2019 Toyota Highlander

The contact owns a 2019 Toyota Highlander. The contact stated that while driving approximately 30 MPH, the vehicle stalled; the contact shifted the vehicle into park(P) and restarted the vehicle for the vehicle to return to normal operation. No warning lights were illuminated; however, the “Auto START/STOP Failure” and “See Dealer" messages were displayed on the instrument panel. The failure reoccurred on several occasions. The vehicle was taken to a dealer, where it was diagnosed, and determined that the wiring harness needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 86,530.

Our 2019 Toyota Highlander currently has 54,605 miles. In August 2025, when the vehicle had 50,236 miles, we brought it to the Toyota dealership to address a whining noise coming from the transmission. At that time, the vehicle was still under the manufacturer’s warranty. The dealership performed a transmission service during that visit. Within the following weeks, however, the whining noise returned, and the vehicle began experiencing hard and delayed shifting. Our children and grandchildren have recently moved to Washington, and we had planned to drive there to visit them. Unfortunately, we are now reluctant to drive the vehicle due to safety concerns, as we have been advised that the transmission may be failing. The dealership has now recommended a full transmission replacement. Because the original concern was reported while the vehicle was still under warranty, we believe the issue should have been properly diagnosed and resolved at that time. However, the problem was not addressed, and the vehicle is now outside the warranty period, with Toyota declining to cover the cost of the replacement transmission. Given that the problem was first reported while the vehicle was under warranty, we are requesting that Toyota reconsider covering the transmission repair or replacement.

I have been hearing a high pitched whirling noise. I took it to my dealership and the diagnostic report said it was an internal transmission problem. They said there was no code identified when they ran the diagnostic test, but they could also hear the noise. There were no other symptoms of an issue other than the noise I heard. I have done all scheduled maintenance for this car since I leased, then purchased it in 2019. When I researched the issue further, I found that vehicles from 2019 are known to have been built with faulty transmissions. I did not know this at the time of purchase.

The contact owns a 2019 Toyota Highlander. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, there was an abnormal whining sound coming from the transmission. Later, while the contact’s wife was driving approximately 50 MPH, the vehicle went into LIMP Mode and decelerated unexpectedly. The contact diagnosed the vehicle and determined that there was a failure with the torque converter. The local dealer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not yet notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 128,000.