Problems with 2005 Toyota Highlander POWER TRAIN

Transaxle vent is leaking transmission fluid onto exhaust, potential of catastraphic transmission failure due to total sudden loss of transmission fliud. leak is cause by a defective seal

My highlander has 120,000 miles on it and the transmission suddenly gave out while driving on the highway. it started by downshifting suddenly, making it difficult to retain control of the vehicle. then i lost all forward power and had to coast to a stop on the side of the interstate. i am now stuck paying a $3500+ repair bill despite keeping up on regular maintenance according to the manufacturers maintenance guide. after talking with several mechanics, i found out this is apparently a common problem on the transmissions used by the rav4s and highlanders, but toyota has only issued recalls for the rav4s? very disappointing. *tr

When i was trying to park my toyota highlander 2005 in front of the building where i work, backing up, the engine iddle went extremely high and i tried to stop, but i could not do it because the steering wheel and the brakes locked. i tried to put the gear in neutral, but instead, it went straigh to drive, so it causes major damages to 2 vehicles behind mine, and other 3 in front of mine too. also my vehicle destroyed a mail box and a tree, but i could not stop until my highlander stopped by itself totally destroyed. i ended up in the hospital with some trauma.

Bought the car and not even a week after owning it i had transmission problems, i took it back to the dealer they replaced the trans and updated the computer. the problem still persist, there is a huge hesitation in the transmission when slowing to an almost stop and re accelerating. the rpm's rev up but the car does not respond sometimes. this is very dangerous when going through intersections or merging into traffic. there are numerous complaints from people experiencing the same problem. i have a new trans in my car, fluid levels are perfect the computer has been updated and still having huge issues with my trans. this is dangerous very dangerous.

Have documented transmission problems since the purchase of the vehicle. contacted toyota with my concerns, no help was provided. transmission failed. provided toyota with complaint on oct.14,2015. and many times before then. afraid for my life to drive it. turning, jerking, hesitation in take off. etc.

My transmission has failed on my toyota 2005 highlander after 96,000 miles. i have read other consumer complaints and i am convinced there is a serious problem with the2005 toyota highlander hybrid transmission. i spoke to toyota and they advised me to take my car to the dealership. i was told that the transmission had to be replaced and that it would cost $5060,00 to replace. toyota offered me .10% off the cost of repairs. i was shocked as i have only owned the vehicle for 15 months and have a 4 year note. i am very fortunate that i did not have a horrible accident as i was coming down a very steep incline on the highway when the transmission began to fail. i am forced to repair the vehicle as i am not in the position to purchase another vehicle. i would like for the nhtsa to look into this issue further. *tr

Engine/transmission is very jerky and on again off again with acceleration and deceleration. this has almost caused me to have several accidents, and i am considering getting rid of the car. it seems that toyota has known about this problem with highlander for some period of time. and i feel that they should honor the hard working citizens that buy their vehicles and provide a recall to repair the afore mentioned problems. *tr

Traveling at approx 35mph the vehicle suddenly and without warning decelerated rapidly to zero mph and a loud gear - like crunching and grinding sound was heard under the engine compartment. the vehicle would only move at 1 mph to pull off the road and was totally disabled. vehicle had to be towed. mechanics concluded the front drive differential suffered a major failure and then ruined the automatic transmission. *js

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 toyota highlander. the contact stated that he noticed transmission fluid leaking from the transmission. the vehicle was neither diagnosed nor repaired. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 99,000. *tr

Bought the car used with 49k miles approximately. did not do this for the first 1.5 yrs we owned this now problems with the tranny and dealer told us it is suppose to do that. i dont think so by other people in the toyota highlander forums. there are thousands of owners with this tranny problem and toyota has no fix but to replace the tranny for $5000.00 wife's 2005 highlander is not shifting correct when she slows down and then tries to speed up or when she goes around a corner slow and speeds up the tranny has a delay and then shifts kinda hard. when starting from a dead stop shifts fine no problems just slowing down and then accelerating it will delay then shift. it kind of jerks the car and makes you wonder what is going on. car has been doing this for about 6 months. this is very dangerous when in traffic with the delay shifting trying to merge in stop and go traffic. many close calls of getting into an accident. been on many forums and many people have been told by the toyota dealers that this is normal ...

My 2005 limited edition toyota highlander has multiple issues. the right caliber is sticking, which has caused heat and warping in the hub system and affected the abs sensor. these will both need to be replaced at a cost of over $1000. the front struts are leaking. the largest problem is with the transmission which has some type of interior problem. it is suggested that i replace the transmission. the cost to repair this, based on what the toyota shop said was $3400-$4600. my car has about 94,000 miles on it. the brake issues with the caliber, roters, and hub system will get replaced next week. the transmission repair will not be repaired at this time unless the toyota goodwill petition goes through. the cost is too great. *tt

I have 2005 highlander limited v6 awd. the car has issues with the differential fluid leaking after 30,000 miles or every two years. the dealer fixed the leaking for my car at 35,429 miles (no charge due to warranty) in 2008; however, the differential was leaking again at 67,329 miles this year. i contacted toyota and they told me that the warranty for the differential is 5 years or 60,000 miles, whichever comes first. once the vehicle is outside of these warranty guidelines the cost of repairs becomes the owner?s responsibility. *tr

My 2005 toyota highlander developed a leak from the transfer case, which has the potential to cause a complete loss of transmission fluid as well as loss of steering control. there are documented accidents which have occurred as a result of this problem. this repair would normally be covered by a 5 year/60,000 mile power train warranty however the leak was discovered a few months after the 5 year time period expired. i have since learned that toyota was aware of this potentially dangerous problem and first released a technical service bulletin (tsb) in november of 2007 with the most recent tsb being issued may of 2010. my vehicle was clearly under warranty at the time that the tsb's were initially issued, but toyota withheld this information from the consumer. this results in a cost of several thousand dollars to the consumer in potential repairs. i have contacted toyota corporate headquarters and they refuse to negotiate any type of reimbursement for repairs. toyota has continued to issue tsb's for the same problem for 3 years and has apparently made no attempt to correct the problem during production. *tr

The rear wheel bearings on our 2005 toyota highlander failed at 94,000 miles. we heard strange noises from the rear end and asked our mechanic to check. he indicated that the right rear tire was "cupped" and suggested replacement. since it was time for new tires anyway, we did that but the noise continued. upon returning to the mechanic he dug further and reported that both rear wheel bearings were worn, the left (to the point of being dangerous) more than the right, to the point that they needed to be replaced. we went to the toyota dealer from who we purchased the car and their service department confirmed the diagnosis and we arranged for the needed repairs. when we asked the dealer and toyota directly whether this was problem they had seen before they indicated it was just wear and tear and basically, our hard luck. *tr

Front differential catastrophically failed on 2005 toyota highlander (4wd) (65,220 mi) while traveling at 65 mph on interstate. vehicle instantaneously lost speed (to 30 mph) & we narrowly avoided being run over by semitrailer at highway speed. due to configuration of road - only sporadic shoulders because of terrain - this was a very dangerous situation. car stuck in travel lanes for an extended period. feel very lucky that no one was hurt. repairing dealer asserted that the part had no fluid remaining due to seal leak. vehicle was last serviced by local dealer ~2,000 miles earlier (63,226 mi) with no leakage seen. entire front differential / transfer case assembly was replaced (still have part). car was totally inspected by repairing dealer at the time (65,220 mi) and no other problems found. one month later found fluid puddle in driveway (66,216 mi). dealer investigated and reported that the inspection plug on the rear differential was rapidly leaking differential fluid. told not to drive vehicle till plug and gasket replaced. seems to be ok now. so, within a month and 1,000 mi use, both the front differential and the rear ...