2004 Toyota Highlander Automatic Transmission Problems
- 46
- Owner complaint records in our dataset
Records are owner complaints, not a measured failure rate.
Owner complaint recordsComplaint records reflect reports in our dataset and do not measure how frequently the problem occurs across all vehicles.
Among these 46 stored complaint records:
- 1 indicate a crash
- 1 indicate injury
- 0 indicate fire
What owners report
- automatic transmission · 6 records
- upon acceleration · 5 records
Mileage in stored records
| Band | Records |
|---|---|
| 1–30k mi | 26 |
| 60–100k mi | 5 |
| 30–60k mi | 2 |
| 100–150k mi | 1 |
Complaint records
Owner-submitted complaint content, presented as stored.
Automatic Transmission · Transfer Case (4-Wheel Drive)
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 toyota highlander. The contact stated that the smell of burning oil was emitted from the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the dealer confirmed that the transmission oil bearing seal needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was not contacted. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 85,000 and the current mileage was 85,250. Updated 08/08/2012 *js
ODI 10464064
Automatic Transmission
Toyota highlander 2004 6 cyl awd - last may squealing noise coming from back of the car. Made it to a toyota dealer and found out it was the rear differential. Took 4 days and over $1200 to fix. This week, noise coming from front of the car. Continued to get worse. Took to toyota dealer and was informed it was the drive shaft - so far out of alignment needs to be replaced? Just had it at the same dealer for…
ODI 10408702
Automatic Transmission
Car hesitates and suddenly surges forward. The is the 2nd time this has occurred in the past 3 months. The first time was near my garage and fortunately the car only traveled several feet forward before hitting the corner of the garage and coming to a stop. Last sunday, i was leaving a parking lot. I was turning left when the car hesitated and suddenly surged forward at a rapid speed. Before i was able to regain…
Crash reported · 1 injury
ODI 10405945
Automatic Transmission
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 toyota highlander. The contact stated that while driving 40 mph and depressing the accelerator, the vehicle was hesitant to respond. The failure would occur most prominently when the vehicle was first started. The vehicle was taken to the dealer but the dealer was unable to duplicate the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 91,000 and current mileage is 93,000.
ODI 10372729
Automatic Transmission
My 2004 toyota highlander v6 at time has very rough shifts. The transmissions seems to hesitate and lag when i try to accelerate during normal driving speeds. This has happened when i was going 20 to 60. *tr
ODI 10334610
Automatic Transmission
S10 appropriate handling re complaint against toyota motor corporation and jay wolfe toyota of west county fm owner of a 2004 toyota highlander. *tgw after driving the vehicle for a few weeks, it became apparent there was a problem with the shifting with the automatic transmission. The condition was most noticeable during sharp acceleration periods. The engine would rev up, but it did not gain speed relative to the…
ODI 10320874
Automatic Transmission
2004 toyota highlander v6 - auto (2wd) since we've purchased the t-highlander, the car will occasionally suddenly jerk forward uncontrollably when shifting from 2nd to 3rd gear and when the shift takes place between 2,000 and 2,500 rpm when in 2nd gear. We have brought this in to the toyota dealership on numerous occasions only to be told this is a "programming" issue and the car is trying to figure out how to shift…
ODI 10315985
Automatic Transmission
Have a 2004 toyota 3.3l 2wd highlander that has had a surging problem when taking off from a start since i had it new....dealer recalibrated computer but didnt fix the problem....they told me this is normal.....it is not normal and is very dangerous....being they dont want to fix it, i guess it will come down to a law suit if something happens.....there are all kinds of post on this problem and toyota should be…
ODI 10307026
Automatic Transmission
My 2004 toyota highlander limited v6 developed substantial transmission/ transaxle leak at 56,000 miles. Transmission fluid was able to leak into the front transaxles and then onto the ground. Toyota is aware that the #2 axel seal is at fault as it is well reported. The repair was over $2,000. I fixed mine, but am concerned about those that won't be fixed. I am concerned that if the transmission leaks out in total…
ODI 10307262
Automatic Transmission · Electrical System · Steering · Wheels
2004 highlander, having same problems as all other reported problems for this vehicle. Hesitation, steering shaft replacement, 2 wheel bearing replacements, lousy original tires, bad sodering of heat/air board leading to not working properly, can not have back windows down due to noise and vehicle shaking, had rear wiper motor replaced within 1st month of ownership. While i did purchase the extended warranty, which…
ODI 10273069
Automatic Transmission
2004 toyota highlander with awd and 4 cyl. Vehicle is leaking transmission fluid at 67,500 miles. Dealership say that toyota will not help with this problem as it as the warranty expired at 60,000 miles. I bought this vehicle due to the expected reliability of a toyota product, but it appears that toyota does not stand behind their product. My other vehicle is a lexus rx 300 which i love, but i will be hard pressed…
ODI 10198279
Automatic Transmission
Transmission shift hesitation on acceleration at lower speeds. Just enough lag time to scare me a few times that i wouldn't make it across traffic. *jb
ODI 10174949
Automatic Transmission · Vehicle Speed Control
Let me start by saying i am a die-hard toyota owner, my current vehicle being the 3rd toyota we own. I own a 2004 toyota highlander, v6, 5 speed automatic with awd. This vehicle has a very serious hesitation problem which is dangerous. Upon acceleration from a stop or at speed, there is a very serious lag in throttle response. Many times leaving a stop or accelerating from a slow speed i.e. Parking lot driving, the…
ODI 10161055
Automatic Transmission
I have a 2004 toyota highlander with a 3.3l v6 automatic transmission. Within the first week of driving the vehicle that was purchased new from the manufacturer, i noticed that the transmission seemed to hesitate when accelerating at low speeds. The problem persisted and i took the vehicle in for service. The dealer said they could not reproduce the problem or find anything wrong. Now the car has almost 20,000 miles…
ODI 10149501
Automatic Transmission · Electrical System
Dt*: the contact stated while depressing the accelerator pedal, the transmission momentarily hesitates before properly selecting the correct gear to engage. The vehicle was taken to the dealership several times for inspection. The dealership mechanic reset the software three times, but this did not correct the problem. Diagnostic testing were performed on the vehicle. The manufacturer was contacted and sent a…
ODI 10148539
Automatic Transmission
2004 toyota highlander limited developed a hesitation after around 10,000 miles. The hesitation is followed by a head-jerking surge. This situation is very hazardous when attempting to make a right or left-hand turn, or fast acceleration merge, in high traffic situations. I am very concerned about my 15-yr-old twins who are learning to drive in this vehicle. I don't understand why this issue has not been addressed…
ODI 10141879
Automatic Transmission
Engine hesitation when accelerating from low speeds; transmission shifts hard at low speeds causing the vehicle to hesitate and then surge when accelerating. *nm
ODI 10143398
Automatic Transmission
2004 toyota highlander automatic transmission had experienced a dangerous hesitation while trying to downshift. *mr *sc
ODI 10134521
Automatic Transmission
I own a 2004 highlander limited, v6, 5-speed automatic. When decelerating and then accelerating, there is a 1 to 2 second hesitation before the car moves again. This happens every time. This inaction by the vehicle is a safety hazard, especially when merging onto a fast-moving freeway. Note: this hesitation does not occur if you come to a complete stop. I did a web search to see if anyone else experienced the same…
ODI 10121231
Automatic Transmission
At apprx. 13000 miles on a 2004 toyota highlander, noticed increasingly rough shifting from the automatic transmission. Vehicle often hesitates when shifting, then surges into next gear, causing unpredictable ride. Throughout the gears, vehicle seems to be hunting for gears, upshifting & downshifting at odd times, causing a rough, unpredictable ride. Took it back to the dealer and they 'recalibrated' the…
ODI 10126228
Automatic Transmission
At 12 months and 13,000 miles, noticed 2004 toyota highlander to have transmission problems. During shifting, transmission often hesitates and then suddenly surges into next gear, causing inability to predict vehicle performance. Throughout driving, transmission feels like its hunting for gears, frequently shifting at odd times, causing a rough, unpredictable ride.
ODI 10126222
Automatic Transmission
I own a 2004 toyota highlander limited v6 awd. The car has extremely dangerious performance characteristics which will be the cause of many accidents. There is an unexpected and varying degree of lag in acceleration when trying to acclerate to merge on highways or to make turns across oncoming traffic. This is a severe and dangerous problem which will lead to loss of life. The dealer says it is "just a…
ODI 10108342
Automatic Transmission
Power steering and brakes failed while driving the 2004 toyota highlander. I have previously filed a complaint here and with toyota about the car cutting out between 20 and 30 mph which is dangerous in traffic. The hesitation is more prevalent now with 10,000 miles on the vehicle even though at 700 miles it was infuriating not knowing if you were safe trying to merge into traffic or make a left turn. I don't…
ODI 10111830
Automatic Transmission
Our new 2004 toyota highlander has hesitation problem when driving around 10-30 miles per hour. This is a very serious safety issue since there are a lot of situations that even a second hesitation can lead to accident, such as making a quick left turn in a busy intersection to avoid on coming cars. Here is how to reproduce the problem: drive the car over 25 miles per hour, then gradually slow it down to about 20…
ODI 10096327
Automatic Transmission
Safety concern with 2004 toyota highlander transmission. *bf the consumer stated that the vehicle shifts in a hesitation mode then surges. The vehicle takes a long time to shift from first to second gear. *tc *jb
ODI 10111632