyota dealership. When taken in for this problem, they claimed that they were not able to replicate the jerky/intermittent issues during their test drive, but the whine was indicative of transmission failure and the transmission would need to be replaced. The remanufactured transmissions were on backorder with no ETA, which I was told could be 6-10 months of a wait due to a parts shortage. My service advisor recommended I trade in the vehicle instead because they could not guarantee the vehicle would be safe to drive and I could not continue to drive fearful of a wreck, so we had to do that, and the vehicle was traded in.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11633599January 2, 2025
EXTERIOR LIGHTING
AHB, which is part of Toyota's TSS (total safety system) fails intermittently and because the system is run by a sensor, headlight may or may not be illuminated during periods of darkness. Given the intermittent nature of the failure, it seems like there should be something to indicate to the operator that the lights are either on or not on, but the green light indicator goes on and off without any warning, meaning lights are on or off, operator has no way to remedy the issue at highway speed, causing an extremely dangerous situation.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11633345December 31, 2024
POWER TRAIN
Transmission whine stated on or around 52000 miles. Whine progressively increased in volume over the next 2000 miles. Toyota dealer analyzed the noise and recommended the transmission be replaced. Transmission out of warranty. Independent transmission shop confirmed transmission internal pump was failing and could cause transmission lockup at speed.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11632765December 27, 2024
POWER TRAIN
automatic transmission makeing a whinning noise.Many other customers complaining about same problem. Car has 72,000 miles on it which puts it out of 5 year/60,000mile warranty.Customers feel that toyota should cover replacement or repairs cost knowing they have had same problem with 2017/2018 models and have not corrected the problem with the 2019 model.Very unprofessional for such a high quality company.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11631697December 19, 2024
POWER TRAIN
when I release the gas between 40 to 60 km a whining sound. Dealer says transmission has to be replaced I have 103,000 km.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11630439December 12, 2024
POWER TRAIN
within a 3 hour span, car started whining when accelerating and engine would rev and accelerate but wouldnt go. By lunch time the car would accelerate but go nowhere. Transmission failed within a morning.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11629309December 6, 2024
POWER TRAIN
1 - The car transmission is emitting a whine noise, harsh shift and loss of power. The dealer recommended the transmission be replaced. The car has 54,857 miles. The auto is available for inspection. 2 - Safety is an issue when the transmission loses power and is unable to accelerate. 3 - The issue was reproduced by the dealer and recommended transmission replacement. 4 - Inspected by dealer only. 5 - There were no warning indicators for the failure.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11629135December 5, 2024
UNKNOWN OR OTHER, STRUCTURE:BODY
My car is leaking into my interior. It has come out of the electrical component areas. I worry it has infiltrated airbags & what could happen if they get wet (go off due to damage or not go off when supposed to). Have taken to dealership 3 times with no resolution
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11628891December 4, 2024
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
When starting the 2019 Highlander, the car would intermittently emit a screeching noise. This noise is startling and can potentially cause a crash if it is emit while driving. This is a known issue since it made to the Toyota Forum: [XXX] However, when I brought the car to the dealership, they’re stating that they don’t know about the issue, and want to charge $300 just to diagnose the problem without guarantee the fix or acknowledge the known issue. 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
#11627908November 29, 2024
POWER TRAIN
While driving up hill in snowy and icy conditions, my engine RPMs suddenly went up to 4000, then quickly back down. When I tried to continue driving, the car would not switch gears. It was stuck in what I think was 5th gear. I was slugging along at about 5mph. At this point I put the car in park, and waited in confusion for about a minute before putting the car back in gear. There were no warning lights on my car and nothing else to suggest anything was wrong. I tried to move forward up the steep hill, but the car would not go. I put the car in park again and then switched into reverse instead of drive. At this point I had no option but to back down the narrow icy road. I was driving the going to wrong direction backwards, but it was my only option to get me out of the way of others traffic. The conditions made it more dangerous, but this would have been dangerous on any given day. I was able to back down, get my car to flat ground where I parked, shut the car off, waited about 10 mins, and then turned it back on. After turning it back on I was able to drive the car down to the mechanic shop where they told me that my transmission was bad. In hindsight i should have had it towed, but I'm thankful I made it to the shop safely after the transmission warmed up a little. I'm now waiting 3 or 4 weeks to get a transmission directly from toyota (a $5000 part). The repair in total will cost nearly $8000!! This isn't something I can afford to do, especially near the holidays, but I have no other options as the vehicle isn't worth much in its current condition. I'm very disappointed in Toyota for this one. I expect more from their vehicles.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11627715November 27, 2024
UNKNOWN OR OTHER, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
When I start the Highlander, there is a loud (hurts your ears) feedback noise through the speakers. It's so loud you instinctively close your eyes and put your hands on your ears, ignoring whatever you were doing before (like maybe putting the car in gear). It lasts a second or two then stops. It doesn't happen every time, more like every 10 starts. I called Toyota and they said take it to the dealer. I'm still waiting to get their feedback.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11627168November 25, 2024
POWER TRAIN
My 2019 Toyota Highlander XLE has 50,000 miles on it, when the transmission began making a whining noise while driving. The noise has become significantly louder. There has been no noticeable issues with the shifting, however when taken to the dealer I was advised that the transmission needs to be replaced and can not be repaired. I was lucky enough that we did not encounter any serious problems with the transmission. This appears to be a major problem with the Highlander transmission and should become a recall. I was lucky enough that my vehicle was in the drivetrain warranty range considering the low miles and cost to repair such a problem. Toyota should be mandated to recall or at the very least extend the transmission coverage to 10 year 100,000 miles due to the malfunction.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11626134November 19, 2024
POWER TRAIN
Faulty transmission with no solution for a fix. Transmission makes grinding noise while driving. Dealership cannot fix the problem knowing that there is an issue with the 8 speed transmission. They recommend replacement with a salvage transmission out of pocket.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11626271November 19, 2024
POWER TRAIN
Dealer states that the transmission and transmission cooling needs to be replaced. The car only has 58500 miles.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11625852November 18, 2024
POWER TRAIN
The contact owns a 2019 Toyota Highlander. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the engine revved but the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended. The contact pulled over and turned off the vehicle. The vehicle was restarted, and the check engine warning light illuminated, and the AWD message was displayed. The failure persisted. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, who determined that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 115,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11625134November 14, 2024
EXTERIOR LIGHTING
The headlamp socket is melted. This is the same issue as other Toyota vehicles. There was a recall of the Toyota Tundra for the same problem in 2021.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11625231November 14, 2024
POWER TRAIN, ENGINE
The contact owns a 2019 Toyota Highlander. The contact stated that when the vehicle was started, the check engine warning light illuminated and disappeared later in the evening. Additionally, the contact stated while driving approximately 40 MPH, there was a winding sound coming from the front of the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 54,471.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11624278November 8, 2024
POWER TRAIN
When in gear, the power does not engage. Unable to accelerate in Drive (spins as though in Neutral) or Reverse (same result). The car stopped in traffic and I was unable to safely pull aside.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11622737October 30, 2024
POWER TRAIN
At 80,000 miles or so the transmission has now started making a whining sound upon acceleration. The repair shop says there's nothing they can do except to replace the entire transmission. This tends to be a common occurrence with Toyota vehicles.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0

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