Toyota Highlander Complaints

958 consumer complaints on file.

#11716104February 6, 2026
ENGINE
Complete transmission replacement for failure. Toyota said it is an unknown issue but has not issued a recall for 2020/2021 models. THIS NEEDS TO BE A RECALL. Toyota should be responsible, especially because they will not cover it if you go over your manufacturer warranty of 60k. I purchased this car last week, and had to get a full new transmission the following week because they did not disclose to me that it was failing!
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11716077February 6, 2026
POWER TRAIN
I had the 60,000 mile service on February 2,2026 and after the service was completed I left the dealership and got on the freeway to go home. I heard a whining noise and immediately turned around and took it back to the dealer. I took the mechanic who worked on my car for a drive and he was able to hear the winding noise and we returned to the dealership. It took the mechanic three hours to come to the conclusion that I needed a new transmission. They still have my car and I have not heard anything about coverage or when it will be done.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11716074February 6, 2026
ENGINE, SERVICE BRAKES, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Vehicle makes a loud noise when under 65mph. Car shakes when breaking. Transmission needs to be replaced.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11715269February 3, 2026
STRUCTURE:BODY
Failure of the rear hatch power struts. Door not opening or closing properly.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11715008February 2, 2026
STRUCTURE:BODY, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Trunk has stopped working. It loudly beeps and will not open on its own. Trunk has to be manually opened and shut with great force to be used.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11714697January 31, 2026
POWER TRAIN, ENGINE
whinning noise during acceleration on the road and gear shift problems
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11713731January 27, 2026
AIR BAGS, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Air bags did not deploy during accident Black box did not record any incident occurred and vehicle was totaled vehicle black box data was downloaded by manufacturer representative accident report was submitted On October 28 2025 a deer ran in front of us and we hit it at approximately 55mph vehicle was determined to be totaled after insurance adjuster reviewed Sheriff deputy and tow truck driver both said air bags should have deployed. Upon receiving the pdf file of black box raw data, it states that no incident happened. I asked a relative who works for a major airline manufacturer and the opinion of their analyst for data recorders is that the computer seems to have been defective. Toyota however states the accident did not meet the parameters to register an incident. I find this answer highly suspicious at best.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11713591January 27, 2026
AIR BAGS, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS, LANE DEPARTURE: WARNING
Parked in sun and the SRS system malfunctioned, after power reset the system reset ok, LTA malfunction, headlight system malfunction Pre-collision malfunction.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11713585January 27, 2026
AIR BAGS
Parked in sun and the SRS system malfunctioned, after power reset the system reset ok,
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11713582January 27, 2026
AIR BAGS, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS, BACK OVER PREVENTION: WARNINGS
Parked in sun and the SRS system malfunctioned, after power reset the system reset ok. Front camera malfunction, RSA malfunction & Pre-collision malfunction.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11713575January 27, 2026
AIR BAGS
Parked in sun and the SRS system malfunctioned, after power reset the system reset ok,
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11713495January 26, 2026
POWER TRAIN, ENGINE, VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
- The vehicle has been experiencing shifting issues (its an automatic vehicle) when driving in all instances and at all speeds that has progressively gotten worse over the past 4-8 weeks. - As it seems to be a transmission issue (and a known one pending litigation) the safety issue is if the transmission fails during operation of the car. - It was brought to a dealership to be inspected after it was initially felt as more of a vibration than the more harsh shifting/engine sounds and issues that it is currently experiencing. The dealership thought it to be the front hub assembly/bearing that was the issue. I had the front driver side replaced and the issue still remains and has continued to worsen. It has not been inspected by the manufacturer, police, or insurance representative. - There have been no warning lamps or messages at all. - Through research it appears this is a known issue with ongoing litigation (2 class action lawsuits currently in litigation related to UA80F transmissions of which it appears that our VIN is in the affected group).
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11713431January 26, 2026
POWER TRAIN
Transmission has failed, making high pitched whining noise while accelerating. Will need full replacement the car only has 66k miles on it - just out of warranty
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11713234January 25, 2026
POWER TRAIN
Just after the 60,000 mile warranty, the car started making a whining noise when pushing the accelerator. This is part of the well known transmission problem. Transmission will need to be replaced.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11713180January 25, 2026
POWER TRAIN
Technical Service bulletin was issued for my 2021 Highlander car in February of 2021 for a well documented transmission issue (whine and grind noise). We are now put in a position that requires us to replace the transmission at a substantial cost. This expense is budget crushing and any assistance in getting Toyota to assist with the expense would be greatly appreciated.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11713125January 24, 2026
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Throttle plate iced up in cold weather, causing computer to put the car in limp mode, creating a dangerous situation. Toyota had a TSB solution for this in 2023, but did not make the software update available until my vehicle failed.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11713091January 24, 2026
POWER TRAIN
I started hearing a winning noise that got louder with speed, this month I took it to the dealership in Austin, TX and they said it needed a new transmission. It only has 67,219 miles. My 2008 was sold at 219k miles with no problems. I see online there has been problems with this type of transmission for many years. They are replacing it with the very same transmission....
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11713066January 24, 2026
ENGINE
We have been hearing whining coming from the front of the vehicle for months. Over the life of our time with this car, we have reported to Toyota multiple times about the sound, and about how sometimes the engine seems slow to shift. The whining increases as you press the gas pedal. Toyota is aware of this issue with Highlanders, but has told us they aren't going to fix it, as there is no recall on the issue. Turns out, there's a TSB related to the exact issue that we have with our Highlander. Now that we are out of warranty, we are looking at potentially replacing the transmission of a vehicle that Toyota has a record of intentionally avoiding to repair. Multiple independent service centers have confirmed the issue. They all have referred us back to Toyota because of the severity of the issue. There were no warning lamps or lights or the issue. However, the "whining" is audible every time in the vehicle.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11712958January 23, 2026
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
The contact owns a 2023 Toyota Highlander. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V595000 (Electrical System); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the instrument panel failed to display critical safety information as intended. No warning light was illuminated. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 200,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11712736January 22, 2026
POWER TRAIN, VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
The contact owns a 2021 Toyota Highlander. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle jerked abnormally and failed to accelerate as intended while depressing the accelerator pedal. The contact pulled to the side of the road. The vehicle failed, then failed to respond while in drive or reverse. No warning light was illuminated. The contact called for Roadside Assistance and had the vehicle towed to a safe location. The vehicle was then towed to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed the vehicle and informed the contact that the transmission had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired due to the cost. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0

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