general problems of the 2019 Toyota Highlander - part 2

My wife was driving here Highlander at freeway speeds when the vehicle started slowing and would not respond to the throttle. No warnings lights. It would drive but not accelerate to any reasonable speed. She pulled off the freeway and found a parking lot to test, restart car, etc. Again, no warning lights. Once in park, the vehicle would not shift into gear but only revved. The vehicle could not be driven and towed to a Toyota dealer and after a number of tests, it was diagnosed as a blown transmission. It was replaced at great expense. I do not know what the dealer did with the transmission but it was not tested. The safety issue is the sudden and expected loss of power/drive train on a freeway. The vehicle has been well maintained. At 100k, plugs and transmission fluid were replaced. Although the vehicle had around 130k miles, the transmission should not have failed in my opinion.

With under 80,000 miles, my 2019 Toyota Highlander xle needed a full transmission replacement. Noticed some rough gear changes for about 2-weeks (mostly changing from park to drive), then on my drive home from work, the rpm spiked high and all the sensor lights came on (awd, check engine, etc). I drove the rest of the way with hazard lights in limp-mode. Took my car into a Toyota dealer service center (kenosha WI), they did not make any repairs - just disabled the sensor lights and did a test drive - ended up keeping a 2nd day and replaced transmission fluid since they were seeing oddities with shifting. Within 1 week, the same thing happened. This time, I could hardly make it above 20 mph, basically no acceleration. Received 2 quotes from independent transmission specialists / repair shops - both confirmed I needed a new transmission. They said the car is unsafe to drive until it is replaced. This was right near my 6-year 100,000 warranty. Perhaps a few months beyond 6 years. Toyota opted not to make any repairs / improvements. Left the car in unsafe condition for me and my kids. Toyota then quoted $16,346 for a new transmission. Other quotes I received were $10,000 less than Toyota, using new Toyota parts. Seemed like price gauging to me.

Transmission failure resulted in sudden loss of power while driving, creating a safety risk in traffic. Vehicle was unable to accelerate and required immediate repair. Put myself and my children at risk, as the car suddenly died while I was driving it. Prior to this, there were not issues. Has been routinely maintained and only has approx 83k miles. Toyota agreed that the transmission is the only issue with my car but won't cover the cost to replace it (10k) or the cost of a loaner vehicle. I have been without a car for almost a month while the (refurbished) transmission is on backorder.

Transmission problems at 62000 miles high pitched whine with acceleration.

The vehicle is relatively new 2019 and mileage is low 45000 car was humming for no reason for a day or two and its well maintained, today at busy thoroughfare it stalled at intersection of Ave u and another street and was behaving erratically due to know manufacture defect of Toyota transmission ua80e/f that causes sudden stall and thank god have. I stalled on highway it would have been a catastrophe. I want NHTSA to acknowledge danger this poses to drivers if suden loss of power occurs suddenly hoping for a solution to this dangerous manufacture defect.

•what component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? transmission and power train failure during normal operation. Vehicle was occupied by mother and two small children. Vehicle produced a whining noise, delay in shifting and power failure. No warning lights appeared to give any indication of failure prior to occurring. Vehicle is available for inspection. •how was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? vehicle stalled during normal operation. No warning indicators were present. No ability to proceed to shoulder. Traffic hazard in middle of road. Possibility of being rear ended increased. Exiting the vehicle in traffic to determine fault increase probability of being struck. Two young children seated to the rear should vehicle be rear ended due to sudden stop could cause catastrophic injuries or death. •has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? yes, vehicle was taken and diagnostic conducted by glendora Toyota. Vehicle was kept overnight. Dealer determined that vehicle had a transmission failure. Multiple articles and bulletins by Toyota indicating and acknowledging transmission failures in 2019 Toyota Highlander. •has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? vehicle has only been inspected by glendora Toyota service personnel. •were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? no warning lights or indicators. Whining noise was heard prior and taken to glendora Toyota for diagnosis. They advised no problems with vehicle.

Premature failure of ua80f transmission with 80,000 miles on vehicle which has been regularly serviced and maintained. Failure symptoms demonstrated match documented cases exactly resulting in the ultimate and complete failure of the transmission resulting in the vehicle being towed in to the dealer for a repair. Repair bill upwards of $10,000 however being told parts not available leaving me with a 40k vehicle that is unable to be repaired.

My vehicle was taken into Toyota dealership for diagnostics after experiencing a whine noise from transmission after driving. Toyota confirmed that I will need a new transmission. After researching I found that there is a defect in the transmissions for my specific type. It has been reported for years but Toyota has not addressed. Since it is a transmission failure this could lead to a breakdown while driving on highways and could risk my safety and other drivers. The estimated repair cost are currently above $8k.

Transmission failure. Vehicle is at this time still operational however the transmission has developed the ever so common whining sound and sluggish shifting. Upon fluid inspection metal filings can be seen and replacement has been recommended by repair shop. The whining has been evident for some time but after investigating this issue decided to have inspected. This inspection was just completed on 11/14/25.

Around halloween 2025 my Toyota’s transmission started slipping. I called a few places and no one except Toyota would address the issue except a local shop in [xxx] , ridge auto repair who after checking out the vehicle said they can’t repair it because the parts are not available November 6th, 2025, the shop lag llc was recommended to me by a family member, and they came to check out the Toyota, and they were convinced it was the torque converter and wanted $1300 to fix it. I paid them and after a few weeks they claimed it was the transmission and wanted more money which they were paid. Weeks went by and no updates from them and they weren’t responding to my messages. When they finally responded they started saying the starter was bad, the differential, the fly wheel, etc, again, we paid them more money, and again weeks went by without any updates. We paid a total of $9000. 00 their last attempt to fix the vehicle also failed and I’m left with a vehicle with no transmission, the entire front end taken apart and scattered all over my property and this was their last response. “OH lord. So the original place we got the transmission from denied the warranty, but at the time it wasnt a problem we have insurance. So we summited a claim and thats why it was going to be shipped from another place. Well they kept telling me that it was coming this day then that day. I got a letter denying the claim instead. I have tried to fight it, but they ended up dropping us after that. We are willing to install one in for free if your able to get your hands on one, because this whole ordeal has been a nightmare, but we got denied due to mileage with the claim. There was a difference in our timestamped pictures and the adress of where it went once it left. So they said it was driven on with a problem, because it was moved to there with a problem thats what they are denying my claims to fight it. I didn't want to say anything until it was final and we kne information redacted pursuant to the freedom of informa.

The car started making a wining noise while accelerating. The car was brought to my local dealer where I always have my service done and they said I need a new transmission. The cost will be approx. $9,300. 00. The car has less than 84,000 miles on it and is just 6 years old. Every recommend service has been done to date.

Our 2019 Toyota Highlanders transmission is gone. The car has 83,000 miles. I have been researching online and found out that Toyota is very much aware of the problem. They're refusing to help me. They're basing it on our VIN#. No recalls. I just want them to acknowledge that the issue needs to be addressed now.

Owners of 2017–2022 Toyota Highlanders, 2017–2020 siennas, and 2018–2020 camrys are experiencing serious transmission issues—including high-pitched whining, erratic shifting, clunks, hesitation, and premature failure. These vehicles are equipped with the ua80f (awd) and ua80e (fwd) 8-speed automatic transmissions. Toyota quietly acknowledged the problem in technical service bulletins t-sb-0160-18, t-sb-0008-21, and a limited customer support program (csp zjc)—but only offered coverage to a narrow group of vins. Thousands of other affected vehicles were left out, even though they show the same exact symptoms.

Ua80 transmission problems like everyone else. Just paid it off and it’s under 100k and the transmission gave out. It’s $11k to fix it. I have it l the proper maintenance at Toyota.

My car does have a similar transmission as the one that was recall in siannas, and camrys. I have experience the same serious transmission issues—including high-pitched whining, erratic shifting, clunks, hesitation, and premature failure. These vehicles are equipped with the ua80f (awd) and ua80e (fwd) 8-speed automatic transmissions.

Bearly 60 k miles and transmission is going out I got a Toyota because it was reliable did all the required maintenance and Toyota won’t even help.

I am writing to you as a deeply loyal Toyota customer who is facing a distressing and financially significant situation with my 2019 Toyota Highlander. Our family has been committed Toyota owners for several decades. Over the years, we have owned a Toyota corolla, camry, and multiple Highlanders — and we currently drive two Toyota vehicles. We have consistently chosen Toyota over other brands because of the trust we place in your engineering, reliability, and the value Toyota stands behind. We even replaced all of our Honda vehicles with Toyotas because of that trust. We purchased our 2019 Toyota Highlander during the covid-19 pandemic, paying above market value because we believed in the Toyota brand and its long-standing reputation for durability. We have never regretted that decision — until now. At approximately 95,000 miles, our Highlander began exhibiting a high-pitched humming noise and gear slippage. We brought the vehicle to our Toyota dealership, who diagnosed the issue as a complete transmission failure. The repair estimate provided was $17,000. We were also informed that this repair would not be covered under any existing warranty. We are not only shocked by the severity and cost of this failure on a well-maintained, 7-year-old vehicle — we are also deeply concerned by what we discovered in our research. There appear to be hundreds of complaints from other Toyota Highlander owners reporting the exact same transmission issue, across the same model years, suggesting this may be a widespread and systemic defect rather than an isolated incident. Given this context, we respectfully ask Toyota to consider the following: 1. A goodwill warranty exception or partial/full coverage of the transmission repair cost, in recognition of our long-standing loyalty and the apparent prevalence of this issue across multiple vehicles. 2. An acknowledgment of the reported pattern of transmission failures in the 2019 Highlander, and whether Toyota is investigating or plan.

Vehicle stalled on highway. Went into limp mode. Took to Toyota and they said I need a new transmission. The car only has 139k miles. 2019. I purchased it 1 year ago from Toyota with 101k miles.

Transmission failed at 143,000 miles. Initially vehicle lost acceleration and would not go over 60mph. Then vehicle would not go into drive, and instead rolled backwards. Vehicle was towed to dealership where they provided a report saying it needed a new transmission that would cost $9,000. No warning lights were ever present on vehicle, it just stopped operating.

2019 Toyota Highlander xle with 94,000 miles. This past Friday, the transmission started slipping. . . Slow to move while pushing the gas pedal. After about 20 minutes, was slipping less. Pulled code p2757 off of obd. By Monday, the car wouldn't move despite revving up to 3500-4000 rpm. Reverse would work, but not first gear. Called aaa and had it towed to a shop. Shop didn't give me codes, but said there were several. They reported that the transmission needed to be replaced or rebuilt.

Transmission. Taken to dealership immediately. Notified that the transmission was going to have to be replaced. Notified there were no transmissions available or re-manufactured transmissions available, that our warranty was up 3 months prior to this date and we would have to spend in the range of $8500-$12,200 to get it fixed when a transmission was available. Warranty company did decide to cover some of the cost, but we were out of pocket almost $4000. This problem did not gradually appear, it was instant on the date the incident occurred. Filed a complaint with Toyota, they will not take responsibility and reimburse us any money. This should not be a problem with a Toyota with this many miles on it and they should take responsibility.

The contact owns a 2019 Toyota Highlander. The contact stated that while driving 40 mph uphill and depressing the accelerator pedal, the contact heard a grinding sound and smelled an odor coming from the front of the vehicle. A dealer was contacted. The vehicle was towed to a dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure and opened a case. The approximate failure mileage was 160,000.

My car was having trouble shifting gears and then every single light came on indicating a big problem. The check engine light came on, it said abs off and went through a bunch of different things saying they all turned off and would barely roll at 2mph. I took it in and it needs a full transmission replacement at barely 73,000 miles. Upon looking into it, I saw online that this is a common issue that Toyota still has not issued an official recall for despite it being a very common issue. It’s a 2019 Toyota Highlander xle and should not be having these issues this early on.

The contact owns a 2019 Toyota Highlander. The contact stated that while driving approximately 35 mph, there was an abnormal whining sound coming from the vehicle. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact previously owned a 2017 Toyota Highlander and heard the same whining sound coming from the transmission. The contact stated that when the 2017 Toyota Highlander was taken to the dealer where the vehicle was purchased, the contact was offered a trade of the 2017 Toyota Highlander for the 2019 Toyota Highlander. Following the failure of the 2019 Highlander, the vehicle was taken to two different dealers to be diagnosed. The first dealer had not diagnosed the vehicle but stated that the vehicle was operating normally. The vehicle was taken to another dealer, who diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact researched the failure online and determined that the 2017 Highlander and the 2019 Highlander had the same model transmission, ua80f - cvt transmission. The manufacturer was informed of the failure and informed the contact that the vehicle was no longer under warranty. The failure mileage was approximately 133,000.

Engine revs up to 5k rpm by itself and barely moves forward when stepping on the accelerator. When it does move it’s only up to 40 miles per hour only and the engine will rev up to 5k rpm without moving any faster.

The 2019 hylander started whining when pressing the gas pedal. I had it checked out and found that it needs a new transmission but it is so prevalent of an issue with this vehicle that the transmission is on severe back order. Every complaint on the department of transportation website about this vehicle are about this issue save a handful. We should not be liable to pay for this repair nor for a rental car for months while we wait for the parts.

Issue 1: I reported transmission issued to the dealership/service center where I purchased the car. They assured me its just the electronic transmission trying to find the right gear while driving. Continued to complaint about the jerks and shifting. Dealer warranty expired, then they agreed that I needed a new transmission. Fortunately I had an outside extended warranty otherwise they'd probably would have waited until that ended too. Status post the transmission, tuning, sensor replacements, spark plug replacement, and tpms replacements all in one service. Prior to my warranty expiring, awd, engine light and hard transmission shifts began with the new transmission. Returned repeatedly from April to November with no resolution. However, they did have me pay to replace sensors I had replaced in April several times and obtain a new battery. Issue 2: after "new" batter the car's electrical issues worsened resulting in a power failure while driving at 75 miles an hour and losing complete control of the vehicle. The power failure shut down the electronic shifter, power steering, all wheel drive, traction control in raining conditions and ultimately the power assisted brakes. Returned the vehicle to the service department for additional "testing" after taking a video of the fault messages were the car electrical systems shut down to auto start stop function warning light. I'm a skill driver and was able to avoid crashing during the incidents. The photos are from the latest day I dropped the vehicle off for review I took a video of the vehicle powering down for their records. They are now stating since they can't figure it out maybe I should pay them to replace the electrical wiring harnesses throughout the vehicle; a cost which exceeds the vehicle's worth to me. I'm convinced now more than ever they knew there was an electrical issue with the vehicle but waited me out and if I would have crashed and died all the blame would have been on me.

128,000 miles and the transmission is making a whining sound that progressively gets worse with acceleration. Also has occasional erratic shift associated with no throttle response. Sound is obnoxiously loud on the freeway deeming it almost undriveable.

Whining noise when accelerator is pressed. Potential failed transmission.

Per my mechanic (fyi: 56k miles on vehicle): I test drove the vehicle and can hear a noticeable whine type noise when accelerating the noise goes away when getting off throttle. I put it on lift and the noise is coming from the transmission pump and sounds like cavitation. I checked the fluid level and it was overfull, very dark and has some very fine metal debris in the fluid. Something is coming apart inside the transmission has caused a catastrophic failure. The transmission will need replaced. I called Toyota to check availability and these transmission are on a restricted order. The dealer would need to call corporate Toyota to see what is needed to even order one. Usually a restricted order means they are on the edge of a back-order or having problems with the part and are working on a resolution or update. I did not see any recalls, service campaigns, or technical service bulletins for this transmission, but it sounds like the 2017-2021 v6 awd ua80f transmissions are having issues. It is a long shot, but given the low mileage, you could try contacting Toyota to see if there is anything they can do for you. I know the factory warranty is 60 months or 60,000 miles on the powertrain. You are out on the time, but if they are having a known issue, then maybe they will help you.

A couple of days ago, I started hearing a faint whining noise coming from my vehicle when I pressed on the gas pedal. When I brought my vehicle into the dealership today for my 100,000 mile service, I advised them of such. After raising the concern, I was told that there was an issue with my car's transmission and that it was not covered by the warranty as the warranty for that part ended at 75,000 miles. After looking up this issue and the cost to replace, I learned that this transmission issue is a prevalent issue with 2017-2021 Highlanders with over 60,000 miles. This issue is so prevalent that there is a huge backorder for parts needed to fix this specific issue. I have owned multiple Toyotas because of their reliability. I had a 4 runner that I used past 225,000 miles with no issues. The fact that I'm having an issue with a transmission issue with a vehicle with less than 100,000 miles on it that I always service every 5,000 miles at the Toyota dealership I bought the vehicle at is huge red flag and is making me reconsider my allegiance to the Toyota brand. The dealer has quoted me a price of $7,500 to fix the issue. I believe that Toyota should make this right as it is clear that this is a known and prevalent issue with the Highlanders. In fact, I'm surprised given the number of people complaining online that it is not the subject of a recall. As a lawyer, this sounds like an issue ripe for a class action. That being said, I am hoping that Toyota will work with me and pay for the repair and/or furnish me with a new car credit.

,at approx. 76,000 miles, we begin to hear a whine with acceleration. We also begin experiencing slight hesitation? it was diagnosed at the williams Toyota dealership in big flats new york 9/22/25. The dealership indicated the final drive gear bearing is starting to fail and we need to replace the transmission at the cost of $7472. 00 plus tax. We are aware of the several class action lawsuits that have been filed against Toyota regarding the ua80e/f 8-speed automatic transmissions. The litigation covers multiple Toyota models 2017 model year and onward including the Highlander.

The car only has 73, 000 miles on it and Toyota said it needs a new transmission. The car starting making a "whining" sound on acceleration so we took it into Toyota for diagnostic. We also found out that the rav 4, sequoia and tacoma were all recalled for this same year for transmission issues. Toyota is trying to charge us $10,000 to have the transmission replaced since it is no longer under warranty.

Transmission whine at 63k miles.

Transmission failure. Car will not drive or reverse. Engine turns on. I’m told that transmissions are on back order with no eta.