2024 Toyota Grand Highlander Powertrain & Transmission Problems

The incidents most often occur when I try to accelerate after vehicle is stopped at an intersection. The car hesitates during acceleration regardless of how much I push the gas. Once it starts to go, it feels as though the car can't shift from 1st to 2nd gear. The RPMs get up 4500 while the car is going 25-40 mph and remain there for a few seconds up to ~20 seconds. I am fearful of getting t-boned when my car hesitates while turning at an intersection, going through an intersection or pulling out from a parking lot. I have been stuck in several intersections when traffic was coming toward me, but thankfully those cars were able to avoid hitting me. I have reported the problem every time I take the car to the dealer for a service. The problem has been happening since I purchased the car in November 2024 and occurs randomly--sometimes every couple of months, sometimes days in a row. The dealer can't reproduce it, but they were able to pull a code from the transmission and found it had an acceleration error. They updated the software from a TSB, but that didn't help.

Reported issues of lag in acceleration and harsh shifting into reverse, the vehicle has been brought to the dealership multiple times stemming from shortly after previous, there are no warnings lights on. I requested the dealership provide in writing if the deemed the vehicle safe for operation. They would not do so. I requested a loaner while my vehicle is being reviewed for repurchase and was denied. When my repurchase claim was denied, I requested a reconsideration and again a loaner.

The transmission needs to be replaced per the dealership. I was told this on 3/7/26 with mileage of 69K. The transmission has been reported as defective to Toyota since 2016-2017 with multiple lawsuits that have been filed. According to the lawsuits found online, Toyota knowingly used the defective UA80 transmissions and failed to inform consumers when purchasing the vehicles or inform consumers the need to replace prior to the 60k warranty expiration. The 2024 Grand Highlander has been listed as one of the affected vehicles and the transmission can fail at any time which is a safety risk.

I had my front axle assemblies replace under T-SB-0082-24 around 20,000 to 25,000 due to rotational clicking noise per bulletin. The tsb uses the old part number which was the defective original part. The axles are failing agin at 50,000 and the dealer and toyota are refusing to fix it as they can’t replicate in shop. There is a new part number that was updated and supposedly fixed the issue but that is not the part that was installed in my car. They stopped the production line and updated the part at one point supposedly there was not enough grease in the cv joint boots causing premature wear. The old part number is still listed in the tsb even though it is superceded, tsb should be update or recall issued for all affected models to get the new updated part. Old part number 43420-0E340 new part 43420-0E341. Other side old part 43410-0E520 new part 43410-0E521. Toyota installed the old obsolete parts on my car in all paperwork for my work history and is refusing to install a working set of axles.

I own a 2024 Toyota Grand Highlander Hybrid and am experiencing an intermittent knocking/clicking noise that appears to come from the drivetrain area. The noise occurs most often during low-speed driving and while turning left or right, particularly on the first drive of the day after the vehicle has been sitting overnight, but it has also occurred at other times while driving. The condition is intermittent and does not occur every trip, however it has been heard by multiple drivers. The noise is most noticeable during light acceleration combined with steering input at lower speeds. I have brought the vehicle to the dealership for inspection, but the condition has not yet been duplicated during testing. I am concerned this may indicate a developing drivetrain or axle-related issue that could affect vehicle safety if it worsens while the vehicle is in motion. I am submitting this report so the condition can be documented and evaluated for potential safety concerns affecting this vehicle model.

I was driving toward the perimeter of my neighborhood, approaching an arterial cross street. When I braked the pedal went straight to the floor. The breaks didn’t work despite pumping them multiple times. I also heard the engine revving. To avoid the intersection and busy street I steered into a yard, hit a retaining wall and a tree, rolled and hit a metal city street sign. All airbags deployed. I was taken to the hospital by ambulance. The car was totaled and is on a temporary hold at a salvage yard.

2024 toyota grand highlander had TSB 0082-24 repair done around 20,0000 to 25,000 miles due to rotational clicking noise and vibration when turning under power. Both front axles replaced. Car now has 50,000 miles on it and clicking noise is present every day in cold conditions until it warms up. It is at the dealer for the third time and they are unable to replicate the clicking and vibration and will not replace the part. The symptoms are identical to when the first repair was done. Possibility of cv axle failure in the near future if not replaced. A full recall and redesign is needed at this point if I am experiencing 2 failures within 50,0000 miles.

When accelerating from a complete stop, the vehicle intermittently fails to respond when pressing the gas pedal. It feels similar to when a bicycle chain slips—you press the pedal, but the vehicle doesn’t move forward—then suddenly it catches, causing a noticeable lurch. The duration of this lag varies, and it has been increasing over time. Most recently, the hesitation lasted long enough that I was nearly involved in a collision. I pulled out from a stop sign to make a right-hand turn, but the vehicle failed to accelerate as expected. The car behind me nearly rear-ended me due to my sudden lack of movement in the lane. No warning lights, error messages, or other indicators appear before or during the event. I have been reporting this issue to my dealership for over a year during regular service appointments. The dealership has been unable to reproduce the problem and has attempted a software update, which did not resolve it. The malfunction has not been inspected by the manufacturer, police, or insurance representatives. The issue has occurred multiple times, including but not limited to the following dates: -March 12, 2025 -March 24, 2025 -July 21, 2025 -September 18, 2025 -October 1, 2025 These dates reflect times when I documented the issue via text messages to my husband; it has also occurred on many additional occasions not recorded above. Online owner forums and NHTSA complaints indicate that other Toyota Grand Highlander owners are experiencing the same issue, suggesting it may be a widespread defect affecting vehicle safety.

While slowing to a stop on a slight incline (an interstate off-ramp), when almost stopped, the car started bucking as if the brake pedal was being slammed on, then released, slammed on again, then released, and repeated for maybe 2 seconds. I quickly hit the "P" (Park) button to take it out of gear and it stopped. No warning lights or anything came on and it drove perfectly fine afterwards. It felt just like the emergency braking and the car thinks you're going to hit something. It was very strong and jarring. Happened a 2nd time on April 4 in the same circumstances - driving downhill on a highway off-ramp and stopping at red light at the end of the ramp.

Cv axle has been replaced twice so far on my 2024 grand Highlander and it’s only at 18,000 miles currently. From the TSB Toyota put out they redesigned in the middle of production but those who were before this time will always have cv axle problems

My car makes a click sound when turning the wheel left or right and gas is applied. This has been happening for around 5 months. It’s not noted all the time but I do hear it occasionally. I have a DashCam video with sound as proof, but this website is not letting me upload the video as its file size is too big. I have taken to the dealership to inspect but they said they were not able to reproduce the sound while inspecting. They also mentioned Grand Highlander have some sort of front axle issue. I looked online and NHTSA website and found that Toyota is aware of this issue and resigned it. But i don’t think the issue is fixed yet, something is still wrong with it. Please look into this matter as it concerns the safety of my family and others who owns the car.

The contact owns a 2024 Toyota Grand Highlander. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle and reversing, there was an abnormal banging sound coming from the vehicle. While attempting to reverse, the vehicle failed to move, but the vehicle was restarted and operated as designed. While driving, there was an abnormally loud clanking sound coming from the vehicle with the “WRENCH SYMBOL” displayed. There were other unknown warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, who was unable to duplicate the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact stated that the vehicle would be taken back to the local dealer for additional diagnostic testing. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 18,000.

The contact owns a 2024 Toyota Grand Highlander. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle suddenly lost motive power. However, upon releasing, and then reapplying pressure to the accelerator pedal, the vehicle returned to normal functionality. Afterward, a message was displayed indicating that both the accelerator and brake pedals were being depressed simultaneously. The contact also stated that later, after dropping his son off for school, the seat belt warning light illuminated indicating that a passenger was not wearing a seat belt though all passenger seats were unoccupied; during this time, the radio failed to function, prompting him to restart the vehicle. After restarting the vehicle, the vehicle returned to normal functionality, but the failure became a regular occurrence. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 4,000.

Specifically the model: 2024 Grand Highlander Hybrid Max. immediately new off the dealer lot when driving between 0-40mph, there is a transmission issue. In real life situation of stop and go, and needing to accelerate after making a right turn out of a driveway or stop sign on to flowing traffic, often times it feels as if the gear is shifting too high or skipping causing the car to lose power/ rpm and the vehicle chugs, before skipping back to the correct gearing and accelarating. I'm not sure how to describe it but I feel it is a safety risk especially if there are cars coming behind you. I have taken this into Hamer Toyota 2 times, but they can't seem to recreate the issue. However, my wife goes through this almost every day during her commute to and from work. Imagine driving a manual transmission and accelerating on 1st or 2nd gear, and all of a sudden the gear shifts to 4th or 5th gear, causing loss of power or rpm and due to natural instinct of depressing the accelerator further for power and the gear now shifting back and clutching grabbing at 1st or 2nd gear with the accelerator depressed further down than the beginning. This causes a jerking motion of our body in the car, because the car loses power, the all of sudden jerks back into power. I have attached URLs to people complaining about this besides myself. I'm seeing that toyota released a TBS to update software, but it seems its not readily available every time I call, or they need to recreate this before anything is done. I think this is a big safety concern and eventually cause accidents by getting rear ended. I'm sure other drivers think we can't drive because of not being able to speed up then rocketing forward. help! [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

The contact owns a 2024 Toyota Grand Highlander. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V595000 (Electrical System), and the vehicle was taken to the dealer on several occasions, but the dealer informed the contact that the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the instrument panel had failed. Additionally, the contact stated that the vehicle was not driving properly, and the vehicle was shuddering while exceeding 70 MPH. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed with an axle leak, and the contact was informed that there was no warning light illuminated for the failure due to the instrument panel failure. The axle leak was repaired; however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, and a case was filed; however, no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 9,000.

Several times per week, when I go to accelerate after being at a complete stop, my vehicle hesitates and does not pick up power. It very slowly accelerates and feels as if it’s going to stall, then suddenly revs up and accelerates, but revs up higher than it should before finally getting to the appropriate speed/rpm. This is very unsafe as I cannot pull out into traffic, even if I should have time, because I don’t know if it is going to accelerate or not. One of these days I am going to get T-boned! I took it to the dealership and they did a software update that was supposed to fix the issue, but it did not. The issue still happens several times per week. There are no warning lights on the dash. The dealership did not run a diagnostic because they told me I would have to pay for it if no codes came up. I’m not willing to do that, as I feel since the vehicle is under warranty and having issues, the diagnostic should not be my responsibility to pay for. I cannot say a specific date when it occurred (below) because it occurs often.

On high-temperature days, when the A/C is running at full capacity, the vehicle occasionally fails to accelerate from a stop. This issue persists even after applying the recommended ECM update. The lack of reliable acceleration poses a significant safety risk, particularly when turning across oncoming traffic or entering a busy street. This situation can leave the vehicle stalled in the path of approaching vehicles, increasing the likelihood of an accident.

The car stalls or fails to accelerate from a complete stop despite adequately stepping on the gas pedal. This has left me in dangerous situations with oncoming cars as my car fails to move as expected. This issue occurs sporadically.

when moving from a full stop, the car sometimes has hesitation to move to a full speed.

Sometimes the vehicle will be very sluggish when accelerating from a stop, it is hard to replicate, and inconsistent.