1. Toyota Highlander
  2. Problems
  3. Power Train

Toyota Highlander Power Train Problems

122
Owner complaint records in our dataset
18
Years with records
2001–2019
Stored years

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 122 stored complaint records:

  • 11 indicate a crash
  • 4 indicate injury
  • 0 indicate fire

Complaints by year

What appears in the records

  • transmission failure · 6 records
  • steering wheel · 6 records
  • wheel drive · 6 records
  • check engine · 5 records
  • light came · 5 records
  • accelerator pedal · 5 records

Mileage in stored records

BandRecords
1–30k mi50
60–100k mi27
100–150k mi10
150–400k mi8
30–60k mi7

Complaint evidence

Latest stored owner-submitted records. Open a year for the full list.

  • January 4, 2020 · 12,880 miles

    Engine · Power Train · Service Brakes

    Slowly (3-5mph) moving toward exit ramp from hospital parking lot. Tried to brake before turning right onto ramp, but service brake didn't respond -- felt like i was just pounding the floor. Vehicle continued to coast. I turned it onto exit ramp. During coast down ramp the multi-function display showed "low brake power" or "brake power low". Vehicle speed remained relatively constant. I shifted into r (reverse),…

    ODI 11297298

    2018 records in this system

  • November 5, 2019 · 158,298 miles

    Power Train · Service Brakes · Vehicle Speed Control

    Driving on a city street at about 35 miles per hour i was heading home with my kids (5 y.o. And 7 y.o.) when the vehicle decelerated and lost power while i was driving in traffic, i was fortunate that the care rolled long enough to pull over to a safe spot with my children and call for a tow. Lights that came on check hybrid system, check brake system, check 4wd system, and the check engine light came on. After the…

    ODI 11288492

    2011 records in this system

  • October 12, 2019 · 83,244 miles

    Power Train

    Within the past month or so there were a few separate/sporadic occasions when the transmission of my 2014 highlander with 82,344 gentle miles on it seemed to slip/not engage for a moment when first starting to travel at a low rate of speed. When the transmission did engage during these episodes it was abrupt and noticeable creating an audible noise and jerked the vehicle. This past weekend the same thing happened…

    ODI 11268639

    2014 records in this system

  • October 1, 2019 · 14,680 miles

    Engine · Power Train · Vehicle Speed Control

    Tl* the contact owns a 2017 toyota highlander. While the contact was parking the vehicle, it suddenly sped forward, drove over a median, and crashed into a tree. There were no injuries and a police report was not filed. The manufacturer offered to inspect the vehicle or process a request for the vehicle to be repurchased. The contact was unsure of which option to take. Darcars toyota frederick (5293 buckeystown…

    Crash reported

    ODI 11267105

    2017 records in this system

  • September 1, 2019 · 102,000 miles

    Power Train

    TRANSMISSION FAILURE IN MOTION

    ODI 11265354

    2014 records in this system

  • August 25, 2019 · 85,000 miles

    Engine · Power Train

    My 2011 toyota highlander v6 awd suffered a sudden oil cooler pipe failure/rupture leading to catastrophic engine failure/damage at approximately 85,000 miles. This is a known defect with certain 2008-2011 highlanders and was the subject of a service bulletin and eventually a warranty enhancement (ze2) starting in 2014, but we were never notified of this issue via mail or by the toyota dealer at which the vehicle is…

    ODI 11255713

    2011 records in this system

  • August 21, 2019 · 4,000 miles

    Power Train · Service Brakes

    When trying to coast to a stop at around 4 mph the car will slam to a stop. Does not always do this but it's sometimes very hard to come to a smooth stop as the cars braking system (regenerative braking?) will kick in by itself. Can be dangerous if a car is tailing very close to me as it will seem like i'm driving unpredictably. Took the car to a dealer but they could not replicate the problem at the time. Although…

    ODI 11300611

    2019 records in this system

  • July 9, 2019 · 16,000 miles

    Power Train · Steering

    Steering wheel leather is peeling and causing issues with grip. Have a 5 year old and feel very unsafe driving our highlander with 20k on it that toyota claims is cosmetic issue. Transmission shudders very badly going up hills and almost stalls out.

    ODI 11242252

    2018 records in this system