general problems of the 2017 Toyota Highlander - part 1

March 5th purchased a battery from autozone z net fit match that caused cascading electrical and life -safety risk while traveling from hewitt, TX to washington DC for our families spring break trip including 4 minor children. Component: 12-volt battery / electrical system / power steering / service brakes summary: vehicle suffered catastrophic failure of power steering and braking systems while in motion due to the installation of an incompatible lead-acid battery recommended by autozone’s 'z-net' catalog. Despite Toyota technical service bulletin t-tt-0523-19 (Jan 2019) stating this VIN requires an enhanced flooded battery (efb/agm) for its stop-start system, the retailer’s database continues to misidentify standard batteries as compatible. This mismatch causes a voltage drop that disables critical safety modules ('limp mode'). I have video evidence of the catalog error. This is a systemic misrepresentation affecting 2017+ Toyota Highlander safety compliance.

I had problems in gear shift the car when start moving it’s go very slow it’s need about 1 minute to change the shift. The Toyota dealership recommended me to change the transmission with the cost $11,000.

Purchased my 2017 Highlander in June of 2017. At 4912 miles noticed the transmission was slipping. Contacted the dealership and was told from an employee that in his 20 plus years he had never had a transmission do that. Took it to the dealership and it was the transmission. It was replaced under warranty. In January of 2026 took it to the dealership after noticing a weird whinnying sound when running. After running a diagnostic test I was informed that my transmission needed replaced again. It only has 72,426 miles. Was told that the transmission was on back order and when asked if safe to drive, told yes.

I own a 2017 Toyota Highlander with 6 cylinders (engine model 2gr-fks). It has 107,000 miles. I brought it to my dealer for inspection and service, and noted that it was making a whirring/whining sound upon acceleration. There were no warning messages on the dashboard to alert me of any issues. The dealer reported back to me that the transmission was failing and quoted $11k to fix it. Upon researching this issue, I learned that this is a known problem with 2017 model Highlanders.

-- what component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? this report is regarding a premature transmission failure in our 2017 Toyota Highlander equipped with the ua80f 8-speed automatic transmission. Our Highlander is currently stuck at high tech automotive in wenatchee, wa 150+ miles from home after experiencing a transmission failure on the highway. -- how was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? during the transmission failure while driving on the highway the check engine light came on as well as abs light and vehicle went into a limp mode. The transmission failure and subsequent limp mode rapidly decreased our speed while traveling on the highway and forced us to limp the vehicle at low speeds across traffic putting ourselves and others traveling on the highway at risk. This vehicle has been well maintained and serviced in accordance with Toyota’s recommended maintenance schedule. Despite this, the transmission failed unexpectedly during a recent family road trip to wenatchee, wa, leaving us stranded far from home. -- has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? yes, the vehicle was towed to high tech automotive in wenatchee wa (where it is currently stranded). The diagnostics report there confirmed proper transmission fluid level and a failed transmission with burnt transmission fluid. -- has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? not yet. A request for assistance was sent to Toyota today. -- were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? there were no warning lamps, or messages. We've had the vehicle maintained and there was a whirring sound which we had inspected at dougs auto tune and repair thinking it could be the timing chain or alternator but there was no indication of transmission issues.

Was on drive from work in 2017 Toyota Highlander xle. Noticed low whining sound coming from transmission. Made appointment with Toyota dealership. They identified transmission whine as requiring full replacement and projected to fail soon. Vehicle mileage was at 116k miles. There are no ua80 trans available in us and none coming in. Was told my VIN didn't qualify for crp cjz and TSB bulletin. The ua80 trans has known failure of this type. Replacement cost is 10k, use is dangerous, and failure is unacceptable.

Transmission when the car first starts up is slipping. No dipstick for checking transmission fluid.

Transmission failure causes vehicle to not accelerate in low gears. Toyota has a csp for this issue on the same model year but this "VIN" is not a part of it. This is a major safety issue.

The transmission is experiencing harsh and sometimes delayed shifting and sometimes reduction of power. This can result in unpredictability when going from a stop and then crossing traffic. If the transmission fails while I am making an unprotected left turn it pups leave me vulnerable to side impact from on coming traffic. The dealer was able to reproduce the issue when I took it in and quoted me $11k for repair. Toyota is an aware of issues with this specific transmission (ua80) and issued a service bulletin for it. My transmission fell within the serial number range for replacement but didn’t pass the third gate for coverage related to a speed sensor issue. That said, there is massive back order on this transmission highlighting a much broader problem with the part. To answer the final question, I never saw a warning light.

Transmission on this vehicle failed and causes sudden deceleration causing a safety issue. Sudden deceleration. Yes, Toyota of vero beach has confirmed failure of the transmission. No, warning just failed then got all the warnings and lights immediately thereafter.

2017 Toyota Highlander xle why hasn’t Toyota issued a recall?! my transmission failed at 2am on the florida turnpike 140 miles from home, after a physically and emotionally exhausting day moving my daughter to college. I slept in my car 7 hours, scared, waiting to get towed. The closest shop that was open early on a Saturday was an hour away in the other direction and when I got there, they told me they wouldn’t be able to look at it until Monday. Pointless to pay 2 nights at a hotel, so I got an uber to get a rental to get home. It wasn’t bad enough when I found out the cost to replace the transmission on a car with 96k miles (my camry had 300k when I sold it), but even if I agreed to pay, the transmission is backordered, and it could be months. Months! I had to pay the diagnostic fee - completely understandable - and I needed it moved to avoid a $75 per day storage fee. Aaa would tow it 100 miles, then $7. 00 per mile. When I asked to speak with someone because I had the upgraded membership that provided 200 miles, I was told they wouldn’t cover any part of the tow because it was already at an auto shop. The least expensive option was to get a transport company ($300) to pickup and deliver the car to the local Toyota dealership. They’re anticipating at least 3 months, but they’ll pay for a rental if I agree to have them do the repair. Has Toyota fixed the issue, or will the new transmission likely to have the same problem?.

Transmission whining, harsh shifting, delayed acceleration.

After less than a year of usage on a Highlander with 70k miles, the transmission began malfunctioning. The reverse function would work sporadically. The gears would shift only when using the power stick function and manually switching gears. The transmission would go into overdrive and once after an oil change the car came to an abrupt stop after traveling 25 mph hour.

Transmission yes it’s available for inspection rite now on vacation on a very steep hill the transmission quit pulling at the top of the hill in the middle of a very narrow street and we had to ease backwards down to a place on the hill to turn around and get to level ground all this happened with no previous warning.

Transmission failed in may 2025, around 95,000 miles. Had to have entire transmission replaced. Shop said metal filings were found in the fluids, leading to the breakdown and need for full replacement. No other warning lights or lamps indicated a problem. A high pitched whining noise was the indicator, which then led to several visits to the shop, monitored the issue, changed fluids, but the transmission eventually failed. Transmission failed in may of 2025, it took 3 months for a new transmission to be built and shipped to the midwest for install in Aug 2025.

My 2017 Highlander xle awd had complete transmission failure at 106,000 miles. Toyota has an extended coverage warranty for this but according to them my VIN number was not included even though it failed for the same reason as the recalled transmissions. Loud whining started around 100,000 miles on acceleration around 30mph and continued to get louder. From a dead stop it is very slow to accelerate and misses 3rd gear and jerks. There is a TSB out on this and the extended customer satisfaction extended warranty zjc but they refuse to cover. I was also told by Toyota corporate that even if my VIN was affected they would not cover due to all maintenance not being done at a Toyota dealership. I am the 4th owner and should not be penalized for this. My case number with Toyota is Toyota brand engagement center case 250416002071.

Known issue with the transmission assembly that results in a whining noise and eventually hard shifting and transmission failure. Known issue acknowledged by Toyota across this model and date, but they seemingly are only addressing some vehicles - and not others - with said known issue.

Transmission failure requiring replacement. Known pattern failure from Toyota. Customer support program from Toyota does not cover all affected vehicles.

Transmission intermittently allows the rpms to double from 2,000 to 4,000 rpms. It occasionally displays trouble codes, and exhibits a grinding, whirring noise. An independent transmission shop confirms that it needs to be replaced. Toyota has issued a recall referred to as customer support program zjc, but their representatives claim that our vehicle does not qualify, even though the date and model of the transmission clearly falla under their parameters.

Car suddenly began to slip out of gear and have difficulty shifting smoothly. After having car examined by 2 repair shops it was determined the ua80 transmission needed replaced. Repair shop advised car was not safe to drive with this condition. Warning lights for check engine and check awd system and traction control came on at the same time as the slipping and rough shifting.

The contact owns a 2017 Toyota Highlander. The contact stated that the vehicle was parked but still running in a driveway on an incline. After exiting the vehicle, there were abnormal beeping and ticking noises detected, and the vehicle began to roll down the street. The contact and daughter were pinned between the door and the vehicle. The contact's daughter sustained injuries to her chin and teeth. The driver has lumps and bruises on her leg and back pain, but medical attention was not provided. The rear wheels were on the curb and hit a trash can, and the vehicle stopped rolling. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 70,000.

Vehicle shurtter cause toque converter issue with all Toyota Highlander.

In city driving, vehicle began exhibiting slightly delayed shifting from 1-2 and 2-3. Downshifts from 3-2 seemed slightly rough. Approximately 5 minutes later when accelerating from a stop on an uphill grade, the shift from 2-3 was delayed (2nd gear disengaged, engine speed increase ~1000rpm, then shifted to 3 abruptly). At next stop, lower gears where not available. Vehicle seemed be in 4th(?) gear when accelerating from a stop. Very little power available. Had to engage hazard flashers and other vehicles navigated around our vehicle. Managed to limp car ~ 1 mile to home. Approaching driveway, master warning light, check engine light and 4wd warnign light all illuminated. This issue created a loss of power that impaired the drivers ability to maintain a safe speed relevative to traffic. Had this issue occurred during high-speed operation, the vehicle may have been disabled in a high-risk area. Transmission appears to be unreliable.

There is a Toyota service bulletin for known transmission issues with this vehicle. I had noticed that my gears weren't shifting properly. The dealer checked vehicle and said transmission was bad, and that Toyota would replace it, for free. However, the part would take one month to arrive. This all occurred on 1/9/2024. I was told by the dealer that Toyota would not cover a rental car while the part was on order, but only for the repair itself. The dealer told me the Toyota recommendation was to not drive the vehicle -- but other customers had done so until they received their parts for repair. I picked up my vehicle after work at approximately 7:15pm. While driving, the vehicle completely shutdown on me in a major highway miles from downtown philadelphia, in a flooding rainstorm that produced nearly 4 inches of rain. If Toyota knows there is a problem with this vehicle and its transmission, then why is there no recall? and if I'm being told the I should not drive the vehicle, then why isn't it mandated or required for them to provide me a rental - especially since this is the fault of Toyota?.

2017 Toyota Highlander experienced delayed and rough shifting in 3rd gear. Safety of acceleration is affected, especially merging onto highways. Diagnosed with bad transmission on 12/26/2023 by Toyota service. There was no warning lamps or messages prior to failure. Unknown cause, car is regularly serviced per manufacturer recommendations by Toyota. Part on backorder for approximately 3 months.

The transmission on my Highlander is making a whining noise. I took it to blackstone Toyota service for inspection, in fresno, CA, after my own mechanic inspected it and told me that it was a transmission problem. Toyota told me that the transmission is going out and the car can quit on me at any time and is no longer safe to drive. But since it is out of warranty now they will not do anything to help me with this problem. There has been no warning lamp, message or other symptoms yet. After my service in Nov. 2023 I noticed a slight whine when I accelerated. I had a friend mechanic look at it and he said it could be just because the tires had been rotated. A couple of months ago the whine started on deceleration. I took it to johnson auto in clovis, CA and they were the first ones to tell me it was in fact a transmission problem. I then called Toyota call center and was told that the vehicle needed to be inspected by one of their dealers, and then they could help me. I explained that I didn’t want to go spend more money on the inspection if Toyota would not do anything to help me, I already knew it had transmission problems. I took it to blackstone Toyota service center and they confirmed that the transmission is going out, at only 7800 miles. I called the Toyota call center and was told that since it is out of warranty they will do nothing to help me with this problem. I told them the prior agent I had spoken to said that Toyota would help me. I was told they will do nothing else to help and there was no one else I could talk to about the transmission problems. I was told that they didn’t know of any problems with the 2017 Toyota Highlander and that there were no recalls. I told them that there were lots of complaints about the Toyota Highlander online and I was surprised that they didn’t seem to know anything about the Highlanders having transmission problems. Many people in my same circumstances with expensive repairs way too soon on their Highlanders.

Purchased a brand new 2017 Toyota Highlander xle 9 years ago. I followed all recommended maintenance and service schedules from the manufacturer. There has always been a faint whine noise present during acceleration. In December of 2023 and about 112,000 miles the transmission began to slip in gears 3 and 4. I brought the vehicle into balise Toyota in west springfield, MA for diagnostic services. It was determined that my automatic transmission was failing and needed replacement. Luckily I had purchased an extended warranty through all state and the repairs were covered under warranty. The cost of this repair was upwards of $9,000, so at the time I felt extremely fortunate. That was 2 years ago but my luck would only last so much. Since the remanufacturered transmission was installed by Toyota there has always been a faint whine noise during acceleration. I summed it up to a bad serpentine belt, pulley or alternator because how could it be the new transmission that had been installed? there is only 37,000 driven miles on it and you would expect it to last much longer. Well expectations are just that, expectations. The reality is I am now back to square one because my transmission is beginning to fail yet again. I experienced the transmission slip between 3rd and 4th gears twice on my way home from work yesterday. I set up an appointment at balise Toyota in west springfield, MA for tomorrow 03-29-26. My question is how can an 8 1/2 year old vehicle with 150,000 miles on it be in need of a third transmission? the answer is because of defective manufacturing and engineering. There are several class action lawsuits that have been filed in as many months due to the ua80 transmission found in Toyota Highlanders 2017 - present. There are documented claims that Toyota knowingly installed defective ua80 transmissions into these vehicles.

Highlander shift issue 11/14/2023 on 11/14/2023, our 2017 Toyota Highlander, VIN# 5tdjzrfh5hs397922, upon driving the transmission decided on its own to disengage. Our Highlander stopped propelling itself in either direction. We had to manually push our vehicle into a parking spot and await the tow truck. Our Highlander is in mint condition with 71,400 miles on it. This was scary because the vehicle would shift on the shifter, but for some reason the transmission would not engage. The engine worked perfectly fine. We had the Highlander towed to the nearest Toyota dealer who pushed the vehicle into their garage and placed on a lift. The Highlander had no idiot lights on, no cable issues, fluid was fine per the Toyota technician. The Toyota tech placed the vehicle on their main computer and there were no error codes. The tech reset the computer on the vehicle with a Toyota master computer, and the vehicle started to work as normal. I consider this a huge issue and I thank god that my wife was not on the interstate highway when this happened.

About two weeks prior to the transmission failing, I started hearing a high-pitched whining coming from the transmission, difficulty shifting, and lurching forward when engaging the gear. On the evening of October 4th, my wife was driving at 65 mph on a busy freeway in atlanta when the vehicle lost acceleration. She was nearly hit while stopped on the freeway. Fortunately, kind motorists got out of their cars and pushed her to the side of the road. The car was towed to a Toyota service shop, and we were advised they could not do the repairs. The mechanic stated it was a known internal Toyota issue. I did some research online and found hundreds of posts from Highlander owners of 2017-18 vehicles complaining about issues with the transmission failing. I found Toyota customer support bulletin pol 19-04 dated 4/18/2019, repair coverage for ua80 transmission on certain 2017-2018 my sienna and certain 2017-2018 my Highlander vehicles. The mechanic said the failure code with a failed transaxle and all the symptoms my vehicle experienced were consistent with the bulletin. My time period for the bulletin was for cars produced from November 2016 to December 2017. My vehicle’s manufacturing date was 12/8/2016. Toyota claims my vehicle although produced during this time was not impacted. It is my belief that Toyota was aware of multiple failures on ua80 transmissions on vehicles produced from 2016 to 2020 and deliberately identified a smaller number to avoid a recall.

Driving on the highway vehicle suddenly drop speed. I was able to exit but not proceed forward once exiting. The vehicle was towed and diagnosed with need for new transmission. There was a customer support program bulletin pol 19-04 noting similar problems. However, Toyota is stating this 2017 is not associated with the program. The whine noise and reduced power are all listed with this program. The vehicle sudden reduce power may have resulted in a major accident on busy atlanta highways. A known transmission issue that Toyota is not willing to support customer in resolving is unbelievable. I was basically told because the vehicle was not serviced at a Toyota dealership regularly, they cannot support.

Several times on the highway when getting up to speeds around 70mph the transmission would rev but not accelerate or maintain speed - usually slowing to around 40-50mph or slower depending on the hill grade. The check engine light came on, initially was told it was probably a fluke. The mechanic couldn’t get it to do the same thing for him. Brought it back again when the issue persisted. He suspected the transmission was slipping, referred me to the dealer. The light was off by then, the dealer said they couldn’t diagnose with no light so we needed to wait until it came on. It finally came on while driving on i71 but the car completely lost all power and I was stranded on the side of the highway and had to be towed to the dealer. I did a quick google search and saw a class action suit for this vehicle and year in which the plaintiffs complained of the same issues. Toyota opened an extended warranty on vehicles with this transmission. I called Toyota to see if my VIN was included and they confirmed it is. The person I spoke with (“cannon”) assigned case # 20612000768. Per the dealer, my vehicle only met half of the criteria to be included under the program. We were stuck with a $6,149 bill to replace the transmission. The dealer won’t even guarantee it for 30 days because it’s a used Toyota transmission, which to me speaks volumes.

Transmission lost power while driving and began to slip. Had to pull over immediately. Check engine light illuminated. Happened again several more times before I was able to take to dealer. Dealer was able to reproduce and diagnosed as transmission failure requiring replacement for $10k. Due to the low miles and age (6 years, 3 months) I requested that Toyota help cover costs which they declined to do. This is a dangerous situation and I believe Toyota should have fixed as goodwill.

Transmission problem in our 2017 Toyota Highlander started at 104k miles. Unfortunately for us out of warranty and lucky for dealer and manufacture who shifted the cost to consumer outside warranty. We experienced delayed and sudden shifting, slow at accelerating. One day the engine kept revving but car was not moving. Also reverse gear stopped working. We brought the car to local dealer, who gave us every excuse in the world that it was our driving habit, we take it off roading etc etc. The truth I am a very careful driver which I am sure the dealer laughed at me for saying that. Never took the car off roading, or on monthly long trips. All services were completed by the dealer. The quoted us a cost of $9500 plus tax plus $250 diagnosing fee. Also reported the issue to Toyota consumer line, got the same answer car is outside warranty and no cost sharing as no official recall has been issued. Upon doing some research, we came across similar issues reported by same model. The sad part is local dealership was fully aware of similar issue, yet they failed to warn customers or suggest necessary repairs while the car had full warranty. A tech at dealer even said, they are not going to suggest it as in that case the repair would have to be done at dealers expense. How, is this ethically right to leave the consumer in dark, at risk on the road and blame the problem on bad driving habit? this is perfect case of bad dealership and a company hiding their problem. Wait till actually someone dies to issue a recall?.

On March 9, 2022, the transmission in my 2017 Toyota Highlander completely failed while I was driving on a busy road during rush-hour traffic. I was approaching a stop light and was braking when the vehicle lunged forward and then stopped moving. I pressed the accelerator to move up to the stop light but the vehicle would not move, even though it was in drive gear. I changed the gear to park and then back to drive and the vehicle still would not move. The engine was revving and the rpms were increasing but the vehicle would not move while in drive gear. I also tried to reverse but the vehicle still would not move. I had to exit the vehicle and ask for assistance from other motorists to physically push my vehicle off the road into a parking lot so as not to continue blocking the busy road. I called for a tow truck which towed my vehicle to scott clark Toyota city dealership in matthews, north carolina. They inspected the vehicle and the next day let me know that transmission had completely failed. They added that they had never experienced this and it was especially unusual on such a new vehicle. The vehicle was only 5 years old and only had 45,000 miles with no prior issue or warning. We bought the vehicle new in 2017 and it has been serviced regularly by a Toyota dealership. Thankfully, the vehicle was still under factory warranty and the transmission was replaced at no cost to me.

When the vehicle was ~1. 5 years old following its 10,000 mile maintenance, substantial thumping generated from the rear of the vehicle. Each time, the dealership attempted to resolve the problem finding issues with struts; however, it only went away in late March after having the vehicle in the shop for weeks at a time on 5 different occasions Nov 2018 - Mar 2019. I engaged Toyota hq (800-331-4331) - filing report #1901092572 - requesting an exchange of the vehicle. This was denied and I was offered a 8 year warranty. To covid, I rarely drove this vehicle through 2020 and most of 2021, where to date, I have only ~34,000 miles on the vehicle. -on 21 oct 2021, my wife was stopped at a gas station and attempted to start the vehicle. The vehicle would not start and the following lights came on without previous warning: 1)braking power low, 2)maintenance needed soon, & 3)orange yellow triangle lit up with exclamation mark. My wife was stranded for 3 hours and the vehicle had to be towed. The dealership informed me that Toyota installed a generic battery into the vehicle (when being sold) that was only to have 4-5 years of life; however, my concern was that this vehicle had just completed maintenance and there was no warning of this upcoming issue. When repaired, I had to pay for the name brand (true start) battery. -on 16 Jan 2022, after having driven the Highlander for 25 minutes, I started the engine while in a parking lot. While moving forward and the engine still going, the brakes and power steering went out. On the dashboard, the same lights that came on in oct 2021, did so again. I had to let the vehicle coast (having no control) with my wife and child in the car through the parking lot. It came to a stop at the concrete parking curb stop at a store front. Toyota stated that since there was no check engine light that there was no code and they could not duplicate the problem. The vehicle was sent back to me with no resolution or explanation.