Toyota Highlander premature wear problems

Filed Sep 17, 2026 · Electrical · 141,597 miles · VA

develop a high-pitched whine, shuddering, or harsh shifting between 25 and 45 mph, which can lead to premature wear or complete failure. Also, On/ Off from no where and stopped in the middle of the road

Filed Jun 17, 2026 · Transmission · MI

Known faulty transmission. Ua 80 transmission shifts early causing erratic shifting and excessive wear and tear on the transmission causing premature wear and tear.

Filed Mar 12, 2026 · Tires · 80,000 miles · NC

The contact owns a 2021 Toyota Highlander equipped with Bridgestone Tires, Tire Line: Alenza Sport, Tire Size: 255/50/R20, DOT Number: 276100C2R. The contact stated the vehicle was inspected by the dealer, where it was discovered that all four tires were prematurely worn quickly and showed defects. The tires were replaced under the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 24V452000 (Tires). The dealer informed the contact that the issue was related to the previous recall. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle failure mileage was 80,000. The tire failure mileage was 7,000.

Filed Jan 12, 2026 · Transmission · CO

Transmission began to manifest gear shifting issues. Took to mechanic shop to have diagnosed and found premature wear. The recommendation was to replace this transmission. However there are no factory replacements for this transmission and the only alternative is a used transmission replacement. Parts can't be sourced for even a rebuild. This vehicle has 96k miles on it. In review of recommended, routine services for this vehicle, transmission service is not recommended due to being a "sealed" transmission. Apparently this is a known issue as documented by Toyota under TSB "CSP ZJC". In this particular situation there have not been any warning lights. Replacement quote for a used transmission was $15,000 on 01/12/2025.

Filed Nov 20, 2025 · Brakes, Wheels · NY

I am reporting a serious safety defect involving the rear brake system of my 2021 Toyota Highlander, purchased from Penn Toyota (Glen Cove, NY). The dealership represented the vehicle as “Toyota Certified” and indicated that it passed all safety inspections. On November 15, 2025, I discovered that the rear brake rotors and pads were in extremely unsafe condition, showing severe corrosion, deep pitting, uneven pad wear, and structural deterioration. This damage clearly developed over a long period of time and indicates that the vehicle could not have passed a legitimate safety inspection at the time of sale. The rear brakes had to be replaced immediately to prevent potential brake failure. After replacing the rear rotors and pads, the vehicle passed the New York State Inspection on the same day, proving that the previous brake condition was unsafe and improperly inspected. This raises concerns of: Brake safety failure Improper or falsified dealership inspection Risk of reduced stopping power Potential loss of vehicle control I am submitting photos, the repair invoice, and the inspection result that confirmed the brakes were unsafe prior to repair.

Filed Oct 23, 2025 · Transmission · CA

While driving, I began noticing a high-pitched whining or buzzing noise when pressing the accelerator, particularly at low speeds. The sound resembles an electric or remote-control car and rises in pitch with engine RPMs. The noise disappears when I release the gas pedal. A mechanic initially suspected a wheel bearing, but after further inspection, it appears the noise is coming from the transmission or drivetrain. I later discovered that this issue is widespread among 2017–2020 Toyota Highlander models equipped with the UA80E/UA80F 8-speed automatic transmission, which has been associated with internal gear and pump whine. Toyota has issued Customer Support Program POL19-04 and Technical Service Bulletin T-SB-0008-21 addressing similar transmission whine and gear damage, but my vehicle is outside the standard 5-year/60,000-mile warranty and was not included in the extended coverage list, even though the symptoms match exactly. The problem appears to be a design or component defect within the UA80-series transmission, leading to premature wear and potential failure. This can affect drivability, safety during acceleration, and could result in transmission failure without warning.

Filed Oct 21, 2025 · Brakes, Driver assistance · UT

There is a wobbling sensation on my Highlander during braking at highway speeds. There is no such feeling while driving around city. It appeared after my trip on highway in heavy rain. There was no traffic, and I were using cruise control. Suddenly, doing nothing from my side but steering, I started to feel heavy break impacts, which scared me (I was with my family). I switched off cruise control, and those break impacts disappeared. Then switched it again, and I started to feel the same, thus I switched off cruise control and drove the rest of rain area with my foot on accelerator pedal. After that I started to feel wobbling during braking at highway speeds. It seems - more on the right side. Maybe there was more water layer under the right side of the car, and the Electronic Stability Control tried to hold car on the straight line, or camera detect water on the windshield as an obstacle and applied breaks from time to time, which might case warped rotors. To my understanding it has to be warranty issue, as Toyota manual said that driving during heavy rain can cause unproper action of cruise control, but it does not say it can damage the car or warp the rotors.

Filed Feb 23, 2023 · Brakes · 12,000 miles · AZ

The contact owns a 2022 Toyota Highlander. The contact stated while driving 65 MPH, the brake pedal was depressed, causing the vehicle to shudder and the steering wheel was vibrating. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed with warped rotors. The contact related the failure to Technical Service Bulletin: 0072-18 (Front Brake), however, the vehicle was not covered under the TSB. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 12,000.

Filed Aug 13, 2021 · Tires · KY

The tires have worn down to needing replacing after only 27,308 miles on them, these tires are rating and warrantied for 60,000 miles. Reviews online show other owners complaining about the same issue with premature wear and safety issues. When it rains, the vehicle will slip when attempting to drive, slide when stopping, and hydroplaning at less than normal road speeds.

Filed Oct 15, 2017 · Brakes · 35,000 miles · VT

On 10/30/16 I took my 2015 highlander to a local toyota dealer for warped rotors. They agreed the rotors were warped and since it was at 35,000 miles they replaced all 4 rotors under warranty plus 2 new brake pads which I had to pay for. I noticed the same issue in late may of 2017 and called to ask about this. They said "we don't warranty warranty work" and suggested I called toyota headquarters. On june 21, 2017 I called toyota and filed a complaint. I was told to take the car to a different local dealer, closer to my home, and they would inspect the rotors for a charge. On july 11, 2017 I did this and the service rep told me she noticed that the rotors were "blue" and she noted that they should be changed. The service manager called toyota headquarters with this info but they refused to cover this, stating that this was normal wear and tear. Later that day I heard from the toyota hq rep who repeated that toyota could not cover this. On 8/7/2017 I filed a complaint with vermont attorney general's office. As of 10/10/17 this complaint is still not resolved as they won't cover the repair. The car is now at 63,000. This is a safety issue. Note: according to toyota nation website many others have had these same issues. Below is the response from the dealer on august 24, 2017. I discussed this situation with our assistant service manager. She did contact toyota to ask them to cover this repair and they declined. Their reasoning for this is that the condition of the brake rotors, I.e. They are blue, indicates a heat event. This usually results from heavy braking, braking while going downhill often or sometimes if the brakes got hot and then went through cool water. If you would like to address this with toyota further, I encourage you to reach out to the toyota customer experience center at 800‑331‑4331 or via email using this form. . .