10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
2 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
3 / 0
Average Mileage:
10,136 miles

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problem #63

Mar 252026

Highlander

  • miles
Power training went out I-70 in warren county mo where all the construction is. It put my 4 autistic kids in danger. No insurance looked at the vehicle. However a mechanic did look and diagnosed it which look over a week for. Kaizen auto in wentzville mo diagnosed

- Wright City, MO, USA

problem #62

Mar 012026

Highlander

  • miles
The component that has been deemed in need of replacement is the UA80 8-speed transmission. It is available for inspection as of today's date, April 1, 2026. My and my family's safety has been put at risk of the transmission failing, especially at highway speeds. The problem was reproduced and diagnosed at both a local repair garage in Westwood, MA and the Nucar Toyota dealership in Norwood, MA. Both facilities inspected the transmission, heard a high-pitched whining noise, and determined it was irreparable and needs to be replaced. This high-pitched whining noise is a known and well-documented problem with these transmissions and needs to be included in a widespread manufacturer's recall.

- Westwood, MA, USA

problem #61

Dec 112023

Highlander

  • miles
Purchased a brand new 2017 Toyota Highlander XLE 9 years ago. I followed all recommended maintenance and service schedules from the manufacturer. There has always been a faint whine noise present during acceleration. In December of 2023 and about 112,000 miles the transmission began to slip in gears 3 and 4. I brought the vehicle into Balise Toyota in West Springfield, MA for diagnostic services. It was determined that my automatic transmission was failing and needed replacement. Luckily I had purchased an extended warranty through All State and the repairs were covered under warranty. The cost of this repair was upwards of $9,000, so at the time I felt extremely fortunate. That was 2 years ago but my luck would only last so much. Since the remanufacturered transmission was installed by Toyota there has always been a faint whine noise during acceleration. I summed it up to a bad serpentine belt, pulley or alternator because how could it be the new transmission that had been installed" There is only 37,000 driven miles on it and you would expect it to last much longer. Well expectations are just that, expectations. The reality is I am now back to square one because my transmission is beginning to fail yet again. I experienced the transmission slip between 3rd and 4th gears twice on my way home from work yesterday. I set up an appointment at Balise Toyota in West Springfield, MA for tomorrow 03-29-26. My question is how can an 8 1/2 year old vehicle with 150,000 miles on it be in need of a third transmission" The answer is because of defective manufacturing and engineering. There are several class action lawsuits that have been filed in as many months due to the UA80 transmission found in Toyota Highlanders 2017 - present. There are documented claims that Toyota knowingly installed defective UA80 transmissions into these vehicles.

- South Hadley, MA, USA

problem #60

Mar 072026

Highlander

  • miles
March 5th purchased a battery from Autozone Z net Fit Match that caused cascading electrical and life -safety risk while traveling from hewitt, TX to Washington DC for our families spring break trip including 4 minor children. Component: 12-Volt Battery / Electrical System / Power Steering / Service Brakes Summary: Vehicle suffered catastrophic failure of Power Steering and Braking systems while in motion due to the installation of an incompatible lead-acid battery recommended by AutoZone-??s 'Z-Net' catalog. Despite Toyota Technical Service Bulletin T-TT-0523-19 (Jan 2019) stating this VIN requires an Enhanced Flooded Battery (EFB/AGM) for its Stop-Start system, the retailer-??s database continues to misidentify standard batteries as compatible. This mismatch causes a voltage drop that disables critical safety modules ('Limp Mode'). I have video evidence of the catalog error. This is a systemic misrepresentation affecting 2017+ Toyota Highlander safety compliance.

- Hewitt, TX, USA

problem #59

May 152025

Highlander

  • miles
Transmission failed in May 2025, around 95,000 miles. Had to have entire transmission replaced. Shop said metal filings were found in the fluids, leading to the breakdown and need for full replacement. No other warning lights or lamps indicated a problem. A high pitched whining noise was the indicator, which then led to several visits to the shop, monitored the issue, changed fluids, but the transmission eventually failed. Transmission failed in May of 2025, it took 3 months for a new transmission to be built and shipped to the midwest for install in Aug 2025.

- Brookfield, WI, USA

problem #58

Jun 102025

Highlander

  • miles
Transmission yes it-??s available for inspection rite now on vacation on a very steep hill the transmission quit pulling at the top of the hill in the middle of a very narrow street and we had to ease backwards down to a place on the hill to turn around and get to level ground all this happened with no previous warning

- Cross Plains , TN, USA

problem #57

Jan 052026

Highlander

  • miles
Purchased my 2017 Highlander in June of 2017. At 4912 miles noticed the transmission was slipping. Contacted the dealership and was told from an employee that in his 20 plus years he had never had a transmission do that. Took it to the dealership and it was the transmission. It was replaced under warranty. In January of 2026 took it to the dealership after noticing a weird whinnying sound when running. After running a diagnostic test I was informed that my transmission needed replaced again. It only has 72,426 miles. Was told that the transmission was on back order and when asked if safe to drive, told yes.

- Oklahoma City, OK, USA

problem #56

Jan 072026

Highlander

  • miles
I had problems in gear shift the car when start moving it-??s go very slow it-??s need about 1 minute to change the shift. The Toyota dealership recommended me to change the transmission with the cost $11,000

- Gainesville, VA, USA

problem #55

Dec 222025

Highlander

  • miles
-- What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request" This report is regarding a premature transmission failure in our 2017 Toyota Highlander equipped with the UA80F 8-speed automatic transmission. Our highlander is currently stuck at High Tech Automotive in Wenatchee, WA 150+ miles from home after experiencing a transmission failure on the highway. -- How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? During the transmission failure while driving on the highway the Check Engine Light came on as well as ABS light and vehicle went into a limp mode. The transmission failure and subsequent limp mode rapidly decreased our speed while traveling on the highway and forced us to limp the vehicle at low speeds across traffic putting ourselves and others traveling on the highway at risk. This vehicle has been well maintained and serviced in accordance with Toyota-??s recommended maintenance schedule. Despite this, the transmission failed unexpectedly during a recent family road trip to Wenatchee, WA, leaving us stranded far from home. -- Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center" Yes, the vehicle was towed to High Tech Automotive in Wenatchee WA (where it is currently stranded). The diagnostics report there confirmed proper transmission fluid level and a failed transmission with burnt transmission fluid. -- Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others" Not yet. A request for assistance was sent to Toyota today. -- Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear" There were no warning lamps, or messages. We've had the vehicle maintained and there was a whirring sound which we had inspected at Dougs Auto Tune and Repair thinking it could be the timing chain or alternator but there was no indication of transmission issues.

- Kirkland, WA, USA

problem #54

Jan 022026

Highlander

  • miles
I own a 2017 Toyota Highlander with 6 cylinders (engine model 2GR-FKS). It has 107,000 miles. I brought it to my dealer for inspection and service, and noted that it was making a whirring/whining sound upon acceleration. There were no warning messages on the dashboard to alert me of any issues. The dealer reported back to me that the transmission was failing and quoted $11k to fix it. Upon researching this issue, I learned that this is a known problem with 2017 model Highlanders.

- Redmond, WA, USA

problem #53

May 202024

Highlander

  • miles
Vehicle shurtter cause toque converter issue with all Toyota Highlander

- South Richmondhilll, NY, USA

problem #52

Dec 052025

Highlander

  • miles
Was on drive from work in 2017 toyota highlander XLE. Noticed low whining sound coming from transmission. Made appointment with toyota dealership. They identified transmission whine as requiring full replacement and projected to fail soon. Vehicle mileage was at 116k miles. There are no ua80 trans available in US and none coming in. Was told my VIN didn't qualify for CRP CJZ and TSB bulletin. The UA80 trans has known failure of this type. Replacement cost is 10K, use is dangerous, and failure is unacceptable.

- Grand Prairie, TX, USA

problem #51

Jul 142025

Highlander

  • miles
After less than a year of usage on a Highlander with 70k miles, the transmission began malfunctioning. The reverse function would work sporadically. The gears would shift only when using the power stick function and manually switching gears. The transmission would go into overdrive and once after an oil change the car came to an abrupt stop after traveling 25 mph hour.

- Detroit, MI, USA

problem #50

Oct 152025

Highlander

  • miles
Transmission when the car first starts up is slipping. No dipstick for checking Transmission fluid.

- No. Truro, MA, USA

problem #49

Sep 292025

Highlander

  • miles
The transmission is experiencing harsh and sometimes delayed shifting and sometimes reduction of power. This can result in unpredictability when going from a stop and then crossing traffic. If the transmission fails while I am making an unprotected left turn it pups leave me vulnerable to side impact from on coming traffic. The dealer was able to reproduce the issue when I took it in and quoted me $11k for repair. Toyota is an aware of issues with this specific transmission (UA80) and issued a Service Bulletin for it. My transmission fell within the serial number range for replacement but didn-??t pass the third gate for coverage related to a speed sensor issue. That said, there is massive back order on this transmission highlighting a much broader problem with the part. To answer the final question, I never saw a warning light.

- San Anselmo, CA, USA

problem #48

Oct 012025

Highlander

  • miles
Transmission failure causes vehicle to not accelerate in low gears. Toyota has a CSP for this issue on the same model year but this "Vin" Is not a part of it. This is a major safety issue.

- Rio Rancho, NM, USA

problem #47

Sep 012025

Highlander

  • miles
Transmission on this vehicle failed and causes sudden deceleration causing a safety issue. Sudden deceleration. Yes, Toyota of vero beach has confirmed failure of the transmission. No, warning just failed then got all the warnings and lights immediately thereafter.

- Sebastian , FL, USA

problem #46

Aug 232025

Highlander

  • miles
2017 Toyota Highlander XLE Why hasn-??t Toyota issued a recall?! My transmission failed at 2AM on the Florida turnpike 140 miles from home, after a physically and emotionally exhausting day moving my daughter to college. I slept in my car 7 hours, scared, waiting to get towed. The closest shop that was open early on a Saturday was an hour away in the other direction and when I got there, they told me they wouldn-??t be able to look at it until Monday. Pointless to pay 2 nights at a hotel, so I got an Uber to get a rental to get home. It wasn-??t bad enough when I found out the cost to replace the transmission on a car with 96k miles (my Camry had 300k when I sold it), but even if I agreed to pay, the transmission is backordered, and it could be months. Months! I had to pay the diagnostic fee - completely understandable - and I needed it moved to avoid a $75 per day storage fee. AAA would tow it 100 miles, then $7 per mile. When I asked to speak with someone because I had the upgraded membership that provided 200 miles, I was told they wouldn-??t cover any part of the tow because it was already at an auto shop. The least expensive option was to get a transport company ($300) to pickup and deliver the car to the local Toyota dealership. They-??re anticipating at least 3 months, but they-??ll pay for a rental if I agree to have them do the repair. Has Toyota fixed the issue, or will the new transmission likely to have the same problem?

- Boynton Beach, FL, USA

problem #45

Aug 212025

Highlander

  • miles
Transmission whining, harsh shifting, delayed acceleration

- Dearborn , MO, USA

problem #44

Oct 112024

Highlander

  • miles
Car suddenly began to slip out of gear and have difficulty shifting smoothly. After having car examined by 2 repair shops it was determined the UA80 Transmission needed replaced. Repair shop advised car was not safe to drive with this condition. Warning lights for Check Engine and Check AWD system and traction control came on at the same time as the slipping and rough shifting.

- Boca Raton, Fl , FL, USA

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