My 2021 Toyota Highlander makes a whining sound when driving. Took vehicle to dealership and was told it is a $10,000 repair and repair is critical.
2021 Toyota Highlander transmission complaints
Page 4 of 9: complaints 71 to 100 of 233, newest first, as owners wrote them.
My car start with a noise and just lost power in the middle of the road causing almost an accident. This was caused due to the manufacture issue for the transmissions with my car model and brand.
What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? - Transmission is in the process of failing. Yes it is available for inspection. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? - Loss of power train while driving could put the operator and the public at risk. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? - Yes, I've been told by two separate Toyota dealers that my transmission needs to be replaced. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? - Yes. Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? - No.
2021 Toyota Highlander XSE AWD with approximately 60,400 miles. Vehicle has developed a noticeable driveline/transmission humming/whining noise during acceleration, beginning at lower speeds and increasing with vehicle speed under throttle. Noise is most noticeable while pressing the accelerator and appears consistent with Toyota T-SB-0008-21 regarding transmission whine/grind concerns on UA80F transmissions.
60k miles on the car and the transmission needs to be replaced out of pocket due to a gear pinon wearing down. This is a 10k dollar repair and just happens to be after the warranty has expired.
My 2021 Toyota Highlander equipped with the UA80 transmission developed a whining/grinding noise under acceleration around 73,000 miles. Toyota diagnosed internal transmission failure and recommended full replacement costing approximately $9,000. Toyota issued TSB T-SB-0008-21 acknowledging defects involving the front carrier assembly pinion shafts in these transmissions. This defect creates a potential safety hazard due to possible loss of power or drivability during highway operation. I am requesting that the federal safety agency investigate the widespread transmission failures affecting 2021 Highlanders and related Toyota vehicles.
I noticed transmission whining shortly after purchasing on 3/12/24. Odometer reading at purchase 62,347. I justified whining to myself as luck of the draw. Until a few months ago I started hearing grinding noise coming from the transmission. Had transmission diagnosed at Lancaster Toyota on 4/22/2026. Approximate odometer reading, 78,700. Was told that a replacement transmission was needed. Cost 9,526.17 No warning lamps or messages appeared. Transmission type UA80F SN A4A20J O 4195
Car was making whining sound with acceleration at 62k miles. Dealer told me I need to spend 8k on a replacement.
Transmission. My 2021 Toyota Highlander with approximately 94,500 miles developed a consistent whining noise during acceleration. The issue occurs daily during normal driving and appears to be worsening. A Toyota dealership diagnosed the problem and confirmed the noise is coming from the transmission and that the transmission requires replacement. This appears to be a premature failure of a major drivetrain component. The condition could lead to loss of power or transmission failure while driving, creating a potential safety risk. There was no prior warning, and the vehicle has been properly maintained.
2021 Toyota Highalnder UA80F Transmission Whine / Known Defect - Potential for Sudden Failure I own a 2021 Toyota Highlander Platinum V6 AWD (UA80F 8-speed automatic transmisstion) purchased in July 2021. Current milage is 78k. Starting 3 days ago I noticed a faint whine noise coming from the transmission. The pitch changes with speed and when the throttle is depressed (It's louder under load/acceleration). This matches the exact symptoms described in Toyota TSB T-SB-0008-21 for whine/grind noise caused by the front carrier assembly pinion shaft issues in 2021 Highlanders with UA80 transmissions. On April 27, I went to a Toyota dealer to confirm the source of the noise and diagnose. As per their diagnosis report "Tech took vehicle on road test to duplicate concern, after confirming complaint vehicle was then lifted up and inspected while under a load, tech as able to isolate noise to transmission at this time, fluid level and condition was inspected to ensure there were no signs of shavings or discoloration and after inspection tech found nothing abnormal during fluid level check. Tech then ran a health check to ensure there were no DTC present related to transmission concern and found no DTC present. Recommend replacing transmission and torque converter at this time". They provided a quote of $9,392. This condition represents a safety concern because the internal wear can progress to harsher shifting, loss of power, limp mode, or complete transmission failure while driving, potentially causing a crash or stranding the vehicle in traffic. I have audio/vehicle recordings of the whine and service records showing regular Toyota dealer maintenance. I am requesting the the federal safety agency investigate this ongoing UA80 transmission issue as it appears to be a known manufacturing or design defect tat continues beyond the narrow TSB applicability and warranty limits.
Car makes a high pitched whining noise at low speeds of approx. 10-30 mph
The contact owns a 2021 Toyota Highlander. The contact stated that there was an abnormal winding sound coming from the vehicle while accelerating. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed with transmission failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact called a transmission shop and was informed that the part to repair the vehicle was on back order. The manufacturer was contacted, opened a case, and referred to the federal safety agency Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 106,000.
2021 Toyota Highlander transmission failure
My automatic transmission failed per the dealership and is just outside of the warranty but is considered a premature failure based on the expected life of the vehicle.
I am an owner of a 2021 Highlander XLE AWD (bought new). In October of 2024 around 34000 miles the transmission started to make a whining noise and seemed to be surging/bucking , hesitation and hunting for gears. Toyota determined it fit the criteria of a TSB to have the transmission replaced. The dealership had my car for two months and then eventually replaced the transmission with a remanufactured unit. This “new” unit still has the issues of surging/bucking , hesitation and hunting for gears. I fear that this “new” transmission is in the process of failing again with less than 10k on it. Of course I will be out of warranty when it does and I’ll be on the hook for a $10000 repair. I’m appalled that Toyota has not done a true fix for this issue and has not even put an extended warranty on it either. I purchased this vehicle from Toyota on good faith that it would last and be reliable. 34k one transmission died and I’m sure this one will follow suite. Ultimately UA80 transmission is ticking time bomb and Toyota needs to be held accountable for this.
Transmission has failed as have many others of the same year make and model without acknowledgement of a manufacturer defect
Transmission Failure. Had to have it replaced.
The vehicle experienced a transmission failure at approximately 62,000 miles, which required a transmission replacement. Toyota replaced the transmission with a rebuilt transmission. Immediately after the repair, the vehicle began experiencing multiple issues that were not present prior to the repair. The vehicle initially would not reverse, and the battery was drained shortly after the repair was completed. Following the repair, the vehicle has continued to experience ongoing electrical malfunctions, including dashboard warning lights, system alerts, and dash lights flashing during remote start. The vehicle has also developed a rattling noise underneath the vehicle. The exact failed component has not been clearly identified. The dealership has provided changing diagnoses and has not provided written diagnostic documentation despite requests. The vehicle has been inspected by the dealership multiple times; however, the issues have not been resolved. During a recent diagnostic, the dealership stated that the catalytic converter is now the issue, but this does not address the ongoing electrical problems. These issues raise safety concerns due to unpredictable vehicle behavior and potential failure of critical systems while driving. Warning lights and system errors began appearing after the transmission repair and have continued since that time. The vehicle is available for inspection upon request.
A whining noise was observed at around 78k miles. Brought to the dealer and they indicated parts in the transmission are failing and it requires replacement. They said this has been happening more frequently on 2021 Highlanders (also see T-SB-0008-21). It's also a well-documented issue online. My contact with Toyota was that they did not intend to cover any repairs as the vehicle is out of warranty, even though it's not an isolated issue. They would not disclose how many vehicles have reported this issue. I believe it has reached safety recall-level.
The contact owns a 2021 Toyota Highlander. The contact stated that the vehicle experienced transmission failure while driving. There was an abnormal whining sound coming from the vehicle while accelerating, and the sound increased in volume while driving. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed with an internal transmission failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 55,803.
Transmission has started to whine, my understanding is this is common for the transmission I have. I have had this verified by 2 different garages. There are no engine lights showing. The noise started around 90K.
My 2021 Toyota Highlander was my first car I purchased that I saved up for and has had a sudden issue accrue with a winning sound out of now where. I took it to the dealer ship and they told me I need a new transmission. My vechile only has 73k miles and I noticed this sound is getting worst and worst. I don’t know what to do so I turned to the internet and I was blow away to see how many people have this same issue with the same year and it’s been happing to so many people. I am a father of a special needs child and I sport my family on my own I can not afford to replace this and they won’t do anything for me. I beg anyone that reads this to please help us out cause this is not fair they we pay our hard earned money to get hit with this unexpected issues that they obviously know about but want do anything cause it will ruin there rep.
Upon inspection at my local Toyota dealership, the UA80F 8-speed transmission on my 2021 Toyota Highlander has a known whining noise attributed to a failed transmission pump. The whining noise occurs when the car accelerates from 0 to around 50 miles per hour. When it gets to highway speeds, there is no noise. Anyone in the car can be put at risk if the transmission stops functioning on the roadways, and we're left stranded or we're suddenly blocking traffic. This issue is a known issue according to T-SB-0008-21, and there are many people online who seemed to have encountered this issue even beyond the warranty limits of 5 years/60,000 miles. Even my local AAMCO tells me that this is a dreaded and known issue of past customers. This issue first appeared around the 60,000 miles of distance traveled. There is no warning for this problem. You just have to be fortunate enough to discover the noise before the warranty deadlines. I discovered the noise at around 58,000 miles around June 2025, but I didn't know it was an issue back then. Had I known about this, I would've still qualified for the warranty. This noise has been reproduced and confirmed by my local Toyota dealership, and they're quoting me $11,506.53 to fix this issue. Other 3rd party transmission shops are quoting me ~$6,000. I'm frankly frustrated that Toyota did not issue a recall for this known issue that I did not cause. I wanted to drive this car for life, but I'm unsure what to do now. Either pay an exorbitant amount of money or sell it.
Transmission failure @110,000miles and a $9000.00 replacement cost. Service advisor at Toyota Dealership indicated they have seen other similar failures on this Highlander Platinum Model at their dealership but unit is out of warranty by a few thousand miles
2021 Toyota Highlander xse all-wheel drive model. Transmission failure: unusual sounds started just after 60,000 miles. Transmission began to whine mid-70,000 miles. Repair costs $8,000. Transmission business recommends rebuilding the Transmissions due to poor design and known issues.
My 2021 Toyota Highlander is experiencing a transmission issue causing a high pitched whining. It has the problematic UA80F. Toyota has declined to remedy the problem even with it being a known issue.
During acceleration above 25 mph a noticeable whining sound is heard from the transmission. When not acceleration the sound goes away. The vehicle only has 72300 miles
The transmission began making a wheezing sound. The dealership looked at the vehicle and determined it needed a new transmission. This is a known problem. Toyota issued a service bulletin on the issue in February 2021. I purchased the vehicle a few months after that. T-SB-0008-21
My vehicle is experiencing a transmission safety issue that has been diagnosed by the authorized Toyota dealer service center (Toyota of Scranton). During my most recent service visit on 3/2/26, the dealer reported that the transmission is “failing and whining” and recommended full transmission replacement. This condition creates unsafe driving behavior, including abnormal whining noise during acceleration and the concern for sudden transmission failure while driving. The Highlander started exhibiting issues with the transmission within the past 7 days. This issue appears consistent with the known transmission defect referenced in Toyota Technical Service Bulletin T‑SB‑0008‑21, which addresses whining and grinding noises caused by internal transmission component failure in 2021 model‑year vehicles equipped with UA80-series transmissions. Multiple independent reports indicate that this condition can worsen and may lead to loss of power or drivability while the vehicle is in motion. For safety reasons, I am submitting this complaint so the issue can be evaluated as part of any ongoing or future defect investigations. I am concerned about the potential risk of transmission failure while driving, which could increase the chance of a crash.
The contact owns a 2021 Toyota Highlander. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was a whining sound coming from the vehicle. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed with transmission failure. The dealer stated that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. After the vehicle was parked and turned off, there was transmission fluid leaking from the vehicle. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the head gasket had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The contact then noticed fluid leaking from the transfer case while the vehicle was parked and turned off. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the transfer case had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 74,700.
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