general problems of the 2020 Toyota Highlander

Three problems related to suspension have been reported for the 2020 Toyota Highlander. The most recently reported issues are listed below. Please also check out the statistics and reliability analysis of the 2020 Toyota Highlander based on all problems reported for the 2020 Highlander.

1 Suspension problem

Failure Date: 04/11/2025

It’s been a known issue that Toyota Highlander has transmission problems under 100k miles from 2016-2021 or later (social media sites confirmed such). My vehicle require a trans axle replacement as well as the struts are leaking oil and my vehicle has less than 62k miles and is only 5 years old. This is being covered under my extended warranty but parts are on back order after doing research many owners complain about a whining noise showing acceleration of vehicle . If left unfixed this leads to transmission gears slipping and eventually needing an entire replacement some owners also complain about leaky struts. My car has an issue with leaky struts and is being fixed under warranty some owners say they need an entire new transmission and after that is replaced the rear transaxle goes and needs replacement Toyota is not putting a recall on this but it’s a known issue. Owners are asking to have this put out as a recall by toy. All parts are on back order and takes several months before transmission can be repaired or replaced. This tells me there are hundreds if not thousands of Highlander’s having the same issue this is a Toyota problem and is related to building transmission in the factory. . Recall the older vehicles and do better in the factory.

2 Suspension problem

Failure Date: 01/05/2024

Both front struts and bearing plates failed at 75k miles. They were leaking oil before that mileage. Approximate date of failure was 1/5/24. No parts were available until now. Parts were on back-order for upwards of a year for this model of Highlander in the fwd configuration, with 18” wheels. Prematurely failure causes a lot of bouncing in the car, therefore making the vehicle unresponsive to quick steering maneuvers. The bounce also made it so that typical driving within the city is dangerous as the bounce makes the car difficult to control. This is an issue that is documented on Toyota forums for fwd models. An accident has not been caused by this failure as of yet. Vehicle will be repaired soon. Mechanic was finally able to get two factory struts and bearing plates. Each strut is $200 and mounting plates are about $150 each. Parts + labor are expensive, but at least now it will be fixed.

3 Suspension problem

Failure Date: 04/12/2023

Front strut leaking fluid. Needs replacement. Seals worn out below 36,000 miles.


Other Suspension related problems of the 2020 Toyota Highlander

Suspension problems
3
Suspension Noise problems
2


Highlander Service Bulletins
Highlander Safety Recalls
Highlander Defect Investigations