2018 Toyota Highlander

GUEST STATES HER VEHICLE IS WHINING DURING ACCELLERATION, WILL STOP WHINING FOR A MOMENT WHEN VEHICLE UPSHIFTS AND THEN RETURN. GUEST HAS BEEN IN CONTACT WITH SERVICE MANAGER. NOISE CONFIRMED IN DRIVETRAIN, NOTED SUBLT BUT IT DOES OCCURE TEST DROVE ON BACK HILL. PLEASE HAVE CHECKED ADVISE. Comments: Verified reported sound. Like make and model comparison vehicle did not exhibit sound. Traced source of sound to transmission. Replacement of transmission needed to address reported sound. Warranty company sent independent inspector out, warranty company approved replacement with OEM remanufactured transmission. Car has been at dealer for since July 18, 2026 (1 month and counting) and still waiting for replacement transmission to be available from Toyota. Repair Estimate: $9681.80 Original Approved: $0.00 TOTAL APPROVED: $9681.80

This vehicle has a UA80 8-speed transmission that has prematurely failed. This is a KNOWN issue to Toyota and they have refused to provide a fix. It is a safety hazard when all acceleration stops when attempting to merge into heavy traffic (as had happened to me last week) or on a highway traveling at top speed. I have only 27,000 miles on this automobile and it failed with NO WARNING! Within a very short time frame the following occurred: the check AWD system, TRAC off, check engine and the transmission fluid at a high temperature lights appeared on the dashboard. Shortly thereafter I experienced a burning smell, suddenly no acceleration with a high TAC response and vehicle jerking. My transmission is toast. This would have ended very badly for me as it failed on a highway at speed with heavy traffic. Toyota needs to address this and recall and replace. Shame on you Toyota!

While driving my 2018 Toyota Highlander Limited, the check engine light began flashing off and on. I was near an exit and drove off the freeway. I could feel the car (near the gas pedal) start shaking, then the power went down quickly... as I was trying to find a safe place to go. The farther I drove, there was less power until the car was going about 2 miles an hour. The check light continued flashing as I pulled into a parking lot. This was very scary as I'm sure the car would have just stopped on the freeway if I had not been near an exit as it just simply had no power left. (The check engine light has been on over a year and I took it to three different mechanics. Not one could fix it. This car wiped out my savings and now sits at a Toyota dealership)!

Transmission failed at 65,000 miles right after the warranty expired. Cost to fix is $8,000. This is an epidemic issue with Toyota Highlanders built from 2017 to 2023. Tried to get dealer to cover but they said they refuse. They said that Toyota Corporate settled by paying all dealerships for potential repairs due to this issue, however all funds have been depleted. Basically no help at all. Pursued issue with Toyota Corporate for several weeks of escalations and appeals. In the end they completely refused to offer any solution other than for me to pay out of pocket. This issue should have been a nationwide recall due to the systemic failure on thousands of Toyota Highlanders. Sincerely, [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Complaint: I am writing to report a transmission defect in my 2018 Toyota Highlander AWD (UA80 8-speed automatic transmission). Prior to the check engine light illuminating, I noticed a burning smell coming from the vehicle. Subsequently, the following fault codes were retrieved: •P0741 – Torque Converter Clutch Circuit Performance/Stuck Off •P2714 – Pressure Control Solenoid “D” Performance/Stuck Off •P2757 – Torque Converter Clutch Pressure Control Solenoid Circuit Performance/Stuck Off These symptoms are consistent with the known defect described in Toyota’s Customer Support Program ZJC (POL19-04), which acknowledges a manufacturing defect involving an improperly bent washer tab inside the UA80 transmission. However, my VIN was not included in the covered vehicles under this program, despite experiencing identical symptoms. I am also aware that multiple class action lawsuits were filed in December 2025 against Toyota alleging the company knowingly concealed this defect from consumers for years. I am requesting NHTSA to investigate whether Toyota’s CSP ZJC coverage should be expanded to include additional affected VINs, and to consider issuing a mandatory recall for all vehicles equipped with the defective UA80 transmission.

Transmission failure (whining noise similar to the well-documented issue with UA80F 8-speed transmissions). I reported the noise and requested a specific diagnosis at approximately 95k miles --- no warning lamps/warnings were visible, just noticeable noise while driving without the radio on. On May 22, 2026, Torrington Toyota confirmed that the transmission was failed, but vehicle is drivable. As I purchased a Toyota Extended warranty, Toyota has approved the order of a remanufactured unit, which is on back order, so repair date is TBD/unknown. I lack confidence in the long-term viability of remanufactured unit, as this UA80F transmission continues to have issues, and will cost me $12k+ after the warranty expires, in the likely case that the remanufactured unit fails. There should be a long-term fix to this expensive issue.