Toyota Highlander Transmission / powertrain problems
651 of the 2,162 complaints about the Toyota Highlander (30.1%) concern Transmission / powertrain, making it the model's largest problem area. That share is 2.6× the Transmission / powertrain share across all tracked vehicles.
Analysis
359 Transmission / powertrain complaints were filed in the last 12 months versus 216 in the 12 months before — up 66%.
11 of these reports (1.7%) describe a crash or fire, with 6 injuries and 0 deaths mentioned.
No recall campaign addresses Transmission / powertrain for the tracked model years.
By model year
When complaints were filed
Last 12 months: 359 · Previous 12 months: 216
What owners report
On September 23, 2026, at approximately 7:30 AM, I was driving the vehicle in a parking garage at an estimated speed of approximately 10 mph.
Because I am not an expert, I cannot say with certainty what exact vehicle components contributed to this incident. On August 17, 2026, at approximately 12:40 PM, I was slowly driving my 2022 Toyota Highlander XLE in a parking garage where I park my car every…
The contact owns a 2021 Toyota Highlander. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was a loud high-pitched whining sound coming from the vehicle.
While driving along, the car suddenly begun not too shift in the middle of an intersection. Fortunately for me, this occurred in the middle of the night when there were not many cars around, otherwise serious injury would likely have occurred since it was in…
The contact owns a 2019 Toyota Highlander. The contact stated that driving the vehicle lost power and failed to properly accelerate while depressing the accelerator pedal.
Noticed a whine noise slowly progressing over a couple of weeks. Researched the sound and took it for diagnostic eval. with Holman Toyota in Mt. Laurel, NJ on 10/3/2026. As suspected, the transmission is failing.
Excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA, trimmed for length. The ODI number is NHTSA's record identifier.
Related recalls
No recall campaign addresses Transmission / powertrain for the tracked model years.
Problem areas · Toyota Highlander
- Transmission / powertrain651
- Body & structure227
- Engine218
- Unspecified or other217
- Brakes212
- Airbags & seat belts162
- Fuel system155
- Electrical141
- Wheels, tires & suspension42
Toyota Highlander problems, complaints & recalls by model year ›
Related reading
- Transmission problems explained: shudder, harsh shifts, CVTs and what to test on a driveHow the main automatic transmission types fail, the symptoms owner complaints describe for each, and a practical test-drive checklist.