2019 Toyota Highlander Complaint Log

Dear Staff, after SEVERAL payments made for DIAGNOSTICS i feel like I should commit suicide maybe because of this TOYOTA I can not afford to pay DIAGNOSTICS every single day to HEAR the SAME STORY over and over I understand there is a ENGINE CHECK LIGHT, I need it repaired PLEASE instead of having to pay DIAGNOSTIC FEES which ADVANCE AUTOPARTS doesnt even charge and TOYOTA takes $172 DIAGNOSTIC FEES when they can not even themselves RULE OUT the PROBLEM in their ENGINEERING or MANUFACTURING PLEASE look out for similar issues, ENGINE problems in 2GR-FKS engines as more people experiencing issues will CONFIRM its TOYOTA's fault They should either shut down their manufacturing in Japan or BRING BACK the STANDARDS of JAPANESE AUTOMOTIVES

ENGINE CHECK LIGHT coming on constantly Cylinder 3 misfire reported under DIAGNOSTICS of ADVANCE AUTOPARTS 500 Rte 291, Lee's Summit, MO 64063 another workshop said NO MISFIRE however now it says Engine Misfire 1, 3, 5, 6 4 cylinders misfiring as per diagnostic on 02/15/2025

2019 highlander has a winding sound coming from engine area, no warning lights turned on but winding sound only occurs when in drive and accelerating. vehicle has 90000 miles and winding sound started around 80000 miles. i brought highlander to toyota service and they stated they heard the sound but didnt diagnose it.

The contact owns a 2019 Toyota Highlander. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle started shuddering, prompting the contact to pull over to the shoulder of the roadway where the failure persisted. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed a failure with the transmission. The contact was informed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 88,000.

My Highlander transmission has an internal failure. The Toyota dealership declared “transmission has internal failure quote. I am afraid to drive it due to it breaking down on the highway.

A safety alert popped up on my dash regarding an airbag malfunction. This would be similar to other recalled models of my vehicle but for some reason my vin is not on that recall. This is a huge safety concern for me and my family and looking to have our vin added to the recall.

Vehicle has 80k miles. When slowing the vehicle down to 10-20 mph and then trying to accelerate again the transmission bangs/clunks into gear and is delayed to get going causing a safety concern. No warning lights on

The contact owns a 2019 Toyota Highlander. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, there was an abnormal burning oil odor coming from the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who informed the contact that the failure was related to the transmission. The mechanic referred the contact to a certified transmission mechanic. The vehicle was taken to Leon's Transmission Services, where diagnostic trouble codes indicating an internal transmission pump failure were retrieved. The vehicle was then taken to Integrity Transmission & Auto Repair, where the same assessment was made, and the mechanic determined that the transmission needed to be replaced with a used, new, or rebuilt factory transmission. The dealer was contacted for parts and informed the contact that parts were not available. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 92,000.

automatic transmission makeing a whinning noise.Many other customers complaining about same problem. Car has 72,000 miles on it which puts it out of 5 year/60,000mile warranty.Customers feel that toyota should cover replacement or repairs cost knowing they have had same problem with 2017/2018 models and have not corrected the problem with the 2019 model.Very unprofessional for such a high quality company.

when I release the gas between 40 to 60 km a whining sound. Dealer says transmission has to be replaced I have 103,000 km.

within a 3 hour span, car started whining when accelerating and engine would rev and accelerate but wouldnt go. By lunch time the car would accelerate but go nowhere. Transmission failed within a morning.

AHB, which is part of Toyota's TSS (total safety system) fails intermittently and because the system is run by a sensor, headlight may or may not be illuminated during periods of darkness. Given the intermittent nature of the failure, it seems like there should be something to indicate to the operator that the lights are either on or not on, but the green light indicator goes on and off without any warning, meaning lights are on or off, operator has no way to remedy the issue at highway speed, causing an extremely dangerous situation.

1 - The car transmission is emitting a whine noise, harsh shift and loss of power. The dealer recommended the transmission be replaced. The car has 54,857 miles. The auto is available for inspection. 2 - Safety is an issue when the transmission loses power and is unable to accelerate. 3 - The issue was reproduced by the dealer and recommended transmission replacement. 4 - Inspected by dealer only. 5 - There were no warning indicators for the failure.

When starting the vehicle, and extremely loud feedback noise is emitted from the front right speaker. This happens intermittently. Sometimes it's every 5th time you start it, and sometimes every 29th start. This started happening after the dealer-provided SOS Safety subscription expired. The noise is extremely loud and very disturbing especially for individuals like our daughter who has special needs. I would not be surprised if it is damaging our hearing. It would likely be especially harmful to children! It has been confirmed by the dealer and is currently back at the shop whule they are further investigating the cause.

The contact owns a 2019 Toyota Highlander. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the engine revved but the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended. The contact pulled over and turned off the vehicle. The vehicle was restarted, and the check engine warning light illuminated, and the AWD message was displayed. The failure persisted. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, who determined that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 115,000.

Severe whining from drivetrain car had less then 80,000 when problem started. Dealership has no answer. Car has drivetrain transmission UA80F which has numerous documented issues and has been used in many vehicles which all has same drivetrain problems. This is known problem at Toyota Motor Sales. This issue can cause vehicle transmission to just fail and leave car valueless. The whining has been getting worse every time driven.

While driving up hill in snowy and icy conditions, my engine RPMs suddenly went up to 4000, then quickly back down. When I tried to continue driving, the car would not switch gears. It was stuck in what I think was 5th gear. I was slugging along at about 5mph. At this point I put the car in park, and waited in confusion for about a minute before putting the car back in gear. There were no warning lights on my car and nothing else to suggest anything was wrong. I tried to move forward up the steep hill, but the car would not go. I put the car in park again and then switched into reverse instead of drive. At this point I had no option but to back down the narrow icy road. I was driving the going to wrong direction backwards, but it was my only option to get me out of the way of others traffic. The conditions made it more dangerous, but this would have been dangerous on any given day. I was able to back down, get my car to flat ground where I parked, shut the car off, waited about 10 mins, and then turned it back on. After turning it back on I was able to drive the car down to the mechanic shop where they told me that my transmission was bad. In hindsight i should have had it towed, but I'm thankful I made it to the shop safely after the transmission warmed up a little. I'm now waiting 3 or 4 weeks to get a transmission directly from toyota (a $5000 part). The repair in total will cost nearly $8000!! This isn't something I can afford to do, especially near the holidays, but I have no other options as the vehicle isn't worth much in its current condition. I'm very disappointed in Toyota for this one. I expect more from their vehicles.

When in gear, the power does not engage. Unable to accelerate in Drive (spins as though in Neutral) or Reverse (same result). The car stopped in traffic and I was unable to safely pull aside.

The contact owns a 2019 Toyota Highlander. The contact stated that when the vehicle was started, the check engine warning light illuminated and disappeared later in the evening. Additionally, the contact stated while driving approximately 40 MPH, there was a winding sound coming from the front of the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 54,471.

Dealer states that the transmission and transmission cooling needs to be replaced. The car only has 58500 miles.

There is a very loud feedback noise through speakers intermittently when start and the red and green lights at the SOS button flash multiple times. The noise is loud enough to damage hearing of an adult or child.

When I start my car it makes an ear piercing screeching noise. It doesn’t happen everytime but I never know when it is going to happen. I took it to a dealer and 5 guys said they never heard of it. If you look online numerous people have this complaint with out any recalls. Thank you, [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

ur transmission went out with only 96K miles on it, We were told that it could break down at any time leaving us stranded. there are may forums and people experiencing this issue. It was inspected by the dealer, and they confirmed that the transmission was needing to be replaced

The headlamp socket is melted. This is the same issue as other Toyota vehicles. There was a recall of the Toyota Tundra for the same problem in 2021.

I purchased a 2019 Highlander Platinum Limited a few weeks ago and it started making an incredibly loud feedback sound from the speakers every 10-15 times I start the vehicle. I do not have a subscription but I currently have a free trial thru sirusXM radio (not sure if this has anything to do with it or not). The loud beeping noise at startup is EXTREMELY loud causing my right ear to ring. Luckily I do not have small children in the car to experience this.

These Toyota highlanders had a whine noise in the transmissions that Toyota ended up taking care of in previous years. They said the problem was fixed in 2019 and newer. This problem has not been fixed as there are numerous confirmed cases of the exact problem with later models.

Upon starting the Highlander, there is a very loud screeching/feedback noise through the speakers- it appears to be coming from the DCM as described y a Toyota representative. . This happens upon stating the car at least once a day and frequency is increasing.

At 80,000 miles or so the transmission has now started making a whining sound upon acceleration. The repair shop says there's nothing they can do except to replace the entire transmission. This tends to be a common occurrence with Toyota vehicles.

The contact owns a 2019 Toyota Highlander. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was a high-pitched whining sound coming from the vehicle. In addition, the contact became aware that the transmission was shifting abnormally rough. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed with transmission failure. The contact was advised to take the vehicle to the dealer. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed with transmission failure. The contact was informed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was filed. The failure mileage was approximately 90,000. The VIN was unavailable.

Extremely loud high pitched noise when the vehicle starts. The problem began early October 2024 and has continued. It happens every time the car turns on.

When I start the Highlander, there is a loud (hurts your ears) feedback noise through the speakers. It's so loud you instinctively close your eyes and put your hands on your ears, ignoring whatever you were doing before (like maybe putting the car in gear). It lasts a second or two then stops. It doesn't happen every time, more like every 10 starts. I called Toyota and they said take it to the dealer. I'm still waiting to get their feedback.

My 2019 Toyota Highlander XLE has 50,000 miles on it, when the transmission began making a whining noise while driving. The noise has become significantly louder. There has been no noticeable issues with the shifting, however when taken to the dealer I was advised that the transmission needs to be replaced and can not be repaired. I was lucky enough that we did not encounter any serious problems with the transmission. This appears to be a major problem with the Highlander transmission and should become a recall. I was lucky enough that my vehicle was in the drivetrain warranty range considering the low miles and cost to repair such a problem. Toyota should be mandated to recall or at the very least extend the transmission coverage to 10 year 100,000 miles due to the malfunction.

I have 2019 Toyota Highlander and it has less than 78k miles. A few months ago ago it started barley noticeable wheezing sound and then it got progressively worse. I took it to a the mechanic and he said it was the transmission. It expensive to fix and I saw that a lot if people are complaining about the same problem. I think Toyota should be responsible for replacing the faulty transmissions. My car has been sitting in the driveway because I can’t fix it.

Intermittent EXTREMELY LOUD ear-piercing high pitched noise coming from speakers upon starting the vehicle. The volume of the sounds is extremely high, the loudest noise I've ever heard. The sound lasts about 5 seconds. I am concerned for the safety of our hearing, for my family, including our children. It has not been reproduced at the service center because it is intermittent. I have read online where others with the similar year/make/model experienced it and have varying success by re-subscribing to Toyota SOS Safety connect ($80/year), or replacing the Data Communication Module (DCM). If not uner warranty, this costs thousands of dollars. I have tried re-subscribing to the Safety Connect but it does not work, and the dealer wants me to pay additionally for them to see why this safety feature is not working in my car. There is no warning before this loud sound presents.

Was stuck in traffic on a highway for about 25 minutes going 0 miles per hour because of an accident about 5 miles away. Then the traffic started to clear and began driving on the road again. About five minutes later, the vehicle lost full drive abilities and the check engine light came on, traction control light on, brake light was on, ABS light was on, stability control warning light on, and then on the info screen the vehicle stated, "Hybrid System Malfunction Stop in a Safe Place, See Owner's Manual", screen then showed within 2-seconds, "Pre-Collision System Malfunction Visit Your Dealer", then in about 2 additional seconds later the info screen stated, "Check Engine Visit Your Dealer", then most every waring light turned on, and there was no power for drive with either hybrid or gasoline engine. The vehicle basically came to a sudden halt in the middle of traffic with steering wheel locked and no control. Had to get police involved and a tow to get off the road. Had vehicle towed to a local toyota dealership and they do not open until Monday at 9am. This incident occurred on Saturday around 3pm.

Vehicle started making intermittent whining noise around 75,000 miles but Toyota service advisor at the time told me it was normal and since my transmission had been serviced on schedule, it was nothing to worry about. Around 135,000 miles the vehicle sometimes would operate completely normal, and at other times would suddenly seem to struggle to get up to speed especially on the highway somewhere between 20-60 mph. Also sometimes difficult to go at stoplights; but then would resume completely normal operation. The risk to us was we could have easily been hurt in an accident had the vehicle not been able to operate normally at normal speeds, leading to a collision. There were no warnings nor stored codes; the vehicle had received all routine maintenance on schedule including all major maintenance such as transmission services performed by a Toyota dealership. When taken in for this problem, they claimed that they were not able to replicate the jerky/intermittent issues during their test drive, but the whine was indicative of transmission failure and the transmission would need to be replaced. The remanufactured transmissions were on backorder with no ETA, which I was told could be 6-10 months of a wait due to a parts shortage. My service advisor recommended I trade in the vehicle instead because they could not guarantee the vehicle would be safe to drive and I could not continue to drive fearful of a wreck, so we had to do that, and the vehicle was traded in.

Dealership stated that whining sound from transmission is irreparable and must be replaced. It is unsafe to drive and the dealer confirmed the noise. This is a known, common issue with the CVT Transmissions, but they are not willing to replace it due to being more than 60 months past the manufacture date, but under 60,000 miles.

The contact owns a 2019 Toyota Highlander. The contact stated that recently while driving at speeds above 40 MPH, there was a whining sound coming from the engine compartment. The cause of the sound was not yet determined. The manufacturer and local dealer were not yet contacted. The failure mileage was 51,000.

When starting the 2019 Highlander, the car would intermittently emit a screeching noise. This noise is startling and can potentially cause a crash if it is emit while driving. This is a known issue since it made to the Toyota Forum: [XXX] However, when I brought the car to the dealership, they’re stating that they don’t know about the issue, and want to charge $300 just to diagnose the problem without guarantee the fix or acknowledge the known issue. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Vehicle just turned 12,000 miles. When fueling the vehicle gas gauge does not read correctly. This may cause an unexpected loss of control and accident if out of gas when driving. Vehicle has not yet been to the dealer for repair but going soon. As far as I can determine there are no warning lamps for a faulty fuel gauge.

Faulty transmission with no solution for a fix. Transmission makes grinding noise while driving. Dealership cannot fix the problem knowing that there is an issue with the 8 speed transmission. They recommend replacement with a salvage transmission out of pocket.

Transmission failure

The contact owns a 2019 Toyota Highlander. The contact stated that while driving approximately 65 MPH the vehicle began to loose automotive power and stalled. During the incident, several warning messages were activated which included the check engine light and the ABS warning. While inspecting the vehicle smoke and fire began to stream from under the engine hood and moments later the frontend of the vehicle became engulfed in flames. The fire department was called to the scene and extinguished the flames. During the incident, the vehicle was destroyed and later towed away. A police report was taken at the scene. The cause of the failure was not determined. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The local dealer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 96,200.

My car is leaking into my interior. It has come out of the electrical component areas. I worry it has infiltrated airbags & what could happen if they get wet (go off due to damage or not go off when supposed to). Have taken to dealership 3 times with no resolution

While driving the car on the highway with no other cars in the immediate area it sounded like there was an explosion on the roof. The glass sun roof spontaneously exploded. Small pieces of glass were everywhere. I was able to pull over to a parking lot. There could have been a serious accident or injury as this event caused me to swerve.

The contact owns a 2019 Toyota Highlander. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost motive power. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed as a failure with the crankshaft sensor. The contact was informed that the crankshaft sensor needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was contacted; however, the vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 60,000. The VIN was not available.

The contact owns a 2019 Toyota Highlander. The contact stated while driving 50 MPH, the moonroof glass suddenly shattered, raining glass down on the occupants inside the vehicle. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who was unable to determine the cause of the failure. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but provided no assistance. The failure mileage was 78,000.

Transmission Failed at 65,000. Yes, inspection available upon request. Safety is when my family with little children are in the car, and erratic shifting takes place while traveling at high rates of speed. Car has not broken down, but was told by dealer that it could "run for ever or break down tomorrow" Issue for me is that it is VERY apparent through multiple resources that Toyota clearly is aware of this issue. Recalled in 2017, and 2018.....but looks like most is happening with the 2019 with no accountability on their part. Power train warranty expires at 60,000 miles....yet 75% of reported issues are in between $60,000-$70,000 with Toyota offering ZERO assistance or taking any responsibility or action. No warnings on the dash, no lights. Either loud noise, high rev RPM, or sudden erratic shifting. Just Toyota....saying "yeah we know about it, but still not helping with it, not extending the warranty, and just leaving you with a $8,000-$10,000 bill or continue with a ticking time bomb. Negligence is a safety issue. A big one.

Transmission failed at 97,500 miles

Transmission whine stated on or around 52000 miles. Whine progressively increased in volume over the next 2000 miles. Toyota dealer analyzed the noise and recommended the transmission be replaced. Transmission out of warranty. Independent transmission shop confirmed transmission internal pump was failing and could cause transmission lockup at speed.