Equipment Problems of Toyota Highlander - part 1

Transmission just started shifting extremely hard between first and second gear. Turning snow mode on stops the shifting problem so I know it’s an internal issue with the transmission. The Highlander xle only has 67,748 miles. Way to early for a transmission issue.

See all problems of the 2018 Toyota Highlander 🔎.

Loud ear-piercing noise when vehicle is started. Noise lasts about five seconds.

See all problems of the 2019 Toyota Highlander 🔎.

I called Toyota as I was concerned it was sluggish and was having trouble excelerating the appointment was given to me 2 weeks out but was told if anything happens to just bring her in. I had to bring her in the week of the appointment on a tow truck as she was not moving. I was told it’s a faulty transmission I asked if it’s covered by my extended warranty and because it’s over by 4 miles it’s not.

We were driving on the highway and heard what sounded like a gun shot. Our sunroof had exploded. Luckily the interior door was closed or we would have been showered with glass. There was no one around, no rocks or road debris. It just came out of nowhere!.

See all problems of the 2020 Toyota Highlander 🔎.

The 8 speed automatic transmission is failing at 100k miles. Whining noises are heard and after being taken to Toyota dealerships mechanic, we were told that the gear mesh or bearing is bad and that we'll need to replace the transmission. We were told that many other Highlanders have experienced the same issues. No light popped up before or during driving while the transmission is whining.

Started with a transmission whining. Now is setting check engine light and jerking. Toyota knows there is a manufacturing defect in the ua80 transmission in these vehicles, but continued to sell them even after the released TSB# t-sb-0008-21, and refuses to repair this under warranty. Toyota is the only company offering replacement transmissions and therefore can set there own price to scam consumers. Please help us get a resolution.

See all problems of the 2021 Toyota Highlander 🔎.

The car was parked at work and noticed the shattered panoramic moonroof when I got into leave.

See all problems of the 2022 Toyota Highlander 🔎.

I was traveling on an interstate going home from work. My speed was approximately 65mph. I noticed traffic slowing up ahead. I began to drop my speed (cost down), as I was approaching the traffic the car in front of me was applying their brakes; I had already began to apply mine. I was applying more pressure to my brakes to slow down more as the person in front of me began to slow more quickly. The person in front of me then had to slam their brakes on and I was not able to stop in time to avoid collision with the car in front of me. That driver did not come in contact with any other vehicle. The impact was at approximately 50mph. I was then very quickly hit from behind by the car behind me. The vehicle behind me hit of center and more on the right back corner of my car. My vehicle sustained significant front-end damage; the hood was folded, the grill was gone, the radiator was pushed back. As I looked up after the impact and saw my hood folded I then noticed that my air bag had not gone off. How could the air bag have not gone off in an impact such as that. My safety was compromised by the possibility of hitting the steering wheel or worse such as impacting the windshield if the crash had been worse. I do not remember if my vehicle had side curtain air bags as well. No air bags deployed. Law enforcement was called by the driver of the car I rear ended as we agreed that she would. The driver of the vehicle that hit me I believe also called 911. Highway patrol responded along with state incident response vehicles to protect the scene. I have filed a claim with my insurance, and the vehicle was looked at and deemed a total loss. It is not available for inspection and was taken to a salvage yard per the insurance company. I did not notice any lights on on the dash after. I also did not encounter any issues before this. I had the vehicle just over a year.

See all problems of the 2016 Toyota Highlander 🔎.

Lift gate stuttering at 49k bought new. Available for inspection. Have yet to bring to dealer because they need the vehicle for the whole day. No warnings etc just loud opening. Concerned it could give way when I am grabbing groceries at any time. Seems like a widely reported issue.

See all problems of the 2023 Toyota Highlander 🔎.

During rain, the a-pillar and headliner show evidence of a leak. Open source research found this is likely due to faulty or poor quality components used in the roof rail system. My vehicle is completely stock with no additions or installations on the roof, just the factory rails.

While waiting for a traffic light to change, I pressed the pedal to accelerate, and the car would not move. Like my pedal was dead. I have experienced this issue three times. I have also experienced bucking or jerking issues.

I have another issue that has never happened to me before. The front passenger door just popped open while I was sitting at a red light. I had just driven for over 2 hours with it closed and locked and it made a weird sound and shifted. The light on my dash came on and I had to unlock the doors and reach over to try to open and shut the door while I was at an intersection. Help.

The screen is going out. The back tailgate hangs up and doesn’t go down.

The front bumper assembly has come off our 2023 Highlander twice since purchase 2 years ago, the first time the entire bumper was pulled off while on the freeway(terrified my wife) and we had to pull it off and put it in the back on the Highlander and bring it to the dealership. Courtesy Toyota of brandon . This was supposedly fixed with Toyota recall campaign 23ta12 . Approximately one year later we noticed it was coming off once again, this time I tried to push it back myself but was unable to hook it up correctly and brought into the dealership. While they do recognize the vehicle is unsafe , and that there was a recall for this issue , they say it is not covered in the safety recall. I believe this is incorrect, and the recall either does not properly rectify the issue or this is a new safety concern.

Glass in sunroof exploded, loudly, while driving on interstate, at 65 miles an hour, showering passenger and driver in shards of glass. There was no impact to the sunroof. Just a loud explosion. Heavy traffic at high speed while covered in glass had to make emergency stop. Glass could have easily gotten in our eyes. Thank goodness the two of us were wearing a ball cap and a visor. Would gladly have car available for inspection upon request. We will take pictures.

Tailgate struts failed within 2k miles of the 3/36k warranty. Even with the power back door feature "off", the struts are not simply converted to normal manual hydraulics. To lift the gate and close the gate it takes significant effort and I injured my shoulder while trying to lift it while holding items I didn't want to get wet on the ground during a rain event.

The part that failed is the driver side mirror cover. It has never been struck by anything and just flew off the side of the car while driving on the highway. This part flying off the car could cause an accident if striking a motorist, motorcycle, pedestrian. I do not have the part that flew off because I can't go back and pick it up off the highway. This just happened today. I have called a body shop to order a new part. The plastic part can only be replaced by purchasing the whole $1500 side mirror assembly. There was no sign that it was going fly off the car as there has never been struck by anything. It was in perfect shape just as the rest of the car.

My driver side rear door handle comes off when I open the door. I am having the dealership look into this on 8/28/2025.

See all problems of the 2024 Toyota Highlander 🔎.

All at once the windows, moon roof, blinkers, reverse lights, running lights and brake lights stopped working - also the automatic headlight function stopped working and we must turn on and off the headlights or risk draining the battery. It's interesting to note that the flashers work, but the blinkers do not. The wipers, radio, cruise control, etc. Are all fine. It appears all fuses associated with these items are intact - I don't know how to check the viability of the relays, but have been told it could be a relay and or a ground wire. I've purchased a new multifunction blinker headlight replacement switch and a master window replacement switch to see if this will resolve the issue - but the fact that it happened all at the same time concerns me that it could be electrical or wiring. All the wires under the dash are intact.

See all problems of the 2005 Toyota Highlander 🔎.

Whining noise upon accelerating. Diagnosed as bad transmission by a Toyota dealership. No warning indicator 62,500 miles.

The side mirrors (more on the drivers side) have a vibration in them no matter how smooth of a road in which I am driving. This causes the visual to be blurred and makes me dizzy. I have been driving for 30 years and not one other vehicle I have ever driven or owned has had this problem. I see that there are many other complaints online about this issue and this needs to be a recall as my dealership won’t deem it a problem under my warranty. This is a significant problem.

Went to close the right rear passenger door and heard splashing. Door is leaking from somewhere and running down to the bottom of the door filling it with water on the inside.

Transmission. I believe the transmission is defective. A lot of customers has complained that Toyota Highlander 2021 transmission is defective I was driving my car and the transmission went bad, I could not move my car again. I had to tow it to a mechanic and they diagnose that the transmission is bad.

On August 3, 2025, the vehicle developed a loud humming noise. After an inspection on August 12, heritage Toyota informed me that the transmission had failed and would require replacement at an estimated cost of $9,000. This failure occurred only days past the five-year warranty and just 8,834 miles beyond the 60,000-mile powertrain limit. I immediately contacted Toyota’s brand engagement center (case #250814000192). Despite speaking with multiple representatives over several weeks, my inquiries were repeatedly delayed, escalated, or dismissed. At one point, I was even informed that further follow-up on my case would be deleted through Toyota website. Ultimately, I was offered 50% coverage of the transmission replacement. While I appreciate this offer, it does not fully address the seriousness of a transmission failure occurring under such circumstances. I also contacted heritage Toyota directly to request assistance, but my calls to the service manager went unanswered, and the dealership declined to provide any additional support. I believe this situation raises concerns about both product quality and customer care. A transmission should not fail in under five years with fewer than 70,000 miles, especially on a well-maintained vehicle serviced exclusively by Toyota. I respectfully request that Toyota be held accountable for this failure and that further review be conducted to determine whether this issue represents a larger pattern of premature transmission failures in Highlanders.

While driving, I began noticing a high-pitched whining or buzzing noise when pressing the accelerator, particularly at low speeds. The sound resembles an electric or remote-control car and rises in pitch with engine rpms. The noise disappears when I release the gas pedal. A mechanic initially suspected a wheel bearing, but after further inspection, it appears the noise is coming from the transmission or drivetrain. I later discovered that this issue is widespread among 2017–2020 Toyota Highlander models equipped with the ua80e/ua80f 8-speed automatic transmission, which has been associated with internal gear and pump whine. Toyota has issued customer support program pol19-04 and technical service bulletin t-sb-0008-21 addressing similar transmission whine and gear damage, but my vehicle is outside the standard 5-year/60,000-mile warranty and was not included in the extended coverage list, even though the symptoms match exactly. The problem appears to be a design or component defect within the ua80-series transmission, leading to premature wear and potential failure. This can affect drivability, safety during acceleration, and could result in transmission failure without warning.

My car only has just over 70,000 miles and my transmission failed. I get regular maintenance services when needed and never had any prior issues with transmission. I was driving when the transmission failed on me leaving me stuck on the road. I took the car to Toyota service center and was told it needs to be replaced and no further details.

Instrument cluster.

3 of the 4 door lock actuators do not work properly. Some don't lock and some don't unlock. The only door that currently works is the driver's door. If I don't realize that a door did not lock someone can break into my vehicle.

The ac stopped working on our 2019 Highlander. The vehicle has very little corrosion underneath or in the engine bay, yet the rear ac lines have corroded at a location where two different types of metal contact each other. This has been happening with many Highlanders after 5 years, and the cost to replace is expensive.

The sunroof glass on our 2021 Highlander unexplainably shattered on our ride home on 7/20/25 at approximately 12:30pm. Sky was overcast, and the temperature was in the mid 80's. We had just entered the highway and were still accelerating to highway speed. We were not near a pedestrian overpass where a rock could have been tossed from above. Broken glass edges are pointing upward. The sunroof was in the fully closed position and not tilted. Safety would have been at extreme risk if we did not have the inner slide closed. The vehicle has not yet been inspected by the Toyota dealership or insurance.

I think there is odometer fraud by this company selling this car. [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

See all problems of the 2012 Toyota Highlander 🔎.

I own a Toyota and have always been a strong supporter of the brand — I truly believe Toyota’s reliability and build quality are unmatched. That’s why I was shocked and disappointed to discover that the paint on the roof of my car, especially near the sunroof, had started peeling. I left for a two-week trip, and when I returned in June 2025, I noticed that the paint had begun to flake and peel severely. The surface felt brittle and dry, and simply touching the area caused more paint to come off. It was clear that the damage had occurred during sun exposure while I was away. I later learned that Toyota had launched a customer support program related to paint issues on white vehicles, but I was completely unaware that it existed or that it had ended in 2024. Had I known, I would have brought the vehicle in sooner. My car only started showing signs of this defect in mid-2025, well after the program had expired. I’m reporting this because I believe the issue is still ongoing and more widespread than Toyota may realize. As a loyal Toyota owner and enthusiast, this experience has been incredibly frustrating and disappointing.

See all problems of the 2013 Toyota Highlander 🔎.

My 2021 Toyota Highlander, purchased with 16k miles, has a leak in the ac system in the rear of the vehicle (as of may 2025, at 3 years 10 months into the vehicle's service, with 28k miles). This pipe runs the length of the car and costs $2000-$3000 to repair. This was confirmed at an independent service center that used leak detection dye to identify the problem. I am finding multiple reports of people having this problem in young Toyota vehicles (<4 years old) and with low miles. I believe this is a design flaw and not indicative of normal corrosion, as the vehicle does not exhibit corrosion elsewhere in the under carriage.

Car is shaking heavily when stopped. Several misfires while engaging the brakes. Mechanic is telling me that he has seen many vehicles of this model with faulty purge valves.

See all problems of the 2017 Toyota Highlander 🔎.

So there was a service bulletin put out by Toyota in December 2020, about its ac repair. Well no notice was given to Toyota owners about this. Well fast forward to yesterday may 21, 2025, my mechanic told me that the ac lines to the rear were leaking and needed to be replaced as it was leaking refrigerant into the environment. Well after reading reviews and other folks problems it seems Toyota knows there is a problem with the ac lines and the type of material they used. Toyota should be issuing a recall notice on these cars to replace the ac lines so it does not pose an environmental hazard inside or outside the vehicle.