Automatic Transmission problems of the 2021 Toyota Highlander

Three problems related to automatic transmission have been reported for the 2021 Toyota Highlander. The most recently reported issues are listed below. Please also check out the statistics and reliability analysis of the 2021 Toyota Highlander based on all problems reported for the 2021 Highlander.

1 Automatic Transmission problem

Failure Date: 08/31/2026

The contact owns a 2021 Toyota Highlander. The contact stated that while driving 22 mph, there was an abnormal sound coming from the vehicle. The dealer was contacted by phone and made aware of the failure. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed with transmission failure. The contact was informed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was contacted by phone, and a case was filed. The contact was informed that the repair was not covered under recall. The failure mileage was approximately 58,000.

2 Automatic Transmission problem

Failure Date: 03/01/2026

My vehicle has 67,100 miles. A whining/whistling noise recently started and the dealer has diagnosed that a new transmission is needed at a cost of $6,000-$8,000 and it is out of warranty. Researching this shows that this is a known manufacturing defect referred to under t-sb-0008-21. I am concerned that my transmission will fail while I am operating the vehicle.

3 Automatic Transmission problem

Failure Date: 08/21/2025

The contact owns a 2021 Toyota Highlander. The contact stated that while driving at 40 mph, there was an abnormal whining sound coming from the front of the vehicle. There was no warning light illuminated. The dealer was contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 49,729.


Other Power Train related problems of the 2021 Toyota Highlander

Power Train problems
217
Automatic Transmission problems
3


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