2019 Toyota Highlander acceleration problems

Filed Jul 2, 2026 · Acceleration · WA

Whining sound can be heard while accelerating the vehicle. Maintenance crew is reporting an issue with transmission. UA80F 8 speed transmission on V6 engine in Toyota Highlander has this failure noise. Given that the transmission can fail anytime. It is dangerous to operate the vehicle. No action is taken from Toyota yet.

Filed May 11, 2026 · Acceleration, Driver assistance · 80,000 miles · IL

The contact owns a 2019 Toyota Highlander. The contact stated that while driving approximately 60 MPH under a local under path the vehicles the braking system suddenly activated causing the vehicle to come to a complete stop. Previously the while driving at the same location the vehicle suddenly reduced speeds. The contact indicated that each time the failure had occurred the cruise control feature was activated. The cause of the failure was not determined. The manufacturer and local dealer were not yet contacted. The failure mileage was 80,000.

Filed Jan 28, 2026 · Acceleration, Engine · VT

1. What component or system failed or malfunctioned? System: Power Train: Automatic Transmission Specific Component: UA80 8-Speed Automatic Transmission (Internal Failure) Available for Inspection: Yes, the vehicle is currently available. 2. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? While merging onto the highway, the transmission failed to upshift, resulting in a sudden and unexpected loss of acceleration. The vehicle could not reach or maintain highway speeds (speed limit). This created an immediate hazard as I was unable to keep up with the flow of traffic, forcing me to make an emergency exit across multiple lanes while moving significantly slower than other vehicles. The loss of motive power increased the risk of a high-speed rear-end collision. 3. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer? Yes. The problem was confirmed by Heritage Toyota Service. The technicians confirmed an internal transmission failure. A secondary consultation with a transmission specialist (AAMCO) also identified the failure as a known mechanical defect common to this transmission model. 4. Has the vehicle been inspected by the manufacturer... or others? Yes, it has been inspected by the authorized Toyota Dealership listed above. I have also reported the issue to Toyota Brand Engagement (National), but a corporate field inspection (DSPM) has not yet been performed. 5. Were there any warning lamps... or other symptoms? Symptoms: A distinct whining noise from the engine/transmission area that increased with vehicle speed. Prior Events: The vehicle was taken to the dealer specifically for this noise. The dealer performed a fluid change and released the vehicle. The catastrophic failure (loss of power) occurred less than 24 hours after leaving the dealership. No dashboard warning lights illuminated prior to the loss of power.

Filed Aug 6, 2025 · Acceleration, Brakes · CO · crash · 1 injury

I had just driven up a steep driveway and made a slightly sharper than 90 degree turn at a very low speed to pull into a home parking spot when the car lunged forward suddenly and slammed into the stone wall of the house at a high speed. The section of this driveway after the turn is only 2.5 car lengths, but the car picked up enough speed to smash the front of the car in. The car was totaled and driver and side curtain airbags all deployed. I do not know why this happened as there is no way I would have hit the gas hard while pulling up to a building to stop. I also would not have slammed on the gas thinking it was the brake since there would have been no reason to slam on the brake when I was only going 5-10 miles per hour max around the tight turn. My shoe was not caught on a pedal, both sandals were still on my feet after the accident. I am not a two footed driver. I feel that it was an accelerator malfunction, as the gas pedal had always been a little strange with a delayed response, but may have also involved the transmission after driving up the steep hill and then returning to a short but flat stretch leading up to the house. I was very bruised up, particularly my shins and ankles. Two months later, I still have some visible bruising. I also had injuries from the seat belt on my chest and what appeared to be a powder burn from the airbags. I was quite traumatized by the sudden acceleration and violence of the crash and not understanding how or why it happened. If someone had been standing in front of the house to greet me on my return, they would have been killed. The car was towed away and totaled by the insurance company, so the problem hasn't been reproduced or confirmed. There were no warning lamps or messages that I'm aware of prior to the incident, except that the gas pedal has always felt inconsistent concerning when it engages. My phone self-dialed 911 and law enforcement came out to do an accident report.

Filed Feb 17, 2025 · Acceleration, Engine · MO

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

Filed Aug 5, 2024 · Acceleration, Transmission · 16,000 miles · NY

The contact owns a 2019 Toyota Highlander. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed and attempting to accelerate, the vehicle hesitated and was sluggish while responding. There was an abnormal humming noise detected. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where the transmission was replaced, but the failure recurred. While driving 71 MPH and merging into traffic while accelerating, the vehicle failed to respond. The contact was able to veer to the shoulder. The vehicle was taken back to the local dealer; however, the dealer was unable to duplicate the failure. There were no fault codes retrieved. The mechanic at the dealer reported that during the test drive, there was hesitation while downshifting. The manufacturer was contacted, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 16,000.

Filed Apr 26, 2024 · Acceleration · 10,000 miles · TX · crash · 1 injury

The contact owns a 2019 Toyota Highlander. The contact stated while attempting to make a turn in a parking a lot, the accelerator pedal became stuck on the mat, and the vehicle accelerated unintendedly. The contact stated that she depressed the brake pedal, but the vehicle failed to respond. The contact stated that as she was approaching a guard rail, she turned off the vehicle. The vehicle jerked and the front end of the vehicle crashed into the guard rail. The air bags did not deploy. The contact stated that she sustained pain on the right foot and underwent surgery later. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to the dealer collision center, where the vehicle was repaired. The contact related the failure to an unknown recall. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 10,000.

Filed Sep 19, 2021 · Acceleration, Electrical · VA · crash

I was involved in an accident that I believe was caused by sudden unintended acceleration (sua). In a very busy commercial parking lot, I was pulling into a parking space proceeding at a very slow speed, when there was a sudden surge in acceleration accompanied by a grinding/acceleration sound. I hit the brake to no effect, and the vehicle jumped the curb and hit a building shop and entered the shop. The air bags did not deploy, and I was shaken up but not injured. Thankfully, there was no one at the front desk area of the business. The car was not drivable and was towed to a body shop.

Filed Aug 7, 2021 · Acceleration, Driver assistance · MN

Problems: 1) Check Engine Light lit up. 2) "Hybrid System Malfunction" warning on heads-up display. 3) "Pre-Collision System Failure" warning on Heads-Up Display. 4) Gasoline engine stalls after an intentional deceleration and is unable to come back up to speed. First Event: On July 4th, my wife and I were driving on an interstate highway. We entered an exit ramp interchange to merge onto another highway and when trying to accelerate the car suddenly became sluggish, and gave messages for problems 1), 2), and 4) stated above. Problem 3) did not occur during this event. Messages stated to pull over in a safe location. We parked on the shoulder and immediately shut the car off, waited 5 minutes and then started the car again. We were able to drive to the next off-ramp to a city street (about 100 yards) before the engine started becoming sluggish again and lurching, error messages remained throughout the event. OBD codes stated simply "faulty engine" on a car with 16,000 miles. Dealership was unable to find a cause, but did find a code for ignition failure. They checked some things but did not do any repairs, and were unable to replicate the issue as it seemed to have cleared. Diagnosis was "vapor-lock" and no explanation for why. Second Event: On August 6th, my wife was driving the vehicle to visit family, when pulling onto an exit ramp, was unable to accelerate again afterwards. All the same warnings popped up, but this time also had problem 3). Engine stalled when warnings appeared and did the same sluggish lurching. After pulling off in a safe area, Shut the car off and tried to restart 4 times, warning did not clear. Gasoline Engine does not operate when pedal is pressed. Shut the car down for 2 hours and tried to restart afterwards, warnings still present, engine now runs when pedal is pressed, but stalls when idle. Shutdown for another hour while waiting for a tow, warnings still present, still stalls when idle. Waiting on callback from dealership.

Filed Mar 13, 2021 · Acceleration, Driver assistance · 6,000 miles · MA

A month ago, we were driving on the highway through snow showers up to nh to go skiing, with our nifty adaptive cruise control on, when I realized that we were accelerating into the car in front of us. I assumed that the front sensor was covered in slush, took off the cruise control and drove manually. Only about 5 minutes later did the dashboard alert notify me that the front sensor wasn't working. Brought it into the dealer. They couldn't find anything wrong. Here's the problem: the car says "trust me. If you use my cool safety systems, I'll keep you from hitting the car in front of you...and should something disable the sensor that carries out this function, I'll let you know, so that you won't depend on me." but that's not true. And, a driver who assumed that the car was keeping its promise, as it does most all the time--might not have realized that it wasn't until they hit the car in front of them.