2017 Toyota Highlander: hesitation when accelerating

Filed Sep 21, 2026 · Driver assistance, Transmission · FL

customer support program ;; ZJC....Toyota has received reports about potential symptoms, such as a whine noise from the transmission while driving, harsh shifting, reduced power, , in the subject vehicles that are equipped with a model UA80 transmission. There is a possibility that a washer tab, designed to prevent the loosening of a nut inside the affected transmissions, was not sufficiently bent during assembly. This could lead to the nut loosening and, over time, lead to the symptoms described above. i.ve been having this issue with my transmission for a couple of years. my issue started ,when i first got this highlander back in 2017 .when coming to a stop ,i would get a thumping sound from tranny .i took this SUV to dealer ,twice for said tranny issue and pre collision system not functioning properly was told nothing wrong! this happened while suv was still under warranty! i eventually need to replace front windscreen : after which pre collision was functioning properly this was done by Safelite AutoGlass! a couple of months the tranny had a new issue ,tranny began to hesitate. a few months went by and then another new symptom developed ,i was getting shuttering at 1400 rpm ,which goy worst if you were at this rpm for a little while. I've been sick for a couple of years now and was not able to take to dealer to diagnose issues associated with tranny. i've kept driving my highlander with these issues ,since it started!! CUSTOMER SUPPORT PROGRAM ZJC addresses some of the issues i have with my transmission. i don't know why my transmission and vin# is not included in this program.. i'm worried if i went to doctors appt and highlander broke down ,what i'm going to do..i'm on social security disability ,i cant afford much !

Filed May 7, 2026 · Transmission · MD

DESCRIPTION OF DEFECT: My 2017 Toyota Highlander experienced a complete transmission failure under normal driving conditions. The vehicle began showing symptoms including delayed shifting, hesitation when accelerating, and eventual loss of proper drivability. The issue was diagnosed by an authorized Toyota dealership, which confirmed internal transmission failure. The estimated repair cost provided by the dealer was approximately $9,000. I opened a case with Toyota Customer Experience and submitted an escalation request, but no assistance was provided and the claim was declined or ignored. MY CAR HAD A HISTORY OF REGULAR MAINTENACE DONE BY A CERTIFIED TOYOTA DEALERS My case # :XXX Due to the urgency of transportation needs and lack of manufacturer support, I have been forced to proceed with an independent transmission replacement. Which will cost me anywhere between $6,000 and $7,500 This failure occurred without warning severe enough to prevent continued safe use of the vehicle and raises serious safety concerns regarding sudden loss of power and drivability. SAFETY IMPACT: The transmission failure caused unsafe driving conditions including hesitation during acceleration and potential loss of power while in traffic, which could increase risk of collision. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: VIN: [XXX] Mileage at failure: 168000 Dealer diagnosis confirmed transmission failure Manufacturer case opened and escalated with no resolution I am submitting this complaint to document a potential systemic defect and to support ongoing safety investigation and consumer protection review. [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Filed May 10, 2023 · Fuel system · NJ

Car refused to start. Multiple cranking that had to be stopped by turning car off. Car was not receiving fuel. Waited one day and tried again. Car started on third time but ran very rough, with smoke and odor until it evened out. Drove with initial engine hesitation episodes to dealer. Asked for fuel pump replacement under Customer Support Program but dealer refuses because they cannot duplicate the problem. I am afraid to drive this car because I feel it’s unsafe. I am afraid the car will stall while driving causing an accident. I transport by grandchildren daily so a safe car is imperative. Called Toyota twice to resolve this but if the dealer doesn’t experience the same issue they will not replace my fuel pump even though this is a known issue. My car is not on the recall list yet. Looking back I have had hesitation issues upon acceleration for years. I feel the pump is to blame and should be replaced.

Filed Nov 10, 2020 · Fuel system · 50,000 miles · SC

Tl* the contact owns a 2017 toyota highlander. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle hesitated while depressing the accelerator pedal. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact received notification of the federal safety agency campaign number: 20v012000 (fuel system, gasoline) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. Fred anderson toyota of charleston (2100 savannah hwy, charleston, sc 29414, (843) 203-9032) was contacted and it was confirmed that parts were not yet available. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The failure mileage was approximately 50,000. Vin tool confirms parts not available.

Filed Sep 14, 2018 · 11,800 miles · TX

2017 highlander limited. 11,800 miles. Over the last 30 days the vehicle has had 3 similar events of vehicle hesitation or stumbling from a full stop, when applying full accelerator pedal travel. The vehicle seems to accelerate normally for a second or two, then just seems to hang at 5-10 MPH. Pumping the accelerator pedal quickly full up, full down may have fixed the problem, I'm not really sure, but that is what I did.the vehicle operates normally after that.in the last and most frightening episode, I was at a stop,on a side street waiting to turn onto a frontage road where typical speeds are 60 MPH. I pressed the accelerator pedal full down to the floor and turned onto the frontage road. The vehicle seemed to accelerate normally for 1-2 seconds, then as before, just stayed at 5-10 MPH with a car coming upon my rear at 60 MPH. Fortunately for me he was able to change lanes and avoid running into me. I pumped the accelerator pedal as described. The vehicle than responded normally. I don't remember if the vehicle was in power or economy mode. I typically put it into power mode before entering the highway (which I was about to do on the far side of the frontage road) if I remember. As you may imagine this last episode left me quite disturbed. I always use regular grade gasoline from top name gas stations. These events happened with different tanks of gas from different stations. I took the vehicle to the dealership. They were not able to read any error codes from the computer, and were unable to repeat the problem in a test drive. They have escalated the case to the toyota engineering team.